Autobiography: adventurers and explorers Books

Book SynopsisMark Whitaker “writes with the eye of a journalist and ear of a poet” (The Boston Globe) to tell the story of the momentous year that redefined the civil rights movement as a new sense of Black identity, expressed in the slogan “Black Power,” challenged the nonviolent philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis.In “crisp prose” (The New York Times) and novelistic detail Saying It Loud tells the story of how the Black Power phenomenon began to challenge the traditional civil rights movement in the turbulent year of 1966. Saying It Loud takes you inside the dramatic events in this seminal year, from Stokely Carmichael’s middle-of-the-night ouster of moderate icon John Lewis as a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to Carmichael’s impassioned cry of “Black Power!” during a protest march in rural Mississippi. From Julian Bond’s humiliating and r

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Book SynopsisIn the twelfth century, Pope Clement III declared: The Pope is resolved to be the lord and master of the world's game'. Yet history has proven to be much more complex.In this epic narrative, Frederic Raphael explores the most significant moments, ideas and figures that have shaped the world's stage. He takes us on a journey through history: from the reigns of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, to Plato and Socrates and the origins of philosophy, the turning point of World War Two and the invention of the atom bomb, and finally the social and cultural divisions of modern day. It is often a story of conflict: the rise of anti-Semitism, the tensions between science and faith, progress and strife, comedy and ruthlessness.Thought-provoking and compelling, The World's Game weaves a tapestry of the Western world and the power struggles that have shaped it.

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Book SynopsisA NATIONAL BESTSELLERI could not put this book down. It's so funny Ru PaulI LOVE this book for its honesty and dark (and light!) comedy Rachel Dratch (Instagram)It's f*cking great!!! Raw, intimate, hilarious, actually inspiring. Jon StewartA RECOMMENDED READ FROM: NPR * PUREWOW * USWEEKLY * PEOPLE * BUSTLE * SHEREADS * NYLON * BOOKRIOT * AND MOREThe dynamic memoir-in-essays by comedian, screenwriter, and podcaster Chelsea Devantez, detailing her tumultuous upbringing and uproarious career path into Hollywood. There are things Chelsea Devantez probably shouldn't be telling you. Many of them are in this book: some are embarrassing (like when she tried to break her three year spell of celibacy using a guide of seduction tips). Some are confessional (getting sentenced to the hell hill at Mormon church camp). Some are TMI (a series of outrageous doctor visits that ended with one doctor misdiagnosing her as pregnant. Woopsies!). Then there are things Chelsea really shouldn't be telling y

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Book Synopsis A CELEBRATION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ''THE WORLD''S GREATEST LIVING EXPLORER'' PRAISE FOR SIR RANULPH FIENNES:''Always that little bit further and always the best. It is why, even to this day, I remain in awe at all he has accomplished.'' - Bear Grylls''His ground-breaking expeditions have redefined what is possible, but have also ignited a fire within the hearts of those seeking their own extraordinary journeys.'' - Levison Wood ''That sunny March day on top of the Eiger represented the beginning of the end of our days climbing together. Looking at Ran''s grizzly, bearded face, I was yet to realise what he had planted within me, but I knew it was there. As the mist rolled in, for a while it looked like we might be stuck, but I didn''t mind at all. I simply had to channel my inner Ran.'' - Kenton Cool ''His public persona is that of the intrepid man of ac

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Book SynopsisIn 1909, while dreaming of the Himalaya, Norwegian mountaineer Alf Bonnevie Bryn and a fellow young climber, the Australian George Ingle Finch, set their sights on Corsica to build their experience. The events of this memorable trip form the basis of Bryn’s acclaimed book Tinder og banditter – ‘Peaks and Bandits’, with their boisterous exploits delighting Norwegian readers for generations. Newly translated by Bibbi Lee, this classic of Norwegian literature is available for the first time in English.Although Bryn would go on to become a respected mountaineer and author, and Finch would become regarded as one of the greatest mountaineers of all time – a legend of the 1922 Everest expedition – Peaks and Bandits captures them on the cusp of these achievements: simply two students taking advantage of their Easter holidays, their escapades driven by their passion for climbing. As they find themselves in unexpected and often strange places, Bryn’s sharp and jubilant narrative epitomises travel writing at its best.Balancing its wit with fascinating insight into life in early twentieth-century Corsica, the infectious enthusiasm of Bryn’s narrative has cemented it as one of Norway’s most treasured adventure books. Peaks and Bandits embodies the timeless joy of adventure.Table of ContentsPrelude in SwitzerlandPreparations, financing and provisioningInterlude in Italy Life on board A short review of Corsica’s history Bastia and Capo Corso Valle Tartagine and Capo al Dente Vacationing in Calacuccia The expedition to the mountains around Valle Calasima The village in Valle Nebbio Cinque Frati and Paglia Orba Bandits

