Autobiography: historical, political and military Books
Penguin Books Ltd Darkest Hour Official TieIn for the OscarWinning
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER AND OFFICIAL TIE-IN TO THE AWARD-WINNING MOTION PICTURE STARRING GARY OLDMAN, WHO TOOK HOME BEST ACTOR AT THE OSCARS FOR HIS SUBLIME TURN AS WINSTON CHURCHILL.From the prize-winning screenwriter of The Theory of Everything, this is a cinematic, behind-the-scenes account of a crucial moment which takes us inside the mind of one of the world''s greatest leaders - and provides a revisionist, more rounded portrait of his leadership.May, 1940. Britain is at war, European democracies are falling rapidly and the public are unaware of this dangerous new world. Just days after his unlikely succession to Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, faces this horror - and a sceptical King and a party plotting against him. He wonders how he can capture the public mood and does so, magnificently, before leading the country to victory.It is this fascinating period that Anthony McCarten captures in this deeply researched, gTrade ReviewI learned things from the script I didn't know. I just thought, "Can that be right? Were we that perilously close?" And so it just grabbed me. -- Gary OldmanThis is history written with the verve of a novel. Compelling and provocative -- Piers Brendon, former Director, The Churchill ArchivesPacy, refreshing, intimate and clear-eyed -- Sonia Purnell, author of 'Clementine'Impeccably researched, provocative and absolutely thrilling. I couldn't put it down. -- Henry Hemming, author of Churchill's IcemanEngrossing... a bold and hugely readable story about doubts, decision and the power of words that vividly conveys the man and the moment. -- Clare Mulley, author of The Woman Who Saved the ChildrenDarkest Hour has the panache, pace, wit and authenticity of its place and time...a concise and convincing distillation of the events of May 1940. -- Lawrence James [on the film]It is quite simply brilliantly well done. Gary Oldman's performance is nothing short of a masterpiece and Kristin Scott Thomas is remarkable. At one moment in the film I closed my eyes and I thought it was my grandmother speaking. It is also extremely moving - what my mother used to call a "two-handkerchief film" -- Nicholas Soames [on the film]
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The Pianist of Yarmouk
Book SynopsisThe incredible and inspirational true story of one young man''s struggle to find peace during war, and the power of music to bring hope to a desperate nation. ''Ahmad has created a moving and visceral account of conflict, hope and the power of music'' Hannah Beckerman, Observer____________ One morning in war-torn Damascus, a starving man drags a piano into a rubbled street. Everything he once knew has been destroyed by war.Amidst ruin and despair, he begins to play. He plays of love and hope, he plays for his family and his fellow Syrians. He plays even though he could be killed for doing so. As word of his defiance spreads around the world, he becomes a beacon of hope and even resistance. Yet he fears for his wife and children - the more he plays, the more he and his family are endangered until, finally, he must make a terrible choice . . . Aeham Ahmad''s spellbinding and uplifting true story tells of the triumph of love and hope, the incredible bonds of family, and the healing power of music in even the very darkest of places.___________''In amongst the wreckage scenes of hope. An amazing man - Ahmad played the piano just to spread love'' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2 ''An extraordinary, beautiful book about a man who in the midst of utter terror wheeled his piano in to the street and played for Yarmouk. He is amazing'' Nihal Arthanayake BBC 5 Live ''The music of Aeham Ahmad became a symbol of resistance'' Today, BBC Radio 4 ''So inspiring'' ITV News''Aeham Ahmad is a talented and brave man of peace. Please read his book and pass it on to anyone who doesn''t know or understand the plight of today''s refugees'' Stanley Tucci BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week Trade ReviewAhmad has created a moving and visceral account of conflict, hope and the power of music * Hannah Beckerman, Observer *An epic story * RTE Guide *Suddenly opened a hidden door to reality * The Sunday Times *Aeham Ahmad is a talented and brave man of peace. Please read his book and pass it on to anyone who doesn't know or understand the plight of today's refugees * Stanley Tucci *If ever confirmation that music and love will always defeat misery and tyranny was needed, Ahmad's testimony delivers it in the humblest and most moving way
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Scotland The Autobiography
Book SynopsisRosemary Goring took a degree in Economics and Social History at St Andrews University. She started her career in publishing in the role of in-house editor for Chambers Biographical Dictionary and has since edited and written for many reference books, among them the Larousse Dictionaries of Writers and Literary Characters. She was Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday for several years before becoming Literary Editor of the Herald.
£12.34
Pan Macmillan Passage To Juneau
Book SynopsisAn entrancing travelogue from celebrated writer Jonathan Raban.First published in 1999, Passage to Juneau is an account of Raban's personal journey from Seattle to the Alaskan Capital by boat through the meandering sea route, the Inside Passage, told in parallel to the same voyage taken by Captain George Vancouver in the late eighteenth century.Described by Ian McEwan as 'Raban at his best', this is extraordinary travel writing, told from two very different perspectives. A book about the idea of loss, Raban is home but still, he is very much still at sea.
£11.69
Little, Brown Book Group I Was Told To Come Alone
Book SynopsisI was told to come alone. I was not to carry any identification, and would have to leave my cell phone, audio recorder, watch, and purse at my hotel . . .For her whole life, Souad Mekhennet, a reporter for the Washington Post who was born and educated in Germany, has had to balance the two sides of her upbringing - Muslim and Western. She has also sought to provide a mediating voice between these cultures, which too often misunderstand each other.In this compelling and evocative memoir, we accompany Mekhennet as she journeys behind the lines of jihad, starting in the German neighbourhoods where the 9/11 plotters were radicalised and the Iraqi neighbourhoods where Sunnis and Shia turned against one another, and culminating on the Turkish/Syrian border region where ISIS is a daily presence. In her travels across the Middle East and North Africa, she documents her chilling run-ins with various intelligence services and shows why the Arab Spring never lived Trade ReviewIf only every journalist with Souad Mekhennet's culture-straddling perspective and access would write an incisive book like this. It will haunt you, because the truth on the page is vaster than anything we're usually offered -- Azadeh Moaveni, author of Lipstick Jihad and Honeymoon in TehranMore than just a great narrative, I Was Told to Come Alone is a story for our time: a penetrating look at the roots of Islamist radicalism from a gifted and extraordinarily courageous journalist. Souad Mekhennet dares to confront the issues head-on, often at great personal risk, and she weaves her own experiences into an unforgettable and deeply absorbing tale. If you want to truly understand the nature of the crisis facing the West in the twenty-first century, this is the place to start -- Joby Warrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISISI Was Told to Come Alone reads like a thriller, as Souad Mekhennet takes us on a journey into the heart of the Muslim world. Mekhennet is a Western journalist who is female and Muslim, which gives her access that few reporters can match. Through her eyes we see how terrorism develops and that it produces no winners on either side. Her insights are sobering but deeply wise, and especially urgent today -- Jessica Stern, coauthor of ISIS: The State of Terror and author of Terror in the Name of GodSouad Mekhennet has written a fascinating memoir that functions on two levels. In the first, she is the daughter of Muslim immigrants to Germany, seeking ways to bridge these two worlds. In the second, she is an intrepid reporter investigating some of the most dangerous and important stories of recent years, and gaining unparalleled access to leading jihadist militants. Both stories are hers, and together they are truly compelling -- Peter Bergen, author of United States of Jihad: Who Are America’s Homegrown Terrorists, and How Do We Stop Them?This book is a monument to her professionalism, dedication and courage, but also as proof of her humanity: her ability always to see the human cost on both sides * Sunday Herald *An enthralling and sometimes shocking blend of reportage and memoir from the centers of jihadi networks in the Middle East and North Africa * New Yorker *One could hardly imagine a more suited writer . . . a brave, resourceful, canny and tireless reporter * Washington Post *Mekhennet's book is much more than a book of journalism, admirable as hers is: it is a remarkable record of a Muslim woman struggling to understand those who kill in the name of her religion, and to explain their actions to the uncomprehending Western world to which she belongs * The Economist *The surprise delight of the year for me . . . remarkable and at times personally risky series of interviews withjihadi leaders. But it's also a highly readable primer on the forces that gave rise to jihad, and an insight into the complexities of immigrant identity and loyalty . . . In a slippery post-truth world, her book is a reminder of just how much meticulously investigated and reported truths matter * Guardian *
£11.67
Faber & Faber Keeping Up With the Germans A History of
Book SynopsisIn 1996, in the middle of watching an ill-tempered football match between England and Germany, Philip Oltermann''s parents tell him that they are going to leave their home city Hamburg behind and move to London.Inspired by his own experience of both countries, Philip Oltermann looks at eight historical encounters between English and German people from the last two hundred years: Helmut Kohl tries to explain German cuisine to the Iron Lady, the Mini plays catch-up with the Volkswagen Beetle, and Joe Strummer has an unlikely brush with the Baader-Meinhof gang.Keeping Up with the Germans is a witty look at the lighter-side of Anglo-German relations over the last 100 years.
