Worth Dying for: The Power and Politics of Flags Hardcover – 22 September 2016

A good book on Vexillology and Geopolitics.

A complete let down after the much better "Prisoners of Geography" by the same author. This outing however delves into the worst self-absorbing arrogance and ignorance that is prevalent in many corners of the US today. If you can stomach the author wildly describing his country as the "greatest nation on earth" and "best country that ever existed" without reaching for a bucket to spew into you will do well. Never was a book easier to put down!

It’s ok. This book is nowhere near as interesting as Marshall’s previous book “Prisoners of Geography”. Some chapters are fairly insightful - for example the chapter about the flags in use in the United States, and how some groups have hijacked some flags. However, this chapter contains mind numbingly uninteresting dissections over inane details of some flags. This unfortunately happens in every chapter.The chapter about European flags is dull and disjointed. After an uninteresting look over some minor detail of some European flag, the next paragraph will clumsily move onto another country’s flag in what can only be described as the opposite of a segue. It also does not cover all European flags, just a seemingly random subset.This chapter also contains a few irritating careless statements, such as “the rise of Islam in Europe” and “mass migration in Europe”. Statements of this weight demand backing up with some basic numbers - something that Marshall neglects to do. The fact that they are not can be taken as a reflection of the paranoia that we see here in Europe.There are some interesting historical tidbits that can be taken away from the text - for example the British and the French involvement in the Arab world and it’s borders. It’s worth noting that Mauritania fails to be recognised as an arab state by Marshal, but Turkey is for some reason.On the whole, this book is ok but could be a lot more concise. It serves up some good nuggets of historical fact, but much of this is diluted by uninteresting discussions over small flag details. I was hoping it would be a look into the people that stand behind flags, and what they mean for them, but it wasn't.

After reading 'Prisoners of Geography' I was optimistic that anything by TM would be edifying, as indeed this is, but this book has put me off the whole idea of flags except for odd occasions when it's necessary temporarily to identify a group or individual. Their appeal is unwholesome and, in a Christian context, seems idolatrous. I would have welcomed some investigation into the psychology behind the appeal of flags rather than such detailed history of their various colours and emblems. As he says, a fully comprehensive volume would need to be larger than this book allowed, but if he found space for the Red Cross, he could have found just a little space for the Esperanto flag which has a very interesting history and is, perhaps, one of the very few with no blood staining its folds.

So taken with Marshall's 'Prisoners of Geography' work that I ordered this while still in full flow of the first. You may have thought Prisoners to be reasonably comprehensive and certainly it was eye opening, this great follow up read brought yet more little historic and anecdotal gems to our attention.Being sensitive or blunt depending on subject, Marshall has a refreshing tongue in cheek style that brightens up what could be dull yet informative moments. Much time has been given to research and seeking out those people who were involved in certain flags' development.I was delighted to find a comprehensive section on South American countries, an area which is often hard to find within such texts and was certainly absent in Marshall's Prisoners of Geography. Their fascinating history has been introduced to us here, with their flags.Yes, it could be said that much of this work could have been done during Marshall's working life, but thankfully he did collate and present minutiae that is intriguing. It is in my view, among the better modern day anthropological works and as such, will be a valid read for a long time and will also give a good account of how we were at the time of its being written.There is a minor error with editing though. The central glossy pages show the flags mentioned in full glowing colour. It is compelling to follow these while reading the text. One flag's country has been mis-named, which is unfortunate. But - this has been an editing error and should not interrupt your enjoyment of the body of work.

I read Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall and thought it was brilliant so went and bought his next two books.Worth Dying For and Divided are excellent reads and Marshall's insight and intellect are fascinating. They are must reads and they are written with a wry wit and are completely absorbing.Tim Marshall has become my favourite authority on our ever changing world and I recommend this book wholeheartedly!