BOOK REVIEW:’Being British’

Reviewer: Michael Keith

Title: Being British

Author: Kieran Hughes and Maureen Hughes

Total Number of Printed Pages: 152

Rating Scale (1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent): 7

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In the Introduction to this book, the authors state that ‘There is so much in Britain worthy of celebration ‘and that ‘Hopefully, this book will remind you [the reader] how great it is to be British and for those wanting to settle here, provide a little something about our customs, history and idiosyncrasies’. It is a succinct summation.

The result of this intent can best described as a compendium of many of the things that the authors perceive to be ‘British’. The main part of this volume consists of 16 well-written, and at times humorous, Chapters. Within these, the subjects covered are wide-ranging. The Chapters include such titles as  The Geography of Britain and Its Counties (Chapter 1), and The English Language (Chapter 7); this latter section including such delights as Common Yorkshire Words And Phrases, Cockney Rhyming Slang and Common Welsh Phrases within its pages. As already noted, the main part of this volume consists of 16 Chapters. Although the majority concern the ‘positive’ side of being ‘British’, for ‘Completeness’ the last of these (titled Worst of Britain) is devoted to those things which the authors perceive as being to be the worst aspects of ‘British’ culture. It makes for interesting reading.   The text within the Chapters is invariably entertaining and in some instances contains relevant personal reminiscences. Because of its content, this volume is encyclopaedic in nature and suited for ‘dipping-type’ searching. Although (as this Reviewer proved) it is possible to read this book from cover to cover (and in a single sitting), the volume of information it contains tends to result in ‘information overload’ and such a practice is not to be recommended. It should also be noted that for unknown reasons, the focus of this book is primarily on England and, to a lesser extent Wales. Although references are made to locations within their borders, Scotland and Northern Ireland receive little attention.

As would be expected, the Contents page appears at the front of the volume.  However (and unusually), the reverse of that page contains both an Introduction (which gives a very brief summary of the book’s purpose), and an Acknowledgements section which thanks those who contributed to it. As it is more usual to have an individual page dedicated to each of these sections the reason for this arrangement is not known. The ten Chapters which constitute the main part of the volume then follow. Where additional information is provided within each Chapter, this takes the form of Subsections, the headings for which appear in Bold-type. A two-page Bibliography follows the Chapter section. Of the 36 entries the Bibliography  contains, 32 are websites, and only four are books.

 A four-page Index follows; completing the work. Although a small number of illustrations and numerous Tables appear within the book, the Contents page and Index make no mention of their existence. Surprisingly, given its subject, and the references to various British geographical, geopolitical and linguistic locations that it makes, the volume contains no Maps.

As it gives a ‘once-over lightly’ introduction to ‘British’ culture, this volume will probably have wide appeal. Tourists and potential immigrants are likely to peruse it with great and earnest interest. In this context it is perhaps unfortunate that as a potentially high-use book, consideration was not given to producing it as a hard-cover volume rather than using an easily-damaged, high-wear paperback format. That detail notwithstanding, residents of the British Isles and native-born ‘British’ may find it amusing to see themselves described by their peers. Linguists with an interest in the Welsh, Yorkshire and Cockney language / dialects may also find it useful in their researches.

For this reviewer, this volume is an ‘Introduction’ to the subject; it should not be taken as the ‘Final word’.

On a Rating Scale (1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent): I have given it a 7.

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BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Mau Mau Rebellion: The Emergency in Kenya 1952-1956’

Reviewer: Michael Keith

Title: The Mau Mau Rebellion: The Emergency in Kenya 1952-1956

Author: Nick van der Bijl

Total Number of Printed Pages: 250

Rating Scale (1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent): 8

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The Mau Mau rebellion was a small, nasty conflict that occurred in Kenya (Africa) between 1952 and 1956. It was essentially a clash of cultures. There were two protagonists. One was a people-group who, after being denigrated and humiliated, had lost large amounts of hereditary land through no fault of their own. The second was a governing power which believed that it had absolute authority to do as it wished and was not about to negotiate with those it considered to be its inferiors. This volume narrates the story of the conflict that resulted.

Unlike other works on similar subjects, this volume focusses on ‘… The Regulars and young National Servicemen’, who participated in the conflict. The result is a book which ‘…Is a collation of information from published works, regimental periodicals, the internet and some interviews with and recollections of ‘those who were there’. The volume is a largely objective, eminently readable and well-researched work which gives an immediacy that is unusual. This reviewer found Chapters One (British East Africa) and Two (The Colonization of Kenya), particularly interesting.

A Preface and Acknowledgements section has been placed after the Contents page. Within it the author thanks those who contributed to the volume. It is in turn followed by a two-page Maps section An Introduction then provides an overview of Kenyan geology, fauna and native peoples. This is in turn followed by the 12 Chapters which form the bulk of the volume. A section titled Conclusion follows that section. It summarises what has gone before. Two Appendices are placed next, and are in turn followed by a Glossary. This provides interpretation for the numerous acronyms which occur within the book together with two indigenous words widely used during the conflict.  A  Bibliography then provides sources for the material used within the volume.  Although numerous quotes appear within the volume, there are no accompanying source citations. As a result there is no way of knowing from whence the quotes came. As they were presumably sourced from titles appearing within the Bibliography, for this reviewer this reduced the latter’s value for further research. The Bibliography is in turn followed by the Index. A well-captioned 16-page photographic section appears in the centre of the volume. There is however no reference to its existence on the Contents page.  Although this reviewer could find little to fault in this work, he does have reservations about the authority of the Index. This is occasioned by an entry on p.158 where it is stated that ‘…Four No.8 Squadron twin-boomed NFB-9s detached from Aden provided low-level …ground attack’. Despite a search of the Index under both Aircraft and Royal Air Force Units, no reference to either ‘8 Squadron’ or ‘NFB-9s’ (perhaps De Havilland Venom F.B.9’s?), was found. With two such errors appearing on a single page, it is reasonable to ask if other, similar, omissions have occurred? There is no way to know.  

The ‘difficulty’ with the Index notwithstanding, this is a well-written and researched volume that may be of interest to several different groups of readers.  Former residents and military personnel who were in Kenya at the time of the rebellion will no doubt find it both informative and nostalgic. Military historians interested in ‘brush fire’ conflicts and tactics could also find it useful, while the photographs may be of interest to military modellers and war-gamers. Those with an interest in the politics associated with ‘liberation’ conflicts may also find the narrative informative.

Due to the uncertainty of the Index, and on a Rating Scale where 1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent. I have given this volume an 8.

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