Autobiography: historical, political and military Books

Book SynopsisBenjamin Franklin’s account of his rise from poverty and obscurity to affluence and fame has charmed every generation of readers since it first appeared. Begun as a collection of anecdotes for his son, the memoir grew into a history of his remarkable achievements in the literary, scientific, and political realms. A printer, inventor, scientist, diplomat, and statesman, Franklin was also a brilliant writer whose wit and wisdom shine on every page. His Autobiography has deservedly become the most widely read American autobiography of all time—the self-portrait of a quintessential American.Franklin was a remarkably prolific writer, and is equally beloved for his humorous, philosophical, parodic, and satirical writings, parables, and maxims, which he published under an astonishing number of pen names, including Poor Richard, the Busy-Body, and Silence Dogood. This hardcover edition of The Autobiography and Other Writings contains a varied selection of these, including “The Kite Experiment,” “A Parable Against Persecution,” “Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind,” “Rules for Making Oneself a Disagreeable Companion,” and “The Way to Wealth.”

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Book Synopsis“If you only read one autobiography from a sensitive 16th-century warlord this year, make it this one.” —The New York Times A hardcover edition of the colorful memoirs of Babur—founder and first emperor of the Mughal dynasty—that is justly considered a masterpiece (The Wall Street Journal). Zahiru’d-din Muhamad Babur (1483–1530), a poet-prince from Central Asia, was the author of one of the most remarkable autobiographies in world literature. The Babur Nama reveals him as not only a military genius but also a ruler unusually magnanimous for his time, cultured, witty, and possessing a talent for poetry, an adventurous spirit, and an acute eye for natural beauty. Babur ascended the throne of Fergana, in what is now Uzbekistan, when he was twelve years old. He eventually invaded India and founded the Mughal dynasty, which would dazzle the world for three centuries. Babur left b

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Book Synopsis**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**John Brennan is one of the hardest-working, most patriotic public servants I''ve ever seen, and our country is better off for it. As president, he was one of my closest advisors and a great friend. And in his memoir, Undaunted, you''ll see why. I hope you''ll read it.President Barack ObamaA powerful and revelatory memoir from former CIA director John Brennan, spanning his more than thirty years in government.Friday, January 6, 2017: On that day, as always, John Brennan's alarm clock was set to go off at 4:15 a.m. But nothing else about that day would be routine. That day marked his first and only security briefing with President-elect Donald Trump. And it was also the day John Brennan said his final farewell to Owen Brennan, his father, the man who had taught him the lessons of goodness, integrity, and honor that had shaped the course of an unparalleled career servin

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Book Synopsis**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**John Brennan is one of the hardest-working, most patriotic public servants I''ve ever seen, and our country is better off for it. As president, he was one of my closest advisors and a great friend. And in his memoir, Undaunted, you''ll see why. I hope you''ll read it.President Barack ObamaA powerful and revelatory memoir from former CIA director John Brennan, spanning his more than thirty years in government.Friday, January 6, 2017: On that day, as always, John Brennan's alarm clock was set to go off at 4:15 a.m. But nothing else about that day would be routine. That day marked his first and only security briefing with President-elect Donald Trump. And it was also the day John Brennan said his final farewell to Owen Brennan, his father, the man who had taught him the lessons of goodness, integrity, and honor that had shaped the course of an unparalleled career servin

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Book Synopsis"An extraordinary and compelling book of reckonings." —Philippe Sands An extraordinary memoir of a Jewish family spanning two world wars and its flight from Nazi-occupied Austria.Trade Review"An extraordinary story—so cadenced and so moving." -- Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes"Intimate and often moving." -- Glenn C. Altschuler - Jerusalem Post"Affecting.... Ms. Schindler’s insight-filled reckoning with the past can’t help but leave behind a bitter taste that no amount of Sacher torte can disguise." -- Diane Cole - Wall Street Journal"Rigorously researched, The Lost Café Schindler successfully weaves together a compelling and at times deeply moving memoir and family history that also chronicles the wider story of the Jews of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.…It distinguishes itself through its combination of mystery and reconciliation." -- Anne Joseph - The Times (UK)"The most fascinating—and devastating—family history.…not just a genealogical exploration.…it sets out the wider experiences of the Jewish population of the Austro-Hungarian empire, weaving in the story of how antisemitism took root.…The stories could scarcely be more powerful." -- The Sunday Times (UK)"[Meriel] Schindler takes us on a journey that spans 150 years and threads across countries and continents as she uncovers her family’s history. Weaving her relatives’ personal lives into the turbulent frame of European history, Schindler moves back and forth between the public and the private realms. Lovingly written and astutely observed, The Lost Café Schindler is a meditation on loss: personal loss and loss of historic significance." -- Debórah Dwork, coauthor, with Robert Jan van Pelt, of Flight from the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933–1946"This almost unbearably touching book traces an extraordinarily diligent and sensitive process of family rediscovery. Meriel Schindler shows us how short the window of opportunity for Central European Jews was and how lasting an imprint they nonetheless left behind." -- Peter Hayes, author of Why? Explaining the Holocaust"Meriel Schindler’s research is prodigious, her writing compelling, and her discoveries large and small reunite her with her far-flung family and with the community that exploited them, impoverished them, persecuted them, and even murdered some of them. Through the history of one family, the entire history of the Holocaust and the struggle to rebuild after the Holocaust unfolds.…I was moved to take this journey with her." -- Michael Berenbaum, professor of Jewish studies and director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, American Jewish University, Los Angeles"The Lost Café Schindler seamlessly melds two riveting histories, the tumultuous story of Jewish life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the gripping tale of a remarkable family. Meriel Schindler’s account is a powerful personal journey of discovery. This extremely well-researched and beautifully written story is one that will linger long after the last page." -- Gerald L. Posner, coauthor of Mengele: The Complete Story"Impressively researched." -- Claire Allfree - Evening Standard (UK)"Powerful.…Beyond the compelling personal details, the author chillingly documents how the livelihoods of Austrian Jews were destroyed, ‘systematically stripped of their assets, at bargain-basement prices’.…Throughout, Schindler writes vividly about representation, memory, and the aftermath of atrocity. A significant addition to the literature on the Holocaust." -- Kirkus, starred review"Skillfully crafted.…reads like a novel.…A must-read work of narrative nonfiction that's highly recommended for readers of memoirs or 20th-century European history." -- Library Journal, starred review

