'the sea refuses no river' is a collection of personal memoirs in which the author relates growing up in East London in the 1950s, to how those experiences shaped values and expectations up until the present day. It is full of historical and social comment, embracing such topics as East London Sunday morning markets, entering the teaching profession, rock music, the importance of linguistic understanding, and becoming an acting senior officer in the army. The author draws strong lines of alternative thought on how things might be different from what we usually assume.