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History’s Dual Mandate
Last night underscored history’s responsibility to be rigorous and accessible. These authors remind us: history is not neutral. It’s a dialogue between past and present, memory and power. How do you approach these themes in your teaching or writing?

For educators, these works challenge us to:

Reframe whose voices we centre in our classrooms.
Rethink how we use evidence, especially when marginalised voices are obscured.
Balance academic rigor with accessible, human storytelling.

Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer about life in GDR reveals the need to address silences in order for nations to better understand themselves.
3 worlds: by Shlaim is a personal journey negotiating the politics of identity as an Arab-Jew.

The Black Angels by Smilios follows black nurses in Jim Crow America: a story of double stigma and resilience, told through family and community voices.
Sea of Troubles by Rutledge centres the WWI’s colonial enterprise: uncovering how the Islamic Mediterranean shaped the war’s origins.

A snapshot of what stood out:

On Savage Shores by @carolinepennock.bsky.social
a book that unsettles familiar narratives of 'discovery' .
Backbone of the Nation by Gildea focusses on the 1984-85 miners’ strike: reshaping history for accessibility without losing depth, a tribute to oral history.

5) Plea for Freedom of Expression
Accepting the prize for Three Worlds, Avi Shlaim delivered a powerful reminder: freedom of expression is essential for historical truth-telling. This resonated deeply with the work of English PEN, @englishpen.bsky.social the evening’s organiser.

4)Storytelling and Accessibility
Robert Gildea (Backbone of the Nation) reflected on balancing academic rigor with public accessibility. His experience adapting his research for a broader audience resonates with educators striving to make complex histories engaging for students.

3)Painful Stories, Told with Care: This included ethical questions for the historian in relation to whether the detective work replayed the experiences of being surveilled by the state. And how to authentically represent voices.

These records, though mediated by European legal systems, provide rare glimpses into Indigenous perspectives as they sought justice or freedom. While the Stasi files offer glimpses into the ordinary lives of East Germans.

2)Evidence: Reframing the Archive
How do we approach evidence when sources are sparse, biased, or inaccessible? From legal testimony from trial records(Pennock) to East German Stasi files (Hoyer), these authors demonstrated the detective work needed to uncover marginalised histories.

1)Centering Marginalised Voices
A recurring theme across the evening was the need to recentre voices often silenced or objectified. These works remind us how history, as traditionally written, can sideline perspectives and experiences.

The judges—Sharmilla plus @sysgak.bsky.social Dr. Venetia Porter—deserve applause for their thoughtful selection. Their introductions made me want to dive into every single shortlisted book. (My reading pile has grown considerably!) here are some themes.

Chair of Judges Sharmilla Beezmohun opened with a sharp observation for publishers: while the shortlisted books tell diverse stories and amplify hidden voices, the people doing the telling remain less diverse. A challenge for us all to address.