Publication Date: 28/01/2021 ISBN: 9780241445297 Category:

Empireland

Sathnam Sanghera

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication Date: 28/01/2021 ISBN: 9780241445297 Category:
Hardback

£18.99

Out of stock

Description

***THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY ‘EMPIRE STATE OF MIND’***
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘This remarkable book shines the brightest of lights into some of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of our shared history’ James O’Brien
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In his brilliantly illuminating new book Sathnam Sanghera demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is actually rooted in our imperial past. In prose that is, at once, both clear-eyed and full of acerbic wit, Sanghera shows how our past is everywhere: from how we live to how we think, from the foundation of the NHS to the nature of our racism, from our distrust of intellectuals in public life to the exceptionalism that imbued the campaign for Brexit and the government’s early response to the Covid crisis. And yet empire is a subject, weirdly hidden from view.

The British Empire ran for centuries and covered vast swathes of the world. It is, as Sanghera reveals, fundamental to understanding Britain. However, even among those who celebrate the empire there seems to be a desire not to look at it too closely – not to include the subject in our school history books, not to emphasize it too much in our favourite museums.

At a time of great division, when we are arguing about what it means to be British, Sanghera’s book urges us to address this bewildering contradiction. For, it is only by stepping back and seeing where we really come from, that we can begin to understand who we are, and what unites us.
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‘Lucid but never simplistic; entertaining but never frivolous; intensely readable while always mindful of nuance and complexity – Empireland takes a perfectly-judged approach to its contentious but necessary subject’ Jonathan Coe

Publisher Review

Lucid but never simplistic; entertaining but never frivolous; intensely readable while always mindful of nuance and complexity - Empireland takes a perfectly-judged approach to its contentious but necessary subject * Jonathan Coe * In this witty and multi-faceted portrait of our national, the award-winning journalist and novelist looks with great acuity at how the Empire wrought contemporary Britain * Bookseller * Gripping and entertaining, horrifying and tender . . . Exposes all those things we take for granted as we grow up * The Times on 'The Boy with the Topknot' * Tragic, funny and disturbing. It will challenge you, and may even change you * Independent on 'The Boy with the Topknot' * I absolutely loved it. Heartbreaking and wonderful. He writes beautifully * Maggie O'Farrell on 'The Boy with the Topknot' * Could not be more enjoyable, engaging or moving * Observer on 'The Boy with the Topknot' * This remarkable book shines the brightest of lights into some of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of our shared history. As urgent as it is illuminating, Sanghera drives a coach and horses through the ludicrous but increasingly popular notion that wanting a proper public understanding of all aspects of British and Imperial history is somehow unpatriotic or 'anti-British'. A quite beautiful writer, with a deep personal investment in the subject matter, his meticulous research and passionate advocacy combine to create an irresistible case for reviewing much of what we think we know about the reality and legacy of the British Empire * James O'Brien *

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