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

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My Wild and Sleepless Nights examines what it means to be a mother, and reveals with unflinching honesty the many conflicting emotions that this entails: the joy and the wonder, the loneliness and despair. Poor shows the strength of Katriona O’Sullivan’s unbreakable spirit – she is a beacon of light’ Patricia Scanla

Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered - WHSmith Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered - WHSmith

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. 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. The ultimate, comprehensive guide to official country data and statistics, from the world’s most sophisticated intelligence-gathering organization. Britain’s greatest sportsman (off the pitch) … Kevin Sinfield’s fundraising is a poignant story of friendship and human endeavour’ The TimesIt 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. In a diary that takes us behind the scenes of their middling ambition, Nothing But The Truth charts an outsider’s progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar. By way of the painfully archaic traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the monarch, and the Hunger Games-style contest for pupillage – which most don’t survive – here is the brilliant reality of being a frustrated junior barrister. Guevara himself comes across as somewhat politically naive. His upbringing was quite well to do, and such were the class divisons in the Argentina of his day that people of his class thought nothing of the teenage Guevara routinely raping the family maid. This was regarded as a part of the function of maids at the time in Argentina, apparently. So we can dispense with the notion of the romantic revolutionary hero who loved the working classes quite readily, then.

Fake Heroes by Otto English | Waterstones

Thoroughy enjoyable way to find out how so much of life's preconceptions are mistaken and how cognitive dissonance and the Dunning-Kruger affect lead us astray. I felt that this book didn’t quite meet my expectations, but I still got much out of it. To that extent I will give the sequel “Fake Heroes” a go. Not in the least that, to my regret, I was once a Che Guevara fanboy. Much has changed since then. For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike – either free and equal, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a reaction to indigenous critiques of European society, and why they are wrong. In doing so, they overturn our view of human history, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery and civilization itself. I have finished reading “Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World” by Otto English.

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Engaging… Dunne argues cogently, coherently and from experience that to have choices in life you also have to have chances.’ The Observer, Book of the Day To be frank, I like the accessible language the author used to write the book. There is no pretension in how he makes his arguments, which I can appreciate.

Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they [PDF] [EPUB] Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they

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. Coco Chanel grew up mostly in an orphanage run by nuns. Her flair for fashion was real, and she was industrious, but as she became hugely successful, a pretty dark side to her personality emerged. She was a Nazi collaborator who treated her staff with contempt, was unethical in her business dealings, and had a string of affairs with fellow fascist sympathizers. 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. However, as soon as I saw that there was a chapter on Captain Scott my heart sank a little bit, and I thought to myself "I bet he's only used the Huntford". Guess bloody what, I was right!Whether it’s virtuous leaders in just wars, martyrs sacrificing all for a cause, or innovators changing the world for the better, down the centuries supposedly great men and women have risen to become household names, saints and heroes. But just how deserving are they of their reputations? Having exposed some of the greatest lies ever told in Fake History, journalist Otto English turns his attention to some of history's biggest (and most beloved) figures. 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?