A journey into the literal and figurative heart of England, deep into the fire within.

Mid-land is a celebration, a cultural history, a memoir and an urgent assessment of Englishness at a pivotal moment in time. It is also a travelogue, for central to the narrative is the English Midlands, in all its sweaty glory.

The Midlands is a region of great interest, indomitable spirit and unbreakable optimism. There are corners of surprising loveliness, often known only to locals. For better and worse, this is the bellwether of England, the canary down the national mine. And there is an undeniable new feeling in the air: could it be that the ugly sister is finally having her moment?

Peaky Blinders aside, the West Midlands remain the least eulogised part of these islands. Popular perception is seldom kind: regional capital Birmingham struggles to assert its status as the UK’s second city and has always been the butt of jokes. It has curiously little traction in the cultural history of the nation: there are no great Brum films, and very few books or TV series.

This shapelessness is there in the region’s definition, or lack of it. People who come from here are great assimilationists. We have to be. Although this comparative invisibility is usually framed as a problem or a drawback, Mid-Land celebrates it. Planet London aside, no metropolis in Britain has been as successful in its absorption of people from far beyond its limits than Birmingham, and that has been so from its very beginnings.

Mike Parker’s latest will be leavened with much light, wit, beauty and joy.