Memoirs Books

Book SynopsisIn the global theatre of contemporary warfare, courage and endurance are crucial for overcoming adversity. However, for Caroline Paige, a jet and helicopter navigator in the Royal Air Force, adversity was a common companion both on and off the field of battle.In 1999, Paige became the first ever openly serving transgender officer in the British military. Already a highly respected aviator, she rose against the extraordinary challenges placed before her to remain on the front line in the war on terror, serving a further sixteen years and flying battlefield helicopters in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.Detailing the emotional complexities of her transition, Paige reveals the external threats she faced in warzones around the world and the internal conflict she suffered while fighting prejudice at home. The result is a story of secrecy and vulnerability, of fear and courage, of challenge and hope.Criss-crossing battle lines both foreign and domestic, True Colours is the unflinchingly honest and inspirational account of one woman's venerable military career and the monumental struggle she overcame while grappling with gender identity on the quest for acceptance.

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Book SynopsisForged during the Second World War, the close and abiding friendship of Robert Harling and Ian Fleming, one of the twentieth century's most iconic authors, would go on to define the lives and literature of both men significantly. Their paths first crossed in 1939, and Harling later became Fleming's deputy in the commando unit dubbed `Fleming's Secret Navy', which was tasked with obtaining equipment, codebooks and intelligence from the enemy. The war made fast friends of the two writers, and Fleming would go on to immortalise Harling in his hugely popular Bond novels Thunderball and The Spy Who Loved Me. Yet beneath the pair's charm, charisma and creativity was an altogether darker reality. Documenting in vivid detail his private exchanges with Fleming, Harling exposes the personality behind his protagonist - one tempered by debilitating bouts of depression and a deep-rooted distrust of women. This extraordinary memoir provides a fascinating and unprecedented insight into the mind of the creator of James Bond - from one of those who knew him best.

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Book SynopsisThe life of a criminal defence lawyer is shrouded in mystery. Outsiders might wonder about how to deal with potentially dangerous clients; what happens behind the scenes when building a defence; and, that age-old moral dilemma, how a lawyer can defend someone they think is guilty. But what is life really like for those tasked with representing the shadowy underbelly of society? For over forty years, criminal defence solicitor Henry Milner has been the go-to lawyer for some of Britain's most notorious criminals - including Kenneth Noye and the Brink's-Mat robbers, Freddie Foreman, John 'Goldfinger' Palmer and the gang behind the Millennium Dome raid. Here, the lawyer referred to in the Sunday Times as 'The Mr Big of Criminal Briefs' offers a fascinating insight into life at the top of the profession, lifting the lid on the psychology of those who end up on the wrong side of the law - and those who defend them. By turns shocking and hilarious, this remarkable memoir takes us deep into the enigmatic criminal underworld, delivering a wry personal commentary on the most extraordinary aspects of a life spent amongst the accused.Trade Review"In more than forty years at the top of his game as a criminal defence lawyer, Henry Milner has been on speed dial for many of Britain's most notorious alleged villains. Sometimes serious, sometimes very funny but never, ever dull, No Lawyers in Heaven offers a sharply observed insight into his most gripping cases, from murder to money heisting, drug trafficking and beyond." - Martin Brunt, Sky News crime correspondent "Henry Milner's colourful account of a career over decades as a criminal defence solicitor evokes a bygone era of the criminal justice system. In a highly readable style with plenty of wry self-deprecating humour, Milner gives a compelling insight into a life defending some of the big-league criminal names. A must-read." - Frances Gibb, former legal editor, The Times “A fascinating read and brilliantly written.” Clare Montgomery QC