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring and powerful memoir of surviving the Jonestown massacre and becoming a fearless voice against injustice and inequality by California congresswoman Jackie Speier. Jackie Speier was twenty-eight when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan’s delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Jackie had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fighter? The choice to survive against unfathomable odds empowered her with a resolve to become a vocal proponent for human rights. From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, Undaunted reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Jackie’s experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman, and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right—no matter the challenges ahead.Trade Review“Few people embody resilience like Jackie Speier. She faced unthinkable trauma with courage—and came through it with an unshakable sense of purpose. Undaunted is a remarkable story of survival and strength.” —Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.org and OptionB.org “Jackie Speier embodies courage in every sense of the word. No matter the challenges that lay before her, she never stops putting her country and her constituents first. In Congress, I was proud to call Jackie my colleague—and I am even more proud to call her my friend. Jackie’s story of survival, hard work, and public service will be an inspiration for all who read it.” — Gabrielle Giffords, former congresswoman “Jackie Speier’s life has been nothing short of harrowing and triumphant. Undaunted will move women to persist and have their voices heard in government. It will inspire young women to be our future leaders who serve with conviction and compassion.” —Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club “Jackie Speier has lived an incredible life and has passionately dedicated much of it to public service. Undaunted is honest, eye-opening, and truly inspiring.” —Congressman John Lewis, civil rights leader “Once you open this, don’t have anything planned…Compelling.” —Dr. Phil McGraw

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring and powerful memoir of surviving the Jonestown massacre and becoming a fearless voice against injustice and inequality by California congresswoman Jackie Speier.Jackie Speier was twenty-eight when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan’s delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Jackie had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fighter? The choice to survive against unfathomable odds empowered her with a resolve to become a vocal proponent for human rights. From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, Undaunted reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Jackie’s experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman, and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right—no matter the challenges ahead.

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Book SynopsisThe Frontline Napoleonic Library is an unparalleled collection of classic works on the Napoleonic Wars. Presenting some of the finest memoirs and studies of the period the collection brings together renowned contemporary accounts with more recent analytical publications. One of the most important collections of original letters from participants in the Waterloo campaign The letters formed the basis of William Sibornes ground-breaking History of the Waterloo Campaign Accounts from every branch of the British Army

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Book SynopsisLynda Van Devanter was the girl next door, the cheerleader who went to Catholic schools, enjoyed sports, and got along well with her four sisters and parents. After high school she attended nursing school and then did something that would shatter her secure world for the rest of her life: in 1969, she joined the army and was shipped to Vietnam. When she arrived in Vietnam her idealistic view of the war vanished quickly. She worked long and arduous hours in cramped, ill-equipped, understaffed operating rooms. She saw friends die. Witnessing a war close-up, operating on soldiers and civilians whose injuries were catastrophic, she found the very foundations of her thinking changing daily.After one traumatic year, she came home, a Vietnam veteran. Coming home was nearly as devastating as the time she spent in Asia. Nothing was the same ― including Lynda herself. Viewed by many as a murderer instead of a healer, she felt isolated and angry. The anger turned to depression; like many other Vietnam veterans she suffered from delayed stress syndrome. Working in hospitals brought back chilling scenes of hopelessly wounded soldiers. A marriage ended in divorce. The war that was fought physically halfway around the world had become a personal, internal battle.Home before Morning is the story of a woman whose courage, stamina, and personal history make this a compelling autobiography. It is also the saga of others who went to war to aid the wounded and came back wounded ― physically and emotionally ― themselves. And, it is the true story of one person's triumphs: her understanding of, and coming to terms with, her destiny.

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Book SynopsisThe first black to graduate from West Point in the twentieth century, Davis led the all-black Tuskeegee Airmen in World War II and retired a three-star general. His autobiography both chronicles the life of a great American and provides an incisive account of race relations in the segregated and desegrated military.Trade ReviewBy any standards, this is a fine autobiography ... must reading for anyone interested in race relations or American military history. Review Of Higher Education This moving autobiography, written with understated passion and without rancor, describes the appalling ostracism the author endured as a cadet and young officer and the positive changes after World War II that opened opportunity to all officers... Foreign Affairs This book provides valuable insight on many levels. It is military history, aviation history, and a chapter in the history of science and technology. It is also a poignant essay on social changes full of vivid recollections of human courage and tragedy. In the final analysis, this is the story of a military pilot who led his men and his country on one of the greatest 'freedom rides' of all time. In Flight A revealing look at race relations from the point of view of a gifted, uncompromising military man. Publishers Weekly Highly recommended. School Library Journal In his autobiography, [Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.,] breaks the silence he maintained while in uniform... His personal story should come as a revelation to many who may not be fully aware of the long history of prejudice in all the military branches. [The book] illustrates the life of a genuine hero. The New York Times Davis, a man of much dignity and reserve, has not written a kiss-and-tell book. He provides personal experience with discretion... A solid autobiography. Aerospace Power JournalTable of ContentsChapter 1 1. First Flight Chapter 2 2. Silence Chapter 3 3. The Real World Chapter 4 4. The Experiment Chapter 5 5. Under Fire Chapter 6 6. The Red Tails Chapter 7 7. Integration Chapter 8 8. Indoctrination Chapter 9 9. Respect Chapter 10 10. Citizens of te World Chapter 11 11. Little America Chapter 12 12. Manpower Chapter 13 13. Affairs of State Chapter 14 14. Courtesy Chapter 15 15. Strike Command Chapter 16 16. Politics Chapter 17 17. Piracy Chapter 18 18. Transportation Chapter 19 19. Mr. 55 Chapter 20 20. Free Time Chapter 21 21. West Point Revisited

