Autobiography: general Books

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Book SynopsisMany people dream of leaving the workaday world for a life of simplicity and freedom, and Margaret Hathaway and her then-boyfriend Karl did just that. In The Year of the Goat, the reader can jump in the “goat mobile” with them as they ditch their big-city lifestyle to trek across forty-three states in search of greener pastures and the perfect goat cheese. Along the way, the reader is introduced to a vivid cast of characters—including farmers, breeders, cheese makers, and world-class chefs—and discovers everything there is to know about goats and getting back to the land. But readers beware: When it comes to goat cheese, it can be love at first bite.

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Book SynopsisA major influence on William S. Burroughs and other Beat writers, this lost classic was written by Jack Black, a drifter and small-time criminal. Born in 1872, Black hit the road at the age of 16 and spent most of his life as a vagabond. In this plain-spoken but colorful 1926 memoir, he recaptures a hobo underworld of the early twentieth century, a time when it was possible to pass anonymously from town to town. Black''s firsthand accounts of hopping trains, burglaries, prison, and drug addiction offer a compelling portrait of this seedy side of life a hundred years ago.  

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Book SynopsisIn 1892 hunger, poverty and desolation were endemic in the area around Foxford in County Mayo in the aftermath of the great famine and the Land War. It was in this context that Agnes Morrogh-Bernard, a member of the Irish Sisters of Charity, achieved what many thought was impossible. She was a pioneering and visionary woman who, in a male dominated society, managed to establish the world famous Foxford Woollen Mills, which to this day provide an important source of employment to the surrounding area. This is her incredible story. She lived through a time spanning the 19th and early 20th centuries, 1842–1932, a time of strife and unrest, emigration and eviction. Into this mix, this woman brought hope where there was despair, light where there was darkness and joy where there was once sadness. She also had absolute trust in Providence, which was her bastion in this quest. Her story is a fascinating one, whether you are familiar with the area or not.

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Book SynopsisFrom a rebellious teenager on the terraces to becoming Supporters Club Chairman, Club Director, Secretary and Head of Media Graham Brookland has seen it all supporting his local football club. The first Football League team to be liquidated mid season for 60 years was followed by him co-founding a new club five levels below the previous level. Five promotions to reach the Football League were achieved before near extinction again. Graham pens his unique experiences panning over 40 years confirming that there is always a story to tell about Aldershot Town Football Club.

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Book SynopsisAfter-dinner speaker Barrie Lawrence has been making people laugh - really laugh - for years. Now it's your turn to hear his unbelievably funny, sometimes poignant stories from dental school, surgery and life. How did a pet frog lead to a successful career of seven dental surgeries and a bookshop? And of course, he was a student during those years known as the 'Swinging Sixties!' But something else happened at the London Hospital - something that was even more important than training as a dentist! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and most important of all, you will be inspired.

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Book Synopsis'For me, the word "bloom" encapsulates the idea that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. It's a word that hints at becoming who you are meant to be.' Estée LalondeIn Bloom, Estée shares the moments, people, things and life lessons that have made her who she is today and offers her tips for surviving life. Celebrate your bloom story and what makes you unique.Life * People * Work * Beauty * Fashion * Home * Travel * FoodWhat readers think of Bloom:'Congratulations @EsteeLalonde on your new book Bloom, which is so aethetically pleasing I just want to stare at it all day long' @Zoella'Already up to page 91 of #BloomBook and I've laughed, cried and felt all the emotions. I've not read a book in years!!!' @inthefrow'Just finished reading #BloomBook - honest, refreshing, inspiring and moving.' @lilyvtomlinson'So #BloomBook just arrived in my mailbox in Australia, I'm 20 pages in, and already crying because it's so relatable.' @HonorLuckhurst'Reading Bloom is like reading the pages of my own journal. I love it so much.' @ashleyjlovesyou'In love with #BloomBook' @taraacaseyy'I just started @EsteeLalonde's book and I can't stop reading it, I'm loving it so much.' @FelicitybyFendi'Just don't want to finish this book. So inspiring, thank you @EsteeLalonde for sharing your story.' @NatureElf

