Choose Life. Choose Leith.

By examining the book, the play and the film, Choose Life. Choose Leith. both critically analyses the Trainspotting phenomenon in its various forms, and contextualises the importance of the location of Leith and the culture of 1980s Britain. Looking in detail at the history of Leith, the drug culture, the spread of HIV/AIDs, and how Trainspotting affected drug policy, Leith and the Scottish identity, the book highlights the importance of Trainspotting. Choose Life. Choose Leith. acts as a reference book, a record of the times and a background as to the history that led to the real-life situation and the publication of the book.

TIM BELL is originally from Northumberland, but has lived in Leith since the 1980s. Having lived in the area at the time Trainspotting was set, Bell has seen the change in Leith and the troubles it has faced. Bell, who runs Trainspotting tours in Leith, has a thorough knowledge of the book, the play and the film, as well as the history of Leith, and through his book wanted to put Leith back at the heart of Trainspotting, back where it belongs.