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Book SynopsisNew York Newsday called this memoir of a warhood childhood in Japan one of the saddest and yet most uplifting books about childhood you will ever encounter.' Separated from her family in the confusion and horror of World War II, seven-year-old Tomiko Higa struggles to survive on the battlefield of Okinawa, Japan. There, as some of the fiercest fighting of the war rages around her, she must live alone, with nothing to fall back on but her own wits and daring. Fleeing from encroaching enemy forces, searching desperately for her lost sisters, taking scraps of food from'Trade Review"One of the saddest yet most uplifting books about childhood you will ever encounter. ... A powerful document as well as a completely engrossing adventure." —Newsday"[A] moving memoir... All will be touched by Higa's tenacity under impossible circumstances and will be reminded that children continue to be the worst victims of war." —School Library Journal". .. her unaffected memoir serves as a reminder that in any war, 'noncombatants' suffer grievously." —Los Angeles Times Book Review"A gripping story." —Mainichi Daily News"A testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. [It] is a short book that you will not be able to put down once you start to read it." —City life News"...an original, candid, and attention gripping autobiographical narrative which is superbly written and enthusiastically recommended..." —Bookwatch

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Book SynopsisWith Schwarzkopf is Gus Lee's remembrance of his mentor and friend H. Norman Schwarzkopf, and his firsthand account of how Schwarzkopf shaped his life. In 1966, Lee, a junior-year cadet at West Point, was bright, athletic, and popular. He was also on the verge of getting kicked out. Nearing the bottom of his class due to his penchant for playing poker and reading recreationally instead of studying engineering, he was assigned a new professor: then-Major Norman Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf's deeply principled nature and fierce personality took hold of the wayward cadet, and the two began meeting regularly and discussing what it meant to be a scholar, a soldier, and a man. Lee's vibrant, witty narrative brings his more than forty-year relationship with Schwarzkopf to life. Readers get an inside look at West Point culture; they see Schwarzkopf's bristling anger with his rebellious pupil as well as his tenacity, intellect, and moments of surprising emotional warmth; and they watch as Lee starts to absorb his teachings. As he left West Point and took on more professional and personal roles, Lee approached every crisis or difficult decision by channeling his mentor. Over the years, Schwarzkopf's instilled values, wise counsel, and warm conversations shaped Lee and brought the two together in an unlikely friendship. In With Schwarzkopf, Lee passes along the lessons he learned so future generations can hear Schwarzkopf's important teachings.

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Book SynopsisPublishing during the 100th Anniversary of the First World War   An NYRB Classics Original   The budding young Hungarian artist Béla Zombory-Moldován was on holiday when the First World War broke out in July 1914. Called up by the army, he soon found himself hundreds of miles away, advancing on Russian lines and facing relentless rifle and artillery fire. Badly wounded, he returned to normal life, which now struck him as unspeakably strange. He had witnessed, he realized, the end of a way of life, of a whole world. Published here for the first time in any language, this extraordinary reminiscence is a powerful addition to the literature of the war that defined the shape of the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisIn this New York Times bestseller, the author of Lafayette in the Somewhat United States"brings the [Puritan] era wickedly to life" (Washington Post). To this day, America views itself as a Puritan nation, but Sarah Vowell investigates what that means-and what it should mean. What she discovers is something far different from what their uptight shoebuckles- and-corn reputation might suggest-a highly literate, deeply principled, and surprisingly feisty people, whose story is filled with pamphlet feuds, witty courtroom dramas, and bloody vengeance. Vowell takes us from the modern-day reenactment of an Indian massacre to the Mohegan Sun casino, from old-timey Puritan poetry, where "righteousness" is rhymed with "wilderness," to a Mayflower-themed waterslide. Throughout, The Wordy Shipmates is rich in historical fact, humorous insight, and social commentary by one of America''s most celebrated voices.

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Book SynopsisOn September 15, 1944, the U.S. First Marine Division landed on a small island in the Central Pacific called Peleliu as a prelude to the liberation of the Philippines. Among the first wave of Marines that hit the beach that day was 22-year-old George Peto.His first combat experience was the landing at Finschhaven, followed by Cape Gloucester. Then as a Forward Observer, he went ashore in one of the lead amtracs at Peleliu and saw fierce fighting for a week before the regiment was relieved due to massive casualties. Six months later, his division became the immediate reserve for the initial landing on Okinawa. They encountered no resistance when they came ashore on D+1, but would go on to fight on Okinawa for over six months.This is the wild and remarkable story of an "Old Breed" Marine, from his youth in the Great Depression, his training and combat in the Pacific, to his life after the war, told in his own words.