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Book SynopsisDuring a career spanning four decades John has been the behind-the-scenes mastermind ensuring the welfare and maintenance of Richmond Park's world-famous herd of deer - widely thought of as the finest herd in captivity. Working with these fabled creatures has demanded balancing their needs with the very real, and often fatal, dangers the park's visitors pose to his herd, and John pulls no punches when it comes to his opinion on the deer's place in the scheme of things, the human 'invaders' and the collision of their two worlds. A remarkable diary chronicling the final year of John's charmed life as the guardian of Richmond Park, this memoir tells of the unique demands of each new season, and of the enormous wrench he will feel upon no longer waking up in the midst of so much unchanged and wild beauty. Park Life is a treasure trove of stories and memories, some poignant and moving, others offbeat and hilarious: from the quirk of fate and farcical interview that led to him getting the job, to living in close-quarters with the deer, the tragedy of putting down fatally wounded animals, and the annual ritual of the rut - as dependable as the rising and setting of the sun.

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Book SynopsisThe Never Ending Life is an exploration of the twist between the brutal realities of life along with the fictitious happy ever afters that we all long for. A real story about all the different ingredients that when mixed together create the unique blend which is what we call…life. Each chapter in this book is one that we go through at the different stages and stops in our journey. Each chapter in our lives adds to our story and contributes towards the individual we turn into. Each story explores the powerful emotions that human beings have the ability to experience and analyses them in a way that touches the heart and brain.

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Book SynopsisSome golf short story fiction, enhanced with the author's fifty years' experience of golf clubs, golf books, memorabilia and his varied playing partners. Including over 100 illustrations, some of which are original artwork.

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Book SynopsisIn the wake of Texas enacting a bill to deny abortions after 6 weeks, Loved and Wanted shines a light on motherhood and the right to choose. For readers of Educated and Hillbilly Elegy.In 2017, after becoming unexpectedly pregnant, Christa Parravani requested a termination. With two children already to care for and a history of ectopic pregnancies, she was worried she would not be able to find adequate medical care.However, when she asked for help, her doctor refused. The only doctor who would perform an abortion made it clear that this would be illicit, not condoned by her colleagues or their community.In exploring her own choice, or rather in discovering her lack of it, Christa reveals the desperate state of female healthcare in contemporary America, and examines her own reckoning with life, death and choice.Trade Review'The writing is stunningly good' - The Bookseller'A brutally honest, rollercoaster of a journey that left me championing her bravery.' - Esther Freud'Christa's writing is fearless and beautiful. Loved and Wanted is about women's reproductive freedoms, and lack of them, but it's also a book about motherhood, identity, marriage, home and belonging. Extraordinary, incredibly powerful, and breathtakingly honest.' - Clover Stroud

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Book Synopsis'Insightful, wise and life-affirming' Observer'Turns death into life, despair into hope, sorrow into joy' Stephen FryIn Radical Acts of Love, Janie Brown, oncology nurse and counsellor, offers a sensitive and wise insight into our final moments by recounting twenty conversations she has had with people who were dying.Trade ReviewJanie Brown demonstrates the power of a book to transform, in fact to turn things upside down. She turns death into life, despair into hope, sorrow into joy and pain into love with these twenty astonishing encounters with the dying . . . Unforgettably wise, kind and wonderful -- STEPHEN FRYA book about love as much as it is about death . . . This is a glorious book that I would not hesitate to give to anyone facing an unwelcome diagnosis or prognosis of their own or of a loved one. It is kind and practical. . I learned so much and feel glad that it exists and convinced that many people will be helped by Brown's generous sharing of more than 30 years' experience of working with the dying -- CATHY RENTZENBRINK * * The Times * *Brown is a deeply compassionate and sensitive interlocutor and these accounts brim with humanity . . . Insightful, wise and life-affirming, Brown's book teaches us that sharing someone's final weeks is perhaps the most radical act of love we can offer * * Observer * *Compassionate, sensitive and heart-warming tales of the one thing in life that's certain -- PROFESSOR STEPHEN WESTABY * * Sunday Times bestselling author of Fragile Lives * *For a book that concerns itself with so many ways of coming to terms with death, this remarkable book is hugely life-affirming. It makes you think not just of how you might want to approach death, but of how you might want to live. These conversations from the heart of dying are bold, gracious, often witty and full of love. They accompany you in the dark. Then they let the light in -- JACKIE KAYBrown's writing can be elegant and powerful . . . The book reframes what it means to heal, which we usually associate with recovery and, therefore, the continuation of life * * Guardian * *Remarkable . . . Everyone ought to read this book, because we are all going to die, and this book will help us to do it with grace and courage. More than that: it will help us help our loved ones to die without fear or regret. What greater gift than that can a book bestow on the reader? -- RICHARD HOLLOWAYThere is no one on earth who cannot benefit from reading this book. The insights, perspectives and wisdom in Radical Acts of Love can transform our approach to the end of life from fear to a sense of adventure -- RACHEL NAOMI REMEN * * author of Kitchen Table Wisdom * *The most surprising and beautiful travel guide to a journey we will all have to make. Janie Brown has accompanied many great souls through their final days on Earth, and what she has learned she offers us now in this exquisite book about life -- CHRIS CLEAVEThis book is itself a radical act of love . . . Reading the stories of these humans, compassionate, ordinary and profound, will help you be with the dying, and to be with yourself amidst the dying. Like the best books of every genre, this one is wrought with beauty, great care and attention, and can teach us all how not to look away -- PAM HOUSTON * * author of Deep Creek * *

