Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Empireland is much more than an accounting of the losses and gains accrued from Empire. Sanghera blends memoir, journalism and history to construct a multi-layered narrative that slowly builds toward an existential but also political question: if you take away Empire, and everything connected to it, what would be left of the elements that could be said to constitute British national identity? What is British identity minus Empire?” This book should be on the compulsory reading list of every secondary school in the country' John Simpson
Sathnam Sanghera Empire - Sathnam Sanghera
Stolen History is a truly remarkable achievement: an historically accurate, diligently researched and nuanced account of the British Empire that is also gripping for younger readers. I know of no other writer who could have accomplished such a feat.” Sathnam Sanghera was born to Indian Punjabi parents in Wolverhampton in 1976. [2] [3] His parents had emigrated from India to the UK in 1968. [4] [5] He was raised a Sikh. [5] He attended Wolverhampton Grammar School, an independent school where he had gained a place after passing the 11+ and was funded by the government's assisted places scheme. He graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge, with a first-class degree in English Language and Literature in 1998. [3] Career [ edit ] Those who have read Sathnam Sanghera’s wonderful memoir The Boy with the Topknot will not be surprised to find that this latest very well written book combines hugely readable quantities of information about our centuries as an almost inadvertent imperial power with decent, balanced and wise judgements. This account of how much of our “island story” was written in other countries deserves to be widely read, not least by those who have migrated to the extremes of present public debate. It is neither woke nor jingoistic; the sentiments are those of a fair-minded British citizen who comes from a Sikh family. His decency and talent remind us of how much we owe to all those immigrants from our empire who came to make their lives here and too often (but happily not always) had to face hostility with a racist hue. The racism was frequently sired by our imperial past.” 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.
This is exclusive content.
Accessible and enlightening, with complex, vital history explained with clarity, SathnamSanghera’s Stolen History is, quite simply, a powerful, transformative must-read for allBritish youngsters. Empireland is the product of Sanghera’s mission to decolonise himself. It’s a noble, often poignant effort at self-education… a gracefully written book, but its real beauty lies in its complete absence of dogmatism. It’s so refreshing to encounter an author who isn’t bloody certain about everything…. In assessing the empire, Sanghera is… admirably equivocal… Empireland is not an angry diatribe; there’s enough of those already. It’s a sensitive, often uncomfortable commentary on the stubborn influence of empire. Sanghera loves his country but is no longer blind to its faults.” Prue Leith is a judge on The Great British Bake Off. Her one-woman show, Nothing in Moderation, is on tour now. My response to reading Sathnam Sanghera’s bestselling Empireland was, “I only wish this book had been around when I was at school.” So I’m delighted to see that he has written the soon to be published Stolen History: an introduction to the British empire for younger readers. Understanding our history is crucial to making sense of the world around us, and this warm and informative book sets out an engaging and accessible account of how our past has shaped our present – from the language we use, to the food we eat. A must-read for every young person – and their parents, too.
Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera (9780241623435/Paperback Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera (9780241623435/Paperback
It will explore how Britain's empire once made it the most powerful nation on earth, and how it still affects our lives in many ways today - from the words we use, to the food we eat, the sports we play and even to every grown-up's fixation with a good cup of tea. Because how can we ever make the world a kinder, better place for the future, if we don't know the truth about the past?"I've resisted suggestions that I write a kids' book on empire on the grounds that I didn't want to sanitise the history. But what about the British Empire? Why don’t we learn much about this? And what even is an empire, anyway? The honest, personal style of the introduction is a smart way to encourage young readers tounderstand the relevance of history: “History bored me to tears at school. I couldn’t see howspending a whole term learning about the Stone Age was going to help me live my life.”This book will answer all the important questions about Britain's imperial history. It will explore how Britain's empire once made it the most powerful nation on earth, and how it still affects our lives in many ways today - from the words we use, to the food we eat, the sports we play and even to every grown-up's fixation with a good cup of tea. As the author says, we are not generally taught about the British Empire in school and he is right, I wasn’t. You’ve probably heard the word ’empire’ before. Perhaps because of the Roman empire. Or maybe even the Star Wars films. The Crown by Emily Kapff is simple, beautiful and heart-wrenching: a dispatch from the future that takes the form of a picture book. A little girl, a princess, stands atop a landfill mound and has a message for us. This is a contemplative text with thoughtful and detailed illustrations that roll out from the possible grey of the future to the vibrant colours of life and nature that could be reclaimed. This is a book that begs us to change the world.
Stolen History | BookTrust
He switched to writing a history of empire and during that process the murder of George Floyd happened. People were suddenly very interested in systemic racism and colonialism and Sanghera found he was writing a very timely book.
About Sathnam Sanghera
A lot of thought went into what to show and how to represent empire pictorially. “How do you depict slavery? Should you show [enslaved people] working with cotton or sugar cane? Cotton is a crop more associated with American slavery and sugar is more imperial, more Caribbean… When you are illustrating Kipling’s Jungle Book do you echo his imperialist view of Indians? Or do you modernise? Every illustration is a potential explosive area.” Move into writing history Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments You've probably heard the word 'empire' before. Perhaps because of the Roman empire. Or maybe even the Star Wars films. But what about the British Empire? Why don't we learn much about this? And what even is an empire, anyway?
Great Deal 
New Comment