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Book SynopsisNo one did political corruption quite like Rod Blagojevich. The 40th governor of Illinois made international headlines in 2008 when he was roused from his bed and arrested by the FBI at his Chicago home. He was accused of running the state government as a criminal racket and, most shockingly, caught on tape trying to barter away President-elect Barack Obama’s US Senate seat. Most politicians would hunker down, stay quiet, and fight the federal case against them. But as he had done for years, Rod Blagojevich proved he was no ordinary politician. Instead, he fueled the headlines, proclaiming his innocence on seemingly every national talk show and street corner he could find. Revealing evidence from the investigation never before made public, Golden is the most complete telling yet of the Blagojevich story, written by two Chicago reporters who covered every step of his rise and fall and spent years sifting through evidence, compiling documents, and conducting more than a hundred interviews with those who have known Blagojevich from his childhood to his time in the governor’s office. Dispensing with sensationalism to present the facts about one of the nation’s most notorious politicians, the authors detail the mechanics of the corruption that brought the governor down and profile a fascinating and frustrating character who embodies much of what is wrong with modern politics. With Blagojevich now serving 14 years in prison, the time has come for the last word on who Blagojevich was, how he was elected, how he got himself into trouble, and how the feds took him down.Trade Review"Through indefatigable reporting and deft writing, [Chase and Coen] take us into a fascinating, Byzantine world of Chicago politics and power that largely goes unseen." David Mendell, author, Obama: From Promise to Power"This is a lively, intimate primer on the bad and the ugly of Chicago and Illinois politics that reads like a novel by reporter-authors who were there from Blagojevich's promising beginning to humiliating end." Jim Nowlan, senior fellow, Institute of Government and Public Affairs" Golden is the definitive book on former governor Rod Blagojevich. The saga of his life and two trials provide a road map to the highest levels of corruption in Illinois. This cautionary tale leaves us with the task of ending the corrupt political culture that made his crooked wheeling and dealing possible." Dick Simpson, professor, Political Science, University of Illinois and former Chicago alderman"[A] definitive account of one of America's most morally reprehensible political-corruption sagas." Kirkus Reviews"All those interested in the Blago drama or political intrigue in general can dive into this book with relish." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review"[The authors] offer a nuanced context of political corruption overlaid with Blagojevich's extraordinarily flamboyant personality, from the profanity to the hair obsession and outsized ego." Booklist" Golden tells the story of Blagojevich's downfall with admirable detail, although it can be a slog at times." Illinois Issues magazine"It's a crackerjack book that will have you shaking your head with wonder at every turn of a page." Daily Times

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Book SynopsisOnce described by The Washington Post as “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of", Pete Buttigieg, the thirty-six-year-old Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has improbably emerged as one of the nation’s most visionary politicians. First elected in 2011, Buttigieg left a successful business career to move back to his hometown, previously tagged by Newsweek as a “dying city”, because the industrial Midwest beckoned as a challenge to the McKinsey-trained Harvard graduate. Whether meeting with city residents on middle-school basketball courts, reclaiming abandoned houses, confronting gun violence, or attracting high-tech industry, Buttigieg has transformed South Bend into a shining model of urban reinvention. While Washington reels with scandal, Shortest Way Home interweaves two once-unthinkable success stories: that of an Afghanistan veteran who came out and found love and acceptance, all while in office, and that of a Rust Belt city so thoroughly transformed that it shatters the way we view America’s so-called flyover country.Trade Review"Personal, beguiling and quite moving as he talks about coming out and getting married… The story is told with brisk engagement — it is difficult not to like him…When Obama wrote his memoir, the idea that the nation would soon put an African-American in the White House seemed beyond the realm of the possible. After reading this memoir written 25 years later, the notion that Buttigieg might be the nation’s first openly gay president doesn’t feel quite as far-fetched." -- Adam Nagourney - The New York Times"In this uplifting coming-of-age memoir from the American heartland, Pete Buttigieg, successful mayor of revitalized South Bend, Indiana, writes that the shortest distance between opportunity and success, ‘like good literature, takes personal lived experience as its starting point’—a promising axiom for a prospective national figure." -- David Levering Lewis

