Taking the ten biggest lies from history and looking at the people who propagated them, social commentator and expert historian Otto English shows how our past has been bent and broken, used and abused over time to fit the ends of some of the world's most powerful people.
From the author of Fake History, Otto English, comes a shocking yet hilarious
look at ten of the greatest liars from our past, examining these previously
unquestioned idols and exposing what they were trying to hide.Was Che Guevara
really a revolutionary hero?Should Mother Teresa be honoured as a saint?Is
Henry V actually England's greatest king?And why does JFK's legend continue to
grow?Having exposed some of the greatest lies ever told in Fake History,
journalist Otto English turns his attention to some of history's biggest (and
most beloved) figures.Whether it's virtuous leaders in just wars, martyrs
sacrificing all for a cause, or innovators changing the world for the better,
down the centuries supposedly great men and women have risen to become
household names, saints and heroes. But just how deserving are they of their
reputations?Exploring everything from Captain Scott's reckless hunt for glory
and Andy Warhol's flagrant thievery to Coco Chanel's murky Nazi past, Otto
English dives into the hidden lives of some of history's most recognisable
names. Scrutinising figures from the worlds of art, politics, business,
religion and royalty, he brings to light the murkier truths they would rather
have kept buried away, at the same time as celebrating the unsung heroes lost
to time.Fake Heroes exposes the truth of the past and helps us understand why
that matters today.