What these books have in common is that Queen Boudicca and her three Teen daughters have inspired Academic Writing for centuries. The Roman historian Tacitus was the first to write about Boudicca and her daughters, in an academic style.
He knew he was writing for posterity, and his writing has stood the test of time. Tacitus, however, did not allow Queen Boudicca to tell her story. That is why I have written it, as she would have surely told the story. So, this is a woman’s story that every man should reaad…
There is joy, happiness and a smile to be found within the pages of these books.
This is the essence of my writing, to create an emotional bond with you. If I have failed you, please accept my apology in advance, and I shall try harder in my next book to meet your needs, the reader of my works…
It is my hope that the present day search for global education, equitable and providing equality of opportunity for all, shall not cease until the “gold” we seek, has been found.
I therefore dedicate this book to all the educators, researchers, parents and students the world over, who strive to achieve this elusive goal,high-quality education for all the citizens of the world.
In this endeavour, it is my belief that the International Baccalaureate merits a closer look, based on their more than 40 year history of delivering consistently excellent results.
I add that all of the reflections and views in this book are mine alone, unless otherwise noted, and can not be attributed to my employer or any other organization I am affiliated with, past or present. For any errors or oversights, I bear the complete responsibility.
There is joy, happiness and a smile to be found within the pages of these books. This is the essence of my writing, to create an emotional bond with you. If I have failed you, please accept my apology in advance, and I shall try harder in my next book to meet your needs, the reader of my works…
As in all historical fiction, we must ask: Was Queen Boudicca a real person?
The Roman historian Tacitus writes that she did in fact exist. Though the stories that people tell about her seem fantastic, there are surprising levels of consistency in the stories. This helps us to visualise her in our imaginations of what she must have looked like.
Frightening to look at, yet beautiful, these are contradictory aspects of her appearance which are often highlighted by writers who attempt to describe her. It is almost as if she is the ideal feminist. Boudicca is a mother, soft, gentle, attractive, sexy even, while at the same time possessing those traits of character and temperament that would strike terror and fear into the hearts of those who would oppose her will.
She is nearly always described in reverent, martial terms. She was tall, a red-head with long, flowing hair, and above all, exuding a fierce, warlike, penetrating aura of power. As the ruler of a tribe of Barbarians, this outward appearance would have been extremely useful for her.
Even her name, Boudicca, was special, since it meant, “Victory”. To this day, there are those who claim that England’s Queen Victoria was a descendant of Boudicca. Indeed, a monument of Boudicca, riding in a war chariot, was built by Thorneycroft, along the River Thames, in the shadow of Big Ben, to honor Queen Victoria. Victoria, was to rule England for sixty three (63) years.
Thanks to Tacitus, a person who lived close to the time period of the events which he records, we know that Boudicca was a Celtic Queen whose husband, King Prasutagus, had died, leaving her as the head of a fierce tribe of warlike barbarians, the Iceni, on the island of Britannia.
Prasutagus had been a realist and a pacifist with Rome, sending payments to Rome in exchange for peaceful coexistence. Boudicca, on the other hand, was an idealist. She felt Rome had no right to any of the wealth of the Iceni. Her decision would have dire consequences.
Further, we also know she had two daughters. These daughters would have been the heirs to the throne of the tribe which she led. Her daughters’ upbringing and physical well-being would have been a source of concern for her. After all, these were the future rulers of the Iceni tribe.
Into this scenario the events which Tacitus describes unfolds.
What Tacitus gives us, however, is history. History is always told from the vantage point of the victors. The voice of the losers is rarely heard. This is true of boudicca, even today. For instance, how many of you had ever heard of a Celtic Queen named, Boudicca before today? History gives little time and effort to deal with the tales of the vanquished…
So, what story does Tacitus tell us? He tells the story from the perspective of the Romans. In all the literature I have examined, there are none who have given us the story as Boudicca might have recorded it, if she had been the type of person to tell her story.