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Book SynopsisSteve Davies spent 48 years working in the railway industry from 1969 to 2017. His insider's view of the railways is presented in an easy to read style that will appeal to those in the industry as well as those for whom the jargon would be incomprehensible without Steve's explanations. He started work as a messenger boy and in 1982 he took his first driving turn. He subsequently kept 148 notebooks recording the details of all the trains he had driven including details of trains, times, number of coaches or tonnage of freight hauled. This fascinating insight into the day-to-day workings of the railway industry will be of interest to railway workers, enthusiasts and all of us who have ever wondered "What's it really like to drive a train?".Table of ContentsIntroduction vii; 1 Early Days 1; 2 Working for a Living 4; 3 Back to Ebbw -Temporarily 12; 4 Redundancy 33; 5 Westbury 41; 6 Driver Training 49; 7 Driver Davies 53; I Miss The Engine & Coaches 65; 8 Train Driving Techniques 71; Aslef Information Paper 96; 9 Bosses, Brothers and Others 100; 10 Passengers Not Customers 159; 11 Overcrowding 168; 12 Instructor Driver 175; Steve's Top Ten Tips 182; 13 Driver Error 184; 14 Alarming Experiences 194; 15 Faults and Failures 219; 16 Danger on the Line 233; Phonetic Family Fun 250; 17 Odd Jobs 251; 18 Winding Down and Retirement 264; Glossary 275

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Book SynopsisPeter Somerville-Large grew up with his brother Phil in a nursery world at the top of a smart house in Dublin from which they could watch Fitzwilliam Place far below, with the horse drawn delivery vans, the animals being driven to market and their father's patients arriving to visit the consulting rooms on the ground floor. The family had houses in the country too, with livestock and vegetable gardens and a bevy of eccentric relations, among them Edith Somerville (of Somerville and Ross fame). When Peter was five, his father bought an island - 80 bare rocky acres on the north shore of the Kenmare River in County Kerry - which he saw as paradise. There were parties, sailing trips and fishing expeditions. This biography takes the reader back to the sensations and excitements of children, and paints a picture of a world at once so recent and yet now vanished.Trade ReviewPeter Somerville-Large's memories have an authentic and enchanting quality as he evokes the world of his parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts.' Contemporary Review - '..recalls in graphic detail the joys and tribulations of a childhood spent in a milieu that has vanished. * Books of Ireland *

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Book SynopsisBlinded in one eye by a childhood incident, his tormentors called him 'One Eye' or 'Cyclops'; it could have instilled a victim mentality in him, but instead he became a fighter. One by one, those who tormented him would get their comeuppance ...In his turbulent teenage years, 'Baz' adopted a criminal lifestyle. He went from Rude Boy to Casual and became a leading figure in Birmingham City FC's Zulu Warriors. When not training in martial arts or proving himself as a cage fighter, he also cut a powerful figure in Coventry's clubland where he ran its toughest doors. For all his ferocious reputation, ONE-EYED BAZ reveals a character of great warmth and loyalty, a charismatic figure strong enough to embrace the combat sport of cage fighting and prove himself 'King of the Ring'. ONE-EYED BAZ will surely be lauded as a classic of the hard-man genre.

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Book SynopsisThis moving autobiography of a Berber woman from the village of Tizi-Hibel in the Kabilie Mountains of Algeria is unique on a number of levels. Illegitimate, Fadhma Amrouche would have been killed with her mother to preserve the honour of the family, but for the intervention of the French authorities. Because of this, she received an education and eventually married a Christian convert, although they remained closely linked to their families of origin. Her account of battling poverty, illness and exile is a gripping story. Fadhma's fight for an education in a world of almost universal female illiteracy was nothing short of heroic. She and her children moved from the harsh, fixed hierarchies of a traditional Berber village with archaic means of production to become cosmopolitan Parisians. The journey was filled with heartbreak, and Fadhma never overcame her nostalgia for what she had lost, but never doubted that the journey had to be made. Her unassuming narrative throws an unforgettable light on Berber life, women's position in traditional societies and the tensions between governed and governors in the colonial world.Trade Review'Written in an intimate and frank voice [it] weaves personal memories with the sagas of family members, important family events and details of traditional village life. With excellent introductions on the Berbers, Christianity in the Kabylie, and the Amrouche family.' Kay Hardy Campbell, Saudi Aramco World

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Book SynopsisIn this new edition of Joyce Storey's autobiography, the previous three editions are amalgamated and the complete story of her life is told. Born near Bristol in 1917, Joyce began her autobiography at age 66. THE HOUSE IN SOUTH ROAD follows her pre-war life in Bristol, an era of corset and chocolate factories, of 'service' and glamorous silent movies. With a brilliant eye for the comic in the tragic Joyce unfolds her experiences at school, her first job, her first love and a mismatched marriage. During the war Joyce is a mother of two and her RAF husband is rarely on leave. She fights on the home front; air raids, in-laws, machine work and poverty. After the war Joyce begins to enjoy the luxury of a prefab house, first holidays, the growing independence of her four children, but suffers a breakdown in her marriage and her husband's final illness. With humour and intelligence Joyce Storey charts a good deal of the 20th Century.

