'Enoch Powell made his notorious Rivers of Blood speech in the Midland Hotel in Birmingham on 20 April, 1968. At the time he was the Conservative MP for the constituency of Wolverhampton South West. In her book In the Shadow of Enoch Powell Shirin Hirsch examines the impact of Powell's speech in the Wolverhampton of 1968 and analyses its significance 50 years later. Hirsch draws on archival material as well as her own contemporary interviews.'
Vivek Lehal, Socialist Review, Vol. 444 (March 2019)
As the extensive list of secondary sources in the book's bibliography suggests, Enoch Powell
has been the subject of considerable research. Shirin Hirsch's short but powerful book
stands out by offering insight into the experience of those both facing and fighting the
ramifications of Powell's speech and the attitudes it represented. Hirsch's masterful command
of contemporary newspapers and oral accounts presents the reader with an excellent
perception of the prevailing societal ideas.
Midland History
Foreword by Patrick Vernon
Introduction
1 'The Commonwealth is much too common for me': another 1968
2 The world in Wolverhampton
3 Reverberations from 'Rivers of Blood'
4 Resistance in the schools and on the buses
5 'A monstrous reputation': remembering Enoch Powell
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index