Biography Books

Book SynopsisBased on thorough research, keen observation, personal interviews, The Final Farewell is a reminder to honour those who came before, and to work towards a better world to leave behind.

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Book SynopsisA S Watson Group (ASW), its health and beauty retail arm commonly known as 'Watsons' in Asia, traces its humble beginnings back to a matshed colonial apothecary shop called the Hong Kong Dispensary (the 'Dispensary') when it was set up back in 1841. This book unlocks the secrets and transformations of ASW from a colonial chemist to the number three global player in health and beauty retailing. How was ASW able to pull through each and every global or national crisis it faced in the 180 years to emerge more robust and vibrant?In Part One of this book, Patrick vividly describes Watson's globalization journey over the past 180 years. He details how Watsons survived the waves of social unrest, civil wars, global financial turmoil, political crisis, and pandemics that confronted the world. One of the most exciting developments in this history took place from 1999 to 2006 when ASW achieved quantum leaps and consolidated its position as a leading global drug store chain under Wade's leadership.In Part Two of this book, Patrick analyzes the corporate management practices of Watson. He articulates Andrew Chi-Fai Chan's 'Left-and-Right Circles' theory behind Ian Wade's branding strategy. He further draws upon Wade's other 'Prosperity Strategies' in parallel with the '4+2' Formula' advocated by Nitin Nohria et al. Over the past fourteen years, the global market has undergone tremendous changes in China, Asia, and Europe. And with it, ASW has undertaken a pragmatic growth approach to dodge the headwinds of the subprime mortgage crisis, the Eurozone crisis, China-US decoupling, Brexit, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

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Book Synopsis''The best of England'' The New Statesman''A powerful open letter about racism'' The SunI just want equality, equality for all of us. At the moment, the scales are unfairly balanced and I just want things to be fair for my children, my grandchildren and future generations.'On 13 June 2020, Patrick Hutchinson, a black man, was photographed carrying a white injured man to safety during a confrontation in London between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and counter-protestors. The powerful image was shared and discussed all around the world.Everyone versus Racism is a poignant letter from Patrick to his children and grandchildren. Writing from the heart, he describes the realities of life as a black man today and why we must unite to inspire change for generations to come.

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Book SynopsisThe heartening, transformative story of an unlikely pastor, and one answer to the oft-neglected question: what does it actually mean to be a pastor? Eugene Peterson never wanted to be a pastor. But, in 1962, when he was asked by the Presbyterian Church to begin a new church in Bel Air, Maryland, he surprised himself by answering the call. Suddenly at the helm of the newly-established Christ Our King Presbyterian Church, Peterson—who had little conception of what it really meant to be a pastor—dedicated his life to understanding and fulfilling his vocation. In The Pastor, Peterson shares the stories and lessons from his thirty years in that single pulpit. The result is a quietly powerful and inspirational book, a true gift to anyone looking to grow in their faith and live virtuously. Steering away from abstractions, Peterson challenges conventional wisdom regarding church marketing, mega pastors, and the church’s too-cozy relationship to American consumerism to present a simple, grounded description of what being a minister means today. With warmth, familiarity, and humor, Peterson offers a contemporary perspective on an ancient vocation, one with authenticity, openness, and faith at its center. Here is a simple but revolutionary reminder that “preaching is proclamation... but only when it gets embedded in conversation, in a listening ear and responding tongue, does it become gospel.” 

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Book SynopsisMoneyball meets medicine in this remarkable chronicle of one of the greatest scientific quests of our time?the groundbreaking program to answer the most essential question for humanity: how do we live and die??and the visionary mastermind behind it.Medical doctor and economist Christopher Murray began the Global Burden of Disease studies to gain a truer understanding of how we live and how we die. While it is one of the largest scientific projects ever attempted?as breathtaking as the first moon landing or the Human Genome Project?the questions it answers are meaningful for every one of us: What are the world?s health problems? Who do they hurt? How much? Where? Why?Murray argues that the ideal existence isn?t simply the longest but the one lived well and with the least illness. Until we can accurately measure how people live and die, we cannot understand what makes us sick or do much to improve it. Challenging the accepted wisdom of the WHO and the UN, the charismatic and controversial health maverick has made enemies?and some influential friends, including Bill Gates who gave Murray a $100 million grant.In Epic Measures, journalist Jeremy N. Smith offers an intimate look at Murray and his groundbreaking work. From ranking countries? healthcare systems (the U.S. is 37th) to unearthing the shocking reality that world governments are funding developing countries at only 30% of the potential maximum efficiency when it comes to health, Epic Measures introduces a visionary leader whose unwavering determination to improve global health standards has already changed the way the world addresses issues of health and wellness, sets policy, and distributes funding.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThomas Sankara: A Revolutionary in Cold War Africa is one of the most fully realized biographies of a modern African politicalgure in recent years, and a striking portrayal not just of this fascinating and ultimately tragic states-man but of an entire political era on the continent. * New York Review of Books *This is an exemplary biography of an Africa president revered for his integrity and gift of inspired leadership. -- R. I. Rotberg, Harvard University * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Coming of Age in the Shadow of Colonialism, 1949-19662. Education of a Revolutionary, 1966-19733. A Rising Star: Soldiers and the Political Left, 1973-19824. From Political Prisoner to Populist Prime Minister, 1982-19835. The "Revolution of August 4" and the People's President6. "This Man Who Unsettles": Confronting the Neocolonial Order, 1983-19847. The Struggle for Unity, 1983-19848. "Daring to Invent the Future": Nation-Building and the Promise of Revolutionary Change, 1984-859. Politics is War and War is Politics: Sankara in the International Arena, 1984-198510. Revolutionary Duties and Perils, 1986-198711. No Turning Back: The Road to October 15, 1987ConclusionSelected BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn exciting new title in the vein of Hidden Figures, which tells the inspiring stories of long-overlooked women physicists and astronomers who discovered the fundamental rules of the universe and reshaped the rules of society.Women physicists and astronomers from around the world have transformed science and society, but the critical roles they played in their fields are not always well-sung. Her Space, Her Time, authored by award-winning quantum physicist Shohini Ghose, brings together the stories of these remarkable women to celebrate their indelible scientific contributions.In each chapter of the book, Ghose explores a scientific topic and explains how the women featured in that chapter revolutionized that area of physics and astronomy. In doing so, she also addresses particular aspects of women?s experiences in physics and astronomy: in the chapter on time, for instance, we learn of Henrietta Leavitt andMargaret Burbidge, who helped discover the big bang and the cosmic calendar; in the chapter on space exploration, we learn of Anigaduwagi (Cherokee) aerospace scientist Mary Golda Ross,who helped make the Moon landings possible; and in the chapter on subatomic particles, we learn of Marietta Blau, Hertha Wambacher, and Bibha Chowdhuri, who contributed to the discovery of the building blocks of the universe, and, in doing so, played a crucial role in determining who gets to do physics today.Engaging, accessible, and timely, Her Space, Her Time is a collective story of scientific innovation, inspirational leadership, and overcoming invisibility that will leave a lasting impression on any reader curious about the rule-breakers and trendsetters who illuminated our understanding of the universe.Some of the featured women scientists in the book Williamina Fleming Annie Jump Cannon Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Antonia Maury Henrietta Leavitt Margaret Burbidge Mary Golda Ross Dilhan Eryurt Claudia Alexander Joyce Neighbors Navajo women of Shiprock Harriet Brooks Marie Curie Lise Meitner Marietta Blau Hertha Wambacher Bibha Chowdhuri Wu Chien-Shiung Women of the Manhattan Project Vera Rubin