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Book Synopsis"A vibrant, inspiring celebration of fashion, family and passion. I love this colourful celebration of all things shoes." – Fearne Cotton"I really enjoyed the personal insights into what makes Sophia so unique and wonderful. A brilliantly bold, colourful delight, just like Sophia's shoes" – Alesha Dixon"Beautiful and motivational. A rare insight into what it's like to walk in Sophia's heels and build an empire in the fashion world." – Laura Whitmore Artist. Entrepreneur. Mum. Bosslady. Leading British shoe designer Sophia Webster is known for her sense of fun, playful and feminine touches – but less well known is the story behind the shoes, and how Sophia juggled a fledgling business with a young family, turning her love of drawing into a renowned brand. Charting her early days as a young creative, through her inspirations (from the Spice Girls to Grayson Perry) and on to how her designs are brought to life, Oh My Gosh, I Love Your Shoes! shines a spotlight on Sophia’s boundless imagination and enthusiasm for her craft. Sophia reflects on how her early life experiences set her up to face the challenges of establishing a fashion brand and the benefits of quick thinking and infinite determination when navigating the daily trials of business ownership. Her story is told through 365 sketches of her favourite designs, each evoking their own memories of this fascinating and colourful journey. Celebrating a decade of head-turning heels, Oh My Gosh, I Love Your Shoes! is an inspiring, uplifting showcase of Sophia’s remarkable shoes, inspiration and expertise. Gathering together the stories and learnings behind Sophia’s most cherished designs, it’s also a celebration of the many famous feet who have worn Sophia’s shoes on red carpets all over the world – from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani and Michelle Obama. Trade ReviewA vibrant, inspiring celebration of fashion, family and passion. I love this colourful celebration of all things shoes. * Fearne Cotton *I really enjoyed the personal insights into what makes Sophia so unique and wonderful. A brilliantly bold, colourful delight, just like Sophia’s shoes! * Alesha Dixon *Beautiful and motivational. A rare insight into what it’s like to walk in Sophia’s heels and build an empire in the fashion world. * Laura Whitmore *Each shoe tells a unique story. * Jenna Lyons *A Sophia Webster girl doesn’t just follow trends, she sets them. Sophia’s shoes always give off that ‘it girl’ energy, where you never have to apologize for looking and feeling good. * Christine Quinn *I love, and have always loved, Sophia’s designs, she’s a British fashion icon! I’ve worn her shoes on carpets for as long as I can remember – Sophia Websters are a shoe for every girl, for every occasion. Congratulations on the release of your book, Sophia – it’s been so incredible to watch the brand grow! * Maya Jama *Sophia’s designs are so special, you work your outfit around them! * Emma Bunton *Sophia is my fave shoe designer! Her eye-popping shoes and gorgeous bags always demand attention. * Sir Grayson Perry *Sophia’s shoes are art for your feet * Law Roach *I love shoes that make you smile, and Sophia’s shoes are the epitome of that. * Patrick Cox *"Through gorgeous colorful photos and sweet stories, Webster walks through