Amritsar 1919 Audiobook By Kim A. Wagner cover art

Amritsar 1919

An Empire of Fear and the Making of a Massacre

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Amritsar 1919

By: Kim A. Wagner
Narrated by: Neil Shah
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A powerful reassessment of a seminal moment in the history of India and the British Empire - the Amritsar Massacre - to mark its 100th anniversary

The Amritsar Massacre of 1919 was a seminal moment in the history of the British Empire, yet it remains poorly understood. In this dramatic account, Kim A. Wagner details the perspectives of ordinary people and argues that General Dyer's order to open fire at Jallianwalla Bagh was an act of fear. Situating the massacre within the "deep" context of British colonial mentality and the local dynamics of Indian nationalism, Wagner provides a genuinely nuanced approach to the bloody history of the British Empire.

©2019 Kim A. Wagner (P)2019 Tantor 20th Century Asia Europe Great Britain India Modern South Asia World England Imperialism British Empire
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Born and brought up in India, I had heard/read/seen a lot about the massacre and thought I knew everything there was to know. I picked up this book in a spur of the moment and I did not regret. It starts out slow but is very thorough in its presentation. Listening to this book made me realize how little I really knew and had no idea about the thinking of the British, other than their relentless brutality. Covered in the book is the British mindset at the time -- of government officials and British civilians in India. There is no justification for the massacre, just their perspective.

I would highly recommend the book. There are several Hindi/Urdu words and phrases throughout the book and most of the time they are translated but not always. Neil Shah's narration was good. I was amazed that he employed, and pulled off. different voices/accents for all characters in the book. Don't think I have ever come across such broad coverage by a narrator. Having said that, Neil Shah's enunciation of Hindi/Punjabi/Urdu was mediocre at best.

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This is an interesting overview/perspective on one of the most tragic incidents in British colonial history in India, which was vividly depicted in the movie Gandhi. Unfortunately, the narrator spoils the telling with his collection of almost comic voices for every participant telling part of the story. On occasion an audio book benefits from a narrative voice specifically for a few characters, but not everyone. Plus, his portrayals of both the English and Indian individuals sound like Monty Python parodies.

Interesting History Marred by Terrible Narrator

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