Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World
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- Create Date：2021-10-23 04:53:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Otto English
- ISBN：1787396398
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Summary
A fun， authoritative and alternative history of the world that exposes some of the biggest lies ever told and how they've been used over time。
Lincoln did not believe all men were created equal。
The Aztecs were not slaughtered by the Spanish Conquistadors。
And Churchill was not the man that people love to remember。
Journalist and author Otto English takes apart ten of the greatest lies from history and shows how our present continues to be twisted and manipulated by the fabrications of the past。
Much of what we assume to be true or are encouraged to believe to be true is simply wrong。 Whether propagated by politicians and think tanks， populists or the media， the family tales of childhood or your Facebook friend's feed – fake history is everywhere and it impacts， ever more， on our modern world。
This book dismantles the lazy and pernicious tropes of the past as Otto English sets out to redress the balance and reclaim truth from those who seek to pervert it。
Fake History will expose everything you weren't told in school and reveal why you weren't taught it。
Lincoln did not believe all men were created equal。
The Aztecs were not slaughtered by the Spanish Conquistadors。
And Churchill was not the man that people love to remember。
Journalist and author Otto English takes apart ten of the greatest lies from history and shows how our present continues to be twisted and manipulated by the fabrications of the past。
Much of what we assume to be true or are encouraged to believe to be true is simply wrong。 Whether propagated by politicians and think tanks， populists or the media， the family tales of childhood or your Facebook friend's feed – fake history is everywhere and it impacts， ever more， on our modern world。
This book dismantles the lazy and pernicious tropes of the past as Otto English sets out to redress the balance and reclaim truth from those who seek to pervert it。
Fake History will expose everything you weren't told in school and reveal why you weren't taught it。
Reviews
Leon Mallett
，
In parts it’s great - interesting， funny with flashes of great storytelling。 But the book overall could have done with a better editor and a better narrative structure。 It kind of meanders from one thing to the next to the next to the next， a bit like listening to an old uncle who goes from one tangent to another。 In fairness it’s probably 3。5 rather than 3， but I’ve given some great books 4 stars， and this wasn’t quite up there。
Thomas
，
There's more spin in the world than in the lyrics of the 1984 hit 'You Spin Me Round （Like a Record）'。This is a salve that attempts to address it， and it's as engaging as it is informative。 It's easy to digest and each riffs on some strand of fake history that then informs modern political discourse to a chilling degree。"Human beings can do astonishing things when we rid ourselves of the menace of illusory superiority and embrace knowledge instead。” There's more spin in the world than in the lyrics of the 1984 hit 'You Spin Me Round （Like a Record）'。This is a salve that attempts to address it， and it's as engaging as it is informative。 It's easy to digest and each riffs on some strand of fake history that then informs modern political discourse to a chilling degree。"Human beings can do astonishing things when we rid ourselves of the menace of illusory superiority and embrace knowledge instead。” 。。。more
Deb Lancaster
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Yep yep yep。A book that makes me feel less alone and less mental。
Kieran
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A funny and powerfully made case for why we should not let the history ‘we all know’ go unchallenged- chances are it is accidentally or deliberately misleading。
Ian
，
Really good look at historical myths and how they relate to modern times and fake news。。really good take down of some of our perceptions of British history
Richard
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Otto English （I will point out that this is a fake name， but it isn't intended to deceive and Otto English doesn't hide his real identity - it's in his Twitter bio， for goodness sake - and he has explained this several times） wrote this book not just to correct some misapprehensions about "stuff we all think"， but because this stuff matters。 Histories are described， we adopt those histories as part of our national character， we make decisions based on who we are - if it all turns out to be nonse Otto English （I will point out that this is a fake name， but it isn't intended to deceive and Otto English doesn't hide his real identity - it's in his Twitter bio， for goodness sake - and he has explained this several times） wrote this book not just to correct some misapprehensions about "stuff we all think"， but because this stuff matters。 Histories are described， we adopt those histories as part of our national character， we make decisions based on who we are - if it all turns out to be nonsense， then our decisions are baseless。It's all nonsense。 I don't think that's a spoiler because I think that the word "Fake" in the title gives the game away a little。 Our decisions， like Brexit， are not based on our national character but on our made up history。The book is entertainingly written， well put together and the ten fake news stories （there are more than ten， by the way - there are ten themes rather than ten fake histories）。 A well put together book， and a definite recommendation from me。 。。。more
