"This accessible presentation of the history and legacy of the British Empire is essential reading, and thoroughly engaging"
June 2023 Non-Fiction Book of the Month
Accessible and enlightening, with complex, vital history explained with clarity, Sathnam Sanghera’s Stolen History is, quite simply, a powerful, transformative must-read for all British youngsters.
The honest, personal style of the introduction is a smart way to encourage young readers to understand the relevance of history: “History bored me to tears at school. I couldn’t see how spending a whole term learning about the Stone Age was going to help me live my life.”
From this, Sanghera moves to explain how learning about the British Empire is eminently relevant to all contemporary Britons. And the reason? “It explains so much about Britain as a nation, including where our money comes from, the stuff we find in our museums, the reason the country is home to citizens of all different backgrounds, the food we eat, the words we use and so much more.”
Throughout, Sanghera presents case studies readers will really relate to, from the reason cricket is played around the world, and why tea became seen as the quintessential English drink, to the role the Empire played in Sunday roasts, and its connection to Wembley Stadium.
Always honest and wise, the final “What can I do?” chapter arms youngsters with vital questions they can ask of teachers and museum staff, along with comebacks they can present to adults who don’t fully address issues around the British Empire.
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Very interesting and not your usual boring history book. This one was funny and easy to read. I never knew a lot of this stuff.
As the author says, we are not generally taught about the British Empire in school and he is right, I wasn’t.
I’ve learnt so many things:
‘For a while Liverpool was the largest site for building slave ships in Britain’;
‘In the early 1900s the British Empire covered a quarter of the planet’;
44% of medical staff in the NHS are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background.
This book has equipped me with facts about Britain’s past and my family’s past.... Read Full Review
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