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Book SynopsisBorn into one of the wealthiest families, Walter Rothschild became the best known zoologist of his day - and one of Britain's great eccentrics. Walter's life traversed the fields of politics and finance, as well as zoology, and was packed with achievement and incident. This book presents complexities and conflicts this man faced during his life.Table of ContentsPreface to this edition vAuthor's Preface viiAuthor's Acknowledgements viiiLionel Walter Rothschild--principal events xiCHAPTERS 1--351 Walter Rothschild 12 Tring is Fairyland 33 Emma, Walter's Mother 94 Emma--the iron apronstrings 195 Walter's Father--the Eminence Blanche 256 Walter's Father--Nobody wanted to touch Lloyd George 417 Because I am so happy, Mama 528 I have nearly driven Althaus out of his senses 579 Who is the pink and gold boy in the corner? 7010 I am not a Lieutenant, I am a Captain 8011 Please ask Walter 8612 Rozsika, Walter's sister-in-law 9413 My Museum 10014 The rump of our only old male is rather dicky ... 11015 The fellow is always right 12016 Walter's Curators--Ernst Hartert and the birds 12817 Walter's Curators--Karl Jordan and the butterflies 14318 Walter's Collectors 15419 Walter's Collectors--A.F.R. Wollaston and N.C. Rothschild 17020 Walter's Collectors--William Doherty 17721 Walter's Collectors--The King of Bulgaria is coming on Friday ... 18122 Hurrah! We are off ... 18523 The Giants 19724 The Rothschilds and animals 20625 The Great Row 21526 Catherine wheels 22427 If His Majesty's Government will send me a message ... 23328 Dear Lord Rothschild 24929 What has become of two ostriches ... 27030 A figure in the background 28331 You will be painted blue and yellow and exposed in the High Street 28732 The Primrose Way--The truth about the Rothschilds 29533 The birds cross the Atlantic 30234 Home Farm 30535 Candle ends 313Bibliographical notes 319BibliographyBooks 351Newspapers, Journals, Catalogues and Reports 356Manuscript Sources 362Appendix 1Synopsis of species and subspecies of plants and animals named inhonour of Walter Rothschild 362Index 363Family tres 383

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Book SynopsisIn What We See, open your eyes to a new world view with 100 women photojournalists’ stories from behind the lens.Trade Review“What We See brings together an astonishing array of work from places as varied as conflict zones to backyards. The quality of the work is impressive. It is, indeed, a combination of voices that should never be repressed. We are all the better for a more inclusive view of the world, and this book puts a sharp finishing point on that." * The Washington Post *"A simply fascinating and richly illustrated study." * Midwest Book Review *Table of ContentsForeword by Kat Chow Introduction by Daniella Zalcman 01 Identity 02 Place 03 Conflict 04 Reclamation The 100 Photographers: Adam, Rhiannon Addario, Lynsey Agusti, Luján Al-Arashi, Yumna Al-Asaker, Maha Aliaga Ticona, Sara Alsultan, Tasneem Arévalo Gosen, Ana Maria Báez, Gabriella N. Barbutes, Tracy Beal, Endia Berman, Nina Bhaskar, Gabriela Blast, Delphine Brinson, Kendrick Bronstein, Paula Carballo, Koral Cárdenas, Verónica G. Chor, Laurel Cruz Bacani, Xyza Dass, Angélica de Middel, Cristina Dhaliwal, Meghan Dörr, Luisa Dugan, Jess T. Duong, Yen Effendi, Rena Eid, Kholood Eldalil, Rehab Emezi, Yagazie Fabián, Citlali Fezehai, Malin Flanagan, Annie Flash, Lola Fondriest, Terra Garcia, Mariceu Erthal Ghanbari, Mojgan Golden Guzy, Carol Habjouqa, Tanya Harib, Nada Hayashi, Noriko Hayeri, Kiana Inruh, Irina Ireland, Susannah Irvine, Tailyr JEB (Joan E. Biren) Johnson, Lynn Kang, Mary Keyssar, Natalie Khan, Gulshan Khandelwal, Saumya Kosofsky, Isadora Koyoltzintli Larsen, Erika Laub, Gillian Laula, Nyimas Locher, Olivia Matar, Rania McGarvey, Maddie Meiselas, Susan Mokri, Clara Mollenkof, Bethany Morris-Cafiero, Haley Morton, Rosem Muirhead, Nicola Naccache, Natalie Pabst, Sarah Parafeniuk, Oksana Philomène, Laurence Pixley, Tara Plunkett, Suzanne Poh, Charmaine Rago, Rozette Rajaonary, Miora Reyes Morales, Hannah Romero, Cara Rosella, Raphaela Sadurni, Sumy Sakaguchi, Haruka Schmitz, Charlotte Seaman, Camille Sharma, Smita Sim, Chi Yin Skovranova, Michaela Spitzer, Kali Sulakauri, Daro Taylor-Lind, Anastasia Tung, Nicole Vera, Alicia Villasana, Danielle Vitale, Ami Waguih, Asmaa Waiswa, Sarah Willis, Deb Yoon, Arin Yoon, Hannah Yvonne, Etinosa Zalanga, Patience Zehbrauskas, Adriana

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Book SynopsisThe story of how three individuals conquered the plague of the sea

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Book SynopsisWhen Dr Ron Jones joined the staff of National Womens Hospital in Auckland in 1973 as a junior obstetrician and gynaecologist, Professor Herbert Greens study into the natural history of carcinoma in-situ of the cervix (CIS) -- later called the unfortunate experiment -- had been in progress for seven years. By the mid-1960s there was almost universal agreement among gynaecologists and pathologists worldwide that CIS was a precursor of cancer, requiring complete removal. Green, however, believed otherwise, and embarked on a study of women with CIS, without their consent, that involved merely observing, rather than definitively treating them. Many women subsequently developed cancer and some died. In 1984 Jones and senior colleagues Dr Bill McIndoe and Dr Jock McLean published a scientific paper that exposed the truth, and the disastrous outcome of Greens experiment. In a public inquiry in 1987 Judge Sylvia Cartwright observed that an unethical experiment had been carried out in large num

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Book SynopsisA gorgeous reissue of one of the most beloved classics of the twentieth century, published in celebration of Norton’s 100th anniversaryTrade Review"The Norton centenary edition of Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet is a beautiful hardback of an essential text and a great gift to any aspiring writer." -- Anne Enright - The Observer

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Book SynopsisWhat buried secret lies beneath the stones of one of England's greatest former churches and shrines, the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St Edmunds? The search for the final resting place of King Edmund has led to this site, beneath which Francis Young argues the lost king''s remains are waiting to be found. Edmund: In Search of England''s Lost King explores the history of the martyred monarch of East Anglia and England''s first patron saint, showing how he became a pivotal figure around whom Saxons, Danes and Normans all rallied. Young also examines Edmund''s legacy in the centuries since his death at the hands of marauding Vikings in the 9th century. In doing so, this fascinating book points to the imminent rediscovery of the ruler who created England.Trade ReviewSimultaneously a sophisticated work of history, a compelling detective story and a moving meditation on what it is to be English, this is a fascinating and wonderful book. -- Tom HollandThe author's enthusiasm for his subject, and for the quest to find the mortal remains of St. Edmund, everywhere shines through. Authoritative and reliable, this volume is at the same time an enjoyable and engaging read. -- John Ashdown-Hill, MBETable of ContentsPreface List of Illustrations Abbreviations Chronology Introduction 1. Angelcynn: Edmund’s People 2. Death of a King 3. Invincible Martyr: The Early Cult of Edmund, 869-1066 4. ‘Patron of all England’: Edmund in the Medieval World, 1066-1539 5. A Lost King: Edmund since the Reformation Conclusion: Finding Edmund? Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn July 2011, South Sudan was granted independence and became the world''s newest country. Yet just two-and-a-half years after this momentous decision, the country was in the grips of renewed civil war and political strife. Hilde F. Johnson served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan from July 2011 until July 2014 and, as such, she was witness to the many challenges which the country faced as it struggled to adjust to its new autonomous state. In this book, she provides an unparalleled insider''s account of South Sudan''s descent from the ecstatic celebrations of July 2011 to the outbreak of the disastrous conflict in December 2013 and the early, bloody phase of the fighting. Johnson''s frequent personal and private contacts at the highest levels of government, accompanied by her deep knowledge of the country and its history, make this a unique eyewitness account of the turbulent first three years of thTable of ContentsForeword by Desmond Tutu Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: A Dream Comes True Chapter Three: A Country without a State Chapter Four: An Incomplete Divorce Chapter Five: The UN – Between a Rock and a Hard Place Chapter Six: The Leadership Chapter Seven: The Nightmare Chapter Eight: The Heart of the Matter – Security Chapter Nine: Waging Peace in South Sudan Chapter Ten: Epilogue Appendices: List of Interviews Members of the SPLM Political Bureau 2013 Members of the SPLA Command 2013 UN Security Council Resolution 1996/2011 UNMISS’ Mandate UN Security Council Resolution 2046/2012 UN Security Council Resolution 2058/2014 New Mandate UNMISS Index