£11.69
Gill People Like Me
Book SynopsisBorn into a loving working-class home, Lynn Ruane's early years were idyllic, but all that changed when two shocking incidents in her teenage years shook her to her core. She gradually withdrew from family life and went further into the world of petty crime and chaotic drug use that permeated the streets of her hometown.By age fifteen pregnant with her first child and no longer attending school Lynn hit rock bottom and made the brave decision to stop running away from herself. Against all odds, she set about rebuilding her life and laying to rest the ghosts of her past.Intimate and brave, People Like Me is an exhilarating story about how where we are from shapes the opportunities and challenges we face. From the edges of society to the centre as a leading political voice for justice and equality in Irish society, Lynn's is a story of how self-belief can help you rise above all obstacles, inspiring others around you to do the same.I highly recommend this' NIALL BRESLINA fantastic book' VINCENT BROWNERead this in one sitting. Powerful and moving' ALAN RUSBRIDGER, former editor of The GuardianMade me cry and think and feel everyone should read it' RÓISÍN INGLE
£11.39
Pluto Press Sara
Book SynopsisAn iconic memoir by one of the first female fighters of the PKKTrade Review'Sakine Cansiz was a true pioneer and one of the founders of a political movement whose story is far from over and whose latest chapters we witness unfolding in today's events in Turkey and Syria. This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the real motivates of this unique modern political movement' -- Estella Schmid, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign'A brilliant, passionate girl who discovers Kurdish politics in high school and flees her family, determined to become a revolutionary instead of a housewife - A riveting, inspiring book' -- Meredith Tax, feminist activist and author of A Road Unforeseen: Women Fight the Islamic State (2016)'Here is the story of a fearless Kurdish woman full of fight, who, with pain and resistance, resurrected and caused resurrection, who rebelled and caused rebellion, who became free and caused freedom. Her story is the story of Kurdistan, the story of Kurdish women, the story of Middle Eastern women. A story that renews itself with the consciousness of freedom' -- Çiğdem Doğu, coordination of Kurdistan Women's Communities KJKTable of ContentsTranslator’s note German translator’s note Author’s preface Translator’s introduction: The 1970s political context Sara Notes Index
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Fear and Loathing in America The Brutal Odyssey
Book SynopsisShows how the author build his legend: running for sheriff in Aspen, Colorado, creating the seminal road book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, twisting political reporting to new heights for Rolling Stone and making sense of it all in the landmark Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.
£15.29
The History Press Ltd The Long Silence
Book SynopsisValerie Storie, the survivor of the infamous A6 Murder, was victim shamed for over 50 years. This is her story, told for the very first time
£17.00
The History Press Ltd Ypres Diary 191415
Book SynopsisYpres diary 1914-15
£11.69
Octopus Publishing Group Downsizing
Book Synopsis''Two years ago I turned 50, weighed 22 stone and was heavily medicated for type 2 diabetes. I thought it would be all downhill from there. By radically changing my nutrition, cutting out sugar, and taking up exercise, I''ve changed my life and reversed my diabetes. I hope my story will inspire others to regain their health and happiness and discover the new lease of life I''m experiencing.''Tom Watson began to put on weight in his early twenties, having developed an appetite for fast food and cheap beer while studying at the University of Hull. As time progressed - and his penchant for anything sweet, fatty or fizzy persisted - he found himself adjusting his belt, loosening his collar and upsizing his wardrobe to XXL. He continued to pile on the pounds when he entered the world of politics as MP for West Bromwich East (despite short-lived flirtations with fad diets and fitness classes). By December 2014, his bathroom scales had tipped to 22 stone. After being
£11.69
Amberley Publishing Alarmstart South and Final Defeat
Book SynopsisNew in paperback - The personal reminiscences of Luftwaffe veterans and original documents and images give a unique insight into the Mediterranean theatre and late aerial war battles.
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Kisses on a Postcard
Book SynopsisCarefully labelled, and each clutching little brown suitcases, Terry, aged seven, and his elder brother Jack, eleven, stand amid the throng of children which crowds the narrow platform at Welling station awaiting the steam engine which pulls them and their fellow evacuees across the country towards their unknown destination, and their new lives...Trade Review'In World War Two evacuation was often more frightening for a child than the air-raids from which he was being saved, so it is surprising and delightful to read a positive account of the experience. Frisby has done something difficult: he has made good times and good people more fun to read about than any melodrama, in a book that leaves one feeling grateful and happy' Diana Athill 'Frisby has written a heart-warming account of his life as a 'vacky" Daily Telegraph 'A lovely, lovely book' randomjottings.typepad.com
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co Operation Mayhem
Book Synopsis''Captures the confusion, black humour, raw courage and sheer exhilaration of combat brilliantly'' THE TIMES''Read this account of his stint with the 26-man strong X Platoon in the sweltering jungle, living on grubs, outnumbered 80 to one, battling heavily armed rebels with bamboo sticks and home-made grenades, and you''ll be asking the question... Why wasn''t he given TWO MCs?'' SUNDAY SPORT2,000 blood-crazed rebels. 26 elite British soldiers. One man''s explosive true story.Airlifted into the heart of the Sierra Leone jungle in the midst of the bloody civil war in 2000, 26 elite operators from the secret British elite unit X Platoon were sent into combat against thousands of Sierra Leonean rebels.Notorious for their brutality, the rebels were manned with captured UN armour, machine-guns and grenade-launchers, while the men of X Platoon were kitted with pitiful supplies of ammunition, malfunctioning rifles, and no body armour, grenades Trade ReviewSergeant Steve Heaney captures the confusion, black humour, raw courage and sheer exhilaration of combat brilliantly. This book is one of the best accounts of low-level tactical soldiering since Fred Majdalany's WW2 classic Patrol. But Heaney tells a broader tale that has rarely been captured so well... I commend it to the professional soldier and layman alike. * THE TIMES *'... read this account of his [Steve Heaney] stint with the 26-man strong X Platoon in the sweltering jungle, living on grubs, outnumbered 80 to one, battling heavily armed rebels with bamboo sticks and home-made grenades, and you'll be asking the question... Why wasn't he given TWO MCs?' -- Jon Wise * Sunday Sport *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Fighting Evil
Book SynopsisA visceral, riveting, no-holds-barred military memoir told from the front line of the war against ISIS with a foreword by Andy McNab. In the summer of 2014 the world watched in horror as the black flag of ISIS swept all before it. Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq fell, ISIS proclaimed the caliphate and the horror mounted: from the mass murder, rape and enslavement of the Yazidis to the public beheading of journalists by British jihadis. For Macer Gifford it wasn''t enough to ask why more wasn''t being done, he knew he had to act. So, he left his job in the city, split from his girlfriend and a few weeks later found himself illegally crossing the border into Syria to join the Kurdish YPG in their fight against the savagery of ISIS.Macer Gifford became one of longest serving British International Volunteers and one of the only few to be promoted to be a Commander in the YPG. He fought alongside the Kurds (and their Syrian Allies) for three long tours of duTrade ReviewA riveting, visceral, no-holds-barred account from the front line of the war against ISIS. Compelling; raw; savage; yet beautifully written, this is a crie de coeur from a defining story of our age, with an international cast like no other. * Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Operation Certain Death, SAS Ghost Patrol etc. *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Coming Up Trumps A Memoir
Book SynopsisForthright, witty and deliciously opinionated, Jean Trumpington's Coming Up Trumps is a spirited account of a life very well lived.In this characteristically incisive memoir, the indomitable Jean Trumpington looks back on her long and remarkable life. The daughter of an officer in the Bengal Lancers and an American heiress, Jean Campbell-Harris led an early life of luxury - until the Wall Street Crash wiped out her family's fortune. At fifteen, Jean was sent to Paris to study but two years later, with the outbreak of the Second World War, she became a land girl. But Jean sought adventure and soon found it while working in Navy Intelligence throughout the war. Her post-warr life took her from the glamour of Paris to the 'mad men' of Madison Avenue. It was here that she met her husband, the historian Alan Barker, and their marriage, in 1954, ushered in the happiest period of her life before embarking on her distinguished political career,
£8.54
Pen & Sword Books Ltd The End of Empire
Book SynopsisFormer BBC correspondent's graphic personal account of National Service with the Suffolk Regiment in the 1950s based on the letters he wrote home to his family at the time.