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Book SynopsisThe story of how a boy came to be infected with blood borne viruses, and in spite of multiple death sentences, lived to become the world's first ever LGBTQ+ Ambassador for Haemophilia, winning the battle to secure a public enquiry into the Infected Blood Scandal, which is finally due to report in 2024.

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Book SynopsisThe End of An Era charts the ups and numerous downs of the last twenty yearsof British politics from the closest quarters.

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Book SynopsisLiz Truss's journey from schoolgirl revolutionary to Britain's shortest-serving Prime MinisterThe Sunday Times Politics Book of the YearA Guardian Politics Book of the Year 2023An insightful and at times riotously entertaining account of the lengthy rise and abrupt fall of Britain's 56th Prime Minister. What was intended as a prologue to her premiership is now a riveting political obituary in which every page drips with the seeds of both triumph and disaster. Cole and Heale have produced a meticulously reported account of Truss's drive, impulsiveness, eccentricity and ideological certainty which reads like a warning from history. It has elements of tragedy but is frequently very, very funny.' Tim Shipman''Make sure you put your seat belt on. Heale and Cole put you in the passenger seat of the fastest car crash in recent political history. It''s an unmissable romp through Liz Truss''s long journey to the top, fuelled by ambition and espresso. The clues that foretold the extraordinary ca

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Book SynopsisA New Yorker staff writer, investigates his grandfather, a Nazi Party Chief, in this unflinching, gorgeously written, and deeply moving exploration of morality, family, and war Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of PainThe book we need right now' Atul Gawande, author of Being MortalWhat do we owe the past? How to make peace with a dark family history? Burkhard Bilger hardly knew his grandfather growing up. His parents immigrated to Oklahoma from Germany after World War II, and though his mother was an historian, she rarely talked about her father or what he did during the war. Then one day a packet of letters arrived from Germany, yellowing with age, and a secret history began to unfold.Karl Gönner was a schoolteacher and Nazi party member from the Black Forest. In 1940, he was sent to a village in occupied France and tasked with turning its children into proper Germans. A fervent Nazi when the war began, he grew close to the villagers over the next four years, till he came to thinTrade Review EARLY PRAISE FOR FATHERLAND ‘Fatherland is the book that we need right now. Gripping, gorgeously written, and deeply humane, it’s both a moving personal history and a formidable piece of detective work. Bilger wrestles with one of the essential questions of our time: How can we make peace with our ancestors’ past?’ Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal ’Burkhard Bilger has long been one of our great storytellers: an acute observer, an intrepid reporter, and a writer of unmatched grace. Now he has brought these gifts to his own family story, rummaging through the past to unearth long-kept secrets and to shed light on the nature of war and complicity. Fatherland is that rare book—a finely etched memoir with the powerful sweep of history’ David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon ‘An important and compelling investigation into one family’s dark and troubling history, grippingly told’ Thomas Harding, author of Hanns and Rudolf ‘Bilger’s atmospheric account probes the complex ethical ambiguities of wartime Alsace and his mother’s harrowing childhood experience of the defeat and devastation of Germany, conveying both narrative strands with a fine moral irony couched in prose that’s both psychologically shrewd and matter-of-fact’ Publishers Weekly, *starred review* ‘[A] powerful investigation of morality…a vivid portrait of [Bilger’s] grandfather and his times [and] a fascinating, deeply researched work of Holocaust-era history… A moving, humane biography’ Kirkus, *starred review*