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Book Synopsis''If you carry on like this, you''ll do nothing but play football and cricket all your life.''These were the exasperated words of Mike Brearley''s mother, as he once again trod mud into the family home after a long day playing outdoors. They were also an unwitting but half-accurate prediction, for Brearley would become one of the most successful sportsmen of his generation by playing cricket for Cambridge, Middlesex and then becoming one of England''s finest captains. But for Brearley, cricket wasn''t just a physical activity, it was also an intellectual game, offering the chance to bring closer together body and mind. When his cricketing career came to end - during his playing days he had had a hiatus as a philosophy lecturer - he eschewed sporting commentary for a career as a psychoanalyst.In Turning Over the Pebbles, which he calls a ''memoir of the mind'', Brearley reviews his life with its attendant emotions, tensions and moves. It is also a book oTrade ReviewSunday Times 'Book of the Week'A superb book - much more than a traditional memoir . . . this is a sharp, witty and unashamedly learned meditation on art and music, literature and the Classics, philosophy, psychoanalysis, childhood and old age, families and feelings, illness and the imminence of death . . . And of course cricket. It is unlike any book you will read this year . . . This book is an inspiration, showing us how to live our best lives * Sunday Times *A Masterclass . . . [A] stimulating memoir . . . It is hard to think of any other sportsman - or come to it, any other philosopher or analyst - who makes for such agreeable, such stimulating , such warm, company * Daily Telegraph *Absolutely riveting -- Amol Rajan * BBC Radio 4 Today *Unexpected rewards to the reader on every page -- Simon Barnes * The Cricketer *Whether discussing philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature or cricket . . . Brearley is compelling company * Guardian *Turning Over the Pebbles sparkles with erudition and culture . . . rewarding and eye-opening * TLS *An enthralling memoir from the cricketing great * i Newspaper *This sharp memoir glides across [Brearley's] interests, featuring musings on ageing, music and strategy in sport. It's the ideal accompaniment to the Ashes. * The Times *Peppered with reflections on music, literature, philosophy and exchanges with legendary thinkers, it is as much if not more a book on the mind and a manual on the essence of a good life - and a good death; it will make readers pause * Financial Times *Brearley's prose is abundantly stylish * Tablet *A thoughtful and intriguing book * Methodist Recorder *Exceptionally carefully thought-through and most intriguingly written . . . This is a truly lovely book * Oldie *A beautifully crafted journey into the mind of a genius - both cricketing and otherwise * City AM *

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Book SynopsisPeter Clutterbuck was lucky enough to be a teenager in the 1960s, when long summer holidays meant uninhibited opportunities to find freedom - and danger. He proceeded to set out on incredible voyages across the high seas in a 16 foot open dinghy. With a series of intrepid crew he first sailed across the Channel, then braved the notorious Bay of Biscay, cruised the Mediterranean, before tackling the North Sea and Baltic. Sailing on the edge, often on stormy nights, Peter and his crew survived towering waves, gales, capsizes, dismasting, nine rudder breakages, getting lost in fog, and hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation. Beautifully and charmingly written, with plenty of offbeat humour, this is a lovely insight into a golden age of freedom and adventure. With a Foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.Trade ReviewTorn between staying at sea to face probable disaster and running onto a lee shore where they may yet have a ghost of a chance, what follows is seamanship of the highest order. * Tom Cunliffe, Yachting World *The sailing is white knuckled, the resourcefulness breathtaking. * Yachting Monthly *A tremendous book. * Classic Sailor magazine *A classic real-life story of derring do on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity and many near-misses. * All at Sea *An object lesson in how to turn dreams into reality, of how to complete extremely risky challenges. -- Brian Thompson * Foreword *The events described, and the hardships not described, are so extreme as to seem suicidal. -- John Mardall, Editor * Maritime *

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Book SynopsisIt's 1982 and the Ramones are in a gutter-bound spiral. Following a run of inconsistent albums and deep in the throes of internal tensions the legendary quartet is about to crash and burn.ÞEnter Richie Ramone.ÞThen a 26-year-old from New Jersey named Richard Reinhardt he's snapped up by the group to be their new drummer and instantly goes from the obscurity of the underground club scene to membership in the most famous punk-rock band of all time revitalizing the pioneering outfit with his powerful precise and blindingly fast beats ä composing classic cuts like the menacing anthem Somebody Put Something in My Drink and becoming the only Ramones percussionist to sing lead vocals for the group. With the Ramones he performs over five hundred shows at venues all around the world and records three storming studio albums ä before abruptly quitting the band and going deep underground. To most fans this crucial figure in the band's history has remained a mystery his tale untold.ÞUntil now.ÞÊI Know Better Now: My Life Before During and After the RamonesÊ is the firsthand four-on-the-floor account of a life in rock 'n' roll and in one of its most influential acts ä straight from the sticks of the man who kept the beat.

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of the Thrown Away Children series comes another heartbreaking story of life in foster care.Parents Angelina and Ben exist in enviable luxury: not just wealth, success and a gorgeous home, but a loving relationship and beautiful twin babies to complete the perfect family.But having it all means that you have the most to lose. And when cracks begin to appear things fall apart at a shocking pace; and it's twins Max and Mia who suffer the most.Money isn't enough to paper over the problems in this extraordinary and heartbreaking story. It is a foster-caring experience like no other, and one which tests Louise's emotional strength to the core.

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Book SynopsisThis four-month guided journal, drawn from the author’s best-selling works and more than 50 years of coaching clients, will help readers tap into their intuition with five-minute daily entries.If you want to experience a more meaningful, successful, productive, body- and soul-satisfying life, it all comes down to trusting your innate sixth sense—your “vibes,” short for “vibrations.” This is what intuition is: a natural intelligence we all possess that tunes in to energy in motion and uses this information to successfully navigate toward the best outcomes in all areas of life.The truth is we are always sensing our intuition. The problem arises when we ignore it, challenge it, dismiss it, or altogether tune out this incredible natural super-awareness. Just as ignoring any one of our other functioning senses would compromise our life, tuning out your intuitive guidance leads to equally, if not even more, potentially disastrous results.In all her years of teaching people, Sonia Choquette found the most empowering tool for activating intuitive intelligence comes from regularly writing down intuitive impulses. Once you do in a very short period, you will have undeniable evidence, written in your own hand, that your intuitive intelligence, the voice of your divine spirit, is exceptionally capable of guiding you to living the most extraordinary, beautiful life possible.The good news is you don’t have to put a lot of time into writing your intuitive impulses. In fact, the less time you think about it, the better. Writing quickly by hand a few minutes a day is all you need to activate this extraordinary superpower.That is the purpose of this journal. In it, you will find simple prompts that will help you turn inward to recognize and acknowledge the subtle guidance coming from your spirit. Spending just five minutes a day answering the prompts and questions in this journal will activate and strengthen your intuition and empower you with the most life-changing and extraordinary awareness you could ever imagine.