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Book SynopsisWhile reflecting the style and character of its predecessor, 'A Summer in Kintyre', this new book is rich in differences. The narrative begins in April 2014 and ends in September, but real time is irrelevant, as the author dips frequently into history and prehistory, evoking people and events associated with the places he visits by bicycle and on foot. Artists, poets, musicians, cave-dwellers, convicts, winkle-pickers, travelling tinsmiths, shipwrecked sailors, saints, school friends, fishermen, shepherds, farmers and fellow-ramblers share the pages with flowers, butterflies, birds, otters, whales, adders, and much else. A close engagement with places, people and nature is ever-present and, using the journals he has kept since his teens, the author is able to recreate his early adventures in the outdoors. Besides familiar haunts in South Kintyre (Learside, Ben Gullion, Inneans, and Largiebaan), he visits Barr Glen, Ballochroy Glen and Lussa, and explores their history. Illustrated with 50 images, the result will inform and delight any reader with an interest in one of Scotland's most fascinating yet least appreciated areas.Trade Review'Wind-swept, rain-lashed - but often sun-kissed - Kintyre, through Angus Martin's eyes, is a garment permanently worn in its newest gloss, an ever-changing spectacle to be enjoyed.', John McCallum, Campbeltown Courier, June 2015; '... A welcome addition is the inclusion of map references for the places mentioned in the chapters. With an O.S. Landranger or Explorer map of Kintyre, readers can locate these places described in the book and perhaps set out on their own voyages of discovery. As the book progresses, the reader becomes aware of how much Angus values the memories and views of others. Fishermen and 'wilk'-gatherers, walkers and cyclists, shepherds and farmers, all appear in this travelling tale and all add their own weft to the warp that Angus has established. By the end of the book, the reader will have become a part of the intriguing tapestry that is this land of Kintyre.' Kintyre Magazine, Autumn 2015; '[These] latest offerings are an absorbing, idiosyncratic excursion into travel writing. Travel for Angus, in his own inimitable way, means cycling and walking through South Kintyre, with the occasional foray into more northern areas such as Ballachroy and Barr Glen. ... Whilst the narrative begins in April 2014 and ends in September, sequential time proves largely irrelevant, as he is always dipping into his own personal past, the past of friends and acquaintances he meets and the deeper past of the folk who fascinate him.' Ed Tyler, Kist Magazine.

