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

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I have finished reading “Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World” by Otto English. Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us. The John F. Kennedy chapter is unsurprising. He was a voracious serial adulterer who was fulfilling the ambitions of his father by going into politics; this is not new infromation, but I suppose it's good that people feel more free to write about it these days. There's definitely no harm in being real about the actuality of people's lives versus the image projected by their publicists.

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

Excellent . . . at once a vicious polemic, a helpful primer and a cringe-inducing account of one barrister’s travails’ – The Telegraph It's all nonsense. I don't think that's a spoiler because I think that the word "Fake" in the title gives the game away a little. Our decisions, like Brexit, are not based on our national character but on our made up history. I'm sorry but what is this? I did history at uni, and I struggle to describe it, If one had to, you could define it as a self-absorbed, incoherent polemic. Part of the detritus thrown up by Brexit. Overall, Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World was an excellently researched and written work of non-fiction. Unfortunately, I feel the audiobook was not the best way to experience it. With that in mind I will talk about what I didn't like about the audiobook, but note that it didn't affect my rating of the book overall. Told with Sinfield’s characteristic warmth, dry wit and inspirational leadership, The Extra Mile is the story of an astonishing life, of an enduring friendship, of perseverance against the most difficult of challenges, and of a remarkable, humble human being who has defied the odds. The book equips readers with the tools and the mindset to embrace togetherness and to overcome their own challenges. It leaves the reader with the urgent question: Who would you go the extra mile for to help in life?The man was a spy. A senior KGB officer, for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine. No spy had done more to damage the KGB. The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia. So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying. Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage, betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever…. Now, to the dogs: Scott took dogs on the Discovery having taken Nansen's advice, and their diet of fish was also recommended by Nansen (not Scott). According to the late great Wally Herbert, it takes a person around two years to become competent at running dogs, Scott had no chance of managing this, whereas the Norwegians would have been running dog teams for years, due to, y'know, living in the Arctic. It is a great book to read but be assured it is certainly not a strict factual account of history with balanced views on what might have happened. Instead the sources are carefully edited to bear out the opinions of the author and meet his agenda. Whilst stating how our history is based on the version we read or were taught when younger, he clearly chooses the versions he wants to make his point. There are flaws in his writing. For example in the JFK chapter he sometimes use JFK and Kennedy interchangeably making it difficult to discern who he meant. Also you will find stories of other characters threw in for not so obvious reason.

Fake Heroes by Otto English | Waterstones

Overall, I enjoyed Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World. It was easy to digest and had something of importance to say. 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.Some laws require prudence (“Law 1: Never Outshine the Master”), some stealth (“Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions”), and some the total absence of mercy (“Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally”), but like it or not, all have applications in real-life situations. Right From Wrong is a deeply humane and honest book, and an unflinching look at men’s mental health and emotions at a time when our awareness of these things is of crucial importance. Hard to convey how truly appalling this book is. One thing it isn't is a history book. It's a rambling disjointed collection of hobby-horse baseless opinions. The episode on 'Hilter wasn't a failed artist', is prime territory. The author even lets slip that Hilter was a failed artist, (after all he was twice rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts!), but he still carries on trying to undermine this historical fact. As though this fact would in some unfathomable way lead us to humanize the monster. The author then goes on to tell us that Mein Kampf is not a good book. Well thanks for that, without you we would have all thought it was wonderful. This book has the grammar of a well written text. No references were to be found and the content strayed wildly from what the chapter titles were. I felt like I was just reading someone’s opinion piece the whole time, I know that’s what all history books are, but if you don’t reference things how do I know that what you’re saying is correct and the history you’re calling fake isn’t.

Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the C… Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the C…

Be the first to review “Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History” Cancel reply An inspirational and life-affirming read. What Kevin Sinfield has achieved on and off the field is truly remarkable. His inspiring leadership and relentless focus on fundraising for MND shows how we should all strive to care more for each other’ Gareth SouthgateAn inspiring and beautifully written story of hope and healing . . . We, her readers, are privileged to walk alongside her’ COUNTRYFILE In this fascinating book, journalist and author Otto English deconstructs ten great lies from history.