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Book SynopsisA stunning visual biography of the life of Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus, and one of the world's most influential architects This illustrated biography tells the story of Gropius's life, beginning with his shattering experiences in World War One, his turbulent marriage to the notorious Alma Mahler, the establishment of the Bauhaus, and the tragic death of their daughter Manon. After Gropius's agonized decision to leave Nazi Germany in 1933, the book explores his life in exile in London and then his move to America in 1937, where he lived and worked until his death in 1969. Features more than 375 illustrations including letters, telegrams, sketches, drawings, photographs, posters, brochures, and other ephemera. The authors present the life of Walter Gropius as not just a key figure of 20th-century architecture, but as an extraordinarily generous person - a connector, protector, and benefactor who improved the lives and careers of all those with whom he came into contact. This is the first comprehensive illustrated biography of one of Modern architecture's most important figures. Trade Review'Iconic.' - Metropolis 'Traces the many lives and influences of architect Walter Gropius.' - Fast Company 'What one finds in his biography is not only related to modernism, it is related to a passionate, sophisticated man whose legacy should never be forgotten.' - Daily Art Magazine ‘[A] pleasant surprise for the most discerning eyes.’ - Sharp Magazine ‘Accessible and arguably the most accurate portrait of Gropius thus far.’ - Canadian Interiors 'Well-researched and very readable' - The Decorative Arts Society Journal

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Book SynopsisDo you wish you could make the outdoors a bigger part of your life? Liv Bolton, host of the chart-topping podcast The Outdoors Fix, presents an inspiring collection of stories about ordinary people who have done just that. By making time for their passions – from walking, running, climbing, swimming and paddleboarding to photography, filmmaking, cooking and conservation – they have found their daily lives transformed through immersion in nature and the countryside. The chapters include the stories of outdoor instructor Rehna Yaseen, mental-health campaigner Alex Staniforth, Black Girls Hike regional leader Oge Ejizu and coastal runner Elise Downing. Time outdoors can be hugely beneficial, and even small changes can make a big difference: improving happiness, enhancing work–life balance, introducing new friendships and boosting physical and mental health. Packed with stunning photographs and practical tips encompassing everything from after-work local adventures to spending a night out on the hills, The Outdoors Fix might just provide the inspiration you need to embrace the great outdoors and live more adventurously.Table of ContentsIntroductionEnjoying the outdoors safely, respectfully and responsiblyThe career changers- Ben Dolphin: Becoming a countryside ranger in Scotland- Helen Iles: Life as a mountain rescue volunteer and landscape photographer- Becky Angell: Banking to backpacking across Britain- Frit Tam: Finding filmmaking and myself in the outdoors- Emily Scott: A move from accountancy to the mountains- Kenny Block: From the railways to photographing the Lake DistrictThe community builders- Rehna Yaseen: The outdoors instructor breaking barriers in the Peak District- Debbie North: Wheelchair wanderings around the UK- Zahrah Mahmood: Adventures as ‘The Hillwalking Hijabi’- Gilly McArthur: The Lake District’s ice swimmer and rock climber- Oge Ejizu: London hiking with Black Girls Hike- Iona Andean: Bringing people together in the Scottish outdoors20 small ways you can make your life more outdoorsy right now!The movers- Jen Benson: A wild and whole-hearted family life all around Britain- Harrison Ward: An alcoholic’s journey to the hills- Suzanna Cruickshank: Becoming a wild-swimming guide- Laura Doling: Moving from Essex to be a postie in the Lake DistrictThe after-work adventure seekers- Nic Hardy: Waking up to the possibilities of adventure- Jack Williams: From the Himalaya to Snowdonia- Jamie Neill: Badminton to bagging Munros- Rory Southworth: 5 p.m.–9 p.m. adventuring- Kumbi Kariwo: The rock-climbing senior NHS nurse- Jessica Mather: Life and loss in the mountains20 outdoors spots to explore in the UKThe wildlife warriors- Sophie Pavelle: The Devon writer going wild for nature- Tolga Aktas: Carving out a career in conservation- Clare Dyson: Horseback adventures in the Lake DistrictThe big-trip adventurers- Jo Moseley: The coast-to-coast midlife paddleboarder- James Forrest: Bagging 1,001 mountains in the UK and Ireland- Preet Chandi: Breaking barriers at the South Pole- Alex Staniforth: Finding Everest in the UK- Elise Downing: A 5,000-mile running adventureHow could YOU make the outdoors a bigger part of your life?Books, magazines, festivals, and websites that might take your interestGlossaryAcknowledgmentsContributors

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Book SynopsisThe golden age of Himalayan mountaineering, from the mid-1970s to the 1980s, brought forth a generation of radical young climbers. With tiny budgets and high ambitions they pioneered fast and light, alpine-style expeditions on mountains such as Jannu, Nuptse, Everest and K2. In High Risk, Brian Hall recalls the outrageous adventures of eleven of his climbing friends who risked – and often lost – their lives to stand on some of the world’s highest peaks during a legendary period in mountaineering history.Trade Review‘An absolutely spellbinding read.’ -- Adele Pennington‘Big characters who loved life close to the edge.’ -- Ed Douglas‘A riveting insight into the legendary characters of a remarkable climbing era.’ -- Mick Fowler‘Dazzling adventures recalled with wisdom and affection.’ -- Stephen Venables'High Risk captures the spirit of an era ... Ascents not bettered and hardly equalled since.' -- Leo Houlding‘Full of humour, affection and respect, High Risk takes the reader to the heart and soul of the golden age of UK climbing.’ * Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature *'A major milestone in alpine literature.' John Porter – mountaineer, author and former Alpine Club President'Entertaining, revealing, breathtaking, heartbreaking and confessional.' Stephen Goodwin – Kekoo Naoroji Book Award for Mountain Literature'A poignant tale of friendships, lofty climbing goals, and, ultimately, tremendous loss.' Cameron M. Burns – American Alpine Journal * American Alpine Journal *

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Book SynopsisIn 1959, sixteen-year-old Ian ‘Spike’ Sykes left school and, after a short period of work at Leeds University, joined the RAF. Already a keen climber, he signed up on the promise of excitement and adventure and was posted to the remote RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team in the north of Scotland. It was the beginning of a journey which would see him involved in some of the most legendary call-outs in Scottish mountain rescue history, including the 1963 New Year tragedy on the Isle of Skye.In the Shadow of Ben Nevis tells Spike’s story from growing up in Leeds in the aftermath of the Second World War, to his time with the RAF during the cold war. After leaving the RAF, he remained an active member of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and was involved in the first lower down the north face of Ben Nevis – an epic 1,500-foot descent to rescue stricken climbers in the middle of winter.Following a two-and-a-half-year stint on Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey, he returned to the Highlands and opened the first Nevisport shop with his close friend Ian ‘Suds’ Sutherland. Together, they brought Sunday trading to Fort William and were one of a small number of shops to revolutionise outdoor retail in the UK. Later, he was a key player in the development of the Nevis Range ski area. Over many years, and against all odds, the project became a reality and a great success.Recounted within these pages are a great many lively tales of adventures and mishaps, told with immediacy and charm. With a foreword by legendary Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes, a close friend of Spike’s, In the Shadow of Ben Nevis is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Scottish mountaineering and mountain rescue.Trade ReviewThis book tells of the life and experiences of a unique character and should appeal to anyone with a spirit of adventure. – Stu Gallagher, Alpine Club One man in his time plays many parts.’ This is certainly true of Spike, and this autobiography takes us through them ‒ RAF MRT member in the primitive pre-helicopter days, outdoor instructor, FIDS ‘gash man’, entrepreneur, Lochaber MRT member, and throughout it all a climber whose experience ranges from hitch-hiking and barn-dossing as an impoverished teenager to helicopter drops into exotic locations. Not a typical climbing autobiography ‒ and all the better for it. – R T Richardson, former president of the Scottish Mountaineering Club Suffice to say, In The Shadow... is a rattling good yarn, and that’s before you even get on to Sykes’s life-saving work with the Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team and his climbing adventures in the Alps, the Yukon and elsewhere. – Roger Cox, The Scotsman This book is a good read about a man and his life of adventure in the mountains and out of them. – Nick Carter, Alpha Mountaineering It recounts many lively tales of adventure and mishap. – Eilidh Davies, Highland News His stories of epic mountain rescues before the age of helicopter assistance, good communications, organised rescue teams and enforced drink driving laws are riveting. – Dave McLeod, Blogspot Hats off to Ian Sykes for a terrific read. Very highly recommended. – Ullapool NewsTable of ContentsForeword by Hamish MacInnes; 1 Fort William Station; 2 Garforth; 3 Fulneck; 4 Kinloss Mountain Rescue; 5 The Alps; 6 A New Year on Skye, 1963; 7 Locheil; 8 Falkland Islands; 9 Deception Island; 10 Stonington; 11 That's One Small Step for Man; 12 Nevisport; 13 Callop; 14 A Mandarin Murder; 15 The Snow Goose; 16 Nevis Range; 17 Lotus Flower Tower; 18 An Autumn in Siberia; 19 Cochamo; 20 Wadi Rum; 21 The End of the Century; 22 Discovering America.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of Sasha Abramsky's grandparents, Chimen and Miriam Abramsky, and of their unique home at 5 Hillway, around the corner from Hampstead Heath.In their semi-detached house, so deceptively ordinary from the outside, the Abramskys created a remarkable House of Books. It became the repository for Chimen's collection of thousands upon thousands of books, manuscripts and other printed, handwritten and painted documents, representing his journey through the great political, philosophical, religious and ethical debates that have shaped the western world.Chimen Abramsky was barely a teenager when his father, a famous rabbi, was arrested by Stalin's secret police and sentenced to five years hard labour in Siberia, and fifteen when his family was exiled to London. Lacking a university degree, he nevertheless became a polymath, always obsessed with collecting ideas, with capturing the meanderings of the human soul through the world of great thoughts and thinkers. Rejecting his father's Orthodoxy, he became a Communist, made his living as a book-dealer and amassed a huge, and astonishingly rare, library of socialist literature and memorabilia. Disillusioned with Communism and belatedly recognising the barbarity at the core of Stalin's project, he transformed himself once more, this time into a liberal and a humanist. To his socialist library was added a vast trove of Jewish history volumes. Chimen ended his career as Professor of Hebrew and Jewish studies at UCL, London and rare manuscripts expert for Sotheby's.With his wife Miriam, Chimen made their house a focal point for left-wing intellectual Jewish life: hundreds of the world's leading thinkers, from Isaiah Berlin to Eric Hobsbawm, dined at their table. The House of Twenty Thousand Books brings alive this latter-day salon by telling the story of Chimen Abramsky's love affair with ideas and with the world of books and of Miriam's obsession with being a hostess and with entertaining. Room by room, book by book, idea by idea, the world of these politically engaged intellectuals, autodidacts and dreamers is lovingly resurrected.In this extraordinary elegy to a lost world, Sasha Abramsky's passionate narrative brings to life once more not just the Hillway salon, but the ideas, the conflicts, the personalities and the human yearnings that animated it.

