''Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags'' is a 2016 book on vexillology (the study of

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

s) by British journalist and author Tim Marshall, published by Elliott & Thompson. It was published in the United States by Simon & Schuster in 2017 as ''A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols''.

Synopsis

Marshall, a journalist who has worked in 25 countries over 40 years for the BBC and

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...

among others, writes in the book about flags and their role in history and identity. He details their history, including how the discovery and export of silk by China resulted in their popularisation around the world. Topics include the Confederate battle flag and its modern controversy, the use of the Union Jack by far-right groups and reclamation by British citizens of all ethnic groups, and the adoption of the current

flag of South Africa The flag of South Africa was designed in March 1994 and adopted on 27 April 1994, at the beginning of South Africa's South African general election, 1994, 1994 general election, to replace the flag that had been used since 1928. The flag has ...

after the end of apartheid. A final chapter includes non-state flags, such as the

Jolly Roger Jolly Roger is the traditional English name for the flags flown to identify a pirate ship preceding or during an attack, during the early 18th century (the later part of the Golden Age of Piracy). The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly ...

, the flags of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and racing's

Chequered flag Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track condition and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, waves the flags atop a flag s ...

Reception

A review by Lawrence Joffe in '' The Jewish Chronicle'' praised Marshall for using his experience as an international journalist to animate a subject that "at first glance, ..might seem dry". Aaron Retica of '' The New York Times'' gave a mixed review, finding the book to be overreaching in some of its interpretations of flags, such as the Flag of Europe or that of the Islamic State. He criticised the inclusion of the flags of Israel, Iran and Turkey in the "Colors of Arabia" chapter, but found the book to offer a "surprising fact or six along the way", such as Gilbert Baker finding inspiration for the LGBT Rainbow flag from the United States Bicentennial. Writing for '' The Washington Post'',

Moisés Naím Moisés Naím (born July 5, 1952) is a Venezuelan journalist and writer. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In 2013, the British magazine '' Prospect'' listed Naím as one of the world's leading thinke ...

found the book timely for what he considered to be an age of heightened nationalism. He criticised Marshall's approach as one of a hobbyist and not an analyst, in that he compiled facts about flags instead of interpreting their roles. In '' USA Today'', Ray Locker concluded that the book was "fresh explanation of symbols we often take for granted, and a keen meditation on what flags mean to those who embrace or recoil from them". A review in '' The New Yorker'' called the book "Bristling with historical trivia and commentary on current events".

References

External links

*{{cite news , last1=Millen , first1=Robbie , title=Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags by Tim Marshall , url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/book-review-worth-dying-for-the-power-and-politics-of-flags-by-tim-marshall-36lhpvfq6 , access-date=19 December 2021 , work= The Times , date=3 October 2016 2016 non-fiction books Books about nationalism Simon & Schuster books