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Strangeland

How Britain Stopped Making Sense

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Strangeland

By: Jon Sopel
Narrated by: Jon Sopel
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From Jon Sopel, bestselling author and presenter of hit podcast The News Agents, comes an incisive examination of post-Brexit Britain and what it means for our future.

Returning to the UK in some ways has been disconcerting – or maybe discombobulating would be a better word. It is, after all, my home; it is where I grew up, a country I love and am proud of. But either it’s changed, or I have. Maybe both.
It just feels like a strange land.

At the beginning of 2022, after eight years of political reporting in the US, Jon Sopel returned home to the UK – and having spent almost a third of his career abroad, he found a very different place to the one he left. In Strangeland, his first book since launching the global hit podcast The News Agents, he asks: What is the Britain he’s come home to?

In the US, Jon was the outsider looking in, firm in the belief that the common language of English masked our fundamental differences; in terms of values and beliefs, it seemed the British had much more in common with our European neighbours.

Strangeland is Jon’s account of how much that has changed. The US was a country he thought he knew well but didn’t really; returning home has been in some ways even more disconcerting – either Britain, the country he grew up in, has changed dramatically, or he has. Perhaps it’s both.

A trenchant analysis of politics, people, and everything in between, Strangeland is an unforgettable portrait of a country gone through the looking glass.

'I like and trust Jon Sopel and you should too' - Joe Lycett
'A hugely entertaining and quite traumatic rollercoaster' - Armando Iannucci
'A thrilling, nerve-wracking book. You couldn't make the last ten years up; thanks to Jon Sopel, you don't have to' - Peter Frankopan
'Acute and unflinching - Sopel deploys his foreign correspondent skills on home shores as well as far ones, and brings together the story of a tumultuous few years on both sides of the Atlantic' - Mishal Husain

©2024 Jon Sopel (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Great Britain Politics & Government Social Sciences
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Excellent

It was informative, engaging and interesting. Bought on Thursday and finished by Sunday. 100% recommended

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Excellent

A pure joy to listen to this magnificent piece of journalism. Well done to John Sopel on a great book.

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Didn’t want it to end!

Jon has such a truthful and real voice on the events both here and in the US over the past few years. His frankness and openness about his love and fear for our country is refreshing and nuanced

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Great book

Another great Jon Sopel book. Loved his previous titles. If you to liked the previous titles, you will enjoy this.

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Excellent

Really good, interesting and thoughtful. I think Jon gave some well-balanced and carefully worded arguments on highly contentious issues. The book seemed to me very slightly scattergun in the sense that there was no clear A->B argument being made, more a meander through the mess we're in. But that's not a criticism, it was an enjoyable and enlightening meander, and I recommend it.

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Nothing I haven't heard before

I can't say this is bad by any means but a lot of it is a recap of parts we have heard numerous times on the newsagents podcast with a few interesting anecdotes, my main complaint is that there's too much America and Trump rather than Britain given the "How Britain stopped making sense" title.

I can highly recommend if your a much less regular listener to the podcast but for a political junkie like me it was a bit unexciting overall.

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Strangelands?

As much a narrative of recent US politics as the situation in the UK but still well written and enjoyable.

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Lived through these times

What a great read. Jon’s assessment and recall of events is spot on. Excellent narrowation too.

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Thought provoking and very salient

John‘s love of country shines through on every page, By comparing what he experienced in America to the UK on his returning home, he sends a warning note to protect the delicate democracy we currently enjoy.

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A joy to listen to.

Beautifully written and read.
A huge subject distilled into easy to understand narrative.
A treat.

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