her life in this beautiful coffee table book that any shoe-lover would adore." * People Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'A powerful, beautiful book. Its fierce love - of the land, the ocean, the elders and the ancestors - warms the heart and moves the spirit.' - Alice Walker, author of The Color PurplePart memoir, part manifesto, Chamorro climate activist Julian Aguon's No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies is a coming-of-age story and a call for justice-for everyone, but in particular, for Indigenous peoples.Aguon beautifully weaves together stories from his childhood in the villages of Guam with searing political commentary about matters ranging from nuclear weapons to global warming. Bearing witness and reckoning with the challenges of truth-telling in an era of rampant obfuscation, he culls from his own life experiences to illuminate a collective path out of the darkness.A powerful and bold new voice writing at the intersection of Indigenous rights and environmental justice, Aguon is entrenched in the struggles of the people of the Pacific who are fighting to liberate themselves from colonial rule, defend their sacred sites and obtain justice for generations of harm.In No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies, Aguon shares his wisdom and reflections on love, grief, joy and triumph, and extends an offer to join him in a hard-earned hope for a better world.Trade ReviewA powerful, beautiful book. Its fierce love - of the land, the ocean, the elders and the ancestors - warms the heart and moves the spirit. -- Alice Walker, author of THE COLOR PURPLEJulian Aguon speaks to the soul. His words - gentle, fierce, luminous and haunting - urge us to look deeper. To be kind, to be human. To cherish the earth. I am in love! -- Isabella Tree, author of WILDINGThe shortest BIG book I've ever read...strong and luminous as a needed beacon in a fog of disinformation and dismay, Julian Aguon with this small book emerges already a giant. -- Tommy Orange, author of THERE THERENo Country For Eight-Spot Butterflies broke my heart into anger and remade it into hope. Full of a fierce empathy, it is a brilliant, incandescent book. Julian Aguon shows us how love and beauty might guide us into a better, more equitable world. -- Seán HewittA breathtaking book and I mean it - this book took my breath away. No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies is so alive with passion, wisdom and heart, you can almost feel its pulse. -- Junot Díaz, author of THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAOIt had me in its embrace like the oldest and dearest of friends... Overflowing with warmth and wisdom and defying all categorisation, No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies is philosophy, poetry, memoir, history and self-help for humanity. With bottomless love for his people and place, Aguon guides us through a portal to the Pacific, sharing deep insights earned from life on the existential knife's edge.' -- Naomi Klein, author of THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING and NO LOGONo Country For Eight-Spot Butterflies... is uncategorisable - part memoir, part manifesto, part poetry and entirely beautiful... This is a book of passion and possibility, and unlike anything else I've read on our shared world and future. * Geographical *

