I was particularly delighted that Ruth Percy reviewed  The People recently on the Open University Open Learn website. Ruth is a brilliant historian, and the Open University means something special to me. In the introduction to The People I mention that my parents met at Ruskin College, the trade union college in Oxford, in the late 1960s. For both of them this was a second chance to learn, after a secondary modern schooling (my dad, Nigel) and a completely alienating Leeds grammar school (my mum, Ruth). My dad later worked as an Open University tutor, though I used to tease him that he relied on me for the English Literature part of the arts course he taught: I was very proud that I could tell him what asonance and alliteration were, though looking back he was probably just humouring me and knew about them all along. This review is also very special because Ruth Percy is now history tutor at Ruskin. I’m really proud to have her good opinion. I think my mum and dad will enjoy that, too.