/*Inglorious Empire

Well researched, incisive and no holds barred account of our tryst with the Empire. Eminently readable

I like it

It's better to buy An era of darkness as it's cheaper.

Good

good

I purchased a hard copy of the book and gave it a read. The content is very well researched and provides proofs and attestations with every quoted fact, but the editing quality leaves a lot demandng. Firstly there is no structure in the book. There are no page numbers, index or chapters. I have a hard time tracking my progress of the book or finding a piece of text I read earlier. Storytelling seems like a bunch of thoughts were put down on paper, later references and corroborating information were added. The information within a chapter doesn't sound like coherent story. Overall I would say that book does justice to the topic and does a good job at informing the reader about facts, albeit with underwhelming storytelling.

Very informative book.

It is an excellent analysis of the British Empire. The flow of the book, it's language structure is very engaging. Above all, listening to it being narrated by Shashi Tharoor is such a delight, he brings out all the emotions and reactions in the reader as much through his words as by his voice.

The author sets out to argue against the notion that the British presence in India was a good thing. It is a point of view that must be read and considered carefully before any apology for British colonialism is made, with facts and viewpoints often overlooked by those extolling the virtues of empire. Whatever your viewpoint, the argument of the author must be taken into account before you can say your viewpoint is well informed.

This is an excellent polemic and intellectual critique of the British colonial looting of India. It describes in horrifying detail what colonialism really was: the exploitation of a land for the benefit of the colonizers at the expense of the colonized. The book discusses the many unfair impositions of the British on the Indians: the overt discriminatory racism, the taxation, the creation of import and export tariffs for the benefit of British manufacturers and traders, the forced deindustrialization or prevention of industrial development of the country, the famines, and the political subjugation of the country. I thought the book, though, paid insufficient attention to how the British were able to occupy a huge and populace country such as India. To a certain extent, I think it was a coincidence or combination of events that happened to occur at the same time. The Mogul dynasty and central government collapsed, and India was invaded by the Persians, just when the British East India Company and the French went to war all over the world, including in India. The author (Shashi Tharoor) also, I think, misjudges the significance and effects of the European Industrial Revolution and the superior European military performance at the time. By the mid- to late 18th century, a European army and navy could defeat a much larger Indian or Asian army or navy. The European colonization or seizure of Africa and Asia occurred because of a huge superiority in military and industrial technology. To this day, if one country possesses a military or technological - industrial advantage over another country, it will use it for it's own benefit. The people of India, China, and Africa found this out. Another excellent book on this subject is "The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire" by Dalrymple (2019).

I had heard of some things done by the British such as the Amritsar massacre, and the poor treatment of Indian people, mostly from films, but I had no idea of the depths of depravity of those involved. I agree with other reviewers, that this kind of material should be taught in schools. I found the book both fascinating and horrifying, like a slow-motion wreck. I admire the author's passion and position on the subject, and his impeccable writing style. As noted by one of the critics, for a Brit, it is indeed uncomfortable reading.

I feel like I relearned the history that I was taught in school. very insightful, thought provoking and definitely very well written. if you want to learn more about our history, you have to look into this book.

This book fixed my knowledge of the history of India. Mr Tharoor is undoubtedly a master of words, but makes this an engrossing read. Some paragraphs and chapters will make you think for long periods due to their profound nature. My copy of the book is now getting borrowed across the world, currently in India and hopefully will travel more before coming back. The book's contents also started a virtual book club to share the rage and frustration created by knowing the reality and how we have been deceived so far by false narratives. Thanks to Mr Tharoor and his team for the research and fact based story telling that makes this a keeper. Highly recommended if you have the appetite for the truth.