Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

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 Theresa 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, martyrs, demigods, saints and heroes. But just how deserving are they of their reputations

Exploring everything from Captain Scott's reckless hunt for glory to Coco Chanel's murky Nazi past, Otto English dives into the hidden lives of some of history's biggest names. Scrutinising figures from the worlds of art, politics, business, religion and royalty, and bringing to light the murkier truths that they would rather have kept buried away.

Separating the myth-builders from the fraudsters and celebrating some of the genuine unsung heroes from our history, Fake Heroes exposes the truth of the past and helps us understand why that matters today.

Reviews

'As entertaining as it is jaw-dropping' * Waterstones.com *
'A fascinating mixture of subjects and lots of offbeat information ... Eye-opening' -- Andrew Lownie

Author Bio

Author of bestseller Fake History,Otto English is the pen name of journalist Andrew Scott. From 2010, Scott began writing and tweeting about politics and history, gaining attention for his itinerant blog, he moved into journalism and has since written forPolitico, theIndependent,New Statesman,Daily Mail and many other publiations. He has always been fascinated by the writing of history and the creation of political narratives, and has spoken about them on BBC News, BBC Radio 4 and LBC He lives in south-east London with his wife and two children.