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for Autobiography of the Year, Sports Book Awards 2022The Instant Sunday Times BestsellerHonest and moving everything a memoir should be' The SunAn illuminating look at what it takes to be an Olympian in this story, passion reigns supreme' CosmopolitanTom Daley captured the hearts of the nation with his unforgettable medal-winning performance in the London 2012 Olympics. At the games in Tokyo, he triumphed to win gold and became the most decorated British diver of all time.In this deeply personal book, Tom explores the experiences that have shaped him and the qualities to which he owes his contentment and success; from the resilience he developed competing at world-class level, to the courage he discovered while reclaiming the narrative around his sexuality, and the perspective that family life has brought him.Candid and perceptive, Coming Up for Air offers a unique insight into the life and mindset of one our greatest and most-loved athletes.

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Book SynopsisAround the world, women's rights are under attack.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMarnell recounts parties and drugs and sex in writing that mirrors the experience of being on drugs – sometimes fizzing ... and, just as often, cold and blunt and brutal * Guardian *A marvel of a book...Through the highs, lows and lols, the self-loathing, self-tan and self-medicating, How to Murder Your Life is possibly the best book ever written by a recovering drug addict about the beauty industry. * i-D (Vice) *Marnell is a great storyteller. Funny, with the clever hustler’s knack for an energetically spun tall tale, she has an upbeat tone that hardly falters, even when she recounts the most harrowing episodes of her life. * The New Yorker *[Marnell] writes about her life with a candor and self-awareness that is unexpected...I read this book in two wide-eyed sittings, cringing and laughing the whole way through. * BuzzFeed *The book is as compelling — and as problematic — as her magazine writing: vivid, maddening, heartbreaking, very funny, chaotic and repetitive, as benders are. * New York Times *If you're captivated by the irresistible trio of beauty, success, and addiction, surrender to Cat Marnell's How to Murder Your Life. The xoJane columnist dishes on her previous wild-child ways, from shoplifting to party hopping to spiritual groveling, to finding a measure of humor and grace. * Elle *[Marnell's] memoir brims with all the intoxicating intrigue of a thriller and yet all the sobering pathos of a gifted writer's true-life journey to recover her former health, happiness, ambitions and identity. * Harper's Bazaar *Fantastically entertaining. * Glamour *A gifted memoirist ... [She displays] a willingness to tell unflattering truths about herself that reminded me of Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of Prozac Nation * New York Times Magazine *Challenging ... captivating and controversial * The Atlantic Wire *Marnell is arguably the Internet’s most divisive writer ... reading about a drug addict’s life while she’s an active addict, especially in real time, is fascinating and a little bit scary * The Daily Beast *With her divisive mix of ego, honesty, sordidness and humor, Ms. Marnell is becoming the latest online lightning rod * Wall Street Journal *Jaw-dropping. * New York Post *

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Book SynopsisSee aboveTrade ReviewWas she right to publish? Most certainly. If we are to have a mature attitude to our intelligence services, we need this kind of inside account - it is vital in stripping away mystique and building understanding * Daily Telegraph *Stella Rimington deserves our thanks for resisting the bullying of the cabinet office and many of her colleagues and associates in Whitehall, and pushing on to publication * New Statesman *She writes in a refreshingly self-deprecating style of juggling the roles of single parent and chief "spook" * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING COLIN FIRTH, NICOLE KIDMAN AND JEREMY IRVINEDuring the second world war Eric Lomax was forced to work on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway and was tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio.Left emotionally scarred and unable to form normal relationships Lomax suffered for years until, with the help of his wife Patti and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, he came to terms with what had happened and, fifty years after the terrible events, was able to meet one of his tormentors.The Railway Man is an incredible story of innocence betrayed, and of survival and courage in the face of horror.Winner of the Waterstones Esquire Award for Non-Fiction, the JR Ackerley Prize and the NCR Book Award.Trade ReviewWhat a great book. What a great man -- Harry Ritchie * Daily Mail *Forget the grueling films, just read the brilliant books * Independent *This beautiful, awkward book tells the story of a fine and awkward man. Here, I think, is an account that rises above mere timeliness and comes near to being a classic of autobiography -- Ian Jack * Guardian *When I turned to the book, the complexity of Lomax's emotions came alive and burned off the page * Independent *Of all the billions of words that have been written about the Second World War, with the exception of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning history, it is not an exaggeration to say there is no account of it more worth reading that this. Wistfully romantic, historically important, startling, horrifying and ultimately electrifyingly uplifting, The Railway Man is as indispensable as any book can be. -- Tom Peck * Independent *

