John O'Farrell
I picked this up in Heathrow Airport, and I'm not sure it's available in America, which is an utter shame because O'Farrell brings British history alive in a unique and exciting way most accessible for completely uninformed readers or those who have only a fleeting knowledge of the chaps across the Pond. O'Farrell writes half in farce and half with a keen eye toward British history, and while this book is not for the faint-hearted or, indeed, the humorless, it can illuminate the past for even the most academic history students. The goal of this book is accessibility, and on this account An Utterly Impartial History of Britain succeeds completely. Beginning with the first arrivals on Britain and ending with World War II, the book gives a comprehensive and easily comprehended view of the island that would, for a time, be among history's greatest empires. Chapters are well-conceived and cover major periods of British history, conveniently broken up into sections with often hilarious (and usually sarcastic) headlines that draw from current idioms or ways of understanding history. While some of the humor is only fully appropriate for those with a working knowledge of British culture (the intended audience of the book), it is not hard for the reader to be immersed in this delightful work, laughing several times per page when necessary.
O'Farrell manages to blend historical information with humor and subtle satirical analysis. It isn't hard to miss his opinions in the mix, and aside from (easily forgivable) slam dunks many of his jokes do illuminate the historical trade as a whole and its preoccupation with its own infallibility. This book seeks to make history accessible and blows the lid off of the historical profession while offering an interesting individual interpretation of events. The book doesn't have a thesis as such, but it isn't difficult to distinguish O'Farrell's leftist tendencies, which often crop up in the last sections of chapters. These insights draw conclusions from history and apply them to Britain's current political and social situations; while they can be a bit didactic, they are never dry and are fairly transparent as opinion, not fact. Actually, the author takes care in presenting dubious facts with a skeptical eye, and while this provides a wealth of material for his jokes, it is also refreshing to read an admission that we can never be sure what exactly happened during the reign of some long-forgotten monarch. Regardless of this, the book manages to be incredibly thorough, covering every British monarch and often looking towards the situation in Ireland and Scotland on top of that in England.
O'Farrell claims that he set out to write a history of Britain for those who fell asleep in high school history and who often find it dry and boring. What he has done is transformed dull, dry material into a 500-page long stand-up routine with a lot to be learned both from and in between jokes. His tendency to include fake (but relevant) dialogue gets a tad wearisome, but because his humor is often spot-on they are forgivable and do serve to break up long bits of actual historical information. This book may seem like a farce, but it would do many well-meaning history majors a lot of good to open their eyes to the subtle criticism of the historical profession that drives this book. This is what historical writing should be: accessible, fun, and relevant to modern times. This book doesn't pursue a distinct argument but simply seeks to educate ordinary Britons (or anyone else) on their history, a noble goal not often attempted in more serious circles. As a reader with a moderate but by no means thorough background in British history, I found this book indispensable. Previously embarrassed to admit that I had no clue about the Battle of Hastings, I now feel that I have a passable knowledge of British history, presented skeptically and tempered by an acute satirical eye but valuable nonetheless. This book is worth seeking out for a comprehensive view of the British Isles as long as the reader keeps in mind that O'Farrell does have very specific views on modern politics, opinions that drive his gleeful satire and keep the book fresh and make its history come alive.
Grade: A
O'Farrell manages to blend historical information with humor and subtle satirical analysis. It isn't hard to miss his opinions in the mix, and aside from (easily forgivable) slam dunks many of his jokes do illuminate the historical trade as a whole and its preoccupation with its own infallibility. This book seeks to make history accessible and blows the lid off of the historical profession while offering an interesting individual interpretation of events. The book doesn't have a thesis as such, but it isn't difficult to distinguish O'Farrell's leftist tendencies, which often crop up in the last sections of chapters. These insights draw conclusions from history and apply them to Britain's current political and social situations; while they can be a bit didactic, they are never dry and are fairly transparent as opinion, not fact. Actually, the author takes care in presenting dubious facts with a skeptical eye, and while this provides a wealth of material for his jokes, it is also refreshing to read an admission that we can never be sure what exactly happened during the reign of some long-forgotten monarch. Regardless of this, the book manages to be incredibly thorough, covering every British monarch and often looking towards the situation in Ireland and Scotland on top of that in England.
O'Farrell claims that he set out to write a history of Britain for those who fell asleep in high school history and who often find it dry and boring. What he has done is transformed dull, dry material into a 500-page long stand-up routine with a lot to be learned both from and in between jokes. His tendency to include fake (but relevant) dialogue gets a tad wearisome, but because his humor is often spot-on they are forgivable and do serve to break up long bits of actual historical information. This book may seem like a farce, but it would do many well-meaning history majors a lot of good to open their eyes to the subtle criticism of the historical profession that drives this book. This is what historical writing should be: accessible, fun, and relevant to modern times. This book doesn't pursue a distinct argument but simply seeks to educate ordinary Britons (or anyone else) on their history, a noble goal not often attempted in more serious circles. As a reader with a moderate but by no means thorough background in British history, I found this book indispensable. Previously embarrassed to admit that I had no clue about the Battle of Hastings, I now feel that I have a passable knowledge of British history, presented skeptically and tempered by an acute satirical eye but valuable nonetheless. This book is worth seeking out for a comprehensive view of the British Isles as long as the reader keeps in mind that O'Farrell does have very specific views on modern politics, opinions that drive his gleeful satire and keep the book fresh and make its history come alive.
Grade: A
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