Already Good Enough: The Tuesday Manifesto

By Alistair Finch

What if your greatest act of rebellion was simply being yourself?

Barry Shuttlewick has achieved something remarkable: a life of perfect, sustainable contentment. He drives the 8:15 bus to Hillcrest Primary. He makes tea at precisely the right temperature. Every morning, he waves at Mrs. Pemberton, and every morning, she waves back.

It's not exciting. It's not extraordinary. It's just... enough.

Unfortunately, "enough" has attracted attention.

The Department of Ordinary Affairs has questions.

When Barry's sensible beige trousers are mysteriously replaced with aggressive purple sequins, his bus develops "mood enhancement" capabilities, and the neighbourhood children start speaking in Elizabethan English, he realises that someone has decided his community needs improving-whether they want it or not.

The optimisation has begun. And it's only going to get worse.

Some battles are worth fighting precisely because they look unwinnable.

Armed with nothing but a stubborn belief that ordinary is enough, Barry assembles the most unlikely resistance movement in British history: a retired lollipop lady with organisational skills, a shopkeeper mourning his alphabetised newspapers, an eight-year-old boy who refuses to stop believing in dinosaur "butt brains," and a three-hundred-year-old civil servant dragon named Reginald who wears a bowler hat and has developed opinions about municipal drainage.

Together, they'll discover that the most revolutionary thing you can do in a world obsessed with improvement is simply refuse to be improved.

A hilarious and heartwarming satirical comedy for anyone who's ever been told they have "unrealised potential."

Already Good Enough: The Tuesday Manifesto is a celebration of ordinary life, ordinary people, and the extraordinary courage it takes to decide that who you already are is exactly who you're supposed to be.

Perfect for fans of:

Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)Terry Pratchett (Discworld)Jasper Fforde (Thursday Next)Anyone who's ever felt exhausted by self-improvement culture

Featuring:

Deadpan British humourAbsurdist bureaucracyA dragon with excellent infrastructure opinionsA cat who takes his job very seriouslyZero hustle cultureThe most ordinary hero you'll ever root for

"Some gestures are worth making even when no one is watching. Especially when no one is watching."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 196970957X
• ISBN13: 9781969709579
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Lampert & Sons Publishing
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"