£21.25
House of Anansi Press Ltd ,Canada Channel of Peace
Book SynopsisOne of the inspirations for the smash hit Broadway musical Come From Away, Channel of Peace is an unforgettable memoir of the extraordinary kindness afforded to passengers whose flights were re-routed to Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001.When Kevin Tuerff and his partner boarded their flight from France to New York City on September 11, 2001, they had no idea that a few hours later the world and their lives would change forever. After U.S. airspace closed following the terrorist attacks, Kevin, who had been experiencing doubts about organized religion, found himself in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, with thousands of other refugees or come from aways.Channel of Peace is a beautiful account of how the people of Gander rallied with boundless acts of generosity and compassion for the plane people, renewing Kevin's spirituality and inspiring him to organize an annual and growing giving back day. His unforgettable and uplifting story, along with others, has reached thousands of people when it was incorporated into the Broadway musical Come From Away.Trade Review"Kevin Tuerff's first-hand account takes us inside a 9/11 story that's largely unknown and which helps restore our faith that human beings need not always be divided by our differences." -- Wade Goodwyn * NPR *
£12.34
Pan Macmillan Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years
Book Synopsis‘I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.’ Long Walk to FreedomIn 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first president of democratic South Africa. Five years later, he stood down. In that time, he and his government wrought the most extraordinary transformation, turning a nation riven by centuries of colonialism and apartheid into a fully functioning democracy in which all South Africa’s citizens, black and white, were equal before the law. Dare Not Linger is the story of Mandela’s presidential years, drawing heavily on the memoir he began to write as he prepared to finish his term of office, but was unable to finish. Now, the acclaimed South African writer Mandla Langa has completed the task using Mandela’s unfinished draft, detailed notes that Mandela made as events were unfolding and a wealth of previously unseen archival material. With a prologue by Mandela's widow, Graça Machel, the result is a vivid and inspirational account of Mandela’s presidency, a country in flux and the creation of a new democracy. It tells the extraordinary story of the transition from decades of apartheid rule and the challenges Mandela overcame to make a reality of his cherished vision for a liberated South Africa.Trade ReviewReveals the struggles, setbacks and frustrations that to this very day thwart the progress of Africa. -- Gordon Brown * Guardian Best Books of 2017 *Reveals why Mandela was irreplaceable . . . he was so unique and he made it look so easy. -- Gillian Slovo * Observer *Underneath the history that has been made, there is a human being who chose hope over fear – progress over the prisons of the past . . . Even as he became a legend, to know the man – Nelson Mandela – is to respect him even more. -- Barack ObamaA rare human being who, in freeing himself of his demons, also became free to give his extraordinary leadership to his country and the world. -- Bill Clinton
£11.69
Pan Macmillan Kind of Blue: A Political Memoir
Book SynopsisKen Clarke needs no introduction. One of the genuine 'Big Beasts' of the political scene, during his forty-six years as the Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire he has been at the very heart of government under three prime ministers. He is a political obsessive with a personal hinterland, as well known as a Tory Wet with Europhile views as for his love of cricket, Nottingham Forest Football Club and jazz. In Kind of Blue, Clarke charts his remarkable progress from working-class scholarship boy in Nottinghamshire to high political office and the upper echelons of both his party and of government. But Clarke is not a straightforward Conservative politician. His position on the left of the party often led Margaret Thatcher to question his true blue credentials and his passionate commitment to the European project has led many fellow Conservatives to regard him with suspicion – and cost him the leadership on no less than three occasions.Clarke has had a ringside seat in British politics for four decades and his trenchant observations and candid account of life both in and out of government will enthral readers of all political persuasions. Vivid, witty and forthright, and taking its title not only from his politics but from his beloved Miles Davis, Kind of Blue is political memoir at its very best.Trade ReviewLike a fine old wine, this book is to be savoured. -- Iain Dale
£15.29
Pan Macmillan All My Mother's Secrets: A Powerful True Story of
Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'Beautifully-penned story on the harshness of life and how hope survives' – Sun'Absorbing . . . Marsh writes with a novelistic flair' – Daily Mail From the grimy streets of Acton and Notting Hill to the bright lights of the West End, Sunday Times bestselling author Beezy Marsh's All My Mother’s Secrets is a powerful, uplifting story of a young woman’s struggle to come to terms with her family’s tragic past.Annie Austin’s childhood ends at the age of twelve, when she joins her mother in one of the slum laundries of Acton, working long hours for little pay. What spare time she has is spent looking after her younger brother George and her two stepsisters, under the glowering eye of her stepfather Bill. In London between the wars, a girl like Annie has few choices in life – but a powerful secret will change her destiny.All Annie knows about her real father is that he died in the Great War, and as the years pass she is haunted by the pain of losing him. Her downtrodden mother won’t tell her more and Annie’s attempts to uncover the truth threaten to destroy her family. Distraught, she runs away to Covent Garden, but can she survive on her own and find the love which has eluded her so far?Trade ReviewBeautifully penned story on the harshness of life and how hope survives. * The Sun *Heartwarming. * Kimberley Chambers *Absorbing . . . Marsh writes with a novelistic flair. * Daily Mail *
£7.59
Pan Macmillan Brothers in Arms: Real War. True Friends.
Book SynopsisDarkly funny, shockingly honest, Brothers in Arms is an unforgettable account of a soldier's tour of Afghanistan, the brutal reality of war – every scary, exciting moment – and the bonds of friendship that can never be destroyed.‘If you could choose which two limbs got blown off, what would you go for?’ Danny said. ‘Your arms or your legs?’In July 2009, Geraint (Gez) Jones was sitting in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan with the rest of The Firm – Danny, Jay, Toby and Jake, his four closest friends, all junior NCOs and combat-hardened infantrymen. Thanks to the mangled remains of a Jackal vehicle left tactlessly outside their tent, IEDs were never far from their mind. Within days they’d be on the ground in Musa Qala with the rest of 3 Platoon – a mixed bunch of men Gez would die for. As they fight furiously, are pushed to their limits, hemmed in by IEDs and hampered by the chain of command, Gez starts to wonder what is the point of it all. The bombs they uncover on patrol, on their stomachs brushing the sand away, are replaced the next day. Firefights are a momentary victory in a war they can see is unwinnable. Gez is a warrior – he wants more than this. But then death and injury start to take their toll on The Firm, leaving Gez with PTSD and a new battle just beginning.'Jones writes of his brothers and their Afghan experience, from its adrenalin-filled highs to the many lows, with passion and candour.' – Major Adam Jowett, bestselling author of No Way Out'A gritty, brutal book about men at war. Raw and real. Brilliant.' – Tom Marcus, author of Soldier SpyTrade ReviewA stunning account of war that gives a detailed look into the psyche of the twenty-first century British infantryman. Jones writes of his brothers and their Afghan experience, from its adrenalin-filled highs to the many lows, with passion and candour. The pace is unrelenting, whilst the epilogue stands as the sobering full stop for a generation of soldiers who campaigned in Iraq and Afghanistan. -- Major Adam Jowett, bestselling author of No Way OutA gritty, brutal book about men at war. Raw and real. Brilliant. -- Tom Marcus, bestselling author of Soldier Spy and Capture or KillAt times darkly funny, at times tragic, this is a powerful and honest book about the British soldier, about the reality of conflict and the struggles some face when they come home. -- Brian Wood MC, bestselling author of Double CrossedPowerful, raw and poignant, but also darkly funny in places. * The Times Magazine *
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Endurance: SAS Soldier. Polar Adventurer.
