{"product_id":"9780008339579_prisoners-of-history-what-monuments-to-the-second-world-war-tell-us-about-our-history-and-ourselves","title":"Prisoners of History: What Monuments to the Second World War Tell Us About Our History and Ourselves","description":"\u003ch2\u003eA \u003cem\u003eSpectator\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year 2020\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eA \u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e Best Book of 2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\n          \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Mail on Sunday\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year 2020\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e‘Inspired … Lowe’s sensitive, disturbing book should be compulsory reading for both statue builders and statue topplers’ MAX HASTINGS, SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhat happens when our values change, but what we have set in stone does not?\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eHumankind has always had the urge to memorialise, to make physical testaments to the past. There’s just one problem: when we carve a statue or put up a monument, it can wind up holding us hostage to bad history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this extraordinary history book, Keith Lowe uses monuments from around the world to show how different countries have attempted to sculpt their history in the wake of the Second World War, and what these memorials reveal about their politics and national identity today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmongst many questions, the book asks: What does Germany signal to today’s far right by choosing not to disclose the exact resting place of Hitler? How can a bronze statue of a young girl in Seoul cause mass controversy? What is Russia trying to prove and hide, still building victory monuments at a prolific rate for a war now seventy years over?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs many around the world are questioning who and what we memorialise, \u003cem\u003ePrisoners of History\u003c\/em\u003e challenges our idea of national memory, history, and the enormous power of symbols in society today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKeith Lowe, the Sunday Times bestselling author, delves into the complex world of historiography, exploring the social and military aspects of the 20th century. His modern approach to the subject matter challenges the reader to question the power of symbols in society today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Anne Applebaum (Autocracy, Inc), Harald Jähner (Vertigo), Margaret Macmillan (The Uses and Abuses of History), Richard J. Evans (Roman Conquests), and Samir Puri (The Great Imperial Hangover).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Keith Lowe, Read by Keith Lowe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889504702613,"sku":"9780008339579","price":32.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780008339579.png?v=1777422897","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008339579_prisoners-of-history-what-monuments-to-the-second-world-war-tell-us-about-our-history-and-ourselves","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}