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Book SynopsisPatrimony is a true story about the relationship between a father and a son.Philip Roth watches as his eight-six-year-old father, famous for his vigour, his charm and his skill as a raconteur - lovingly called 'the Bard of Newark' - battles with the brain tumour that will kill him.Trade ReviewNobody writes about the American family with more tenderness and honesty * New Statesman *A simple, moving, generous work * Independent on Sunday *The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away - with words. But the Lord giveth back, miraculously, in the form of this book and this family history * Guardian *A true story, told with all the powerful authority and cunning narrative order of a major writer * Sunday Times *His best work since The Counterlife * Observer *

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Book SynopsisA fascinating insight into the vibrant culture of Modernism, and the rich artistic world of Paris''s Left Bank, Gertrude Stein''s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas includes an introduction by Thomas Fensch in Penguin Modern Classics.For Gertrude Stein and her wife Alice B. Toklas, life in Paris was based upon the rue de Fleurus and the Saturday evenings and ''it was like a kaleidoscope slowly turning''. Picasso was there with ''his high whinnying Spanish giggle'', as were Cezanne and Matisse, Hemingway and Fitzgerald. As Toklas put it - ''The geniuses came and talked to Gertrude Stein and the wives sat with me''. A light-hearted entertainment, this is in fact Gertrude Stein''s own autobiography and a roll-call of all the extraordinary painters and writers she met between 1903 and 1932. Audacious, sardonic and characteristically self-confident, this is a definitive account by American in Paris.Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), a writer of experimental prose, is on

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Book SynopsisGandhi''s non-violent struggles against racism, violence, and colonialism in South Africa and India had brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation that when asked to write an autobiography midway through his career, he took it as an opportunity to explain himself. He feared the enthusiasm for his ideas tended to exceed a deeper understanding of his quest for truth rooted in devotion to God. His attempts to get closer to this divine power led him to seek purity through simple living, dietary practices, celibacy, and a life without violence. This is not a straightforward narrative biography, in The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi offers his life story as a reference for those who would follow in his footsteps.

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Book SynopsisBenjamin Franklin''s writings represent a long career of literary, scientific and political efforts over a lifetime which extended nearly the entire eighteenth century. This volume includes Franklin''s reflections on such diverse questions as philosophy and religion, social status, electricity, American national characteristics, war, and the status of women. Nearly sixty years separate the earliest writings from the latest, an interval during which Franklin was continually balancing between the puritan values of his upbringing and the modern American world to which his career served as prologue. This edition provides a new text of the Autobiography, established with close reference to Franklin''s original manuscript. It also includes a new transcription of the 1726 journal and several pieces which have recently been identified as Franklin''s own work.

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Book SynopsisA new edition of the classic African American autobiography, now with with the inclusion of Douglass''s other works.The pre-eminent American slave narrative published in 1845, the Narrative powerfully details the life of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass from his birth into slavery in 1818 to his escape to the North in 1838: how he endured the daily physical and spiritual brutalities of his owners and drivers, how he learned to read and write, and how he grew into a man who could only live free or die.Also included in this edition are Douglass''s famous oration The Meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro and his only known work of fiction, the novella The Heroic Slave.Frederick Augustus W

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Book SynopsisThe Interesting Narrative is a first-hand account of the horrors of slavery, published on the eve of the British abolition debate in 1789. The most important African autobiography of the 18th century, it recounts Equiano's adventures on land and sea. This edition's introduction surveys recent debates about Equiano's birthplace and identity.Trade ReviewThe appetite for Equiano and his memoir shows no signs of abating, as this new edition shows. * James Walvin, The Times *The book adds to the body of knowledge about a great man, Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, The African. Students now have a wider chose of resources as they study his complex but interesting life. * Arthur Torrington, The Equiano Society *This book will change our assumptions about slavery and affect, and also change our sense of what works can be connected to this vast enterprise. It makes for what is sometimes surprising reading, but it also makes so much sense that the century will never again look quite the same as it did before this book. * George E. Haggerty, SEL Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 *This edition of Equiano's The Interesting Narrative, paired with Carey's introduction and explanatory materials, provides a text that is meaningful across educational levels and backgrounds. It should help to ensure that Equiano's text, with its relevance to multiple disciplines and areas of inquiry, does not again disappear from our awareness. * International Journal of African Historical Studies *