Book Synopsis'Gripping pulse-racing adventure by a true legend. Louis Rudd's courage and determination is admirable' – Andy McNab_____________________In 2018 Captain Louis Rudd MBE walked into the history books when he finished a solo, unsupported crossing of Antarctica, pulling a 130 kg sledge laden with his supplies for more than 900 miles. Louis’ skills had been honed in the SAS, on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now – in the most hostile environment on earth – they would be tested like never before. Alone on the ice, Louis battled through whiteouts, 50 mph gales and temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius. It would take all his mental strength to survive.In this gripping book Louis reveals how a thirst for adventure saw him join the Royal Marines at sixteen and then pass the SAS selection course at only twenty-two. He describes his first gruelling polar expedition with legendary explorer Lieutenant Colonel Henry Worsley in 2011 and the leadership challenges he faced a few years later when he led a team of Army Reservists across Antarctica. And he takes us with him step by painful step as he pushes himself to the limit, travelling alone on his epic and lonely trek across the continent’s treacherous ice fields and mountains. With edge-of-the-seat storytelling, Endurance is an awe-inspiring account of courage and resilience by a remarkable man.‘Resilience and tenacity against the odds. An extraordinary tale of bravery, written with humility by the toughest of the tough’ – Levison Wood'Capt Rudd is an inspiration to us all, I believe his name will go down in polar history' – Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBETrade ReviewI’ve spent enough time in Antarctica to know what an extremely remarkable thing Capt Rudd has achieved. To have crossed the continent alone without assistance or support of any kind in the time of 56 days without a single day’s rest is nothing short of astonishing – a true testament to Lou’s mental and physical endurance. Capt Rudd is an inspiration to us all, I believe his name will go down in polar history. * Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE *It’s an incredible story of resilience and tenacity against the odds. An extraordinary tale of bravery, written with humility by the toughest of the tough. * Levison Wood *Gripping pulse-racing adventure by a true legend. Louis Rudd's courage and determination is admirable. * Andy McNab *
£8.54
Transworld Publishers Ltd His Name Is George Floyd: WINNER OF THE PULITZER
Book Synopsis*WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN NON-FICTION**Finalist for the National Book Award for Non-fiction*'His Name Is George Floyd is essential for our times.' Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist'An intimate, unvarnished and scrupulous account of his life...brilliantly revealing.' NEW YORK TIMESYou know how he died. This is how he lived.Who was George Floyd? What did he hope for? What was life like for him? And why has his death been the catalyst for such a powerful global response?The murder of George Floyd sparked a summer of activism and unrest all over the world in 2020, from Shetland to São Paolo, as people marched under the Black Lives Matter banner, demanding an end to racial injustice. But behind a face that would be graffitied onto countless murals, and a name that has become synonymous with civil rights, there is the reality of one man's stolen life.In His Name is George Floyd we meet the kind young boy who talked his friends out of beating up a skinny kid from another neighbourhood and then befriended him on the walk home. Big Floyd the high school American football player who ignored his coach's pleas to be more aggressive and felt queasy at the sight of blood. The man who fell victim to an opioid epidemic we are only just beginning to understand. The sensitive son and loving father, constantly in search of a better life in a society determined to write him off based on things he had no control over: where he grew up, the size of his body and the colour of his skin.Drawing upon hundreds of interviews with friends and family members, His Name Is George Floyd reveals the myriad ways that structural racism shaped Floyd's life and death - from his forebears' roots in slavery to an underfunded education, the overpolicing of his community and the devastating snare of the prison system. By offering us an intimate portrait of this one, emblematic life, Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa deliver a powerful and moving exploration of how a man who simply wanted to breathe ended up touching the world.Trade ReviewSince we know George Floyd's death with tragic clarity, we must know Floyd's America - and life - with tragic clarity. His Name Is George Floyd is essential for our times. -- Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist'In this age of misinformation, where the victims of police killings are made out to be the problem, this humanising of Floyd is necessary... Samuels and Olorunnipa's greatest triumph is placing Floyd's life in the context of white supremacy.' * Observer *An intimate, unvarnished and scrupulous account of his life...brilliantly revealing. * New York Times *Detailed, vivid and moving. * Washington Post *A wondrous feat of vivid writing and deep reporting, from the way it leads the reader through George Floyd's final fateful day on earth to its masterly account of Floyd's hopes and frustrations in the larger context of race in America. -- David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story
£11.69
Hachette Books Ireland Growing Up with Ireland: A Century of Memories
Book Synopsis'An incredible portal to our past' The Sunday TimesOn 7 January 1922, Ireland became a free state. Born into that era of turbulence and hope were the twenty-six women and men whose stories and memories of a lifetime are captured by cherished Irish journalist Valerie Cox. From living memory come stories of the arrival of electricity, story-telling at 'rambling houses', raising a family in an earlier era, the scourge of TB, the big snow of 1932 and hiding out when the Black and Tans raided. These evocative pieces reflect both a simpler time and a tougher one, where childhood was short and the world of work beckoned from an early age.Growing Up With Ireland is a compelling portrait of an Ireland in some ways warmly familiar, and in others changed beyond recognition, from those who were there at the beginning.'A comprehensive and evocative insight into a century of Irish life ... a valuable record' Irish ExaminerTrade ReviewAn incredible portal to our past ... These are stories of healing and love and life - and pain. Reading them is like sitting next to one of your grandparents, listening to them as they open their heart to you - The Sunday TimesAbsorbing ... a clear-sighted account of how electricity, mass emigration and healthcare revolutions changed this country - for better and for worse - Sunday Business PostA comprehensive and evocative insight into a century of Irish life ... a valuable record - Irish Examiner
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton A Royal Life
Book Synopsis'A pleasure to read... a timely reminder of the need for service' -- The Daily Telegraph'The voices and reminiscence of family and friends merge seamlessly, giving the impression of gathering round the fire on a winter evening' -- The OldieHRH The Duke of Kent has been at the heart of the British Royal Family throughout his life. As a working member of the Royal Family, he supported his cousin The Queen, representing her at home and abroad, until her death in 2022. His royal duties began when, in 1952, at the age of sixteen, he walked in the procession behind King George VI's coffin, later paying homage to The Queen at her Coronation in 1953. Since then he has witnessed and participated in key Royal occasions.A Royal Life is a unique account based on a series of conversations between the Duke and acclaimed Royal historian Hugo Vickers. It covers the Duke's upbringing, his army life, his royal tours and events and associations with organisations. Here too are recollections of family members including his mother, Princess Marina, his grandmother, Queen Mary, his cousin, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his uncle, King George VI.Other members of the Royal Family contribute their memories, including his wife, the Duchess of Kent, the Duke's siblings, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent, his son, the Earl of St Andrews, his daughter, Lady Helen Taylor as well as his cousins, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, Archduchess Helen of Austria and her brother, Hans Veit Toerring.Containing never before seen photographs from the Duke's private collection, A Royal Life is an unprecedented and remarkable insight into Royal history.Trade ReviewA pleasure to read... a timely reminder of the need for service -- Jane Ridley * Telegraph *Vickers has chosen an ideal format. With his minimal yet informative editorial interlacing, the voices and reminiscence of family and friends merge seamlessly, giving the impression of gathering round the fire on a winter evening. We realise how fortunate it is for the Queen to have such a reliable, human and sensitive figure to shoulder so many of her responsibilities, and how selflessly indeed he has served his cousin and monarch. -- Nicky Haslam * The Oldie *
£21.25
Hodder & Stoughton A Royal Life