Margaret
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I enjoyed every page of this very readable book。 While some of the information wasn’t new to me， enough was to keep me reading and entertained。 The contents have left me feeling a bit dismayed， a bit angry， a bit hopeful and a lot more determined to keep developing my “bullshit detector”。
Emelie Lindelow
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This is now my source of random historical facts to annoy people with。 （Would have been better if it was actually written by a historian though）
Roger
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Brilliant， very readable and very informative - pulls a lot of disparate threads together。
Daniel Franklin
，
OTTO ENGLISH - FAKE HISTORY 5/10Book 19 of 2021。In the end， it felt like ranting of a disgruntled old-man by Otto English （Andrew Scott）， expunging history while evolving into banality。 "It's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled。The first rule of propaganda is that the target audience must be gullible enough to believe everything they hear or read。The second is that an attractive lie is always better than the ugly truth， and the third is that even if people realise t OTTO ENGLISH - FAKE HISTORY 5/10Book 19 of 2021。In the end， it felt like ranting of a disgruntled old-man by Otto English （Andrew Scott）， expunging history while evolving into banality。 "It's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled。The first rule of propaganda is that the target audience must be gullible enough to believe everything they hear or read。The second is that an attractive lie is always better than the ugly truth， and the third is that even if people realise that they're being brainwashed， they willingly buy it anyway。" You can see that all over social media these days， lots of disinformation。Inside each chapter there’s no real sense of effort to convince， just an array of self-congratulatory scrutiny and bizarre deducement， conspiracy theories and pretending to uncover some irrefutable truth。 It felt like the ramblings of a madman。So， what is the truth？ 。。。more
Malum
，
There is nothing in there that is too shocking or unknown and it's not quite as focused （or depressing） as something like Zinn's A People's History of the United States， but English is really funny and keeps your attention even when talking about things you might already know about。 There is nothing in there that is too shocking or unknown and it's not quite as focused （or depressing） as something like Zinn's A People's History of the United States， but English is really funny and keeps your attention even when talking about things you might already know about。 。。。more
Rob Thompson
，
In this fascinating book， journalist and author Otto English deconstructs ten great lies from history。 He shows how our present continues to be manipulated by the fabrications of the past。 By the end the reader realises that how so much of what we take to be historical fact is， in fact， fiction。 A fun， authoritative and alternative history of the world that exposes some of the biggest lies ever told。 And how they've been used over time。 In this fascinating book， journalist and author Otto English deconstructs ten great lies from history。 He shows how our present continues to be manipulated by the fabrications of the past。 By the end the reader realises that how so much of what we take to be historical fact is， in fact， fiction。 A fun， authoritative and alternative history of the world that exposes some of the biggest lies ever told。 And how they've been used over time。 。。。more
Dave Stone
，
Outstanding！ I absolutely loved it。 I liked it so much I went out and got a hard cover edition。 The basic premise here is that nationalism is based on false information， patriotic mythology， and down right lies。 That exposing these falsehoods undercuts the foundations of nationalism。 and that's it's generally preferable to know the truth over a comfortable fable。 Wile this book is written from a British background， most of what it's talking about is very relevant in America right now。 This was Outstanding！ I absolutely loved it。 I liked it so much I went out and got a hard cover edition。 The basic premise here is that nationalism is based on false information， patriotic mythology， and down right lies。 That exposing these falsehoods undercuts the foundations of nationalism。 and that's it's generally preferable to know the truth over a comfortable fable。 Wile this book is written from a British background， most of what it's talking about is very relevant in America right now。 This was exactly the book I was hoping it would be， and it exceeded my expectations。 。。。more
