Jeff Popple reviews two significant new history books. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com

Innovation by Peter Ackroyd

Picador, $36.99

Peter Ackroyd’s engaging Innovationopens with the accession of Edward VII to the British throne in 1901, and concludes at the end of the twentieth century with Edward’s great-granddaughter Elizabeth II having been on the throne for nearly 50 years.  

In between, Ackroyd provides a masterly and very readable account of one of the most tumultuous centuries in British history. It was a period that saw two world wars, the decline of the aristocracy, the rise of women’s suffrage, social reform, miner strikes and the colour and excitement of the 1960s. It also saw the dominance of political figures such as Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, and the rise of cultural icons like the Beatles, James Bond and J. R. R. Tolkien.

In this sixth and final volume of his History of England, Ackroyd marvellously captures the spirit of the age and provides fascinating insights into the main events. An impressive and very readable history.

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

Scribe, $35

Although it deals with events from over 150 years ago, Kate Moore’s The Woman They Could Not Silence still has relevance today, especially in light of recent events in America.

Elizabeth Packard was an ordinary housewife and mother of six, until she attended a Woman’s Rights Convention in 1848. Inspired by the talk of woman’s rights, Elizabeth began voicing her own opinions on politics and religion, much to the disdain of her preacher husband who warned her after one disagreement, “I shall put you into the asylum!”. True to his word, he had her declared ‘slightly insane’ and committed to the Illinois State Hospital. Once there, she found other lucid women who had similarly been incarcerated, and embarked on a ceaseless quest for justice and freedom that was to have profound effects around the world.

Told with a novelist’s flair, this well researched story is both enthralling and confronting. Highly recommended.

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