Book Synopsis'A pleasure to read... a timely reminder of the need for service' -- The Daily Telegraph'The voices and reminiscence of family and friends merge seamlessly, giving the impression of gathering round the fire on a winter evening' -- The Oldie'A remarkable memoir penned by the Duke of Kent, whose entire life has been dedicated to Queen and country... an insider's account of what it is like to be a working royal.' -- Daily MailHRH The Duke of Kent has been at the heart of the British Royal Family throughout his life. As a working member of the Royal Family, he supported his cousin The Queen, representing her at home and abroad, until her death in 2022. His royal duties began when, in 1952, at the age of sixteen, he walked in the procession behind King George VI's coffin, later paying homage to The Queen at her Coronation in 1953. Since then he has witnessed and participated in key Royal occasions.A Royal Life is a unique account based on a series of conversations between the Duke and acclaimed Royal historian Hugo Vickers. It covers the Duke's upbringing, his army life, his royal tours and events and associations with organisations. Here too are recollections of family members including his mother, Princess Marina, his grandmother, Queen Mary, his cousin, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his uncle, King George VI.Other members of the Royal Family contribute their memories, including his wife, the Duchess of Kent, the Duke's siblings, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent, his son, the Earl of St Andrews, his daughter, Lady Helen Taylor as well as his cousins, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, Archduchess Helen of Austria and her brother, Hans Veit Toerring.Containing never before seen photographs from the Duke's private collection and a new chapter on the Platinum Jubilee and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, A Royal Life is an unprecedented and remarkable insight into Royal history.Trade ReviewA pleasure to read... a timely reminder of the need for service -- Jane Ridley * Telegraph *
£11.69
Quercus Publishing Who Dares Wins: The sequel to BORN FEARLESS, the
Book SynopsisJOIN SAS LEGEND PHIL CAMPION AS HE SHARES HIS DEEPLY PERSONAL LIFE STORY, WARTS AND ALLIn WHO DARES WINS Big Phil Campion reveals his chequered past, from terrible abuse suffered in a string of kids' homes to psychological abuse suffered at a top public school.Phil guides you through his soldiering career, from the so called "green army" to the brutal trial of SAS selection and all that followed. This includes years spent providing private military services across war-torn and risk-laden Africa; in between he was body-guarded the likes of Led Zep, Oasis, Kasabian, Dizzy Rascal and Pro Green.Phil takes you on his gripping, behind-the-scenes adventure acting as a roving reporter for Sky TV in Syria and Northern Iraq, more often than not under fire.Brave, riveting and truly revelatory, WHO DARES WINS is packed full of jaw-dropping stories to quicken the blood, while also telling of the psychological toll a life in conflict took on the author.'One of the best first-hand accounts of life in combat ever written'Andy McNab on Born Fearless
£8.54
Quercus Publishing Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your
Book SynopsisIn Hero Living Rudy Reyes, the latest recruit in Channel 4's smash-hit SAS Who Dares Wins introduces his philosophy to life - part Homer, part Bruce Lee and part Spider-Man. He outlines various stages towards revealing your inner hero: recognising the hero's call, following the hero's path and returning from life's battlefield with the hero's hard-earned wisdom.Taking readers step-by-step through his tried and tested program, Rudy draws from his own heroic story of how he triumphed over harrowing childhood experiences of poverty and abandonment. Rather than giving up hope, he heeded the hero's call to live up to his full potential - first as a martial-arts champion, then as an elite warrior in the mountains of Afghanistan and on the sands of Iraq and finally in his post-Marines life as a personal trainer, actor, motivational speaker and now TV star.
£17.00
Little, Brown & Company Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations
Book SynopsisAdmiral William H. McRaven is a part of American military history, having orchestrated some of the most famous missions in recent memory, including the capture of Saddam Hussein, the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, and the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.SEA STORIES begins in 1963 at a French Officer's Club in Paris, where Allied officers and their wives gathered to have drinks and tell stories about their adventures during World War II -- the place where a young William McRaven learned the value of a good story. SEA STORIES is an unforgettable look back on one man's incredible life, from childhood days sneaking into high-security nuclear sites to a day job of hunting terrorists and rescuing hostages.Action-packed, humorous, and full of valuable life lessons like those exemplified in McRaven's bestselling book, Make Your Bed, SEA STORIES is a remarkable memoir from one of America's most accomplished leaders.
£22.50
Little, Brown & Company All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier's Fight
Book SynopsisAs a senior non-commissioned officer of Delta Force, the most elite and secretive special operations unit in the U.S. military, Command Sergeant Major Tom Satterly fought some of this country's most fearsome enemies. Over the course of twenty years and thousands of missions, he's fought desperately for his life, rescued hostages, killed and captured terrorist leaders, and seen his friends maimed and killed around him. All Secure is in part Tom's journey into a world so dark and dangerous that most Americans can't contemplate its existence. It recounts what it is like to be on the front lines with one of America's most highly trained warriors. As action-packed as any fiction thriller, All Secure is an insider's view of "The Unit." Tom is a legend even among other Tier One special operators. Yet the enemy that cost him three marriages, and ruined his health physically and psychologically, existed in his brain. It nearly led him to kill himself in 2014; but for the lifeline thrown to him by an extraordinary woman it might have ended there. Instead, they took on Satterly's most important mission-saving the lives of his brothers and sisters in arms who are killing themselves at a rate of more than twenty a day. Told through Satterly's firsthand experiences, it also weaves in the reasons-the bloodshed, the deaths, the intense moments of sheer terror, the survivor's guilt, depression, and substance abuse-for his career-long battle against the most insidious enemy of all: Post Traumatic Stress. With the help of his wife, he learned that by admitting his weaknesses and faults he sets an example for other combat veterans struggling to come home.
£22.50
Smithsonian Books Loving'S Love: A Black American's Experience in
Book SynopsisThe uplifting autobiography of a remarkable aviator who was the first African American and first double amputee licensed as a racing pilotIn 1926, a young Neal Loving saw a deHavilland DH-4 biplane that propelled his dreams of taking to the sky. Loving?s Love is the inspiring autobiography about his journey to get there. Only a recent high school graduate when he built his first full-size flying machine at a time when most flying schools, airports, and aviation jobs excluded African Americans, Loving went on to design and fly five aircraft, open an aviation school, and become the first African American to be licensed as a racing pilot.Loving faced no small number of obstacles. Barred by racist gatekeeping from serving in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II, Loving and a friend created an all-Black squadron to serve their country. And despite undergoing a double leg amputation after a glider crash, Loving shares his story with unflinching optimism. He got fitted with wooden prosthetic legs and was back to flying just two years after his accident. The book offers readers an intimate and engaging look at Loving''s career, with a focus on his WR-1 Loving?s Love,a single seat, midget racer he built in 1950 that won him the 1954 Most Outstanding Design award from theExperimental Aircraft Association.At 40 years old, Loving enrolled as an aeronautical engineering student and after graduating spent the next 20 years as a civilian specialist for the Air Force. After retiring, he continued flying for almost a decade. Neal Loving experienced a lifetime of thrills and challenges, and Loving?s Love captures the candid life story of a courageous man who defied the odds again and again.
£19.80
The New York Review of Books, Inc The Diary Of A Man In Despair
Book SynopsisHailed as one of the most important works on the Hitler period, this is an “astonishing, compelling, and unnerving” portrait of life in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1944—from a man who nearly shot Hitler himself (The New Yorker) Friedrich Reck might seem an unlikely rebel against Nazism. Not just a conservative but a rock-ribbed reactionary, he played the part of a landed gentleman, deplored democracy, and rejected the modern world outright. To Reck, the Nazis were ruthless revolutionaries in Gothic drag, and helpless as he was to counter the spell they had cast on the German people, he felt compelled to record the corruptions of their rule. The result is less a diary than a sequence of stark and astonishing snapshots of life in Germany between 1936 and 1944. We see the Nazis at the peak of power, and the murderous panic with which they respond to approaching defeat; their travesty of traditional folkways in the name of the Volk; and the author’s own missed opportunity to shoot Hitler. This riveting book is not only, as Hannah Arendt proclaimed it, “one of the most important documents of the Hitler period,” but a moving testament of a decent man struggling to do the right thing in a depraved world.