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Book SynopsisDiscover one family''s fascinating story in this beautiful, sweeping, multigenerational memoir, spanning 19th century south China to modern day Singapore''A captivating, compelling story of history, family loyalty, and personal sacrifice. A fascinating and richly textured multigenerational tale'' Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake''I would learn that when families tell stories, what they leave out re-defines what they keep in. With my family, these were not secrets intentionally withheld. Just truths too painful to confront . . .''________In the last years of her life, Teresa Lim''s mother, Violet Chang, had copies of a cherished family photograph made for those in the portrait who were still alive. On the back is the place and date: Hong Kong, 1935.Teresa would often look at this photograph, enticed by the fierceness and beauty of her great-aunt Fanny looking back at her. But Fanny never seemed to feature in the told and retold family stories. Why? she wondered.This photograph set Teresa on a journey to uncover her family''s remarkable history. Through detective work, serendipity, and the kindness of strangers, she was guided to the fascinating, extraordinary life of her great-aunt and her world of sworn spinsters, ghost husbands and the working-class feminists of 19th century south China.But to recover her great-aunt''s past, we first must get to know Fanny''s family, the times and circumstances in which they lived, and the momentous yet forgotten conflicts that would lead to war in Singapore and, ultimately, a long-buried family tragedy.________ The Interpreter''s Daughter is a beautifully moving record of an extraordinary family history. For fans of Wild Swans, The Hare With Amber Eyes, and Falling Leaves this is the next classic in the making.Trade ReviewA captivating, compelling story of history, family loyalty, and personal sacrifice... Teresa Lim's quest to uncover a hidden chapter in her family's history makes for a fascinating and richly textured, multigenerational tale * Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake *A captivating family history. Lim vividly recreates Singapore in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and lucidly explains historical matters and cultural traditions * Publisher's Weekly *Rich in the little-discussed history of Singaporean Chinese, this multigenerational memoir offers a timeless tale of the quest for identity, wholeness and truth. An eloquently enlightening family history * Kirkus Reviews *'A wonderful portrait of a family. One for lovers of Wild Swans. Hats off to Teresa Lim' -- Hope Adams

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Book SynopsisThis is a memoir of the first 40 years of Gore Vidal''s life, ranging back and forth across a rich history. He spent his childhood in Washington DC, in the household of his grandfather, the blind senator from Oklahoma, T.P. Gore, and in the various domestic situations of his complicated and exasperating mother, Nina. Then come schooldays at St Albans and Exeter; the army; life as a literary wunderkind in New York, London, Rome and Paris in the ''40s and ''50s; sex in an age of promiscuity; and a campaign for Congress in 1960. His cast includes Tennessee Williams, the Kennedys, Eleanor Roosevelt, Truman Capote, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Christopher Isherwood, Jack Kerouac, Jane and Paul Bowles, Santayana, Anais Nin, Norman Mailer, Leonard Bernstein and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, among others.Trade ReviewAn engrossing and beguiling read. Admirably candid, refreshingly indiscreet, intelligent and full of wit, it is also startlingly original...And unequivocal triumph. William Boyd, DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEAR He does not narrate his life: he revies it. The result is something quite novel and wonderfully appealing, a critical biography of himself...Vidal's life might even be his greatest work. INDEPENDENT Wonderfully entertaining. You want the high-level political gossip? You get it here... it offers all the zing of a Dry Martini without the danger of getting drunk. DAILY TELEGRAPH PALIMPSEST is a tremendous read, down and dirty from start to finish. It is also a proud and serious and truthful book... SUNDAY TIMES