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Book SynopsisThe Nawab Nazim was born into one of India's most powerful royal families. Three times the size of Great Britain, his kingdom ranged from the soaring Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. However, in 1880, he was forced to abdicate by the British authorities, who saw him as a threat and permanently abolished his titles. The Nawab's change in fortune marked the end of an era in India and left his secret English family abandoned. The Last Prince of Bengal tells the true story of the Nawab Nazim and his family as they sought by turns to befriend, settle in and eventually escape Britain. From glamourous receptions with Queen Victoria to a scandalous Muslim marriage with an English chambermaid; and from Bengal tiger hunts to sheep farming in the harsh Australian outback, Lyn Innes recounts her ancestors' extraordinary journey from royalty to relative anonymity. This compelling account visits the extremes of British rule in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, exposing complex prejudices regarding race, class and gender. It is the intimate story of one family and their place in defining moments of recent Indian, British and Australian history.Trade Review'I was captivated and surprised by this bitter-sweet history as it twists and turns down three generations, through many astonishing changes of fame and fortune, from a glittering Bengal palace to an Australian sheep farm. Lovingly researched and meticulously told, The Last Prince of Bengal is notable for its candid revelations of British colonial attitudes and hypocrisies across two centuries. A rich, delightful and unexpectedly thought-provoking saga.'--Richard Holmes 'The book is a rich tapestry of family narrative in the course of which various intolerances of nation, ethnicity, class and gender are woven into a story that is deft, alive to irony, and alert to many human foibles - it is a work in which intellectual audacity is matched by sound research and textual scruple. The result is a masterpiece of patient, lucid analysis ... a spellbinding family history.' --Declan Kiberd The Irish Times. 'Lyn Innes explores her ancestors' history in moving detail, capturing the tragic story of the dethroned princes of Bengal who had to make their lives in foreign lands, marked forever by the harsh legacy of Empire.' Shrabani Basu, author of Victoria and Abdul: The Extraordinary True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant. 'Lyn Innes tells her extraordinary and engrossing personal family history, revealing the ways in which the British Empire brought lives together, and scattered people apart. The Last Prince of Bengal tells us about the multitude histories we carry within, and the humiliations that race, class and faith perpetuate.' --Salil Tripathi, author of The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and its Unquiet Legacy

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Book SynopsisThe start of a love affair: 'I kicked off my shoes and prepared to climb in stocking feet, aware of an enormous sense of occasion as I laid hands on the rock and stepped up on the first rounded hold. It was not a hard climb but that was unimportant. I felt instinctively at home and at the finish experienced such a surge of happy elation that I knew then I was committed to climbing.' Martin Boysen's passion for crags and mountains springs from his deep love of nature and a strong sense of adventure. From his early days on rock as a Kent schoolboy after the war, he was soon among the most gifted climbers of his or any generation, famed for his silky technique.Boysen made a huge contribution to British rock climbing, especially in North Wales; he discovered Gogarth in the 1960s and climbed some of the best new routes of his era: Nexus on Dinas Mot, The Skull on Cyrn Las and the magisterial Capital Punishment on Ogwen's Suicide Wall. For more than two decades, Boysen was also one of Britain's leading mountaineers. A crucial member of Sir Chris Bonington's team that climbed the South Face of Annapurna in 1970, Boysen was also part of Bonington's second summit team on the South West face of Everest. In 1976 he made the first ascent of Trango Tower with Joe Brown.Along the way, Boysen climbed with some of the most important figures in the history of the sport, not just stars like Bonington and Brown, but those who make climbing so rich and intriguing, like Nea Morin and the brilliant but doomed Gary Hemming. He joined Hamish MacInnes hunting gold in Ecuador, doubled for Clint Eastwood on the North Face of the Eiger and worked on director Fred Zinnemann's last movie.Wry, laconic and self-deprecating, Martin Boysen's Hanging On is an insider's account of British climbing's golden age.Table of Contents1 Beginnings; 2 To Learn to Climb; 3 1959; 4 First Ventures in the Alps; 5 The Dolomites; 6 Manchester; 7 The Alpha Club; 8 Hard Climbs, Modern Times; 9 The Walker; 10 Mixed Fortunes; 11 Cerro Torre; 12 Crash; 13 Annapurna; 14 The Eiger Sanction; 15 Changabang; 16 Lost on Everest, Found on Trango; 17 Gold Rush; 18 Endgame; Epilogue - The Rock Climbing Years.

