Libraries gave us power

Trade unions played a massive part in shaping Britain's democracy. But today it's easy to forget that one of their signal achievements was transforming access to education for working people.

In Libraries gave us power, Gavin McCann tells the story of how the trade union movement fought for education, untapping the potential of millions. Following the self-taught activists who refused to accept exclusion, he traces their struggles across two-hundred years of history, highlighting successes such as the creation of Oxford's Ruskin College and the earliest elections of working-class MPs. This is a story that carries on into the present, as unions continue to offer essential support through training, learning programmes and campaigns to help workers in a changing economy - all rooted in values that would be instantly recognisable to the movement's pioneers.

Rescuing a history that is fast disappearing from view, Libraries gave us power is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the truth about education, democracy and working-class power in modern Britain.