£15.29
Heyday Books Making Revolution: My Life in the Black Panther
Book SynopsisFor the first time in paperback, a powerful and raw glimpse behind the scenes of the Black Panther Party Making Revolution is Don Cox’s revelatory, even incendiary account of his years in the Black Panther Party. He had participated in many peaceful Bay Area civil rights protests but hungered for more militant action. His book tells the story of his work as the party’s field marshal in charge of gunrunning to planning armed attacks—tales which are told for the first time in this remarkable memoir—to his star turn raising money at the Manhattan home of Leonard Bernstein (for which he was famously mocked by Tom Wolfe in Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers), to his subsequent flight to Algeria to join Eldridge Cleaver in exile, to his decision to leave the party following his disillusionment with Huey P. Newton’s leadership. Cox would live out the rest of his life in France, where he wrote these unrepentant recollections in the early 1980s, enjoining his daughter to promise him that she would do everything she could to have them published.Trade Review“Complex, provocative.... A gripping record of a fraught era.”—Kevin Canfield, San Francisco Chronicle“Plainspoken and direct, Cox's writing achieves an eloquence that makes it exceedingly readable, never losing the drama of the story he is telling.”—Ron Jacobs, CounterPunch“An excellent addition to the pantheon of Panther literature.”—Publishers Weekly“Intimate and exciting...a valuable primary-source recollection from a turbulent time.”—Kirkus Reviews
£11.39
Casemate Publishers On Her Majesty's Nuclear Service
Book SynopsisDuring the Cold War, nuclear submarines performed the greatest public service of all: prevention of a third world war. History shows that they succeeded; the Cold War ended peacefully, but for security reasons, only now can this story be told.Eric Thompson is a career nuclear submarine officer who served from the first days of the Polaris missile boats until after the end of the Cold War. He joined the Navy in the last days of Empire, made his first sorties in World War II type submarines and ended up as the top engineer in charge of the navy’s nuclear power plants. Along the way, he helped develop all manner of kit, from guided torpedoes to the Trident ballistic missile system. In this vivid personal account of his submarine operations, he reveals what it was like to literally have your finger on the nuclear button.In his journey, the author leads the reader through top-secret submarine patrols, hush-hush scientific trials, underwater weapon developments, public relations battles with nuclear protesters, arm-wrestling with politicians and the changing roles of females and homosexuals in the Navy. It is essentially a human story, rich in both drama and comedy, like the Russian spy trawler that played dance music at passing submarines. There was never a dull moment.Behind the lighter moments was a deadly serious game. This, the inside story of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, reveals the secretive life of submarines and the men who served on them; they kept their watch, and by maintaining the threat of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ helped keep Britain and the world safe.Trade ReviewThis book is highly recommended, not just for the detail and historical perspective it gives, but also for the lightness of the writing. This reviewer could almost sense Eric Thompson smiling wryly as he put his memories down on paper or computer screen. * Navy Books 29/03/2021 *This is a personal memoir, but a superior one. As well as being a cracking read, Thompson puts his professional experiences in their wider context which is why this book should have broad appeal. There is much to learn here about the RN’s submarine service and about the UK’s nuclear weapons policy. * Naval Review 16/08/2021 *A well-written book offering readers a fascinating glimpse into the little-known world of the modern Navy and its submarine service. Littered with amusing stories and anecdotes, Thompson’s writing entertains as well as informs. * Love Reading *...it is refreshing to learn what really happens directly from a knowledgeable and reliable source. * Baird Maritime 21/04/2021 *Both witty and serious, his [Commodore Eric Thompson's] social commentary is as insightful as those of a maritime nature. This book is not just easy but fun to read. The language alone is worth the trip. At the end, readers with submarine experience will be comfortable “knowing’ Commodore Thompson; those without dolphins will have more than a taste of that experience. * Naval History Book Reviews *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword Introduction 1 On Patrol 2 In the Beginning 3 Th e Four-Minute Warning 4 A New Religion 5 The Small Matter of a Journal 6 Welcome to Submarines 7 Resurrection 8 Corporate Constipation 9 God of the Underworld 10 Walter Mitty 11 Trials and Tribulations 12 Going Nuclear 13 Things That Go Bump in the Night 14 Fire Down Below 15 The Strategic Nuclear Deterrent 16 Senior Engineer 17 My Last Patrol 18 War and Peace 19 The Joint Service Defence College 20 Stealth 21 Squadron Life 22 The Directorate of Naval Lost Property 23 The Nuclear Business 24 The Chief Strategic Systems Executive 25 The Peace Dividend 26 ‘Commodore Eric’ 27 Leros Glossary of Terms
£13.49
PM Press Remembering The Armed Struggle: My Time With the
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Turner Publishing Company Company Aytch or a Side Show of the Big Show: A
Book SynopsisIn celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: The definitive Civil War classic as Sam wanted it revised complete with his edits, new perspectives, authoritative text, and images of his changes. Company Aytch has reigned as one of the most memorable and honest depictions of the American Civil War since its original publication in 1882. Sam R. Watkins's firsthand account of life as a Confederate soldier eloquently captured the realities of war, the humor and pathos of soldiering, and the tragic, historic events in which he participated. Although there have been other versions of Company Aytch published, this is the first with new material and revisions by Sam Watkins himself. Featuring over forty images, including his own pencil-marked edits, this volume combines the ageless text with Sam's intended revisions a treasure for lovers of history, academia, and Civil War enthusiasts alike.Trade Review“This is a marvelous expansion of the best memoir of a fighting soldier south of the Mason-Dixon Line we have.” —Ken Burns, producer of the PBS documentary The Civil War “All of us have something to celebrate in this edition of Company Aytch with Sam’s own revisions.” —Robert Hicks, author, The Widow of the South ""Long considered indispensible reading for any Civil War buff, the book's droll candor and sense of irony provide an unforgettable glimpse into the experience—both the drudgery and the extraordinary—of the average Civil War soldier."" —The History Channel's Daily History “Watkins’s revision and additions enhance and refine his story. Some of them are pointed, others hilarious, but they all add depth to one of the must-read soldier narratives.” —William C. Davis, Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech ""Historians, documentarians, and novelists—from Ken Burns to Margaret Mitchell—all rely, for Civil War period detail, on the text of Company Aytch . . . this edition, revised according to Watkins's notes from the 1890s, includes many corrections and additions and should be considered the definitive text of the book."" —Ralph Bowden, Chapter 16 ""When it comes to books about the Civil War, many people agree wholeheartedly, Company Aytch is the best ever written."" —GenealogyBlog ""The Civil War memoir of Sam Watkins, veteran of every hard-fought battle of Company H, First Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, remains the premier source of the private's view of that colossal struggle. . . . This volume is an updated, well-edited—by his great-granddaughter—republication of Watkins's original 1882 work. . . . No serirous student of the Civil War should be without a copy."" —Roanoke Times
£23.39
Penguin Random House Australia The Nature of Honour: Son, Duty-bound Soldier,
Book Synopsis
£15.29
The Mercier Press Ltd Principles of Freedom
Book Synopsis‘It is love of country that inspires us; not hate of the enemy …’ Terence MacSwiney, the renowned Republican lord mayor of Cork, died on 25 October 1920, on the seventy-fifth day of a hunger strike he started in Brixton Prison in an attempt to gain recognition as a political prisoner of war. His sacrifice brought worldwide media attention to Ireland’s struggle for independence. Principles of Freedom, his collection of political writings, provides a glimpse into the thinking of a man prepared to give his all for Irish freedom.