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Book SynopsisThe meteoric rise of the mayor of a small Midwest city, who defied every pundit’s odds with his electrifying run for the presidency, created one of the most surprising candidacies in recent American history. The fact that his New York Times best-selling memoir, Shortest Way Home, didn’t read like your typical campaign book only added to “Mayor Pete’s” transcendent appeal. Readers everywhere, old and young, came to appreciate the “stirring, honest, and often beautiful” (Jill Lepore, New Yorker) personal stories and gripping mayoral tales, which provided, in lyrical prose, the political and philosophical foundations of his historic campaign. Now featuring a new introduction and a “Back Home” afterword, in which Buttigieg movingly returns with the reader to his roots in his hometown city of South Bend, Indiana, as well as a transcript of the eulogy for his father, Joseph Buttigieg, Shortest Way Home, already considered a classic of the political memoir form, provides us with a beacon of hope at a time of social despair and political crisis.Trade Review"Buttigieg’s Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future (Liveright) is the best written of all these books [by 2020 presidential candidates]; it offers the most unembarrassed political hope; and it’s got the best love story.... Buttigieg’s stirring, honest, and often beautiful book is a story of how the people of South Bend rebuilt their Rust Belt city, and made it a better place, and it’s an argument for what it means to answer a calling, and why it’s important to ask, again and again, ‘what each of us owes to the country.'" -- Jill Lepore, The New Yorker"The best American political autobiography since Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father.... Buttigieg writes unusually well for a politician.... Is it too much to imagine that America could elect a gay president? I don’t think so.... Especially a man like this." -- Charles Kaiser, The Guardian"Personal, beguiling and quite moving as he talks about coming out and getting married… The story is told with brisk engagement — it is difficult not to like him…When Obama wrote his memoir, the idea that the nation would soon put an African-American in the White House seemed beyond the realm of the possible. After reading this memoir written 25 years later, the notion that Buttigieg might be the nation’s first openly gay president doesn’t feel quite as far-fetched." -- Adam Nagourney, New York Times"If you were an early Barack Obama supporter a dozen or more years ago, you recall inching forward in your chair whenever he spoke. The words were so clear, the passion so strong, the message of hope so credible…. I suggest you watch the video of Pete Buttigieg at a CNN town hall. If that piques your interest, as it did mine, read his book, Shortest Way Home." -- Peter Funt, USA Today"In a sense, Buttigieg’s book is a kind of antidote to J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, a story of broken people in a broken place.... This is a comeback story of a place that got hit hard, survived and then began thriving again.... It’s entirely true that a leap from mayor to president has been impossible in the past. But these pages make a pretty good case that city halls just might be better training schools for the presidency than attendance at any five years of congressional hearings combined. " -- E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post"Readers will find telling insights into the events that shaped Buttigieg's biggest decisions and share a typical day in the mayor's office; relive Buttigieg's tour of duty in Afghanistan (while he was still acting mayor); and understand his angst over being a young, gay public figure trying to get a date (spoiler alert: there's a happy ending!). First and foremost a great, engaging read, this is also an inspiring story of a millennial making a difference." -- Kathleen McBroom, Booklist [starred review]"Since Buttigieg launched his campaign for the presidency last year, I have read or reread much of what he has written, at Harvard and since. Most notable is his excellent memoir Shortest Way Home, with its lyrical evocations of the Indiana landscape, its vivid account of military life in Afghanistan, its rollicking tales of campaign stops featuring Deep Fried Turkey Testicles and peanut-butter-and-bacon sandwiches dusted with powdered sugar, and its incisive analysis of the rewards and frustrations of life as mayor of a small city…. In one of the most powerful passages in Shortest Way Home, Buttigieg points out that there is no formula for resolving the tradeoffs required in government. Data cannot yield answers to questions about who should suffer, and how much, when competing policies are debated." -- James T. Cloppenberg - Commonweal"[Buttigieg] has an extraordinary story and great insights into the politics of our country." -- David Axelrod"Mika and I have been overwhelmed by the reaction Pete Buttigieg got after being on the show. The only other time in twelve years that we heard from as many people about a guest was after Barack Obama appeared on Morning Joe. " -- Joe Scarborough, MSNBC's Morning Joe"Combining candor and compassion with a brilliant understanding of how government can be more effective, Shortest Way Home demonstrates that Pete Buttigieg is not only a key political figure in his generation, but also an appealing and even funny writer. Far from a conventional politician's book, his work is an important entry in the American political tradition for the twenty-first century." -- Walter Isaacson"Pete Buttigieg has given more to his community and country before his 40th birthday than most of us do over the course of our lives. At every crossroads, he has turned towards service and leveraged his energy and intellect to help his neighbors and fellow citizens. In this book, you will not only learn about what brings Pete home, but what drives him towards his vision of a better, kinder nation." -- Joe Kennedy III"In this uplifting coming-of-age memoir from the American heartland, Pete Buttigieg, successful mayor of revitalized South Bend, Indiana, writes that the shortest distance between opportunity and success, ‘like good literature, takes personal lived experience as its starting point’—a promising axiom for a prospective national figure." -- David Levering Lewis

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Book SynopsisNot even old enough to drink, Corporal Savannah Cannon is a young enlisted United States Marine deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2010. As a tactical data networking specialist, she is sent away from everyone she knows and attached to a Regimental Combat Team where women are not allowed to repair communications. Her experiences over the next few months shed light on the unique and difficult positions women are placed in when supporting combat roles, while offering a raw look at the painful choices women must sometimes make.Cannon finds herself in a combat zone, ostracised from family, friends, and even her fellow Marines as the men are told to avoid her. The connections she makes are born from trauma and desperation and the choices she makes will echo throughout many lives.Corporal Cannon is not the story of a heroine; it is the hard-hitting account of just one of the flawed individuals who make up the United States' fighting forces. Mistakes in the battlefield can have dire consequences, personally and professionally. Reflecting on her time in service, the author weaves a story of past and present, and the healing that can come with admitting our mistakes and moving past them.Trade ReviewA simply riveting and impressively candid military memoir from cover to cover. * Midwest Book Review 04/01/2023 *This is an eye-opening and enlightening memoir. More than just a rebuke of those in power, it’s a story of a terribly young female at war, doing the best she can to survive...This book sheds light on the human cost of war as well as the effects of victimization within a system through which one hopes to be protected. * The San Francisco Book Review 10/11/2022 *

