Empireland

In this witty and multi-faceted portrait of our nation, the award-winning journalist and novelist looks with great acuity at how the Empire wrought contemporary Britain

Bookseller

This remarkable book shines the brightest of lights into some of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of our shared history. As urgent as it is illuminating . . . Sanghera's meticulous research and passionate advocacy combine to create an irresistible case for reviewing much of what we think we know about the reality and legacy of the British Empire

James O'Brien

Lucid but never simplistic; entertaining but never frivolous; intensely readable while always mindful of nuance and complexity - Empireland takes a perfectly-judged approach to its contentious but necessary subject

Jonathan Coe

A gracefully written book, but its real beauty lies in its complete absence of dogmatism ... Empireland is not an angry diatribe. It's a sensitive, often uncomfortable commentary on the stubborn influence of empire ... The real remedy is education of the kind that Sanghera has embraced - accepting, not ignoring, the past

Gerard deGroot, The Times

I only wish this book had been around when I was at school

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

[Empireland] should be on the compulsory reading list of every secondary school in the country

John Simpson

[An] impassioned and deeply personal journey through Britain's imperial past and present ... a moving and stimulating book that deserves to be widely read

The Guardian

A scorching polemic on the afterburn of empire

FT

This account of how much of our "island story" was written in other countries deserves to be widely read. His decency and talent remind us of how much we owe to all those immigrants from our empire who came to make their lives here and too often (but happily not always) had to face hostility with a racist hue. The racism was frequently sired by our imperial past

The Tablet

This thoroughly engaging and incredibly important book must be read by everyone. The sometimes heartbreaking read is enlightening and transformative. This remarkable work should be included in school curriculum... The informative book will undoubtedly continue to improve the understanding of future generations and perhaps even shape them

Eastern Eye

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

Andrew Marr, Sunday Times

In the wake of personal epiphany we glimpse with Sanghera pathways of transformative potential ... a simple but profound response - this searching introspection and a quest for new horizons, combined with a readiness to sit with the contradictions of it all

Observer

Very well written ... decent, balanced and wise. His decency and talent remind us of how much we owe to all those immigrants from our empire who came to make their lives here

Chris Patten, The Tablet

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

My book of the year so far. A really thoughtful, deeply researched and elegantly written look at the legacy of empire

Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

A really interesting look at the history of empire - everything we're not taught at school - and how learning that history could change the way we view our country today

Krishnan Guru-Murthy

This immensely readable book is very timely. The account by Sanghera, a former FT writer, is simultaneously personal and scholarly. It addresses many of the questions that are now urgent subjects of public debate - such as Britain's role in the slave trade and the connections between empire and multiculturalism

Gideon Rachmen, Financial Times, Best Books of 2021: Politics

The best book on the British empire for a very long time

Diane Abbott

An important book and that's not a phrase to use lightly. It's an exposé and a reminder of how conveniently the British have rewritten the past and buried the bones of their shame . . . a necessary, uncomfortable and illuminating read

Kit de Waal, New Statesman, Books of the Year

A fascinating reckoning with a history of empire

Guardian, Best Politics Books of 2021

Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera is a salutary reminder of the dark side of our past. I spend my time trying to help resolve armed conflicts from Myanmar to Nigeria that are largely caused by the crass errors of our ancestors. It helps to understand how those came about

Jonathan Powell, New Statesman, Books of the Year

A balanced and insightful study of the British empire and contemporary attitudes towards it

The Times, Best Paperbacks of 2021

Robust . . . an illuminating examination of the "toxic cocktail of nostalgia and amnesia" that still hugely influences our life today

Cathy Rentzenbrink, Guardian, Best Books of 2021

Empireland argues passionately that our identity has been shaped for the worse by empire, and that we must do more to debunk national myths

Prospect, Books of the Year 2021