Common Ground: The Story of GreenhamWhen a small group of women set out to march to Greenham one summer day at the end of August 1981, none of them could have imagined that this outing would change their lives forever. Nor did they dream that their gesture that day would spark off a feminist protest movement that would last for decades spreading its influence across the world. This highly entertaining and evocative history of the common traces the development of the protests from the summer of that year through the climax of the Cold War to the present day. It is a quintessentially English tale in which a disparate group of dedicated and sometimes fractious women confront the full military might of the United States, not only to raise their voices against nuclear weapons but also to safeguard the ancient customs and rights of common ground. As alive to the women's concerns as to the wider political implications, Fairhall paints a vivid picture of life at Greenham, from the challenges and frustrations of the night time raids and appearances in court to the exuberant self-expression of the camps at the various rainbow-coloured Gates. |