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Book SynopsisHenrik Lunde grew up in Norway and came to the United States with his parents as a young teenager. After completing high school, he attended the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1958 as the Honor Graduate in the History Department. He also received an appointment in the Regular Army.After the Basic Infantry Officer, Ranger and Airborne courses, and his first duty station with the 2nd Battle Group, 6th Infantry Regiment in Berlin, Hank spent 18 months with a covert Special Forces unit in Berlin. In 1963 he attended the Infantry Officer Career Course at Fort Benning and was designated an Honor Graduate. He then attended the elite Pathfinder Course before reporting to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for assignment to the elite 101st Airborne Division.He deployed to Vietnam with 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, in 1965. For most of his tour he commanded a rifle company. On his return to the States Hank worked as Branch Chief at the Airborne Test Division at Fort Bragg. Still, at the end of 1967, he volunteered for the 9th Division in the Delta despite becoming disillusioned with the tactical/strategic conduct of the war. In the 9th Division, he served as Brigade S-3 and battalion executive officer. He then moved to the Vietnamese II Corps as deputy operations adviser.After graduating from the Command and General Staff College in 1970, in the upper 10% of the class, he moved on to Syracuse University to obtain a master’s degree. He then returned to Vietnam in 1973, serving as Chief of Negotiations of the U.S. Delegation to the FPJMT set up by the 1973 Paris Peace Treaty to account for the dead and missing. After a year at the Political/Military Division of the Army General Staff with southeast Asia as his responsibility area Hank attended the U.S. Army War College as the second youngest student in 1975–76. From 1976 to 1979, he served in the Plans of Policy branch of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. His last assignment was as Director of National and International Security Studies for Europe at the Army War College. Colonel Lunde is highly decorated from his three tours in Vietnam.Trade Review[Lunde's] recollections include a depth of detail seldom found in war memoirs. They’re mainly based on the field notebooks he kept while in-country, unit reports, history books and other secondary sources related to operations he led, and letters to his wife Florence. * The VVA Veteran *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: Turbulent but Carefree Beginning 2: First Years in a New Country 3: Time of Preparation – Fort Benning 1958–1959 4: Brink of Armageddon – Berlin 1959–1961 5: Secret Assignment, Personal Problems and Refocusing 1961–1964 6: 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division 7: A Command in Disarray 8: Provisional Cavalry Troop – Battle of An Ninh 9: Phan Rang, Ben Cat, Iron Triangle, Tuy Hoa 10: Searching for and Finding the 95th NVA Regiment 11: Days of Flawed Decisions 12: Ambush – a Night of Terror 13: Operations 17 February to 4 April 1965 14: Phan Thiet and Bu Prang 15: Bu Gia Map Campaign 6-10 May 16: Battle of Bu Gia Map and Pursuit 17: Airborne Test Division – The War in 1967 18: Brigade S-3 19: Battalion Executive Officer 20: Deputy G3 Adviser, II ARVN Corps 21: Schooling and Battalion Command 22: Chief of Negotiation, US Delegation FPJMT 23: Pentagon and U.S. Army War College 24: SHAPE, USAWC, and Retirement Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisOn December 6, 1941, despite his objections, James Lynch was discharged from the Army for being over age in grade. After the terrible events at Pearl Harbor, James Lynch was recalled to duty. Within a month he was part of the Air Corps, involved in a secret project to send air support to help General Montgomery and the Eighth Army. He joined the nucleus of officers in charge of the 64th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group. For the next 33 months, he fought across the top of Africa and then up through Italy.The 57th Fighter Group arrived in Egypt just in time for the battle at El Alamein. How the United States was able to get the pink-winged P-40s to the battlefield baffled the Germans for many years. The Black Scorpions chased the Afrika Corps across the top of Africa, culminating in the Palm Sunday massacre where the Squadron helped shoot down 74 planes in a single engagement. For the Italian campaign, the Black Scorpions switched from P-40s to P-47s, changing from fighters to bombers and disrupting the German and Italian lines up the Italian Peninsula.Through all the battles, including one with an erupting Mount Vesuvius, James Lynch kept an unauthorized diary. He also collected daily intelligence reports, newspaper stories, souvenirs, pictures, and letters from home. After the war he reminisced with fellow soldiers about their experiences, and eventually felt it was time to write the story of the Black Scorpions face=Calibri>– this book is the result.Trade Review[O]ne of the most captivating WWII aviation memoirs thus far published. * ARGunners.com *Table of ContentsPart 1 African Campaign Chapter 1 Boston to Palestine Chapter 2 El Alamein and Egypt Chapter 3 Tripoli and Libya Chapter 4 Tunisia Part 2 Italian Campaign Chapter 5 Sicily Chapter 6 Italian Peninsula to Naples Chapter 7 Corsica Chapter 8 Back to Italy

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Book SynopsisA controversial memoir about American intellectual life and academia and the relationship between politics, money, and education.Norman Podhoretz, the son of Jewish immigrants, grew up in the tough Brownsville section of Brooklyn, attended Columbia University on a scholarship, and later received degrees from the Jewish Theological Seminary and Cambridge University. Making It is his blistering account of fighting his way out of Brooklyn and into, then out of, the Ivory Tower, of his military service, and finally of his induction into the ranks of what he calls “the Family,” the small group of left-wing and largely Jewish critics and writers whose opinions came to dominate and increasingly politicize the American literary scene in the fifties and sixties. It is a Balzacian story of raw talent and relentless and ruthless ambition. It is also a closely observed and in many ways still-pertinent analysis of the tense and more than a little duplicitous relationship that exists in America between intellect and imagination, money, social status, and power.The Family responded to the book with outrage, and Podhoretz soon turned no less angrily on them, becoming the fierce neoconservative he remains to this day. Fifty years after its first publication, this controversial and legendary book remains a riveting autobiography, a book that can be painfully revealing about the complex convictions and needs of a complicated man as well as a fascinating and essential document of mid-century American cultural life.

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Book SynopsisThe year is 1970; the war in Vietnam is five years from over. The women's movement is newly resurgent, and feminists are summarily reviled as "libbers." Inette Miller is one year out of college—a reporter for a small-town newspaper. Her boyfriend gets drafted and is issued orders to Vietnam. Within their few remaining days together, Inette marries her US Army private, determined to accompany him to war. There are obstacles. All wives of US military are prohibited in country. With the aid of her newspaper's editor, Miller finagles a one-month work visa and becomes a war reporter. Her newspaper cannot afford life insurance beyond that. After thirty days, she is on her own. As one of the rare woman war correspondents in Vietnam and the only one also married to an Army soldier, Miller's experience was pathbreaking. Girls Don't shines a light on the conflicting motives that drive an ambitious woman of that era and illustrates the schizophrenic struggle between the forces of powerful feminist ideology and the contrarian forces of the world as it was. Girls Don't is the story of what happens when a twenty-three-year-old feminist makes her way into the land of machismo. This is a war story, a love story, and an open-hearted confessional within the burgeoning women's movement, chronicling its demands and its rewards.