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Book SynopsisIn "The Riddle of the Sands", a gripping spy story set amongst the shoals and mists of the North Sea coast in the years before the First World War, Erskine Childers fathered the modern genre of spy adventures, as well as writing a great yachting classic. Unlike John Buchan or John le Carre, however, Childers himself led a life involving spying, gun-running and conspiracy, and a constant search for adventure and danger, which led in the end to his execution by firing squad in Ireland in 1923. "The Tragedy of Erskine Childers" tells the extraordinary story of a brilliant and highly talented eccentric. A pioneering yachtsman in the early days of small yacht sailing, Childers became such a fervent supporter of Irish nationalism that he ran guns to Ireland on his boat. In the Irish Civil War, his extremism and wish to take part in active service rather than write propaganda, led to his betrayal, trial and execution.Trade Review"'Piper brings fresh insight to this fascinating, often contradictory life. His narrative twists and turns like a sequel to Childers' own novel'. New Statesman 'It is an immensely human narrative that puts a construct of flesh and bone around a sometimes denied figure.' Irish Times 'An exciting and readable account of an extremely strange life and a worthy companion to The Riddle of the Sands.' Sunday Times"Table of ContentsIllustrations; Introduction; 1. Young Erskine; 2. Sea Fever; 3. Soldier; 4. Author; 5. Marriage; 6. New Interests; 7. Gun-Runner; 8. The Cuxhaven Raid; 9. The Dardanelles; 10. Sea and Sky; 11. Sinn Fein; 12. Civil War; 13. The Tragedy of Erskine Childers; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBorn in 1904, Brandt played a major role in the first mass killing programme of the Third Reich, the so called 'euthanasia' programme. As Reich Commissioner for Health and Sanitation, Karl Brandt became the highest medical authority in the Nazi regime; he initiated experiments on concentration camps inmates and was eventually put in charge of biological and chemical warfare. How was it that a rational, highly cultured, literate, young professional could come to be responsible for mass murder and criminal human experiments on a previously unimaginable scale? In this riveting biography, Ulf Schmidt explores in detail that Brandt belonged to a generation of a young 'expert elite', who in the 1930s and 1940s were willing, and empowered, to support and conceive an oppressive, militarist, and racist government policy, and ultimately turn its exterminatory potential into reality. Through a critical biography of Brandt, Schmidt re-evaluates the system of communication at the centre of Hitler's regime. The book extends our understanding of the culture of detachment between a regime that was geared towards total destruction, and a government that was almost totally removed from its people.Trade Review"Karl Brandt (1904-1948) was for a time the leading medical authority in the Nazi regime. He was responsible for the euthanasia program, in which tens of thousands of handicapped individuals were killed.... As British historian Schmidt (Justice at Nuremberg: Leo Alexander and the Nazi Doctors' Trial) shows, a belief in eugenics, combined with a dash of ambition, motivated Brandt. During the war, he saw it as "legitimate to sacrifice individual human lives in the name of science." Outside of the diaries he wrote during the Nuremberg trials, which Schmidt had partial access to, Brandt left few writings, so Schmidt is forced to make informed guesses about the degree of Brandt's involvement in certain projects, such as the gruesome medical experiments conducted on concentration camp inmates, as well as about some of his motivations. Schmidt concludes that whether Brandt backed the genocide of the Jews is almost impossible to know. There's a lot to wade through, but readers who do will learn about a man of culture and science who turned medicine into a tool of murder."- Publishers Weekly, June 18, 2007 -- Publishers Weekly"[Schmidt] has produced an extraordinary study of an individual, a government, and an era that few biographies can hope to equal." --New York Sun"He [Schmidt] skilfully demonstrates Brandt's trajectory from idealistic but ordinary medical student... to Hitler's private doctor... [a] detailed examination" -- Dan Stone, The Times Higher Education Supplement"Remarkable new research by a German historian [Schmidt] is revealing the idealogical evolution of one of Hitler's closest associates. The research - which has taken nine years to carry out - shows how an apparently decent caring man metamorphosed into a mass murderer... Professor Schmidt's research... is likely to provoke controversy" -- BBC History Magazine, David Keys"Many historians are wary of biography, but this author's study of Karl Brandt ought to challenge suspicions about this genre of history...This is a fine study." -Larry Thornton, The Historian, Vol. 71Table of ContentsAcknowledgments; List of Plates and Figures; Abbreviations; Prologue; The Ambitious Idealist; Becoming Hitler's Doctor; Hitler's Envoy; The 'Euthanasia' Doctor; The General Commissioner; Detached Leadership; Human experimentation; Medical Supremo; Nuremberg; Trial; Under Sentence of Death; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisLisa Williams is one of the world's most accurate mediums. Taught by her grandmother both on this plane and in the afterlife, her extraordinary gift for communicating with Spirit and those that have passed on has led her from humble origins to become one of America's most beloved TV stars as the host of Life Among the Dead.Her incredible story to find acceptance both from those she cared about and the strangers who came to her for help led to the development of abilities that have been described as always accurate and often unbelievable: Communicating with those that have passed overPredicting life eventsDiagnosing disease Sensing cheating husbands!

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of THE BINDING CHAIR, a searing memoir of a four-year affair between the author and her father. ’My father takes my face in his hands. He tips it up and kisses my closed eyes, my throat. I feel his fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck. I feel his hot breath on my eyelids.’ Kathryn Harrison’s parents married aged 17 but were forced apart by disapproving parents within a year. By which time their only child, Kathryn, had been born. She was not to see her father again until she was ten. Instantly, the two were attracted; they even looked alike. By the time Kathryn was twenty the two had fallen into a passionate affair. Her relationship with her mother had never been easy and now there was this added complication, made worse by the obvious love which still existed between her parents for each other. In this beautiful, honest and shocking account of the years of her affair with her father, Kathryn Harrison confirms her growing reputation as one of the most significant literary voices of our times.Trade Review ‘One of the most startling books you are ever likely to read.’ Observer ‘Powerfully written, utterly compelling.’ Mail on Sunday ‘Shocking, terrifyingly honest – and beautifully written.’ Elle ‘Disturbing, provocative and articulate. One of the most talked-about books of the year.’ Cosmopolitan ‘The Kiss is remarkable for its candour, but also for its elegance, its sense of morality, and its generosity of spirit.’ Sunday Telegraph

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Book Synopsis"Against All Hope" is Armando Valladares' account of over twenty years in Fidel Castro's tropical gulag as a result of his philosophical and religious opposition to communism. He gives a picture of the Cuba that he lived in and tells of how his deep Christian faith kept him from abandoning hope during the most evil treatment.

