"Cecil Rhodes and Other Statues: Dealing Plainly with the Past Like the Pharaohs he admired, Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902) hoped to be remembered for 4,000 years. Barely 120 years later, many want to expunge him from history altogether. A major figure in the British Empire and the creator of the Rhodes Scholarships, he has been the subject of a bitter international controversy. This book adds flesh to the story, examines the serious charges that have been made against him, explains the origins of the Scholarships, and draws helpful lessons about how to commemorate contested figures as diverse as Mahatma Gandhi and Robert E. Lee. Advance Reviews "I could not put it down. I admire how you manage to combine a judicious and balanced approach while writing a book that is so exciting." (Timothy Radcliffe, OP, Blackfriars, Oxford) "Taut, clearly written, packed with information, judicious, personal, and direct." (Robert Baldock, Former Managing Director, Yale University Press, London) "It reads like a dream. At once masterful, thoughtful, and accessible." (Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, Christ Church College, Oxford) "Important, timely, and politically electrifying." (Edwin Cameron, Former Justice of South Africa's Constitutional Court) "Well done. A cool forensic account. Very timely." (Michael Holman, Former Africa Editor, Financial Times) Following a brief overview of the "Rhodes Must Fall" movement in Chapter 1, the book will summarize Rhodes's personality (Chapters 2-3) and career (Chapters 4-7) with as little editorializing as possible, so as to allow readers to reach their own preliminary conclusions about him. Only then will Chapters 8-10 consider in detail the accusations that have been made against Rhodes and suggest a number of angles from which to assess them in a new light. Chapters 12 and 13 relate the history of the Rhodes Scholarships - generally seen as the man's greatest legacy. Chapters 14 and 15 look at other contested figures and suggest lessons from recent controversies about how to manage troublesome statues and memorials more generally.. The book is not a defence of Rhodes - as some of his actions were simply indefensible. Rather, it attempts to fill in some of the blanks that have been left open in his story. If the book defends anything, it is the complexity of history and the human character and the need to examine controversial figures carefully before coming to firm conclusions about them.out him. Only then will Chapters 8-10 consider in detail the accusations that have been made against Rhodes and suggest a number of angles from which to assess them in a new light. Chapters 12 and 13 relate the history of the Rhodes Scholarships - generally seen as the man's greatest legacy. Chapters 14 and 15 look at other contested figures and suggest lessons from recent controversies about how to manage troublesome statues and memorials more generally.. The book is not a defence of Rhodes - as some of his actions were simply indefensible. Rather, it attempts to fill in some of the blanks that have been left open in his story. If the book defends anything, it is the complexity of history and the human character and the need to examine controversial figures carefully before coming to firm conclusions about them"--