Just some old, white dude's random observations, that can make you smile, cringe, roll your eyes, and occasionally, nod in agreement. Democracy in Danger The newspaper’s extensive reporting and analysis of the various threats to democracy from populism, oligarchy, dark money and online disinformation. Some of the individuals covered in this book became icons by accident or by dint of their good looks. Readers who want to read a decent work on Churchill’s life and career would be advised to pick up biographies by Martin Gilbert, Andrew Roberts, Richard Langworth… in fact, by just about anyone other than Otto English. In a world with so much information at our fingertips, it's more and more important to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff, and Otto English's book goes a long way in helping do just that.

Régen az emberek azt hitték, a föld lapos"), amit a szerző bizonnyal cáfolni kíván, valamint ott az alcím is (pl. For example, I have not once encountered an author portray Churchill as having come from anything other than a privileged background. On the Discovery expedition farthest South, there is actually very little evidence that Scott and Shackleton fell out. But still, some of the chapters (like the one about Churchill) go into much more depth than others ("If Napoleon had won, we'd all be speaking French" gets about three sentences). Yes, the truth being uncovered will undoubtedly shatter many epic stories which were long embellished about people who have become famous.Some of them weren't particularly competent, and achieved wealth and fame largely on the back of the efforts of others around them. I cannot comment on the other chapters of his book, but the chapter on Churchill doesn’t inspire confidence. English has a very clear bias in his writing, which was made clearer in his narration in the audiobook. For example, Churchill was observer of the Cuban insurrection, but he did not fight for the Spanish.

There was never any sense in which Andy Warhol tried to claim otherwise, as his entire artistic life was about blurring the boundaries between consumerism and art. I quite enjoyed them since they were interesting even if their relevance was not always immediately apparent. However he did warn readers that he wanted to not only reveal the true history behind the myths but also how those myths have impacted society today. I was really looking forward to this book because I loved Fake History, and for the most part this was an entertaining and informative sequel. A little way into the chapter on Scott we are told: "In the Heroic Age, leading a grand polar expedition was a surefire path to swift promotion, medals and glory, and Scott was a hugely, hugely ambitious individual who chased after it all.

There is nothing in there that is too shocking or unknown and it's not quite as focused (or depressing) as something like Zinn's A People's History of the United States, but English is really funny and keeps your attention even when talking about things you might already know about. In a country where virtually no-one goes to church any more, ‘The War’ has become a de-facto religion for many a Brexit-minded Conservative. A fun, authoritative and alternative history of the world that exposes some of the biggest lies ever told. Although his snobbish contempt for his grandparents would embarrass the adolescent Pip from Great Expectations.