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A review by charlottereadshistory
A History of Britain in Ten Enemies by Terry Deary
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.0
A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is an enjoyable romp across history through the lens of the countries Britain (usually England) has had the most issues with.
Deary whizzes through the geopolitical history of British conflicts and the idea of ‘Britishness’ from the Stoneage to the present day. As you can imagine, this is no in-depth study, but Deary does present some interesting and less well-known tidbits amongst the generally better known facts, and I thought it was a really interesting thematic take.
He does this with more than a hint of the humour and grossness of his bestselling series for kids ‘Horrible Histories’ - not missing opportunities to poke fun where it can be found. I particularly enjoyed him describing the Battle of Watling Street as the ‘end of the woad’ for Boudicca - groan!
A common thread throughout the book was how ridiculous and devastating political posturing and conflict can be. A rousing epilogue rails against misty-eyed patriotism and British nationalism, and the idea that Britain is somehow superior to other peoples and nations.
I thought the use of the quote by US astronaut Frank Borman was particularly poignant: “Maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we live together like decent people?”
Thank you to @bantambooks and Terry Deary for an advanced proof. A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is out on the 10th October!
Deary whizzes through the geopolitical history of British conflicts and the idea of ‘Britishness’ from the Stoneage to the present day. As you can imagine, this is no in-depth study, but Deary does present some interesting and less well-known tidbits amongst the generally better known facts, and I thought it was a really interesting thematic take.
He does this with more than a hint of the humour and grossness of his bestselling series for kids ‘Horrible Histories’ - not missing opportunities to poke fun where it can be found. I particularly enjoyed him describing the Battle of Watling Street as the ‘end of the woad’ for Boudicca - groan!
A common thread throughout the book was how ridiculous and devastating political posturing and conflict can be. A rousing epilogue rails against misty-eyed patriotism and British nationalism, and the idea that Britain is somehow superior to other peoples and nations.
I thought the use of the quote by US astronaut Frank Borman was particularly poignant: “Maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we live together like decent people?”
Thank you to @bantambooks and Terry Deary for an advanced proof. A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is out on the 10th October!