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Book SynopsisAn alternatingly funny and poignant memoir from our finest living example of [the American civic poet] (The New York Times)Trade Review"In his powerful and gripping memoir, Robert Pinsky chronicles his Jewish American upbringing in New Jersey and shows how it led him to poetry, vividly illuminating a disappearing time and place in America, and shining a light on what it means to be a poet. At once expansive and lyrical, historically significant and deeply intimate, Jersey Breaks tells an unforgettable story." -- Meghan O’Rourke, author of The Invisible Kingdom"What makes a great poet? Robert Pinsky provides some of the ingredients to his becoming an American original. We know that a language obsession will feed itself in unlikely places. But what places, exactly? Poetry craves particulars. Pinsky gives us Izzy Ash’s junkyard, the Tally-Ho Tavern, the magazines in the waiting room of his father’s optical shop, the library at Stanford University. He’s too wise to force cohesion. The result is a lyrical coming-of-age story centered around lyricism itself." -- Russell Shorto, author of Smalltime"Robert Pinsky pays attention. That’s how he became an American poet: by hearing music even in the syllables of the conductor’s voice calling out, ‘Passengers going to Hoboken, change trains at Summit.’ Only such a poet, so attuned to the melody of language, could see the formidable feat of translating Dante as a matter of ‘metrical engineering.’ The other half of that phrase is important, too, since engineering is a question of work, and this is a chronicle of the working class, the memoir of an optician’s son who understands that real work is essential to the creation and appreciation of poetry. (He was a distracted student, producing as hilarious proof here a report card only a future poet could generate.) This poet knows well that he owes his life as a poet to others—his recollections of teachers like Paul Fussell are particularly vivid—and so he was a generous poet laureate committed to the principle of service, listening to the voices of others. In that spirit, we should listen to the voice of Robert Pinsky, the intelligence and grace of his prose, his poetry, his song." -- Martín Espada, National Book Award-winning author of Floaters

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Book SynopsisFrom world-renowned scientist Jane Goodall, as seen in the new National Geographic documentary Jane, comes a poignant memoir about her spiritual epiphany and an appeal for why everyone can find a reason for hope. Dr. Jane Goodall''s revolutionary study of chimpanzees in Tanzania''s Gombe preserve forever altered the very, definition of humanity. Now, in a poignant and insightful memoir, Jane Goodall explores her extraordinary life and personal spiritual odyssey, with observations as profound as the knowledge she has brought back from the forest.

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Book SynopsisSattareh Farman Farmaian, the daughter of a once-powerful and wealthy Iranian prince, was raised and educated in the 1920s and 1930s in a Persian harem compound, along with numerous mothers and more than 30 brothers and sisters. As a young woman, she broke with Muslim tradition and travelled to America, where she became the first Persian to study at the University of Southern California. Her new life in the West fired a vision to lift her own people out of backwardness and poverty, and she returned to Iran to found the Tehran School of Social Work. For more than 20 years, Sattareh and her students waged a war against poverty, disease and overcrowding, and then, soon after the collapse of the Shah''s regime, she was forced to flee the country in fear of her life. In this account of her experiences, she provides an insider''s view of Iran''s journey through the 20th century and of the events which led up to, and followed, the Islamic revolution.Trade Review'This enthralling account...confirms my conviction, learned from experience, that idealism does not die. Indeed, the human spirit can still triumph, however brutal the tyranny under which so many are destined to live out their lives' -- Christabel Bielenberg'A book with grat depth and richness...an absorbing adventure which we can only read with growing admiration' * Daily Mail *'Her memories of her childhood...are lyrical and enchanting...beautifully written' * The New York Times Book Review *'Once upon a time, long before fatwas and ayatollahs, the daughter of a shazdeh, or prince, grew up in a Tehran harem. Sattareh lived with numerous mothers, more than 30 siblings and some thousand servants...Sattareh's father may have been autocratic, infuriatingly stingy and over 60 at the time of her birth, but he was also unusually enlightened. His motto "education is everything" applied as much to daughters as to sons. It paid off, for Sattareh provides an accomplished portrait of a childhood enriched by nightingales and bazaars, politics and family romances. More impressively, she broke with tradition to study in California, returned to found the Tehran School of Social Work and, after the Shah's downfall, survived execution by a whisker' * She Magazine *'A wonderful book to read and own; a treasury of human experience' -- Fay Weldon