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Book SynopsisIt's Chris Jagger's turn to lift the lid on one of the most colourful and exotic periods in British cultural history as he unrolls an insider's tale of growing up among the bombsites and ration books of post-war Dartford, weaving through the glittery underground of late 1960s countercultural London, spending months in India before most trod that path, the highs and lows of acting and film work, and pursuing his own unique musical adventures that have resulted in a number of albums and gigs across the world. Ultimately though it's the beguiling story of a close-knit family and deep brotherly ties, which endure from both sides of the spectrum.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature.'As I sat cradling the man's head, with his blood and brains sticking to my hands, I heard a voice – my own voice. It was asking me something. Asking how I had ended up like this, desperate and lost among people who thought nothing of caving in a man's head and then standing back to watch him die.'Nick Bullock was a prison officer working in a maximum-security jail with some of Britain's most notorious criminals. Trapped in a world of aggression and fear, he felt frustrated and alone. Then he discovered the mountains. Making up for lost time, Bullock soon became one of Britain's best climbers, learning his trade in the mountains of Scotland and Wales, and travelling from Pakistan to Peru in his search for new routes and a new way of seeing the world – and ultimately an escape route from his life inside. Told that no one ever leaves the service – the security, the stability, the 'job for life' – Bullock focused his existence on a single goal: to walk free, with no shackles, into a mountain life.Echoes is a powerful and compelling exploration of freedom, and what it means to live life on your own terms.Trade Review'A brilliant page-turner from one of our most outstanding adventure mountaineers.' – Chris Bonington'Wild, exciting and inspirational. A book that grips you throughout with wild tales from handling Britain's most notorious criminals to tackling some of the world's most exciting unclimbed lines. I loved it.' – Mick Fowler'Utterly gripping. From his first clumsy steps to the all-in commitment of his greatest ascents Nick Bullock's early climbing career was inextricably linked to his work as a prison officer. Prison was both the force he climbed to escape and the hell that compelled him to push himself further in the mountains than others might have gone.' – Mark Twight'An unusual and powerful story that is as remarkable for its depiction of the author's life as a prison officer in one of the country's toughest jails, Gartree, as for his prodigious achievements on the mountains.' – Peter Beaumont, The Observer'When some aspects of climbing are turning into another off-the-shelf consumer lifestyle as predictable as the Gap catalogue, Echoes offers a compelling picture of what the real thing is all about.' – Stephen Venables, Climb Magazine'This book, an important book, a real book, captures a period in modern British climbing history ... the writing is captivating, intelligent, gentle, inquisitive.' – Jack Geldard, UKclimbing.com'A thought-provoking, entertaining and at times frightening book. Essential reading for anyone into having adventures.' – Dave MacLeod'Echoes is very entertaining and credit should be given for the author's vivid portrayal of prison life. The writing in the main is spare and matter of fact. A style which suits the rather dark subject matter. Prison life does not really lend itself to romantic prose!' – John Appleby, Footless CrowTable of ContentsForeword by Paul PritchardPrologue – TrustBrickWoodlands ChainsSoul MiningEchoesBellsFermentationFoundationsThe BlockGuiltFlowRoadsDreamsInnocenceGerminationLoyaltyTunnelsHonestyTracksThe WormTogetherFaithFearParoleLossFlightNorthDevotionWireWordsConfrontationCrashTimeDetritusThe SeaDetoxStarsTruthTurn Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Threading My Prayer Rug, an eye-opening view of life in Saudi Arabia.It’s Not What You Think is a wry, incisive account of working in Saudi Arabia that offers insight into that insular patriarchal society, what is so attractive to expatriates living there, and what was contradictory or confining about it for a naturalized American who is a woman and a Muslim. A hospital executive in New Jersey, Sabeeha relocated with her oncologist husband to Riyadh, the most conservative city in the country, intending to remain two years. They ended up staying for six. Her book takes the reader on a journey of discovery that mirrors her own. Offered an influential position at Riyadh’s most prestigious hospital, she first has to obtain her husband’s permission to work. In public spaces, she quickly encounters the morality police but also learns the freedom of the abaya. Salesmen staff the lingerie department. Women in Riyadh do not work in public places, yet they hold positions of authority within corporate culture; and outside Riyadh, she discovers that women-owned-and-operated businesses flourish, and Bedouin women could drive in the desert decades before Riyadh’s ban was relaxed. Through Sabeeha’s eyes, we see how Saudi and Western expat cultures coexist within the boundaries of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” how traditions define the identity of the Saudi nation, and how to discern what is “culturally appropriate” versus what is required legally. As she dons pilgrim’s garb, we join her on the hajj, to discover the intensity and spiritual high of the devout.Trade Review“It’s Not What You Think is truly a tale of surprises, as our assumptions about Saudi Arabia, its culture, and the lives of its women are turned upside-down. Rehman takes us deep inside spaces that are tightly closed to non-Muslims and/or non-females—not only the hajj but the women’s-only lingerie department of a Saudi department store! The one thing that is not a surprise here, for those of us who know Rehman’s previous work, is her writing: intimate, warm, often funny, and always irresistible.”—Susan Choi, National Book Award–winning author of Trust Exercise"Painfully funny, genuinely touching, culturally confounding, unexpectedly unnerving, and just plain unexpected, Sabeeha's adventure drops us into the dynamic heartland of her faith, confronting the stereotypes that keep countries, cultures, and the people in them so lonely. This warm and wild journey changes her. And if you let her, it'll change you too."—Haroon Moghul, author of Two Billion Caliphs“In this engrossing and compelling read, Sabeeha Rehman takes us inside Saudi Arabia, globally the most closed and secretive country. . . . A brilliant, insightful, and fascinating tour of a state where freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, and freedom of expression are limited.”—Jan Goodwin, award-winning author, journalist, Soros and Kiplinger fellow and former senior fellow at Brandeis University’s Schuster Institute of Investigative Journalism “Illuminating, informative, and deeply personal, It's Not What You Think is a refreshing and complex antidote to the harmful and outdated stereotypes of Muslim women and the Middle East that still dominate America's media and political landscape. Sabeeha Rehman weaves a complex and empowering narrative of Muslim women reclaiming their identity, gender, and religion from men who seek to hijack all to ensure control and power.”—Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back to Where You Came From and contributing New York Times op-ed writer"Easy to read, engaging, and informative, It’s Not What You Think will be a great help to all who aspire to visit/work in Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular. For folks navigating different cultures/traditions/faiths, it provides a great introduction from an author who successfully navigated these challenges. I was privileged to consult for the ailing King Fahd in June 2005 and attest to the high standards of health care and the great medical institution at KFMRC where the author held a very senior administrative position.”—Prof. Faroque Ahmad Khan, MB MACP. Chairman, Interfaith Institute of Long Island“In this charming book, Sabeeha shows how even a devout Muslim who had previously visited Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage can have her stereotypical views of the Kingdom continually shattered for the better. She reveals how Saudi women both exercise their power and irreversibly expand the boundaries of their power within the confines of a patriarchal society subject to the unavoidable winds of societal change.”—Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of Cordoba House, author of Defining Islamic Statehood and What’s Right with Islam “Sabeeha Rehman’s travelogue memoir invites as well as entertains, inspiring the reader with personal adventures and insight into Saudi Arabia—a modest masterpiece.”—Sidney Offit, former president of the Authors Guild Foundation and Authors League Fund and author of Memoirs of a Bookie’s Son"Rehman’s memoir offers an insider’s look but with an outsider’s point of view, documenting experiences that disabuse her of many misconceptions."—Electric LitPraise for Threading My Prayer Rug FINALIST FOR THE WILLIAM SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING. ONE OF BOOKLIST'S TOP TEN RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY BOOKS. ONE OF BOOKLIST'S TOP TEN DIVERSE NONFICTION BOOKS. Honorable Mention in the San Francisco Book Festival Awards, Spiritual Category A 2019 United Methodist Women Reading Program Selection "Compelling . . . Guaranteed to broaden your horizons and make you see the world a little differently."—Dawn Raffel, "35 Memoirs Everyone Should Read," Reader's Digest"Rehman’s personal journey is her own, but speaks broadly to all immigrant journeys in contemporary America. With so much discussion about immigrants from Muslim in the national conversation, it’s good to have a story with this unique perspective."—Booklist, starred review "Rehman’s spirited debut memoir illuminates the challenges of living an authentically Muslim life in America. . . . With sparkling anecdotes about everything from the 'Christmas-ization of Eid' to engineering her son’s marriage, Rehman lends a light heart and an open mind to the process of becoming a multicultural 'hybrid.'" —Publishers Weekly"A heartfelt memoir plumbs the multilayered experience of being Muslim in America. With a steady infusion of verve and personality, Rehman immerses readers in the traditions of a Middle Eastern culture. . . . Rehman's memoir offers a deeper understanding and appreciation for Muslim lifestyles while imparting a message of unity and international fellowship. A culturally rich and rewarding personal chronicle of ethnic faith and intermingled tradition." —Kirkus “Entertaining and honest story of one woman's journey to fuse the cultures of her past and present to create her own experience . . . Her story is permeated with hilarious personal experiences and asides as she adapts to the country she will soon call home. Rehman lends a strong and compelling voice to moderate Muslims, and her discussion of her faith and the areas she believes need modernization illustrate the different opinions within the Muslim community.” —Library Journal "The country needs this counterbalancing personal story to correct the pervasive misunderstanding of what Islam is truly about and the contributions to our American democracy that most American Muslims make every day of their lives. Exceptionally well written and consistently compelling read from beginning to end. . . . Somebody donate a copy of Threading My Prayer Rug to every Republican member of Congress, every Republican member of a state legislature, and every Republican governor who advocates for preventing Muslims from settling in their state." —Midwest Book Review“A warm, amusing and, for a Jewish reader, surprisingly familiar story.”—Jewish Week "That one masterstroke of penmanship and objective thought is the ultimate grand finale to a lifelong effort of understanding not only other faiths, but also her own." —Dawn newspaper (Pakistan) "Take this journey on Sabeeha's prayer rug, and you will be enchanted as she vividly and beautifully transports you through rich and elaborate threads of a lifetime lived with love, intelligence, and compassion—an inspiration to all." —Ranya Tabari Idliby, coauthor of The Faith Club and author of Burqas, Baseball and Apple Pie "Funny and frank, acute, and compassionate, this story of an immigrant ‘fish out of water’ who falls in love with her adopted American home is for all of us, and for all times—but current events also make it the story for this time. As Americans consider who they were, are, and want to be in the future, they could have no better guide than Sabeeha Rehman. I can’t imagine our country, or my bookshelf, without her." —Susan Choi, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of A Person of Interest and My Education "With anti-Islamic sentiments on the rise in this country, Threading My Prayer Rug is a refreshing look at what it is really like to be a Muslim in the US today. With humor, charm, and great insight, Sabeeha Rehman recounts how one can be both a devout Muslim and an American wife, mom, grandmother and community activist." —Jan Goodwin, award-winning author, journalist, and Senior Fellow at Brandeis University’s Schuster Institute of Investigative Journalism "Coming to America is seldom associated with discovering one's faith—let alone Islam. Rich in exotic detail, Sabeeha's true-life story is funny, sweet, beautiful, warm, and deeply touching to any reader, who will note how much the heart and soul of a Muslim mother is like that of any other." —Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of Cordoba House, author of What's Right With Islam and Moving the Mountain "Sabeeha Rehman’s prose resonates with intimacy, wisdom, and wit. She achieves a richly textured narrative that introduces readers to the rituals and enduring values of her Muslim faith as she, her husband Khalid and their sons Saqib and Asim integrate into the American melting pot. At the conclusion of her classic text, Ms. Rehman affirms, ‘Together we will change the discourse, quell violence with knowledge, and banish phobias to the fringe as we work together in unity of the spirit.’ This reader was moved to respond, 'Ameen . . . Amen.'"—Sidney Offit, former president of the Authors Guild Foundation and Authors League Fund and author of Memoir of a Bookie’s Son "A charming and engrossing book, Threading My Prayer Rug provides a window to a culture and people we do not know enough about. . . . Readable, easy to relate to, and inspiring!" —Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of The Muslim Next Door: the Qur'an, the Media, and that Veil Thing "Threading My Prayer Rug is a beautifully written memoir of a cosmopolitan and faithful Pakistani-American Muslim woman. It’s recommended for all who want to have a sense of how the tapestry of American Islam is shaped by the contributions of a variety of Muslims, including those from South Asia." —Omid Safi, Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center "Threading My Prayer Rug is a warm, wise, and wonderful book. Ms. Rehman writes in a wry and often humorous style that is understanding of human foibles yet gently pushes readers of all backgrounds to become fuller and more engaged human beings. As an Orthodox rabbi working to strengthen cooperation between Jews and Muslims, I was moved by her involvement in Muslim-Jewish coalition-building efforts." —Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and coauthor with Imam Shamsi Ali of Sons of Abraham

