Keeping Ahead of the Curve

Anthony Lees, the author of Keeping Ahead of the Curve, was born in Cheshire, England. He emigrated to the United States with his wife, Ann, and their three children, aged eleven, thirteen and fourteen, in 1980. The first part of the book describes the author's pre-war childhood, World War II and its aftermath, his marriage and the birth of their children, up to the point when they decided to emigrate to the USA. It answers the question "Why did they do it?" The second part of the book goes back in time and describes the circumstances and life experiences of the author's immediate ancestors, starting with his great-grandfather, John Lees, who was born in Oldham, Lancashire, in 1822. The author follows the history of his family, and that of his wife's, through two centuries of incredible change. In the mid-nineteenth century Great Britain was at the height of her power, with a world-wide empire and a pre-eminent currency, the gold sovereign. By the time the author and his family emigrated to the USA, the British Empire had all but disappeared and the British gold sovereign had been replaced in international trade by the American dollar. The third part of the book brings the story of the author's life up to date. It describes his experiences since arriving in the USA and the career/life decisions taken by him and his family. It answers the question "Did they do the right thing?"