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Book SynopsisThis is a dark, raw and uncompromising tale of the human condition in extremis, drawing on the many lives of Ben Timberlake: as an archaeologist, Special Forces soldier, combat medic and drug addict. Starting with Ben's first near-death experience--in a Nazi-themed bar in wartime Yugoslavia--High Risk is a whirlwind tour of everything from service in the SAS, combat in Iraq, and encounters with a gambling-obsessed 9/11 hijacker, to veterans blissed out on MDMA, hook-ups in the world of extreme sex, and battling a heroin habit on a remote Scottish island. Ben pursued the rush, and the chase often took him over the edge. Instead of asking why, he asked, why not? Blending confessional narrative, classic reportage and acerbic humour, this memoir takes a gonzo look at terrorists, junkies, soldiers and strippers, through the tale of one extraordinary life.Trade Review'[Timberlake’s] powers as both observer and writer make the journey utterly compelling. … It’s rare to find a book like this where the writing is just as exhilarating as the thrills. It is dark, visceral, clever and very funny. Boy’s Own with brains.' -- Justin Marozzi, The Sunday Times

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Book Synopsis· ADAPTED AS A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE BY SPIKE LEE· NOMINATED FOR SIX 2019 ACADEMY AWARDS & WINNER OF 'BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY' BAFTA· WINNER OF THE GRAND PRIX AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2018· NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWhat happens when a black detective goes undercover in the KKK? An extraordinary true story.In 1978, Ron Stallworth is the first black detective in the history of the Colorado Springs Police Department. In the local paper, he finds a classified ad for the Ku Klux Klan - and a P.O. box for interested enquiries.All he's expecting are some racist brochures and a few scraps of information about the white nationalist terrorists in his community.What he gets is a phone call inviting him to join the KKK.So he does.Launching an undercover investigation of incredible audacity, Ron recruits his partner Chuck to play the 'white' Ron Stallworth, while Stallworth himself talks to the Klan over the phone. During his months-long investigation, Stallworth sabotages cross burnings, exposes white supremacists in the military, and even manages to deceive the KKK "Grand Wizard" David Duke himself - dodging danger and reprisal at every turn...Black Klansman is an amazing true story and a rollercoaster of a crime thriller; a searing and timely portrait of a divided America and the extraordinary heroes who dare to fight back.___________________'Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.' - Robert Kennedy___________________‘Remarkable… Stallworth tells a surprising story’ – Daily ExpressTrade ReviewRemarkable... Stallworth tells a surprising story * Daily Express *Hugely entertaining * Independent, on BlacKkKlansman *Twistedly funny * Dazed, on BlacKkKlansman *Completely brilliant -- James Corden, on BlacKkKlansmanSo wild you can barely believe it ... both hilarious and exquisitely direct * TIME, on BlacKkKlansman *

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Book Synopsis'My favourite person on the politics of parenthood' Pandora Sykes'Exhilarating, infuriating, urgent and human' Daisy Buchanan'A blazing, brilliant read ... compassionate, convincing, funny!' Amy Liptrot'Honest, unflinching and necessary' Sara Pascoe'Funny and brisk ... urgent and incisive' Rob Delaney'A timely and important book' Clover StroudIt's time to share the motherload.A memoir culminating in a manifesto, Holding the Baby sets out to understand why we still treat early parenthood as an individual slog rather than a shared cultural responsibility. Tracing her own journey to the nadir of sleeplessness via social retreat and murderous rage, Frizzell draws on the latest research to explore:- What effect does parenting have on your career?- How can we make childcare affordable and fit for purpose?- If parenting is so hard, why does anyone ever do it more than once?Funny, reassuring and radically ambitious, Holding the Baby sheds light on the ways in which we fail new parents, and offers a rallying crying that we fight for a better alternative.Trade Review'Makes excellent, radical sense' * The Times *'My favourite person on the politics of parenthood. Read it and feel comforted, cheered and galvanized (even when your brain and body are melting).' -- Pandora Sykes'Exhilarating, infuriating, urgent and human ... an excellent journalistic investigation. I think this book is required reading for the child free, as it will help us to understand and support the choices of all parents.' -- Daisy Buchanan'A blazing, brilliant read, combining style and message to powerful effect ... compassionate, convincing and funny.' -- Amy Liptrot'Honest, unflinching and necessary - alleviates parental guilt and might even encourage you to forgive your own!' -- Sara Pascoe'Holding the Baby is the sanest, most gorgeous thing on capitalism's poisonous effect on parenthood I've ever read. I was hooting and hollering by the manifesto at the end. Because it's Nell Frizzell it's funny and brisk and also because it's Nell Frizzell it's urgent and incisive. It opens your eyes to a vastly healthier and utterly beautiful way to support babies (and people who used to be babies.) I'm grateful for this book.' -- Rob Delaney'I love Nell Frizzell's writing and I love her spirit. I devoured Holding the Baby, especially the way it combined the colour of a memoir with the intent of a manifesto. Nell has such an original, forceful and also, crucially, very funny take on parenthood in general and motherhood specifically. This is a timely and important book.' -- Clover Stroud