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Book SynopsisBen Fogle shot to fame as the star of the BBC's first attempt at reality television, Castaway, in 2000. The son of actress Julia Foster and vet Bruce Fogle, his life has never been exactly ordinary. As well as taking part in many of the toughest physical challenges on earth, he has found himself competing in the World Championships of morris dancing, stinging-nettle-eating and crabbing. He is a Knight of the Principality of Sealand and President of the Hedgehog Preservation Society.Ben has presented numerous programmes including the BBC's Animal Park, Countryfile, Wild in Africa, Wild on the West Coast, Crufts, One Man and His Dog, The Secret of Scott's Hut and three series of the hit adventure show Extreme Dreams. He is a special correspondent for NBC, an ambassador for WWF, Médecins Sans Frontières and Tusk, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the President of the Campaign for National Parks. He lives in London with his wife MTrade ReviewFunny, entertaining and really rather inspiring, too * Daily Mail *A fun and inspiring read * Choice *

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Book SynopsisThe SBS was first into battle a month before the SAS in the Falklands War and again in the Gulf War, yet hitherto it is the SAS that has had by far the higher profile. The SBS draws its manpower solely from the Marine Commando Units, and the Royal Marines are the oldest and most battle-honoured regiment in the world. FIRST INTO ACTION is the first Special Boat Services memoir written from the inside. It tells how Duncan Falconer trained with the Royal Marines in Deal before being recruited into the SBS at Poole in Dorset. The regimen of ruthless training is graphically described and the book also includes revelatory accounts of SBS operations in Ulster, Bosnia and the Gulf War, and of the intense rivalry between the SAS''s individualist mentality and the more team-based, marine ethos of the SBS. Duncan Falconer''s grippingly detailed memoir is sure to command the attention of anyone interested in the Special Forces and how they operate.Trade ReviewA must for military buffs. * MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS *

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Book SynopsisIn this intimate and extraordinary memoir, Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Malala, gives a moving account of fatherhood and his lifelong fight for equality proving there are many faces of feminism.Whenever anybody has asked me how Malala became who she is, I have often used the phrase. Ask me not what I did but what I did not do. I did not clip her wings'For over twenty years, Ziauddin Yousafzai has been fighting for equality first for Malala, his daughter and then for all girls throughout the world living in patriarchal societies. Taught as a young boy in Pakistan to believe that he was inherently better than his sisters, Ziauddin rebelled against inequality at a young age. And when he had a daughter himself he vowed that Malala would have an education, something usually only given to boys, and he founded a school that Malala could attend.Then in 2012, Malala was shot for standing up to the Taliban by continuing to go to her father''Trade ReviewA treatise on progressive parenting and an inspirational tale of a man’s fight to defeat misogyny ... perhaps the first guidebook for fathers – or men in general – who aspire to be feminists * The News on Sunday *A beautiful and emotional read, throwing light on why he is so passionate about equality and education ... I shed a few tears reading it * The Journal.i.e *Let Her Fly is both autobiography and a passionate global entreaty to men… to set their daughters free * The Times *Let Her Fly is Ziauddin’s account of his life and his fight for the rights of all children to receive equal education, opportunities and social and political recognition * The Observer *a biography that reveals a person every bit as inspirational as his daughter * RTE Guide *

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Book SynopsisA prominent insider's view of British naval shipbuilding in World War 2.

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Book SynopsisOffers an insight into the idiosyncrasies of the English legal system and how it has changed since the late 1960s.Trade Review'Probably the biggest household name at the criminal Bar is Michael Mansfield, QC, a sure-fire role model for students wondering about a career in criminal (or civil rights) law.' The Times Online 'Brilliant...a sophisticated criminal practitioner who has delivered some of the most powerful pieces of advocacy witnessed in this country's courtrooms' Chambers Legal Directory 2009 'A fascinating and passionate record of the author's major cases in courts, inquests and public inquiries, whose context will be as familiar to the general reader as to the lawyer' Spectator 'I hugely admire him ... This book is not just a show-off catalogue of his greatest hits. It is a shaming, chilling list of injustices' A.N Wilson, Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisThe inspirational guide to finding self-belief, harnessing your strength and building a life you love.

