this book was an amusing and informative read and did a good job of introducing hidden parts of british history to a wider audience for the most part. however, it felt a bit odd to be discussing such wildly horrific events in such a trivial and flippant way in some places, and there definitely wasn’t enough information in most of the chapters (most were 2 pages long, if that) to really inform anyone properly. that being said, it’s a good jumping off point to do your own googling, and is a really accessible way of bringing light to serious issues which are rarely spoken about in britain and would probably recommend for that alone!

More like 3.5 stars.

First off, I'm really not the target audience for this book, which I'm keeping in mind as I rate and review.

Honestly, there's very little detail about the different situations described in the book, and I would have liked to know a lot more about some of them. However, when it comes to history, I do actually quite like when I'm left a bit annoyed at the lack of detail and end up having to note down topics to research further. After all, the book is clearly intended to be short, snappy, and entertaining, which is very much is. (I also thought there was a great selection of events in here.)

As for the audiobook version, specifically? I'm really glad I listened to the audio for this, not only because Mathew Baynton's narration was (once again) perfect and fantastic, but also because it was great for listening to at work. 2-4 minute 'chapters' made for easy listening, and it was also great for when I had a few minutes here and there throughout the rest of the day; I ended up finishing it off at home rather than saving the last half an hour for work, simply because it was so easy to dip in and out of.

A light-hearted look at the horrors of Britain's Empire. A good antidote to some of the mindless patriotism you often corm across these days. It's fine to be proud to be British but its important to know the nasty stuff we did as well as the good things.