In this book, and the next books to come, we will explore the story of Boudicca, the events of 1066, William the Conqueror, the Norman Conquest, and follow Boudicca’s bloodline all the way to Queen Victoria and the Victorian Age.
I warn you in advance: the story of Boudicca, her daughters, their survival of the royal Iceni bloodline through the Norman Conquest and into the Victorian Age is a tale of strong women who were born into power and did not hesitate to bring all its destructive force to bear upon those who would challenge them.
So, get the first book in the series: “Boudicca & Her Daughters” free. Reading this book will be like knowing why things are, the way they are, why things will be, the way they become.
To go on this voyage, from then and there, to here and now, you must read this free book, “Boudicca: Her Story“….
Book Description Publication Date: February 18, 2012 What is deemed as “his-story” is often determined by those who survived to write it. In other words, history is written by the victors. The Roman historian, Tacitus, left us an account of the Roman victory over Queen Boudicca in the year A.D. 60-61.
Yet undeniably, every community has a memory of itself. Not a history, nor an archive, nor an authoritative record, but a living memory, an awareness of a collective identity woven of a thousand stories.
Now, with the help of the Roman historian Tacitus, I shall tell you Queen Boudicca’s story, her-story……
Boudicca is what I call a Rapid Read. You will finish the book in less than one hour. That’s right, it’s fantastically fast, like a wildfire. It’s because of Boudicca.
Boudicca is fiery, Boudicca is fierce. Boudicca is woman who you will either love, or hate.
Love? Hate?
Yes, because if you like strong women, you will love Boudicca.
If you like independent women, you will love Boudicca.
If you like women who know exactly what they want, you will love Boudicca.
Oh, and if you don’t like those things in a woman, you will still enjoy Boudicca.
To finish, Boudicca: Her Story is a rapid read. It’s historical fiction told in a way that makes you feel as if you were a part of the story, because Boudicca will engage you.
This is a woman’s book that every man should read…
This is a tale of serendipitous romance and fortuitous misfortune. It’s got a familiar feel, mixing in the culture of two nations, and two world-renowned cities, Memphis and Santiago. A romance needs beauty, and this book has the mythological beauty of a goddess present within its pages. And to make it complete, there’s a courageous teacher of English, with a dilemma, with a choice to chance, a difficult decision to make. That is, if the choice can be made.
I would be remiss in my duties if I did not leave you with a final word of caution: the reading of this book will cause you to feel the need to travel, to go “Walking in Memphis”, to enjoy the culture and customs you will find within its pages.
This is a tale of serendipitous romance and fortuitous misfortune. It’s got a familiar feel, mixing in the culture of two nations, and two world-renowned cities, Memphis and Santiago.
A romance needs beauty, and this book has the mythological beauty of a goddess present within its pages. And to make it complete, there’s a courageous teacher of English, with a dilemma, with a choice to chance, a difficult decision to make.
That is, if the choice can be made.
I would be remiss in my duties if I did not leave you with a final word of caution: the reading of this book will cause you to feel the need to travel, to go “Walking in Memphis”, to enjoy the culture and customs you will find within its pages.
Statue of Queen Boudicca on the Thames River in London
What is deemed as “history” is often determined by those who survived to write it. In other words, history is written by the victors. The Roman historian, Tacitus, left us an account of the Roman victory over Queen Boudicca in the year A.D. 60-61.
Prasutagus, the wealthy King of the Iceni tribe, had died. Upon his death, his wife, Queen Boudicca, became the new ruler of the Iceni tribe. She headed a rebellion against the occupying Romans in Britain in A.D. 60 in which more than seventy thousand Romans were killed. The rebellion was eventually crushed and Boudicca committed suicide. So, this is a neat, sweet his-story with a happy ending, if you were on the Roman side, that is.
Yet undeniably, every community has a memory of itself. Not a history, nor an archive, nor an authoritative record, but a living memory, an awareness of a collective identity woven of a thousand stories.