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Book SynopsisA Voluntary Crucifixion traces the story of 20th century Canada through the MacKinnon clan and David J MacKinnon?s life. Disillusioned with the slow death of the soul promised by life at a major Montreal law firm, MacKinnon ripped himself untimely from the profession, making a personal vow to discover society "from the bottom up". A Voluntary Crucifixion recounts the tale of MacKinnon?s adventures and misadventures from post-Tiananmen Hong Kong to various ports of call in the Indian Ocean, offering MacKinnon?s views on everything from censorship to indigenous issues, all of which reflect his life ethos that the key to life is to refuse to adapt, and to fight tooth-and-nail for every square inch of your freedom before others wrench it from you.

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Book Synopsis"...we are more than capable of transforming our own country." These are the words of an Irish Presbyterian minister who participated in some of the most important events in the recent history of Northern Ireland. Ken Newell was born in North Belfast in 1942, just after the Blitz. He graduated in Classics and Philosophy at Queen's University before studying Theology at Presbyterian College. After further training at Cambridge and in Holland, he was ordained in 1968. He served in Bangor, Co Down, before being called to teach at a seminary on the island of Timor in Indonesia. He returned to Belfast in 1976, at the height of the 'Troubles', to work in Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, where he remained minister for the next 32 years. His work of religious bridge-building and a special friendship with Fr Gerry Reynolds triggered many ground-breaking initiatives within the turbulent life of Belfast through the creative and persistent influence of the Clonard-Fitzroy Fellowship. This pioneering relationship between his congregation and Clonard Monastery in the west of the city provided the context for their work in political reconciliation. With considerable courage, Ken became involved in secret discussions with Republican and Loyalist paramilitary groups, contributing to the IRA and Loyalist ceasefires of 1994. For this work he and Fr Reynolds were awarded the Pax Christi International Peace Prize for a 'grassroots reconciliation initiative'. In 2004 he became Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and received an OBE for 'his contribution towards peace'. This is his memoir.Trade ReviewGladys Ganiel, writing for Slugger O'Toole - "An Enthralling human story. ... With frankness and at times, with humour, Newell provides insight into how someone from a self-described conservative evangelical background ended up crossing so many religious and political boundaries."

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Book SynopsisIn 1933 Germany became a dictatorship under the Great War veteran Adolf Hitler. He pulled the country out of depression and set it to work, reducing unemployment by undertaking extensive public works and building the first autoroutes in the world. He then resumed conscription and rearmament. All opposition had been eliminated and all power centred in that one man, whose boasted promise was a German Empire that would last 'a Thousand Years'. The author was born in 1935. Ten years later millions had died, much of the continent lay in ruins, his country was shamed and the 'thousand years' came to a fiery end. Others experienced worse, but for a ten-year-old with explosions all about him and with the world seeming to be burning the war made a vivid impression. His Westphalian village consisted largely of traditional farms and homesteads built of wattle and daub--often still shared by livestock. Most of the male population had been called up to fight Hitler's wars and foreigners made up much of the workforce. General Patton's Third Army lit up the village with phosphor grenades from several mountains away. The world seemed to be coming to an end.Table of ContentsForeword: Start of a Journey; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Remblinghausen: A Village in Wartime;2 Tales from the Tailors' Parlour; 3 Even Angels Make Mistakes; 4 A Tea-Cosy Saint Nicholas; 5 The Magic of Christmas; 6 Survival Lessons; 7 A Plague of Cousins; 8 Healing and Wheeling; 9 Early School Days; 10 The Prolific Chicken; 11 The Green Arbour; 12 The Rye Harvest; 13 The Hambummel; 14 Prisoners on the Land; 15 The Wild Man of the Woods; 16 Visitors and Bombs; 17 The Snow Princess; 18 The Old School by the Churchyard; 19 The Brazen Trout; 20 Uncle Engelbert and the Allies; 21 Messages from the Front; 22 Grandmother's Death; 23 My Window on the World; 24 Casualties of Our War; 25 The Ruhr Pocket and the Wider View in Hindsight; 26 An Early End to a Reich Supposed to Last `A Thousand Years'; 27 The Grown-Up's View; 28 The Handcart Funeral; 29 Dangerous Games; 30 The Poles' Dilemma in Victory; 31 Crutches of Hope; 32 A New Beginning; 33 Swapping to Survive; 34 The Gift of an Apple; 35 Church Matters; 36 Father's Return; 37 A New House; 38 No Fun in Wartime: Schutzenfest Restarted in 1948; 39 Belated Facts of Life; 40 Wirtschaftswunder; 41 In the Steps of Gutenberg; 42 Travels with My Father; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisFROM THE FORMER IRA MEMBER AND AUTHOR OF THE INFORMER, SEAN O'CALLAGHAN'Very interesting on how fanaticism can develop within a community, and especially relevant today.' Bob GeldofThe story of revolutionary James Connolly, his role in the 1916 Easter Rising, and his subsequent influence both on O'Callaghan himself, and on 20th century Irish politics.Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916: James Connolly, a 48-year-old Edinburgh-born Marxist and former British soldier, stands at the top of the steps of Liberty Hall, Dublin. 'We are going out to be slaughtered,' Connolly told his comrades, and with this he set in train the Easter Rising of 1916.Two weeks later, in a scene that has haunted Nationalist Ireland ever since, he was carried to his place of execution having been badly wounded. Placed on a chair, he was shot dead by soldiers of the army he had once served in.This is not a traditional biography; it is a book about Sean O'Callaghan's relationship with a man who was to deeply influence his formative years; it is about the politics of violent extremism that O'Callaghan subsequently became caught up in; and it's about the kind of individuals who are willing to sacrifice everything, including their lives, for a holy cause.Never has a book been more timely.Trade Reviewextraordinary and insightful new biography of James Connolly – a magnificent reconsideration of the myths surrounding the Republican ‘hero’ and his warped place in the Republican mindset. * The Spectator *Two fine new books, Sean O’Callaghan’s James Connolly: My Search for the Man, the Myth and His Legacy…rightly emphasise the vicious hatred, fanaticism and lust for revenge of the rebellion’s ringleaders * Andrew Roberts, The Sunday Times, News Review *a republican insider’s disabused account of the fanatical mind, akin to Eric Hofer’s Seventies classic True Believers * Michael Burleigh, Books of the Year, Evening Standard *a brave, hostile account of the life of Pearse’s socialist co-conspirator and martyr, James Connolly * Daily Telegraph *Extraordinary and insightful * Spectator blog *

