Synopsis

The Sunday Times Bestseller.

Subtitled : How Imperialism Has Been Shaped Modern Britain.

Empireland explains why there are millions of Britons living worldwide.

Empireland explains Brexit and the feeling that we are exceptional.

Empireland explains our distrust of cleverness.

Empireland explains Britain's particular brand of racism.

In this brilliantly illuminating work exploring the realities and legacies of empire, Sathnam Sanghera demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is actually rooted in its imperial past.

Strangely hidden from view, the British Empire remains a subject of both shame and glorification. In his bestselling book, Sathnam Sanghera shows how our imperial past shapes how we live and think, from the foundation of the NHS to our response to the COVID-19 crisis.

At a time of great division, when we are arguing about what it means to be British, Empireland is a ground-breaking revelation - a much-needed and enlightening portrait of contemporary British society, shining a light on everything that usually gets left unsaid.

Details

• Format : Standard 2nd Hand Paperback
• Condition : As New
• Category : Non-Fiction - Britain
• Published : 2021 (Penguin)
• ISBN : 9780241445310
• SKU : B003303
• PPC : SP300gm
• RRP : £10.99
• Quantity Available : 1 only.

External Reviews

'The real remedy is education of the kind that Sanghera has embraced - accepting, not ignoring, the past' - Gerard deGroot, The Times.

'Empireland takes a perfectly-judged approach to its contentious but necessary subject' - Jonathan Coe.

'Excellent . . . he is a good guide to the complexities of the issues.. And he is largely positive about Britain and its future' - Andrew Marr.

'This remarkable book shines the brightest of lights into some of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of our shared history' - James O'Brien.

'A wonderful, wonderful book.' - David Lammy.

'Empireland should be on the compulsory reading list of every secondary school in the country.' - John Simpson.

The Author

Sathnam Sanghera was born to Punjabi parents in the West Midlands in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but, after attending Wolverhampton Grammar School, graduated from Christ’s College, Cambridge with a first class degree in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards twice, for his memoir The Boy With The Topknot and his novel Marriage Material, the former being adapted by BBC Drama in 2017 and named Mind Book of the Year in 2009. His third book, Empireland: How Imperialism Has Been Shaped Modern Britain became an instant Sunday Times bestseller on release in 2021, and was named a Book of the Year at the 2022 British Books Awards.

Empireland also inspired Empire State of Mind, the acclaimed two-part documentary for Channel 4 for which he earned a Best Presenter shortlisting at the 2022 Grierson Awards, and Stolen History: The Truth about the British Empire and How it Shaped Us, which went to No 1 on several children’s books charts when it was released in 2023. He has been awarded two honorary doctorates and won numerous awards for his journalism, including Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2002, Media Commentator of the year in the 2015 Comment Awards and the Edgar Wallace Trophy for Writing of the Highest Quality at the 2017 London Press Club Awards. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2016, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contribution to historical scholarship in 2023.