Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) - , reviewed on 9/10/2024 + 746 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

After a string of unsatisfying reads I sometimes return to an old favorite (like Hilton's Random Harvest or Lost Horizon), to regain my love of books.

This time I picked up Tey's book to reread and in the current political atmosphere (2024) one theme she expounds on hit home: fake news.

While investigating Richard III's legacy and talking over his findings with a young American researcher, Grant tells the story of Tonypandy. This was an incident that happened in 1910 Wales and went into history as a bloody riot where protesters were killed by government troops. In fact it never happened like that; but people believed the alternate facts put forth. This seems close to what Americans are being fed about January 6, 2021. Some Republicans called it 'legitimate political discourse' or a 'normal tourist visit.'

Unlike 1910, there is video evidence that shows what really took place. Tey's observation was prescient and makes a post-2020 read more telling with how Richard's reputation as a monster was shaped.

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