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Book SynopsisIncluding her survival of Japan’s Great Kanto Earthquake, this book is an enthralling account of Dorothy Britton’s life, loves and discoveries in an amazingly varied life and career. Bilingual from birth, she found the immense joy of blending in with peoples of different cultures simply by getting the sound right when speaking their languages to the extent that she herself sounds Japanese. While interviewing Talent Education’s Shinichi Suzuki, she realized his peerless ‘mother tongue method’ for learning the violin was ideal for foreign languages too. While composing music for many documentary films introducing Japan to the world, in Empire Photosound’s beautiful My Garden Japan she used the ancient instruments of the Imperial Court Orchestra. The film was shown daily at Montreal’s EXPO 67 where it garnered a prize. Amusing episodes and stories of fascinating people and relationships abound in the book, as do valuable insights into topics such as the post-war Occupation and its impact on everyday life, the role of women, learning Japanese, marriage customs, food and many other aspects of Japanese culture and society. Appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010 for her highly regarded contributions to bridging two cultures, this long-awaited memoir will be widely welcomed. Here is the remarkable and remarkably frank story of a life lived to the full by the doyenne of British residents in Japan that has benefited so many and touched the lives of countless others.Table of ContentsPlate section faces page 128 Preface List of Plates 1. Rhythms Are What Divide Us 2. My Mother 3. My Father 4. How Marrying Changes my Father’s Life 5. The Great Kanto Earthquake 6. Hayama 7. Mother Contacts Her First Japanese Friend 8. Royal Friends 9. The Japanese Language 10. Winters in Yokohama 11. Father’s Sudden Death 12. England 13. Bermuda 14. Mills College, 1943-1945 15. London, 1945-1949 16. Innocence and Ignorance 17. Back in Japan – 1949 18. Love and Sex 114 19. Meeting ‘Boy’ 20. Society in Japan 21. Marriage Customs 22. Washoku and O-furo 23. My Royal Neighbours 24. Two Composers 25. London and Paris 26. Harps and Angels 27. Back to Work in Japan 28. Dreaming of Elephants 29. Finding the Britton 30. Sea Shells 31. The ‘Katakana Prison’ and Mr Suzuki 32. Poetry 33. The Island in Between 34. Marrying ‘Boy’ – 1968 35. The Japanese Crane – Bird of Happiness 36. Comfort and Solace with Ted Dorothy Britton’s Published Works Index

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Book SynopsisThis book will ignite your CURIOSITY and IMAGINATION unleashing and motivating your natural ability to evade the menacing threat of DESPERATION & REGRET, in your cramped and insufficient time on earth. Without HOPE your heart will truly die but hope isn't enough to fulfil your DREAMS. 'Motivation from a Tortured Mind' with its unconventional and provocative approach will: inspire your BELIEF, stimulate your DESIRE and undoubtedly agitate and reawaken the dazzling FIGHT that is dormant within every cell of your body. Fascinated by the incredible power and fortitude of the human psyche, throughout the entirety of my life and career, I've studied people in one way or another from the analysis and hypothesis of Human Psychology & Behaviour to the indisputable, tangible lives of real people. I sincerely hope 'Motivation from a Tortured Mind' incites and arouses your spectacular mind and manages to instigate even a miniscule positive change in your perception, attitude and belief, widening your vision and bringing into sharp focus the destination you crave.

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Book Synopsis`It's All in My Head!' is Mick's story. Mick is a normal Dutch guy who hears voices inside his head other people can't hear. Is he crazy, psychotic, or a schizophrenic? Mick's answer to all of these questions is a resounding `NO!' Mick is just a very creative human being! Mick sat down one day and started to illustrate his voices. Taking these illustrations as a starting point, he introduces you to his voices and guides you through the journey he made with these voices. This is a unique and creative story. It is a book of hope for voice hearers, family members, and anyone who is interested in the phenomenon of hearing voices.

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Book SynopsisIn 2017 Susie Kennaway asked her son Guy to kill her.88 years old, with an older and infirm husband, Susie wanted to avoid sliding into infantilised catatonia. The son immediately started taking notes and Time to Go is the result.In turns a manual for those considering the benefits of assisted dying, a portrait of a mother son relationship, and a sympathetic description of old age, this book is a route map through the moral, legal, emotional, intellectual and practical maze that is the biggest issue facing the senior generations today: leaving life on their own terms.During their conversations about when and how to make Susie''s final exit, some of the difficulties of their fractious relationship mellowed and some even melted, as the reality of what they were planning brought them together. Many elderly people, like Susie, have clearly stated that they wish to die in a manner and time of their choosing. But the church, the law, the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry stand in the way, wagging their fingers. A change is coming for the rights of the elderly, the way it has come for the rights of women and gay people. Time to Go is a rallying call in this fight.Life is too precious not to be lived properly. As with a job, a relationship or a party, you have to know when it''s time to go.

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