Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World

I first came across this author on Twitter in the months after the UK 2016 EU Referendum. His insightful writing on Brexit became addictive and his works on Byline Times must-reads. Fans will love this book and it is written for those of us who like real history – you know – the stuff that hides behind the headlines. This is like “Horrible Histories” for grown-ups. It is all here – all the nonsense you might have ever heard – all gloriously debunked. Much of this is original and surprising to read. Those expecting it to be some kind of rant by some leader of the “woke mob” will be disappointed. Otto aims his iconoclasm in all directions and takes no prisoners. He is equally likely to revel in Churchill’s racism as Abraham Lincoln’s. This is the point. History is not your friend. It doesn’t take sides and won’t always tell you the story you want to hear. Otto writes that “History is nuanced, complex and, quite often, frankly unsatisfying.” History cannot be made to live up to the “urban populist narratives” although the modern myths can be “more appealing than the facts”. Otto is on a mission here and it is heartfelt. “Fake history can be the pyre upon which nations and democracy self-immolate.”. “Phoney nostalgia is detrimental to our collective health.” Yet this is a book just as much about propaganda and the Dunning-Kruger effect as history. It’s about this people who make up fake history and weaponise it to hijack our present and future.“Fake History” delivers a truth bomb to those willing to listen. The trouble is that, by definition, the people who need to understand this message are not listening. Since readers are probably very well versed on the “nuances” of history then some of what Otto writes sounds like a straw man. Educated readers would be forgiven for thinking ‘who believes this fake history tripe?’ Indeed, much of the truth has been hiding in plain sight for years. Case in point are the myths about the Battle of Britain. Many a handy modern truth/factoid about the Battle over Kent skies in 1940 was given vigorous treatment in the war movie “The Battle of Britain” which was filmed fifty-three years ago (1969). Yet the myths are like zombies and refuse to die. Somewhere there is always somebody who is willing to retell a story as half-truths and another crowd willing to listen and believe. Fake history is a religion and impenetrable to facts. It make no more sense to the educated person than religion does to an atheist. Otto’s “Fake History” does have one unfortunate low-point. The chapter on Hitler should have been exorcised by a careful editor. Sadly, it remains as a somewhat pointless inclusion. We all know Hitler was a failed artist. Otto writes pages about Hitler being a failed artist. Why? Yet there was a moment here when he could have surprised us with something insightful about the banality of evil that was so well described by Hannah Arendt. We all have that inner-Nazi. To depict fascists as monsters puts them in a class in which we do not believe we belong. THEY were exceptional. WE are DIFFERENT. This is a failing in the way history treats the National Socialist Party of German. We learn nothing from their depiction as cartoon bad guys. Otto adds nothing to this which is a disappointment. Do we really think that if we succeed at being artists then it excludes us from acting out destructive nationalist fantasies? History tells us otherwise. This failure is written large across the face of tabloid newspapers on a daily basis. Otto has written a great book. Yet it is just a little flawed by a little muddled thinking. Some of the points could have been delivered with greater precision. Regardless, this book deserves its place on your bookshelf and, to repeat the platitude, it deserves a place in your kids’ classrooms too.

The book title Is of come read me genre.! The ten great lies are a framing device to provide a commentary on politics, communication, social media, human behaviour, dictators (past and current). The book is accessible in that it can appeal to the curious or to those that have some interest and knowledge of the issues. English avoids filling the pages with references and demonstrates an expert view of the world. If the curious want to validate the information , it is upto them to check it out. There are just enough references to conversations with academics to confirm, thar he has not made it all up. Some may find the arguments polemical but English does not pull his punches. There are clear viewpoints and the inescapable conclusion, that the lies of yesteryear remains the lies of today. In that, English has succeeded. Highly recommended.

This book is really interesting and can give a different perspective to some events in history.I felt a little duped as it's billed as being about "world events" when in fact its very Britain and to some extent very England centric.I didn't find anything new but it was interesting to read a different perspective. It's written in a way that's not too heavy and has got a good few chuckles throughout which kept me engaged, though I did feel the author may have held a personal gripe which peaked through as the book went on.All in all it was ok, an interesting read.

This is a fun meander through what we think we know. For someone that was offered only the myths of English exceptionalism at a small conservative 'gels' school (education wasn't high on the agenda), there were plenty of eye-openers and more than one laugh-out-loud moment. It seems well researched and I really enjoyed the writing style. And the personal titbits. It also left me wanting to know more about some of the themes the author covers, so I'll be browsing the history section as soon as I'm done here ...

One big truth is Otto English has a way with words, in a world where you can’t trust what you read most of the time this is a breath of fresh air. All the facts whether you want to believe them or not are delivered in a highly entertaining writing style that has you saying “go on, just on more chapter”.You deserve this book to be in your collection or to gift it to that belligerent Uncle who messes up every family gathering.