Now, with the help of the Roman historian Tacitus, I shall tell you Queen Boudicca’s story, her-story……
What is deemed as “his-story” is often determined by those who survived to write it. In other words, history is written by the victors. The Roman historian, Tacitus, left us an account of the Roman victory over Queen Boudicca in the year A.D. 60-61.
Yet undeniably, every community has a memory of itself. Not a history, nor an archive, nor an authoritative record, but a living memory, an awareness of a collective identity woven of a thousand stories.
Now, with the help of the Roman historian Tacitus, I shall tell you Queen Boudicca’s story, her-story……
I saw my first Pecha Kucha over three years ago. It was when I was working at Universidad Andrés Bello at Campus Casona in Santiago with the students in the English Pedagogy program. I admit I’ve been fascinated by “Pecha Kucha” ever since that first time. I remember being very impressed by the performance I watched. There were a number of reasons for this. For now, let me share with you why I find Pecha Kucha to be so impressive and fascinating as a presentation technique. Firstly, when we speak of our first time doing something enjoyable, it’s always a good feeling. We like what we like, we know what we like, and because of that, we return often, to what we like.
As you can tell by now, I like Pecha Kucha.
Secondly, its principles are easy to understand and apply. It’s fast, it’s efficient, it’s effective, it’s collaborative, it’s visual, it’s easy to prepare, it’s fun. However, it does require practice, lots of it, to do this really well. Practice, oh what a sweet word in the ears of any EFL teacher. Students practicing what they are going to say, again and again, going over their own words, to speak about images they themselves have selected. Volumes of practice, huge quantities of practice, helping the students to achieve the eventual automaticity that is the hallmark of mastery.
Having said that, of all the principles of the Pecha Kucha, the most important principle is this: images are powerful.
Images convey meaning and emotions. In fact, the whole range of the human experience can be conveyed by images. For example, think of the images left on the walls of caves by cave men. No one needs a cave man to verbalize what you are seeing. You feel it – through your eyes – to your brain – to your emotions. It’s visual storytelling. That’s what the Pecha Kucha is, visual literacy in its purest form…
It is my hope that the present day search for global education, equitable and providing equality of opportunity for all, shall not cease until the “gold” we seek, has been found.
I therefore dedicate this book to all the educators, researchers, parents and students the world over, who strive to achieve this elusive goal,high-quality education for all the citizens of the world.
In this endeavour, it is my belief that the International Baccalaureate merits a closer look, based on their more than 40 year history of delivering consistently excellent results.
I add that all of the reflections and views in this book are mine alone, unless otherwise noted, and can not be attributed to my employer or any other organization I am affiliated with, past or present. For any errors or oversights, I bear the complete responsibility.
Thomas Baker is the Past-President of TESOL Chile (2010-2011). He is the Head of the English Department at Colegio Internacional SEK in Santiago, Chile.
He is the Co-Founder and Co-Organiser of EdCamp Santiago, free, participant-driven, democratic, conversation based professional development for teachers, by teachers. EdCamp Santiago 2012 was held at Universidad Mayor in Santiago.
Thomas is also a past member (2011-2012) of the Advisory Board for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL), where he also serves as a reviewer and as the HETL Ambassador for Chile.
Thomas enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics. Thus far, he has written the following genres: romance, historical fiction, autobiographical, sports history/biography, and English Language Teaching. He has published a total of forty five (45) books overall.
The source and inspiration for his writing comes from his family, his wife Gabriela, and his son, Thomas Jerome Baker, Jr.
What is deemed as “his-story” is often determined by those who survived to write it. In other words, history is written by the victors. The Roman historian, Tacitus, left us an account of the Roman victory over Queen Boudicca in the year A.D. 60-61.
Thomas Baker is the Past-President of TESOL Chile (2010-2011). He is the Head of the English Department at Colegio Internacional SEK in Santiago, Chile.