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Book Synopsis'I am Rosie. I have BPD. I am not an attention-seeker, manipulative, dangerous, hopeless, unlovable, 'broken', 'difficult to reach' or 'unwilling to engage'. I am caring, creative, courageous, determined, full of life and love.'Talking About BPD is a positive, stigma-free guide to life with borderline personality disorder (BPD) from award-winning blogger Rosie Cappuccino.Addressing what BPD is, the journey to diagnosis and available treatments, Rosie offers advice on life with BPD and shares practical tips and DBT-based techniques for coping day to day. Topics such as how to talk about BPD to those around you, managing relationships and self-harm are also explored. Throughout, Rosie shares her own experiences and works to dispel stigma and challenge the stereotypes often associated with the disorder.This much-needed, hopeful guide will offer support, understanding, validation and empowerment for all living with BPD, as well as those who support them.Trade ReviewI am grateful for Rosie Cappuccino's 'Talking about BPD,' as I finally have an authentic, stigma-free book to recommend to my DBT clients. A mix of personal experience, research-based information, and skill-building material makes this a must-read for those with BPD plus their loved ones and providers. * Alicia Paz, M.A Owner of Online DBT Skills *Rosie is a strong and compassionate advocate for individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I'm forever thankful for her encouraging message of hope and recovery. As a DBT therapist, this is a book I can strongly recommend to my clients and their families. -- Amanda L. Smith, LCSW, Treatment Consultant for Borderline Personality Disorder and Self Injury and author of The Borderline Personality Disorder Wellness Planner for FamiliesI thoroughly enjoyed reading Talking About BPD. Anyone who reads the book with an open mind - patient, provider, family member or friend, will likely not think about BPD in the same way as they did before. [A] remarkable and much needed contribution. -- Kevin Dawkins, Executive Producer, BPDVideo.comThis book brings to life, and provides an invaluable insight into, the experiences of the stigma that is encountered when living with Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as approaches for managing BPD. -- Professor John Baker, University of Leeds, Chair of Mental Health NursingThis is a great book, written by someone who used to struggle to manage their intense emotions, distressing thoughts, impulsive urges, relationship anxieties and overwhelming fears of abandonment, which often left them suicidal. Rosie pays attention to the stigma that surrounds a diagnosis of BPD and how to talk about it in a more self-empowering way. - Human Givens Journal