Reed James
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Really I'd rate it a 3 and a half， but there's no option for that。 Really I'd rate it a 3 and a half， but there's no option for that。 。。。more
Matt R
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I liked some of the chapters。 The Churchill chapter and the Britain in WW2 chapter were interesting and made me think。 Unfortunately， most of the other chapters are lacking focus and Otto English has a habit of moving from one idea to the next without properly exploring it。 Sometimes I wasn't even sure what his point or argument was。I don't understand who the target audience is。 Some famous events in history are outlined in two to three pages， in other places， a lot of knowledge is assumed。 The I liked some of the chapters。 The Churchill chapter and the Britain in WW2 chapter were interesting and made me think。 Unfortunately， most of the other chapters are lacking focus and Otto English has a habit of moving from one idea to the next without properly exploring it。 Sometimes I wasn't even sure what his point or argument was。I don't understand who the target audience is。 Some famous events in history are outlined in two to three pages， in other places， a lot of knowledge is assumed。 The references to popular culture are hit and miss。 Large groups of people are often dismissed in a very clumsy and blunt manner。 This line in particular， which attempts to explain why people voted for Brexit， made me cringe: "For many modern English people， the lost， lamented Eden is the eternal summer of Edwardian England。" Really？ It was easy to read and wasn't overly pretentious。 A few lines gave me a smile。 That earns 1 star。 The second star is for the 2 chapters I mentioned at the start of the review。 Otherwise， this book is completely forgettable。 Just some old， white dude's random observations， that can make you smile， cringe， roll your eyes， and occasionally， nod in agreement。 。。。more
Diari
，
This is the book you'd want to give your snooty， permanently online， 4chan and reddit user friends who is a little too into the imperial German army and Viking aesthetics。 It might not make a difference， but it can—in some ways I hope—act as a gateway to more serious readings and unlearning。 Having said that， the selective "debunking" from the author is amusing if not hilariously stereotypical。 When discussing the illustrious image many Western leaders created for themselves and retroactive myth This is the book you'd want to give your snooty， permanently online， 4chan and reddit user friends who is a little too into the imperial German army and Viking aesthetics。 It might not make a difference， but it can—in some ways I hope—act as a gateway to more serious readings and unlearning。 Having said that， the selective "debunking" from the author is amusing if not hilariously stereotypical。 When discussing the illustrious image many Western leaders created for themselves and retroactive myth-making in general， it was said that they were entirely false; but then when it came to the West's enemies: the Aztecs， China， "communists"， the USSR，。。。 it then turned to "every great propaganda is built on the truth"- huffed the author in the audiobook version。 According to this long sigh of self-loathing and Eurocentric dourness， propaganda is bad and false， except what the West say about socialist nations。 Please。 。。。more
Pamela （Here to Read Books and Chew Gum）
，
Overall， Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World was an excellently researched and written work of non-fiction。 Unfortunately， I feel the audiobook was not the best way to experience it。 With that in mind I will talk about what I didn't like about the audiobook， but note that it didn't affect my rating of the book overall。Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World is both important and timely。 It looks at the stories we tell both on a personal and political lev Overall， Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World was an excellently researched and written work of non-fiction。 Unfortunately， I feel the audiobook was not the best way to experience it。 With that in mind I will talk about what I didn't like about the audiobook， but note that it didn't affect my rating of the book overall。Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World is both important and timely。 It looks at the stories we tell both on a personal and political level， and how they shape the society in which we live。 Essentially， almost everything is built on lies， but it's important not to let a good story get in the way of the truth。Otto English obviously put a lot of research into writing Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World， and it shows。 At first it seems like a lot of the information might be tangential， but English manages to bring all the threads together to paint a very clear picture。 