£8.54
Profile Books Ltd Hinterland
Book SynopsisAll serious politicians are supposed to possess a hinterland, but not all do. Chris Mullin was one who did. By the time he entered parliament he had reported from the wars in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and tracked down the survivors of the CIA operation in Tibet. He was the author of three novels, including the classic A Very British Coup. His successful campaign to free the innocent people convicted of the Birmingham bombings was described as 'one of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter'. Elected to parliament, aged 39, he quickly established himself as a fearless inquisitor before going on to become a minister in three departments. His three volumes of diaries have been widely acclaimed as the best account of the Blair years and the rise and fall New Labour. He left parliament in 2010 ('better to go while people are still asking why rather than when'). These are his memoirs.Trade ReviewHinterland reveals Mullin to be as shrewd a political operator as they come, but fiercely principled and blessed with rare insight, too. Parliament, and Labour, must miss him. -- Ben East * Irish Times *Fluent, accessible, candid, likeable, literate and unpretentious... [Mullin has] decency, humanity and generosity in abundance. -- Carlo Geber * Irish Times *Hinterland is another canny, deceptively casual Mullin performance. -- Andy Beckett * Guardian *[a] subtle, wry and compassionate man with the kind of questioning intelligence that we need more in government... He is a touching and introspective writer, capable of both devotion and detachment. -- Robert Shrimsley * Financial Times *Praise for Chris Mullin's previous books: 'The sharpest and most revealing political diaries since Alan Clarke's. -- Simon Hoggart * Guardian *Chris Mullin's diaries deserve to become the central text for understanding the Blair years. * The Times *You can't keep a good politician down, especially not one who writes as well as this. * New Statesman *Every once in a while, political diaries emerge that are so irreverent and insightful that they are destined to be handed out as leaving presents in offices across Whitehall for years to come. A View from the Foothills is one such book * David Cameron *
£9.99
Elliott & Thompson Limited And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st Century
Book SynopsisFinancial Times - BEST BOOKS OF 2023 ‘And Then What? is breathless and conversational — and all the more readable for that. But while her tone is down-to-earth, the events that Ashton played a part in were dramatic and often historic.’ Gideon Rachman, Financial Times ‘A colourful insider account of European diplomacy … It’s clear our politics would have turned out better if we had had more Cathy Ashtons’ Luke Harding, The Observer So much of modern-day diplomacy still takes place behind closed doors, away from cameras and prying eyes. So what does this vital role really look like in today’s world –and what does it take to do it well? From 2009 to 2014, Cathy Ashton was the EU’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, effectively Europe's foreign policy supremo responsible for coordinating the EU's response to international crises. Arriving in Brussels as a relative novice to international diplomacy, she faced the challenge of representing the views and values of 28 nations during one of the most turbulent times in living memory. Decades-old certainties were swept away in days. Hope rose and fell, often in a matter of hours. From the frozen conflict of Ukraine to the Serbia-Kosovo deal, there were challenges, failures and moments of success. She encountered dictators and war criminals, and witnessed the aftermath of natural disasters, military action, and political instability. Working with US politicians and counterparts including John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Burns, she negotiated historic settlements, such as the Iran nuclear deal. An ‘honest broker’, she navigated the needs of opposing politicians to chart a path towards collaboration and stability. Now Ashton takes us behind the scenes to show us what worked and what didn’t, and how it felt to be in ‘the room where it happened’. From Serbia to Somalia, Libya to Haiti, she offers essential insight into how modern diplomacy works, examining the tools needed to find our way through the many challenges we face today. ‘A riveting, absorbing account of modern diplomacy by one of the greatest international diplomats of recent times’ General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), former Director of the CIA ‘If generations of Earthlings-to-be do indeed engage in cosmic negotiations with other lifeforms, it will be because of the success of Cathy and her diplomatic compatriots in bringing us to realise we are Earth-life, together.’ Rusty Schweickart, Apollo 9 astronaut ‘A must for students of politics and a treat for lovers of general non-fiction.’ Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna, and author of McMafia ‘riveting, deeply personal and wonderfully accessible’ Sir Kim Darroch, former British Ambassador to the USA, National Security Advisor, and UK Permanent Representative to the EU ‘Catherine Ashton’s gripping memoirs are not only a perfect combination of very precise facts and touching personal emotions, but for all foreign policy observers they convey important lessons of the past to serve for the crises of today.’ Pierre Vimont, former French ambassador to the EU and the USATrade Review‘Brilliant – suspenseful and dramatic. I read it in a day.’ Ken Follett, international bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth ‘A colourful insider account of European diplomacy … It’s clear our politics would have turned out better if we had had more Cathy Ashtons’ Luke Harding, The Observer ‘Fascinating and illuminating reading […] this book is truly remarkable history.’ Lord George Robertson, Former Secretary General, NATO ‘A riveting, absorbing account of modern diplomacy by one of the greatest international diplomats of recent times. And Then What? is hugely informative, full of tremendous insights, and a truly great read!’ General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and NATO/US Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA ‘If generations of Earthlings-to-be do indeed engage in cosmic negotiations with other lifeforms, it will be because of the success of Cathy and her diplomatic compatriots in bringing us to realise we are Earth-life, together.’ Rusty Schweickart, Apollo 9 astronaut ‘[Ashton] combines acute analysis with moving portraits of the many people she engaged with, from dictators to shopkeepers; from overworked civil servants to distressed toddlers searching in vain through rubble for their parents […] A must for students of politics and a treat for lovers of general non-fiction.’ Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna, and author of McMafia ‘This riveting, deeply personal and wonderfully accessible book takes the reader inside the room during the successes, setbacks and personalities of this turbulent period of history.’ Sir Kim Darroch, former British Ambassador to the USA, National Security Advisor, and UK Permanent Representative to the EU ‘Catherine Ashton’s gripping memoirs are not only a perfect combination of very precise facts and touching personal emotions, but for all foreign policy observers they convey important lessons of the past to serve for the crises of today.’ Pierre Vimont, former French ambassador to the EU and the USA "A candid memoir of a fraught time in office provides a useful record of high level negotiation in Iran and Ukraine" Guardian ‘Ashton’s detailed account in her book of the events leading up to Putin’s 2014 invasion is fascinating’ i news ‘And Then What? is breathless and conversational — and all the more readable for that. But while her tone is down-to-earth, the events that Ashton played a part in were dramatic and often historic.’ Gideon Rachman, Financial Times ‘Former EU representative Catherine Ashton is a voice of reason in a polarised world … This thoughtful memoir … is an eye-opening journey through negotiations over Ukraine, the Iran nuclear deal, the western Balkans and the Arab spring.’ Ben East, The Observer ‘Crises such as the war in Gaza propel top diplomats into a whirlwind of international negotiation. Ashton’s memoir of her time as the EU high representative for foreign policy provides a vivid sense of what it feels like to be at the centre of events — including the aftermath of the Arab spring and Russia’s first moves on Ukraine.’ Financial Times
£17.00
Transworld Publishers Ltd Things Can Only Get Better
Book SynopsisLike bubonic plague and stone cladding, no-one took Margaret Thatcher seriously until it was too late. Her first act as leader was to appear before the cameras and do a V for Victory sign the wrong way round. She was smiling and telling the British people to f*** off at the same time. It was something we would have to get used to.'Things Can Only Get Better is the personal account of a Labour supporter who survived eighteen miserable years of Conservative government. It is the heartbreaking and hilarious confessions of someone who has been actively involved in helping the Labour party lose elections at every level: school candidate: door-to-door canvasser: working for a Labour MP in the House of Commons; standing as a council candidate; and eventually writing jokes for a shadow cabinet minister.Along the way he slowly came to realise that Michael Foot would never be Prime Minister, that vegetable quiche was not as tasty as chicken tikki masala and that the nuclear arms race was never going to be stopped by face painting alone.Trade Review'The funniest book I have read for two and a half years' -- Arthur Smith'The whingeing memoirs of a snivelling leftie. The man should be shot' -- Jack Dee'Very funny' * Mail on Sunday *'Excellent...Whatever your politics Things Can Only Get Better will make you laugh out loud' -- Angus Deayton'Very funny' * The Times *
£10.44
Quercus Publishing Sailing Close to the Wind: Reminiscences
Book SynopsisDennis Skinner, the famed Beast of Bolsover, is adored by legions of supporters and respected as well as feared by admiring enemies. Fiery and forthright, with a prodigious recall, Skinner is one of the best-known politicians in Britain. He remains as passionate and committed to the causes he champions as on the first day he entered the House of Commons back in 1970. In an age of growing cynicism about politicians, the witty and astute Skinner is renowned as a brightly burning beacon of principle. He has watched Prime Ministers come and go - Heath, Wilson, Callaghan, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown - and yet remains uncorrupted by patronage and compromise. Cameron discovered Skinner's popularity when a public backlash forced the current PM to apologise in Parliament for calling Skinner a dinosaur who should be in a museum. Skinner at eighty has a unique take on post-war Britain. A combatant in the great social, industrial and political upheavals of the last half century, he's resisted telling his extraordinary story. Until now.Trade ReviewSkinner's life . . . cried out to be recorded. In an era when politics has become increasingly bland and middle-class, there is marked shortage of working-class heroes * Observer *Witty, tender and packed with anecdotes * Big Issue in the North *
