Synopses & Reviews
A powerful, inspiring, and refreshing take on British history—a true people's history The idea was simple. Take the most impassioned speeches about the fight for what is right and bring them to life for a new generation. The reason why it's so powerful is because it's about everything that matters to us: love and life, sex and death, justice and freedom. We've found some amazing speeches from the most unlikely places, British voices that have been ignored for centuries because history is a tale often told by the winners. —Colin Firth Inspired by the U.S. version produced by Anthony Arnove, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, and Howard Zinn, the story of Britain is told now through the voices of the visionaries, dissenters, rebels, and everyday folk who took on the establishment and stood up for what they believed in. Here are their stories, letters, speeches, and songs, from the Peasants' Revolt to the suffragettes to today's antiwar demonstrators. Bringing together some of the most powerful words in British history, this collection reminds readers that democracy has never been a spectator sport.
Review
"A decidedly atypical historical anthology and a paean to Britains rich legacy of protest and dissent." —Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Colin Firth (CBE) is a Bafta- and Academy Award-winning actor. His films include Bridget Jones's Diary, The English Patient, The King's Speech, and A Single Man. Anthony Arnove is the author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal, the editor of The Essential Chomsky and Iraq Under Siege, the coauthor with Howard Zinn of Terrorism and War and Voices of a People's History of the United States, and the codirector of The People Speak with Chris Moore and Howard Zinn. David Horspool is an editor of the Times Literary Supplement and the author of King Alfred. He writes regularly for the Guardian, the New York Times, the Sunday Times, and the Telegraph.