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Book SynopsisIn this stirring memoir by a member of the first generation of LGBTQ+ activists in Italy, Porpora Marcasciano tells her story and shares the struggles and accomplishments of her fellow activists who achieved so much in the 1970s yet suffered devastating losses during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. AntoloGaia offers an insider’s look at the beginnings of the gay liberation movement in Italy and reveals how it was intimately intertwined with other forms of left-wing activism. At the same time, it powerfully conveys the queer joy of a young person from a small village first encountering the vibrant sexual minority communities of Naples, Bologna, and Rome. As Marcasciano starts to embrace her trans identity, she meets the famous anthropologist Pino Simonelli, who introduces her to Naples’s unique femminielli subculture and gives her the name Porporino, which she later shortens to Porpora. In keeping with this story of gender, sexual, and political discovery, AntoloGaia is the first piece of Italian life-writing to use gender-neutral and mixed-gender language. Trade Review"Porpora Marcasciano says of this electrifying memoir that, if she could, she would have written it in verse to better capture the wild anarchic energy of the world that fueled her activism. No need. Her life story is poetry enough. What a gift to English speakers for her story to find us now, when we need the inspiration of as much wild anarchic energy as possible." -- Susan Stryker * author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution *"A fascinating look into Italy's radical queer and trans cultures and their fraught relationship with wider left-wing politics, Marcasciano's AntoloGaia is just as much a guide to how to live one's life with courage, conviction, and creativity." -- Juliet Jacques * author of Trans: A Memoir *"This is a book of exploration—of gender, of one’s life, of things one has dared to dream. Like the people we meet, the stories Porpora Marcasciano tells are cradled in a radical trans love, and isn't that one of the best kinds of love? As you read, you too will be cradled and never abandoned." -- Marquis Bey * author of Black Trans Feminism *"This trans memoir by Porpora Marcasciano, someone who felt born into the wrong world, could not come at a better time. Sexual rights for minorities have been on the map since humans have shared their feelings about being in the world, and what a fitting opportunity that a trans story from 1970s Italy has come to light in this beautiful translation." -- Bernadette Wegenstein * coeditor of Radical Equalities and Global Feminist Filmmaking: An Anthology *"Marcasciano's life is a valuable part of trans history, and her account of the queer movement in Italy during the chaotic 1970s is eye-opening." -- Diana Goetsch * author of This Body I Wore: A Memoir *Table of ContentsForeword: "Giving Voice to the Italian Trans Community," Sara Galli and Mohammad Jamali Translator's Note, Francesco Pascuzzi and Sandra Waters Preface to the Italian edition: "The Unbearable Lightness of Gender in History and Biography," Laura Schettini Chapter One Le début (1973–1976) Somewhere in the West Traces of Dreams The Source of Consciousness Coming Out It Happened Trip Other Dimensions Changing the World The Underground Technical Rehearsals of Resistance The Best of Youth Rebel Music Exodus, Displacement, Transition EscapeChapter Two 1977: Dreaming and Utopia And 1977 Exploded! The First Lesbian We Want Everything! Alice in the City, Transversalism, Situationism, Fantasy Strawberries and Blood Between Class and Gender Consciousness Nomadic Tribes The Crush Continuous The Biggest Piazza Was Too Small The Transvestite Cries Out for Revenge in the Presence of the Phallus Porporino La dolce vita Lud With the Faguettes or With the Chavs Being Overwhelmed Flora and Fauna Good Morning, Night The First of May Distress and Self-Awareness Living in a Dream and Not Dreaming about LivingChapter Three Extravagance (1978–1982) Zanza Valentina Sanna Cortese Narciso The Festival of Poets at Castelporziano Capo Rizzuto and Gay Camping Gay Activism and Its First Conference Mario Mieli Royal Family and Self-Defense Techniques Monte Caprino Extravaganza Pisa Desiring Bologna and the Grand Duchy of Pistoia Lesbians and/or Feminists Punk The '80s Began Valerie Theater 1981 and the First Gay New Year Trans Manifesto for 164 Gay Occupations Beaches The CasseroChapter Four Transition, Epic Passage (1983...) Then Night Came! The Gay Plague Blows to the Heart Author Acknowledgments Appendices Timelines Key Words Porpora's Publications Notes on Contributors

