Rotten Romans by Terry Deary

(Cover picture courtesy of Pop Classics.)

Horrible Histories

It’s history with the nasty bits left in!

Want to know:

  • What Roman soldiers war under their kilts?
  • How Ancient Britons got their hair nice and spikey?
  • Why rich Romans needed a vomitorium?

Discover all the foul facts about the Rotten Romans—all the gore and more!

Terry Deary is one of those authors that has a wicked sense of humour that can make history both hilarious and interesting.  He has probably helped thousands, if not millions of kids actually enjoy history, myself included.  The Horrible Histories series is a great starting point to get kids interested in history.

However, it is only a start.  Rotten Romans is a book that perpetuates some of the oldest myths about ancient Rome, including the long-debunked vomitoriums.  He calls the emperor Elagabalus, ‘Heliogabalus’ which is very confusing because I have never seen him called that anywhere.  Ever.  I don’t agree with how some of the emperors are portrayed, but that’s very subjective.  And that’s also the beauty of history: different people will interpret historical figures differently.

The cartoons in Rotten Romans are even better than they are in Awful Egyptians.  Martin Brown was in top form, especially in his cartoon of Caesar’s assassination in which the assassins (since there were so many in on the plot) are lined up and one shouts, “Oi!  Wait your turn!” while Caesar is bleeding to death on the floor.  The cartoons are probably my favourite part of the book.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble

Look What Just Arrived! (#3)

I know, I’m late posting.  Yesterday I was travelling and attended an opera.  The hotel, which was rather nice, had very sketchy internet access.  But now I have proper internet access and bought 7 new books from the Chapters branch.  Sorry, no pictures yet, but I will post a picture as soon as I get home.  The picture is now up!  So what did I buy in the city?

  • A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
  • Looking for Alaska by John Green
  • Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
  • Feed by M. T. Anderson
  • Eve by Anna Carey
  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Looking for Alaska by John Green is not a book I would have normally picked up, but it was recommended to me by two different people.  So, what the heck?  Kushiel’s Dart is also something I normally would have picked up, but I kept reading about it on TVtropes, so I had to pick it up.

Eve and The Girl of Fire and Thorns are both YA books that are relatively new and from what I’ve read about them on other blogs, I’m expecting good things.  Feed by M. T. Anderson (not to be confused by Mira Grant’s political thriller/zombie novel Feed) is one of those classic YA books I never got the chance to study in school, so I decided to read it on my own.

And yes, I finally caved in and am going to read A Game of Thrones, if only to see what all the fuss is about.  Who knows? I might actually enjoy it.

So what are you guys reading right now?

At 20four12 Today

Well, by the time you’re reading this I’m on the road travelling, but for posting purposes today I’m posting at 20four12.  I went outside Caleb’s usual reviewing material and chose to review Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, a great story for young girls who are struggling with their self-esteem.  It’s also a great story for older girls and women who struggle with their body-image.  So go on over and check it out!  While you’re at it, check out what Caleb usually reviews.  He has read more science fiction in one year than I will likely ever read!

Awful Egyptians by Terry Deary

(Cover picture courtesy of Norfolk County Council.)

Horrible Histories

It’s history with the nasty bits left in!

Want to know:

  • Why people worshipped a dung beetle?
  • Which phunny pharaoh married her grandfather?
  • What the “Shepherd of the Royal Backside” had to do?

Discover all the foul facts about the Awful Egyptians—all the gore and more!

The Horrible Histories series really is an amazing series for children to learn about history in a way that makes things interesting.  Terry Deary’s writing style makes me suspect his history teachers bored him to tears.  He has more hatred for the way history is taught in school than I do, which is really, truly saying something.  The illustrations by Martin Brown bring home his points very well and they can be laugh-out-loud funny at times.

As for how accurate Awful Egyptians is, well, it’s not entirely accurate.  Terry Deary describes the mummification process very well, but it may not have been how Egyptians really did their mummification.  Part of the process was to “Soak the body in natron for seventy days till it is well pickled.”  The Egyptian mourning period was only seventy days long and according to the modern mummification tests that have been performed by Egyptologist Bob Brier, covering the body in natron should only take 35 days.  That way, the body still has enough moisture to position the limbs, but not so much that it will decay. The nitty-gritty of the process is still a contentious subject, but I tend to side with the man that actually assembled a team and made a modern mummy rather than sticking to old theories based mainly on Herodotus’ writings.

Still, Awful Egyptians is a great starting point for kids to learn about history in a fun way.  Egyptian history is especially gory, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book for sensitive kids.  But for those kids who were like me and loved to be grossed out, I would recommend it for ages 8-11.  Terry Deary helped me love history and I, as well as my little sister, will be eternally grateful to him for making an impact on both of our lives.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble*

*Barnes and Noble has Terry Deary’s other Egyptian books, but not Awful Egyptians.  Why this is, I have no idea.

I am a Racist Reader

How much do we really think about diversity in fiction?

A while back I was reading a fascinating article over on The Masquerade Crew by JeanNicole Rivers called ‘Are You A Racist Reader?’  JeanNicole made some excellent points and I began to look at how I picture characters when I read.  I have now come to the conclusion that I am a racist reader.  Then I immediately started feeling guilty.

The community I grew up in was not known for its diversity or even its political correctness.  It was predominantly white and racism was pretty much the default attitude for most people, especially the older generations.  There is a family anecdote about how when I was two years old my mother took me shopping in the city and I pointed at an African American man and said: “Mum, why is that man brown?”  Yes, that’s how white my community was.  I never actually had spoken to a ‘brown’ person until I was six or seven, when my father began importing Filipino workers, who we treated as part of the family. Continue reading →