A History of Britain in Ten Enemies
Ratings3
Average rating3.2
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.2
A ridiculously funny history of Britain for adults from the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the Horrible Histories, perfect for fans of Unruly by David Mitchell. 'Ram-packed with mind-blowing facts, hilarious characters, and little-known tales' Dan Schreiber 'If you could take just one history book to a desert island, this would be it. Laugh out loud funny... Pure joy' Conn Iggulden Ah, Britain. So special. The greatest nation on earth, some say. And we did it all on our own. Didn’t we? As it happens Britannia got its name from the Romans, and for the past two centuries we have been ruled by Germans. As Horrible Histories author Terry Deary argues, nations and their leaders are defined by the enemies they make. - Elizabeth I would count as a minor royal without the Spanish Armada - Without the Nazis, Churchill would be remembered as an opposition windbag - The surprisingly sadistic Boudica would be forgotten if it weren't for the Roman Ninth Legion And after all, every nation sometimes needs a bit of unifying Blitz spirit (although in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have accidentally let Corporal Hitler go in the first place). The British have a proud history of choosing their enemies, from the Romans to the Germans. You might even say those enemies made Britain what it is today... A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is a witty, whistlestop tour of British history that will have you laughing as you find out what they didn't teach you in school. 'Playful, cheeky, and very clever, this is a book for anyone who ever wished there was a Horrible Histories for grown-ups' Kate Lister Terry Deary, UK's bestselling Children's & Young Adult Non-Fiction author since records began, Nielsen, September 2024. A History of Britain in Ten Enemies was an instant Sunday Times bestseller on release, 10 October 2024.
Reviews with the most likes.
DNF'd this at about 80%. I remember the Horrible Histories books as being educational while managing to still be interesting to a child who at the time, couldn't care less. It is with those memories that I find myself disappointed with this take on British history.
While it starts off interesting, although Terry is unable to keep his political opinions or bias out of it, it proceeds to gloss over major events as 'things that happen for no reason and we certainly won't look into it'.
The book looks to be a pathetic excusing of the state of the UK today. "Britain is always being invaded, and technically the natives are extinct now, so why care about the current situation?" Also Britain deserves it because empire bad. It would be interesting to see him make a similar book on Japan, Mali, Mongolia, or any non-European country that did some dirty empire dealings. I'm guessing we won't get such a book however.
