Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History

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In the end, it felt like ranting of a disgruntled old-man by Otto English (Andrew Scott), expunging history while evolving into banality. This is a mixed bag that deconstructs "great lies" of history and attempts, with varying degrees of success, to find parallels with the current political reality. The brilliant chapters on the hyper-mythologised version of Winston Churchill and weaponising of WWI/WWII memory in modern Britain will resonate with any Brit who has had the misfortune to question Churchill's legacy or, heaven forbid, neglected to wear a paper flower. I even liked the chapter on the dubious origins of "curry."

Fake Heroes by Otto English | Waterstones

Nem mondom, hogy a fenti metódus olyasvalami, amit én sose követtem el, mert de. Ugyanakkor megiscsak jó lenne hinni, hogy ennél többre vagyunk hivatva. Mert végtére is nem az a gond, hogy mások mást gondolnak, mint mi - hisz az ember sokféle. Hanem hogy hajlandóak-e ezek mellett a gondolatok mellett úgy érvelni, hogy a másikat is embernek tekintik. Mégpedig olyan embernek, akiről feltételezik, hogy respektálható céljai és motivációi lehetnek. Jó, hát igaz, ami igaz, ez a fajta hozzáállás meglehetősen energiaigényes, néha meddő is**. De az semmiképpen sem jó módszer, ha a másik oldal leegyszerűsítő populizmusára válaszul mi meg megteremtjük annak tükörképét: a mi leegyszerűsítő populizmusunkat. Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World is both important and timely. It looks at the stories we tell both on a personal and political level, and how they shape the society in which we live. Essentially, almost everything is built on lies, but it's important not to let a good story get in the way of the truth.

I loved this book! I would definitely read more of his work. He did frequently go off on tangents. 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 quite enjoyed them since they were interesting even if their relevance was not always immediately apparent. They might put other readers off depending on their taste. A fun, authoritative and alternative history of the world that exposes some of the biggest lies ever told and how they've been used over time. Otto English uses 10 commonly held 'facts' and uses each to expose many commonly held beliefs that are in fact false. His greater narrative is a warning that "false news" is dangerous and he cites Trump and Brexit as examples. Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown Trigger Trigger Trigger book. Put me on edge. Some was super good, some Otto you went off on your own ramble and I couldn't follow. Chapter titles were rubbish in correspondence to the subject matter in that chapter. There were some areas that captured me, the war and how it is still glorified, brainwashing kids history, Churchill. Some however just waffled on, about the crown, Napoleon, chapter 10, conclusion didn't conclude just went on a tangent.

Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course

The problem is that there is no easy way to fight this battle and, with the internet (especially via Facebook) the challenge is growing. Trump could never have become President nor Johnson PM without all the factors that Otto so rightly shows. Their lies are bought into by millions and continue to be as so many have been transfixed in the past. From an audiobook perspective, I didn't find Otto English's narration particularly engaging. And, as a bilingual German speaker I found his butchering of German pronunciation particularly hard to stomach. Hearing him struggle to pronounce German, French, Nahuatl, and other languages was hard on the ears and I do wish a bit more time and effort had been put into learning the correct pronunciations out of respect to the cultural heritages that those languages represent. Scrutinising figures from the worlds of art, politics, business, religion and royalty, he brings to light the murkier truths they would rather have kept buried away, at the same time as celebrating the unsung heroes lost to time.Fake Heroes exposes the truth of the past and helps us understand why that matters today. When I was at school, we were challenged to question everything. I became a pain throughout my career and wider life as a result. I can't help it but am amazed at the vast majority that are willing to accept the most nonsensical of lies.

Otto English obviously put a lot of research into writing Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World, and it shows. At first it seems like a lot of the information might be tangential, but English manages to bring all the threads together to paint a very clear picture. While not everything is quite as revelatory as the title might suggest, there were certain lies that I believed that it was fascinating to learn were not exactly as I had been told. An inspiring and beautifully written story of hope and healing . . . We, her readers, are privileged to walk alongside her’ COUNTRYFILE Let's get the problems out of the way first: this is a really inadequately edited book. There are numerous typos and other errors scattered throughout it, which no publishing house worth its salt should have let through. The writing is uneven at times and seems almost as if it was rushed, while the narrative is also fascinating in places. The overall premise of the book, however, is difficult to argue with, that "History, much like modern life, is in short full of bullies, self-promoting charlatans, bigots, bastards, and liars." Another way of putting it is that "the person who shouts the loudest gets all the acclaim," which is mentioned by way of explaining why Thomas Edison is widely regarded as the inventor of the light bulb, when it's not really that simple.