While not everything is quite as revelatory as the title might suggest， there were certain lies that I believed that it was fascinating to learn were not exactly as I had been told。 That said， Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World does lack nuance at moments。 English has a very clear bias in his writing， which was made clearer in his narration in the audiobook。 While he is critical of Britain and the Empire， he does not write about it with the same vitriol as he does of other Empires and countries。 Churchill is represented as a cunning statesman who used propaganda to his own ends， and yet Hitler is represented as a bumbling nobody who almost accidentally gained power。 There is danger in that narrative， which ironically， English points out himself in a later chapter when talking about the Kim dynasty of North Korea， which simply highlights the inherent contradictions of personal bias that I found rather distracting throughout the book。That said， despite the moments of personal bias， I felt it worked well overall - especially since the subject itself encourages readers to do their own thinking and their own research to counteract it。 There is a lot of value in Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World， and the chapters on family stories and the ultimate conclusion of the book were where it really shone。 English cunningly sets the whole book up to showcase the bias that each of us holds。 Is there really a difference between the giant statue of a golden dog unveiled in Turkmenistan， and Britain's own statue of Petra， the Blue Peter dog in Manchester？ What we perceive as foolish and grandiose in the context of other countries somehow become accepted and normalised in our own。 This was a lesson sorely needed， and one that English spends his entire book setting up。From an audiobook perspective， I didn't find Otto English's narration particularly engaging。 And， as a bilingual German speaker I found his butchering of German pronunciation particularly hard to stomach。 Hearing him struggle to pronounce German， French， Nahuatl， and other languages was hard on the ears and I do wish a bit more time and effort had been put into learning the correct pronunciations out of respect to the cultural heritages that those languages represent。 Overall， I enjoyed Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World。 It was easy to digest and had something of importance to say。 In a world with so much information at our fingertips， it's more and more important to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff， and Otto English's book goes a long way in helping do just that。 I have rounded down my rating because Goodreads doesn't allow half stars， but for me， this was a 3。5 read。 。。。more
Popup-ch
，
History is written， not only by the winners， but also by the spinners。English gives some rather colourful examples， such as the spin around the Battle of Britain。 The story spread by the propaganda office was that 'plucky little britain' stood up against the onslaught of the German juggernaut。 In fact， the RAF was pretty much on par with the Luftwaffe， even before the introduction of the Spitfire， and had a much shorter commute， so-to-speak。 When a British pilot was downed， he could take a bus b History is written， not only by the winners， but also by the spinners。English gives some rather colourful examples， such as the spin around the Battle of Britain。 The story spread by the propaganda office was that 'plucky little britain' stood up against the onslaught of the German juggernaut。 In fact， the RAF was pretty much on par with the Luftwaffe， even before the introduction of the Spitfire， and had a much shorter commute， so-to-speak。 When a British pilot was downed， he could take a bus back to base。 The result was pretty much a foregone conclusion。The book was written during the Covid-19 pandemic， and there are lots of references to Boris Johnson and Donald Trump， with their respective （but different） mismanagement。 。。。more
Logan Horsford
，
If you like history， critical thinking and are curious as to how people change history for their own ends this is the book for you。
Tom
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This is a mixed bag that deconstructs "great lies" of history and attempts， with varying degrees of success， to find parallels with the current political reality。 The brilliant chapters on the hyper-mythologised version of Winston Churchill and weaponising of WWI/WWII memory in modern Britain will resonate with any Brit who has had the misfortune to question Churchill's legacy or， heaven forbid， neglected to wear a paper flower。 I even liked the chapter on the dubious origins of "curry。"Unfortun This is a mixed bag that deconstructs "great lies" of history and attempts， with varying degrees of success， to find parallels with the current political reality。 The brilliant chapters on the hyper-mythologised version of Winston Churchill and weaponising of WWI/WWII memory in modern Britain will resonate with any Brit who has had the misfortune to question Churchill's legacy or， heaven forbid， neglected to wear a paper flower。 I even liked the chapter on the dubious origins of "curry。"Unfortunately， the author's attempts to frame history in the context of the present day leads to some laboured comparisons。 The Birtherism that blighted the Obama era was terrible indeed， but I don't think it has much to do with Britain's antiquated peerage system。 And while I share in the loathing of Donald Trump， I can't agree that "The Apprentice" is analogous to Hitler's Nuremberg rallies。 Otto English is passionate about his subjects and beliefs， but sometimes he needs to wind his neck in。Overall this book is worth a shot。 You'll probably learn a lot。 You'll also roll your eyes a fair few times。 。。。more