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Book SynopsisWinifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist in the Aegean and Anatolia. She studied classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and subsequently served in naval intelligence alongside J. D. Beazley during the final stages of the First World War. As war drew to a close, Sydney Cockerell, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, invited Lamb to be the honorary keeper of Greek antiquities. Over the next 40 years she created a prehistoric gallery, marking the university’s contribution to excavations in the Aegean, and developed the museum’s holdings of classical bronzes and Athenian figure-decorated pottery. Lamb formed a parallel career excavating in the Aegean. She was admitted as a student of the British School at Athens and served as assistant director on the Mycenae excavations under Alan Wace and Carl Blegen. After further work at Sparta and on prehistoric mounds in Macedonia, Lamb identified and excavated a major Bronze Age site at Thermi on Lesbos. She conducted a brief excavation on Chios before directing a major project at Kusura in Turkey. She was recruited for the Turkish language section of the BBC during the Second World War, and after the cessation of hostilities took an active part in the creation of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.Trade Review'Gill has produced a solid biography about one of the most important women in the history of British archaeology in Greece and Turkey during the first half of the 20th century. [The book is] destined to become a reference work for anyone studying the development of Classical studies at one of England’s premier universities or the history of British archaeology in the eastern Mediterranean.' - Natalia Vogeikoff Brogan (2019): Bryn Mawr Classical Review 'Gill’s well-researched biography is an important contribution highlighting the important role played by individuals of influence, such as Winifred Lamb, and of the British institutions that they were connected to in the development of the disciplines of classical studies and archaeology (in this case, The Fitzwilliam Museum and Cambridge University). [The book highlights] the accomplishments of one of archaeology’s great, but rather obscure protagonists, while at the same time reminding us of how far our discipline has progressed within the last two centuries, and how we, in the present, are paving the way for more changes to come.' - Lita Tzortzopoulou-Gregory (2022): Journal of Greek ArchaeologyTable of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter 1: The Lamb Family and Early Years ; Chapter 2: Cambridge and Classics ; Chapter 3: The Hope Vases and Naval Intelligence ; Chapter 4: The First Year in Athens (1920–21) ; Chapter 5: Prehistory and the Fitzwilliam Museum ; Chapter 6: Mycenae, Sparta and Macedonia ; Chapter 7: The Fitzwilliam Museum: Developing the Classical Collections ; Chapter 8: The Eastern Aegean: Lesbos and Chios ; Chapter 9: Anatolia and Kusura ; Chapter 10: The War Years ; Chapter 11: The British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisJessie McFarlane wanted to have a deeper, more real Christian life – “teach me to pray” she begged God continually. She had been inspired by hearing Donald Coggan (1909–2000) say at his enthronement as Archbishop of Canterbury, that “whether you’re a housewife baking a cake or being crowned as archbishop, it is all for the glory of God”. Her relationship with God grew stronger and she began meeting with her sister and a friend as a prayer triplet. There was plenty to pray about in 1981 and soon she was organising a 24 hour round the clock prayer meeting for a Luis Palau mission in Glasgow. Afterwards the three women continued to pray together; it was the time of the Yorkshire Ripper murders, Belfast was erupting in violence after the death of Bobby Sands, coal miners were striking, unemployment reached 2.5 million in the UK.When they learned that Evelyn Christenson was coming to England they organised a meeting for Evelyn to speak to women interested in prayer. 650 women came and of them 450 agreed to become part of a new a movement, a prayer chain for the nation. This has now developed into an international movement called “Prayer Chain Ministries.”After the inaugural National Prayer Breakfast in 1984 the ministry has taken on an extra direction as the organisation has gained access to people in government and business. You cannot fail to be inspired and encouraged by this story of dedicated prayer, or to be challenged to make a difference for God in your surroundings and experience and to do all for the glory of God.Trade ReviewIf you are an ordinary person desiring to know what an extraordinary God can do with your life, then you need to read this book. -- Sammy Tippit (International Itinerant Evangelist)thought–provoking and easy to read. -- Evangelicals NowIt is a privilege to recommend a book written by a virtuous woman. I, too, look forward to immersing myself in this account of a ‘valiant woman of God’ and learning from her example. -- Kay Arthur (Co-CEO of Precept Ministries International)

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