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Book SynopsisA riveting, revealing portrait of tennis champion and global icon Serena Williams that combines biography, cultural criticism, and sports writing to offer “a deep, satisfying meditation” (The New York Times) on the most consequential athlete of her time.There has never been an athlete like Serena Williams. She has dominated women’s tennis for two decades, changed the way the game is played, and—by inspiring Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and others—changed, too, the racial makeup of the pro game. But Williams’s influence has not been confined to the tennis court. As a powerful Black woman who struggled to achieve and sustain success, she has emerged as a cultural icon, figuring in conversations about body image, working mothers, and more. Seeing Serena chronicles Williams’s return to tennis after giving birth to her daughter—from her controversial 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka through a 2020 season that unfolded against a backdrop of a pandemic and protests over the killing of Black men and women by the police. Gerald Marzorati, who writes about tennis for The New Yorker, travels to Wimbledon and to Compton, California, where Serena and her sister Venus learned to play. He talks with former women’s tennis greats, sports and cultural commentators—and Serena herself. He observes Williams from courtside, on the red carpet, in fashion magazines, on social media. He sees her and writes about her prismatically—reflecting on her many, many facets. The result is an “enlightening…keen analysis” (The Washington Post) and energetic narrative that illuminates Serena’s singular status as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time and a Black woman with a global presence like no other.Trade Review“Thoughtful. . . . Marzorati has written a deep, satisfying meditation on Serena’s path.” —The New York Times “What would a year spent watch­ing every Serena Williams tennis match yield? A portrait both on and off the court of one of the greatest ath­letes of all time. New Yorker tennis writer Gerald Marzorati’s Seeing Serena captures Williams’ return to tennis follow­ing the birth of her daughter and her influence and presence as a cultural icon.” —Parade, “Books We Love” column "With just enough backstory and supportive interviews, [Marzorati] effectively incorporates relevant history of Williams' previous Grand Slam tournaments while also examining her roles in challenging cultural norms and fighting for gender equality. Marzorati has an easy-to-read style and reveals the complexity of Williams' life, not just as an athlete, but also as a celebrity." —Booklist “Readers who know more about Williams than her tennis career will learn about the game's intricacies while those already familiar with the game will benefit from subtler details.” —Kirkus Reviews "The level of this analysis is quite impressive.” —Library Journal "Well written. . . . This is a solidly reported book." —Publishers Weekly“Seeing Serena is a masterful, multifocal portrait of an icon at the height of her power. But it is more than that. It illuminates, and complicates, not only Williams, but also those who watch her.” —Louisa Thomas, author of Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams

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Book SynopsisFrom one of rap’s most personal and evocative writers comes a stirring memoir about how Boosie Badazz, one of the industry’s most controversial figures, was able to overcome insurmountable odds to make his music dreams a reality.A Baton Rouge native who began rapping at age fourteen, Boosie Badazz was already a cult hero in Louisiana when, in 2009, he was sentenced to two years in prison. The next year, he was indicted on even more serious charges, eventually landing him on Death Row. Prosecutors played Boosie’s music in the courtroom in an attempt to paint him as a thug with no chance of redemption. However, against overwhelming odds and the backdrop of a social media campaign to #FreeBoosie, he was freed in March of 2014 with a rare second chance to make his music dreams come true. In this evocative and compelling memoir, Boosie explores the relationship between his life on the streets with his ceaseless tear through the rap industry. From near-death experiences to a ruthless bout with kidney cancer to a life-threatening diabetes diagnosis, Boosie has overcome remarkable challenges to make a name for himself as one of rap’s most influential voices. A redemptive story with an urgent voice, Cross the Tracks is the survival tale of a man who wasn’t sure he would live to see another day...but who rose from the ashes to change the rap industry forever.Trade Review "Boosie is official as a referee’s whistle and so is his masterpiece of a book.” –Snoop Dogg "As someone who has spent countless hours interviewing Boosie, I was amazed at how much I learned about him from reading this book. This is a truly personal look into the mind and heart of not only a rapper, but a father, a friend, and a man. A truly great read."—DJ Vlad, CEO, VladTV “Boosie’s book is as real as the legend himself. You have to read it to believe it.”—Webbie

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Book SynopsisAward-winning actor, rapper, and producer Ice-T unveils a compelling memoir of his early life robbing jewelry stores until he found fame and fortune—while a handful of bad choices sent his former crime partner down an incredibly different path. Ice-T rose to fame in the late 1980s, earning acclaim for his music before going on to enthrall television audiences as Odafin “Fin” Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But it could have gone much differently. In this “poignant and powerful” (Library Journal, starred review) memoir, Ice-T and Spike, his former crime partner—collaborating with New York Times bestselling author Douglas Century—relate the shocking stories of their shared pasts, and how just a handful of decisions led to their incredibly different lives. Both grew up in violent, gang-controlled Los Angeles neighborhoods and worked together to orchestrate a series of jewelry heists. But while Ice-T was discovered rapping in a club and got his first record deal, Spike was caught for a jewelry robbery and did three years in prison. As his music career began to take off, Ice made the decision to abandon the criminal life; Spike continued to plan increasingly ingenious and risky jewel heists. And in 1992, after one of Spike’s robberies ended tragically, he was sentenced to thirty-five years to life. While he sat behind bars, he watched his former partner rise to fame in music, movies, and television. “Propulsive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), timely, and thoughtful, two men with two very different lives reveal how their paths might have very well been reversed if they made different choices. All it took was a split decision.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisBe transported to a realm of magical kingdoms, mysterious beings and mythical lands.Japanese Folktales is the most complete collection of Japanese stories in English. It introduces readers to the enchanting world of ghouls, goblins, ogres, sea kings, magical birds, dragons and of course, Momotaro, the lovable Peach Boy.Japanese folklore is richly imaginative and the 22 classic stories presented here are some of the most popular tales ever told, including: The story of goldfish dancers and carp musicians who entertain a brave warrior The tale of a lonely girl whose life is changed by a shining disc left by her mother The explanation of how the jellyfish lost its bones The adventures of a boy born from a peach that washes up on a riverbank These well-loved folktales are sure to delight readers young and old, while introducing them to vivid world of Japanese myths and legends.Trade Review"Drawn from many Japanese sources and enhanced with dozens of woodcut-style drawings by Tokyo artist Kakuz Fujiyama, the stories succeed in meeting Ozaki's intention "to interest young readers of the West." Most intriguing is Fraser's encouragement of a more critical reading, with an eye toward imperialist expansion, indigenous conflict, and gender inequity, issues as prevalent today as in centuries past." --Booklist

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Book Synopsis'Street photography burst into colour through the pioneering work of Joel Meyerowitz. ... a new book charts his sixty-year career from the bustling 1960s new York scenes that made his name to the experiments in landscape photography...' The Telegraph 'From observing life – from the “very expensive business suits” to the “messengers” – he built a picture of the US that offers an answer.' - Financial Times 'The Pleasure of Seeing celebrates his life and work ... as well as his extraordinary work around Ground Zero post-9/11.' - i-paper '... has some amazing tales to tell, but the pictures themselves tell their stories equally powerfully.' - Collagerie 'Like his photographs, Joel Meyerowitz’s reveries are perfectly composed, multilayered reflections of the world we live in. Complex yet accessible, they meet you where you are – as does Meyerowitz when he looks back at his journey to become one of the most influential contemporary artists of our time.' - Huck Joel Meyerowitz is one of the pioneers of color photography, as well as an essential reference figure for street photography, large-format photography, and portraits. The Pleasure of Seeing is his first biography, the book offers a look behind the scenes of the life and career of one of America’s photographic living legends. In conversation with historian and photographer Lorenzo Braca, Meyerowitz speaks vividly about his beginnings, studying art history, meeting Robert Frank, photographing on the streets of New York City with Tony Ray-Jones and Garry Winogrand, traveling extensively across America and Europe, learning from John Szarkowski, director of photography at MoMA, working on numerous exhibitions and publications, photographing at Ground Zero in 2001 and 2002, and about the most recent still lifes and self-portraits projects. The book contains over one hundred pictures, including Joel’s most iconic photographs as well as new and previously unpublished material. This comprehensive visual biography testifies to the author’s continuing evolution throughout the six decades of his career and discusses his work in relation to his personal life, to the history of photography, and to the incessant transformation of the medium. Meyerowitz reveals anecdotes, personal memories, and the story behind many of his famous photographs.

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