Warren Glover
，
When faced with the dreaded spare time， Otto's twitter has proved to harbour a place to get one thinking （even if I don't follow because falling asleep after creating an account is bot like behaviour）， so hopes were certainly high here。 The first thing I noticed is how dense the book is。 A clearly highly researched book that weighs heavy on fragile wrists， be expected to deny the cause of frequent masterbation。 However upon the start things didn't feel to be conforming to expectations。 The openi When faced with the dreaded spare time， Otto's twitter has proved to harbour a place to get one thinking （even if I don't follow because falling asleep after creating an account is bot like behaviour）， so hopes were certainly high here。 The first thing I noticed is how dense the book is。 A clearly highly researched book that weighs heavy on fragile wrists， be expected to deny the cause of frequent masterbation。 However upon the start things didn't feel to be conforming to expectations。 The opening， while personal， still doesn't feel seem to have been the right opening in my opinion。 The first chapter laid down the impressive storytelling ability of both the popular and real histories， but felt lacking in a clear point or vision， more a collection on anecdotes than anything else。 Continuing on through the book addresses that issue as subsequent chapters improve on creating a tapestry from the stories， seemingly unrelated but all feeding into the central narrative being told and correcting a few of my own misconceptions。 These are certainly the peaks as when moving on to more abstract points I felt that I wasn't having some grand reveal， merely having obvious connections explained unnecessarily。 As this trend continued， it occured to me maybe that is the point， to leave no stone unturned， no man behind。 To draw parallels to another hobby， this feels like the non fiction version of a arty indie game。 Something very important that I would happily recommend to people， but evokes glazing of the eyes when the notion of enjoyability are brought up。 Engrossing but not much fun is certainly forgiveable， but still something worthy of mention。 While this may be me settling with the style， I found significantly more value as I progressed and seeing it finished at significant expense to the notion of a normal sleep schedule。 An important book for the time， I would recommend regardless of political ideology as the pieces you're likely going to take away do not seem to have a political charge to them from the author。 Enough detail is present that even with no knowledge of true or alleged events， you're not left behind。 I will say that at one point it's claimed that the $2 doesn't exist， whereas it seems from the internet that it does。 Which is wrong I'm not sure， but we're assuming this book in itself isn't fake history to propagate a potential political push using a seemingly well researched book as validity of his knowledge （sarcasm， obviously）。Shame that the red scare propaganda and the origins of Napoleon's tiny penis rumours didn't get a look in though。 。。。more
Adam Russ
，
Fake Histories is an eye-opening， 😆 packed read that takes a bunch of knowledge you assumed you knew and mercilessly destroys it， before exploring how and why such propaganda and oversimplification of events got into your head in the first place。 A testament to the timeless power of storytelling， which despite its frequently acidic tone serves as a powerful reminder that the things which unite us as a species are far more significant than those which differentiate us。 Worth the cover price for i Fake Histories is an eye-opening， 😆 packed read that takes a bunch of knowledge you assumed you knew and mercilessly destroys it， before exploring how and why such propaganda and oversimplification of events got into your head in the first place。 A testament to the timeless power of storytelling， which despite its frequently acidic tone serves as a powerful reminder that the things which unite us as a species are far more significant than those which differentiate us。 Worth the cover price for its description of British cuisine in the 1970s alone。 5 stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 *Disclaimer* I have been lucky enough to name Otto English， aka Andrew Scott， as a friend for over thirty years。 And as an occasional author myself， I would have much preferred to write a cooler review of this， his long overdue first book。 But I have no choice but to admit that he has truly hit it out of the park， and I can't wait to see - and read - whatever he turns his gifted hand and quick wit to next。 。。。more