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Book SynopsisThe perfect companion for Part Time Working Mummy fans, this is a guide filled with life lessons so you can find your power to turn your dark days into sunlight.

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Book Synopsis*WINNER OF THE UK BLACK PRIDE LITERARY PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION DIVA AWARDS 2017**AS SEEN ON TRANSFORMATION STREET* ''Opens minds, breaks down myths and vaporises prejudice - I loved it!'' Rebecca Root, star of Boy Meets Girl ''Funny, thoughtful and honest'' Stylist''It''s a boy!'' or ''It''s a girl!'' are the first words almost all of us hear when we enter the world. Before our names, before we have likes and dislikes - before we, or anyone else, has any idea who we are. And two years ago, as Juno Dawson went to tell her mother she was (and actually, always had been) a woman, she started to realise just how wrong we''ve been getting it.Gender isn''t just screwing over trans people, it''s messing with everyone. From little girls who think they can''t be doctors to teenagers who come to expect street harassment. From exclusionist feminists to ''alt-right'' young men. From men who can''t cry to the woTrade ReviewOne of the bravest, freshest voices -- Laura Dockrill * Observer *This memoir ... got me underlining, and texting friends, frequently. -- Stephanie Burt * TLS *Part memoir, part manifesto, The Gender Games is filled with the type of funny, thoughtful and honest writing that has made Dawson a multi-award winning YA author...Frank, witty, and educational' * Stylist *If you want to be well informed about what it menas to be trans, I can highly recommend Juno's book The Gender Games. It's a funny, honest read and clears up a lot of confusion and misinformation -- Lorraine Kelly * The Sun *This book is incredible, I loved it so much -- Emma Gannon * CTRL ALT DELETE podcast *A saucy, sassy, sweary look at gender, and how it trips and entraps us. -- Suzanne Harrington * Irish Examiner *Funny, thoughtful and honest writing ... It's soberingly relevant and makes you want to #smashthepatriarchy * Stylist *Opens minds, breaks down myths and vaporises prejudice - I loved it! * Rebecca Root *Not only is this book incredibly informative, it's also very funny. * Zoe, Readabilitea *It's not often as a grown-up that someone makes you sit up and re-examine not only your own identity, but your attitudes to an entire social group. But that's the effect this thoughtful, articulate woman had on me. ... Dawson's book is eminently readable and often very funny. * Marianne Taylor, The Herald *Informative and entertaining. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone: we all have something to learn about gender. * Chloe Scaling, Palatinate *

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Book Synopsis''The thinking man''s action hero'' - The Times MagazineTrained Royal Marines Sniper, world record breaker and extreme TV adventurer, Aldo Kane is known for his ability to navigate and lead through challenging and pressured environments, whether it be abseiling into an erupting volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rowing the Atlantic, getting locked in a bunker for 10 days with zero daylight, leading Steve Backshall into the jungle or being held at gunpoint...In his debut book, Lessons From The Edge, Aldo will inspire readers with his jaw-dropping stories and show them how to survive and thrive through sheer strength of mind and sharp decision-making. It will reveal how this tough military man was able to cope with suddenly feeling worthless, how he overcame doors literally slamming in his face, how he came to realise that you can''t wait for things to happen and instead how he rediscovered his identity and harnessed his emotions to his a

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Book SynopsisYvette Fielding was the youngest ever Blue Peter presenter at age 18, and she's since gone on to host and produce Ghosthunting With... and Most Haunted. After years of studying ghosts, she's become television's 'first lady' of the paranormal. She lives with her husband, fellow ghost hunter Karl, in Cheshire.

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Book SynopsisJohn Burnside was among the most acclaimed writers of his generation. His novels, short stories, poetry and memoirs won numerous awards, including the Geoffrey Faber Memorial, Saltire Scottish Book of the Year and, in 2023, he received the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime's achievement in literature. In 2011 Black Cat Bone won both the Forward and the T.S. Eliot Prizes for poetry. He died in 2024.

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Book SynopsisThis candid book is a heartwarming page turner that takes the reader on an extraordinary journey. Full of amusing and arresting anecdotes, at its heart lies the inspirational story of one man's extensive search for his birth mother and what happened when he finally found her.

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