£11.69
Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers Adventures in Aviation
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Vintage Publishing Three Brothers: Memories of My Family
Book SynopsisIn this heartfelt memoir, Yan Lianke brings the reader into his boyhood home in Song County, Henan Province, painting a richly detailed portrait of rural China during the Cultural RevolutionIt is a hard but loving childhood. Yan’s family carve out a modest existence, though food is often so scarce they have to find edible bark and clay for sustenance. Working sixteen-hour shifts in a quarry, Yan’s hands become as crooked as twigs, but the satisfaction of hard physical labour and earning money to support his family proves intoxicating. Reading novels is an escape for Yan, and he yearns to become a writer after hearing about a woman who was allowed to remain in the city of Harbin after publishing her first novel.Caught between his obligations as a son and a brother, and his longing for a new life, Yan eventually joins the army. He returns years later to find his father’s health rapidly deteriorating in the face of his desperate efforts to build a traditional tile-roofed house for each of his sons.Chronicling the extraordinary lives of his father and two uncles, as well as his own, Three Brothers is a celebration of the power of one family to hold together in the most punishing of circumstances. Sharply alive to the cyclical nature of history, and the power of familial guilt, it also shows how the pen can be a route to freedom.Trade ReviewFull of love, sorrow, and tenderness, Yan Lianke’s memoir offers a deeply heartfelt account of his family in the 1960s and 70s. Three Brothers is a must read for anyone who wants to understand post-Mao China and a new opportunity to experience more of what this extraordinary author conveys to us with his vivid and poetic style -- Xiaolu GuoYan’s heart remains firmly with the patient and stoic people who scratch a living from the soil, year after year, and for whom family is everything. It is an elegiac tribute to his father’s generation -- Isabel Hilton * Financial Times *One of the masters of modern Chinese literature -- Jung ChangYan depicts his provincial relatives with enormous heart and respect, acknowledging their sacrifices in a dark yet poignant meditation on grief and death... A memoir steeped in metaphor and ultimately tremendously moving. * Kirkus *The work of the Chinese author Yan Lianke reminds us that free expression is always in contention – to write is to risk the hand of power * Guardian *Fierce, funny, painful and playful…a great Chinese writer -- Amos OzYan is one of those rare geniuses who finds in the peculiar absurdities of his own culture the absurdities that infect all cultures * Washington Post *One of China’s most loved writers -- Isabel Hilton * Financial Times *A celebration of the power of one family to hold together int he most punishing of circumstances * Asian Art Newspaper, *Books of the Year* *
£11.69
Cornerstone Speaking Out: Lessons in Life and Politics
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA life in and out of politics – from the despatch box to the stage on Strictly – by one of Britain’s most influential and well-loved political figures. 'Full of anecdote, insight and authenticity’ Evening Standard BOOKS OF THE YEAR'Witty, reflective and engaging' Nick Robinson'Honest and revealing' Michael Palin'Fascinating, heartfelt' Kay Burley'Insightful, funny, unexpectedly moving' Jonathan FreedlandOn the night of 7 May 2015, Ed Balls thought there was a chance he would wake up the next morning as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. Instead, he woke up without a job.Twenty-one years earlier he had left a promising career in journalism to work for Labour in opposition. Moving through the ranks, from adviser to Cabinet minister and on to Shadow Chancellor, he occupied a central and influential position in and out of power during a pivotal period in British history. Speaking Out is a record of a life in politics, but also much more. It is about how power can be used for good, and the lessons to be learned when things go wrong. It is about the mechanics of Westminster, and of government. It is about facing up to your fears and misgivings, and tackling your limitations – on stages public and private.It is about the mistakes made, change delivered and personalities encountered over the course of two decades at the frontline of British politics. It is a unique window into a rarely seen world. Most importantly, it sets out what politics is about, and why it matters.Trade ReviewIn a year rich in political memoirs, Speaking Out by Ed Balls is my pick of the bunch, full of anecdote, insight and authenticity’ -- Matthew d’Ancona * Evening Standard, BOOKS OF THE YEAR *Self-deprecating . . . often poignant. * Sunday Times Culture Magazine, BOOKS OF THE YEAR *An engaging, highly readable and on occasion moving portrayal of life in the Westminster madhouse. * The i, BEST POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR *[U]nusually expansive on the emotional aspects of politicians’ relationship with the voters, it feels somehow timely. * Guardian, BOOKS OF THE YEAR *A Christmas cracker of a book * Tablet, BOOKS OF THE YEAR *An easy-going, sharp-eyed guide to the world of politics: its madnesses, its triumphs, its disappointments. A book which is insightful, funny and, at key moments, unexpectedly moving. -- Jonathan FreedlandWitty, reflective and engaging Ed Balls peels back the politicians' thick skin (and smashes their protective shell) to reveal that underneath lie real-life human beings. -- Nick RobinsonIf you want to know why people go into politics and, despite all the ups and downs, do everything to stay there, I’d recommend Ed Balls' honest and revealing autobiography. -- Michael PalinSpeaking Out is an enjoyable read... the essays stand alone as little gems of insight and reflection. The book illuminates someone who makes generous and nuanced judgements of foes as well as friends and tries hard to understand the motives of people who have crossed him. Passionate and telling... Balls is very clear that his defeat in his constituency in 2015 was a prelude to a funeral and a life outside politics. I suspect that the funeral was a prelude to a resurrection. This book will help him rise from the dead. -- Vince Cable * New Statesman *Intriguing... compelling and affecting... has the poignant ring of truth. -- Rafael Behr * Guardian *Personal and moving... I enjoyed reading it. It's pretty candid, full of amusing anecdotes and makes for a breezy canter through the last 20 years of British politics... original and effective. -- George Osborne * Daily Mail *A thoughtful memoir, sometimes self-deprecating... always rational and balanced. -- Chris Mullin * Observer *A fascinating, heartfelt and first-hand account of the brutality of British politics on the frontline. When Game of Thrones meets the Palace of Westminster, not even the strongest can survive. -- Kay BurleyAmusing, insightful and self-deprecating. -- Alice Thomson * The Times *Balls tells his story with warmth, and spares us the self-justification of many political memoirs. -- Roland White * Sunday Times *
£14.70
Archaeopress From Cambridge to Lake Chad: Life in archaeology
Book SynopsisThis book is about how the author became an archaeologist at a time when opportunities for employment were rare and how he worked as a field researcher in West Africa and wrote about his work there. It traces his archaeological training and employment at Cambridge and his practical experience on British excavations and explains how he became one of the pioneers of Nigerian archaeology during a decade in that country. It is not so much a study of the archaeology that was done, as an account of how it was done; its circumstances, organization, and economic and social and cultural context. As a result, it is both a professional and personal account, for these two aspects of life were inseparably intertwined, his wife Beryl becoming an integral part of the story. Other archaeologists and many non-archaeologists also feature in the account. The period in Nigeria from 1961 to 1971 included the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970, when archaeological work continued with difficulty. Both circumstances and preference meant that the author always worked with a labour team of Nigerians and with Nigerian assistants, of whom few had any experience in archaeology and none had any formal training; there were no postgraduates or others from outside the country. Success in excavations in Benin City, in the south of the country, and in Borno, in its far north-east, was as much the achievement of those Nigerians as it was the author’s.Trade ReviewReading this book what surprises is the enormous amount of detail presented in it, textually as well as in figures and photographs. The documents from Connah’s excavations and fieldwork are a valuable addition to already published material, while the text passages are fun and exciting to read. ...[Connah’s] autobiography provides a fascinating insight into a personal life and career during the pioneering days of African archaeology. - Detlef Gronenborn (2019), AZANIA:Archaeological Research in AfricaTable of ContentsPreface ; 1. Restarting: March–September 1956 ; 2. Essays and excavations: Cambridge, October 1956–October 1959 ; 3. Lucky Jim: Cambridge, October 1959–October 1961 ; 4. A ‘first tour’ in Africa: October 1961–July 1962 ; 5. Rediscovering one’s own country: July–September 1962 ; 6. A Benin sequence and Borno reconnaissance: September 1962–June 1964 ; 7. A perfect summer: June–September 1964 ; 8. Getting to grips with Borno: October 1964–July 1965 ; 9. A long sequence at last: August 1965–June 1966 ; 10. Island refuge and Nigerian data analysis: July 1966–December 1966 ; 11. Borno again and work at Ibadan University: January–September 1967 ; 12. Civil war and analysing the Borno data: October 1967–September 1968 ; 13. War, analysis, and more excavation: October 1968–September 1969 ; 14. Adoption, writing, the war ends: October 1969–September 1970 ; 15. Study leave and goodbye to all that: October 1970–September 1971 ; References
£36.10