Ross Von Hausen
，
While English's subject and material are genuinely interesting， his presentation and analysis are sophomoric。 There were so many points where I felt genuinely embarrassed for him as he presented very basic things， such as history being written by privileged white men， as if they were novel or unacknowledged by historians。If your regular diet of history consists of pop-history books and television programs， you might enjoy this book。 However， if you've ever actually spent any time studying histor While English's subject and material are genuinely interesting， his presentation and analysis are sophomoric。 There were so many points where I felt genuinely embarrassed for him as he presented very basic things， such as history being written by privileged white men， as if they were novel or unacknowledged by historians。If your regular diet of history consists of pop-history books and television programs， you might enjoy this book。 However， if you've ever actually spent any time studying historiography this book will be equally frustrating as it is fascinating。 。。。more
Jeff Kaye
，
Thoroughy enjoyable way to find out how so much of life's preconceptions are mistaken and how cognitive dissonance and the Dunning-Kruger affect lead us astray。This is a well-researched and excellently written book on how supposed facts from history and our world are untrue and why humans are so keen to believe them。 The desire to buy into enormous lies feeds our brain through its desire to belong。 Through many examples over hundreds of years， Otto English （or Andrew Scott， his real name） convin Thoroughy enjoyable way to find out how so much of life's preconceptions are mistaken and how cognitive dissonance and the Dunning-Kruger affect lead us astray。This is a well-researched and excellently written book on how supposed facts from history and our world are untrue and why humans are so keen to believe them。 The desire to buy into enormous lies feeds our brain through its desire to belong。 Through many examples over hundreds of years， Otto English （or Andrew Scott， his real name） convinces through asking the questions that he reminds us of at the end of the book: "Is that true？""Did that really happen？""Who benefits？"When I was at school， we were challenged to question everything。 I became a pain throughout my career and wider life as a result。 I can't help it but am amazed at the vast majority that are willing to accept the most nonsensical of lies。The problem is that there is no easy way to fight this battle and， with the internet （especially via Facebook） the challenge is growing。 Trump could never have become President nor Johnson PM without all the factors that Otto so rightly shows。 Their lies are bought into by millions and continue to be as so many have been transfixed in the past。I wish they would read this book - tho' they probably wouldn't believe it！ 。。。more
Alexander
，
Superb， recommended
Mike
，
Excellent - if you know much about history then the facts reveal little that's new， however this book exists to debunk some well established myths for the fabrications and conveniences for what they have become。 The timing of this book's release is very telling， and it also happens to be very entertaining and not a little pithy。 Excellent - if you know much about history then the facts reveal little that's new， however this book exists to debunk some well established myths for the fabrications and conveniences for what they have become。 The timing of this book's release is very telling， and it also happens to be very entertaining and not a little pithy。 。。。more
ItsmrO
，
Think you know your history？ No， you really don't and once you read this book， you'll know a lot more about real history， why it matters， and why people want you to believe the prescribed versions of historical events， even complete fallacies to keep you in your lane。 Otto English delivers here with a book of tremendous depth， detail and a forensic evaluation not only of fake history， why it matters， why you are told it， who's telling you it， and what impact it has on the world you live in today Think you know your history？ No， you really don't and once you read this book， you'll know a lot more about real history， why it matters， and why people want you to believe the prescribed versions of historical events， even complete fallacies to keep you in your lane。 Otto English delivers here with a book of tremendous depth， detail and a forensic evaluation not only of fake history， why it matters， why you are told it， who's telling you it， and what impact it has on the world you live in today。 If I had any influence on the school curriculum then I'd want this book given to every school child of secondary age and to their parents and grandparents。 It's that important。 As it is every facebook 'friend' who rattles out some viral half truth is getting a copy this Christmas。 I hope the author provides us with further volumes on this subject， because now， more than ever， it matters。 5/5 。。。more
Daisy McDonald
，