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Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION* 'Extraordinary' Kate Mosse 'Electric' Lemn Sissay 'Searing' Julia Samuel One Omaha winter day in 1978, when Debora Harding was just fourteen, she was abducted at knife-point, thrown into a van, assaulted, held for ransom, and left to die. But what if this wasn't the most traumatic, defining event in her childhood? Undertaking a radical project, Debora Harding dexterously shifts between the past and present to unravel her story. From the immediate aftermath to the possibility of restorative justice twenty years later, Dancing with the Octopus lays bare the social and political forces that act upon us after the experience of serious crime. A vivid, sly and intimate portrait of one family's disintegration, this is a darkly humorous and ground-breaking narrative of reckoning and recovery.Trade ReviewA searing literary work that will help many of us see trauma in a different light. In strong and powerful prose Debora Harding shows us what it means to move forward through grief. -- Julia Samuel, author of * This Too Shall Pass *Dancing with the Octopus is a brave and authentic picture of the tailwinds of trauma, the limits of human forgiveness and what it takes to maintain hope in a world bent on breaking us. Highly readable, and deeply moving. -- Rachel Louise Snyder, award-winning author of * No Visible Bruises *A gripping account of one woman's confrontation with the terror and heartbreak of her past. Harding combines true crime and family saga to illustrate the aftershocks of trauma, and the courage, tenderness, and humor that recovery requires. -- Melissa Febos, author of * Abandon Me *Debora Harding writes with a stunningly original mixture of insight, wit, and humanity about a life packed with so much drama, loss and resilience that you can't believe its not an epic work of fiction. -- Kate Weinberg, author of * The Truants *Extraordinary, so powerful and like nothing I've read. Astonishing book. It deserves to be the most massive hit. -- Kate MosseI have just finished reading Dancing with the Octopus... You are lucky! The electricity of this true crime memoir awaits you. -- Lemn Sissay (via Twitter)Debora Harding's book is a beautiful and exacting monument to resilience and recovery -- Jessamy Calkin * Daily Telegraph *It's as gripping as any thriller and as moving as any novel you're ever likely to read. -- Paul Chahidi (via Twitter)Incredible ... a memoir like few others ... seek it out -- Jane Garvey * Woman's Hour *Darkly humorous . . . Harding draws a complex web of interlinked experiences to show how suffering can set up shop for good in a family and a town * CrimeReads - Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020 *Gripping ... written with such a light touch that you are drawn in straight away from the moment you open it -- Jeremy Vine * BBC Radio 2 *A sharp, compelling recollection of abuse, gaslighting, and the process of trauma... Ultimately, Dancing with the Octopus is a book about telling and the power of retelling-an act carried out with wit, grace, and humour by an author of her own narrative truth * Cambridge Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisA Spectator Book of the Year An Observer, New Statesman, Financial Times, Irish Times and Scotsman 2021 Non-Fiction Highlight 'Compassionate, beautifully written .. will only grow in importance and interest as the years go by' Jenny Colgan, Spectator 'Searing yet beautiful ... less a hot take that an astute manifesto for what matters most in life, as well as in medicine.' Rachel Clarke, author of Breathtaking: Inside the NHS in a Time of Pandemic and Your Life in My Hands 'Well written, often entertaining and occasionally deeply moving; an unmissable account of a year we will all try too hard to forget.' The Times 'Inspiring. I can't recommend it too strongly. You will learn a lot from it, and you will find much more that is encouraging.' Allan Massie, Scotsman Intensive Care is about how coronavirus emerged, spread across the world and changed all of our lives forever. But it's not, perhaps, the story you expect. Gavin Francis is a GP who works in both urban and rural communities, splitting his time between Edinburgh and the islands of Orkney. When the pandemic arrived in our society he saw how it affected every walk of life: the anxious teenager, the isolated care home resident, the struggling furloughed worker and homeless ex-prisoner, all united by their vulnerability in the face of a global disaster. And he saw how the true cost of the virus was measured not just in infections, or deaths, or ITU beds, but in the consequences of the measures taken against it. In this deeply personal account of eighteen months spent caring for a society in crisis, Francis will take you from rural village streets to local clinics and communal city stairways. And in telling this story, he reveals others: of loneliness and hope, illness and recovery, and of what we can achieve when we care for each other.Trade ReviewSuperb ... makes clear that the revelation of this plague has been twofold: our hubris has been shattered, yet there remains a staggering human capacity for bravery, courage and endurance. Francis witnesses it daily in the kingdom of the sick. From it, he takes heart, and urges us to do the same. -- Madeleine Bunting * Guardian *Inspiring. I can't recommend it too strongly. You will learn a lot from it, and you will find much more that is encouraging. -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *One of the most absorbing books - of any type - that I've had the pleasure to read ... Although this is the story of a very dark time, it is full of warmth and decency. It is a book to be savoured. Beautiful things can emerge from desperate times; this book is one of those things. * Irish Times *An unmissable account of a year we will try too hard to forget -- Kate Saunders * The Times *A public service ... compelling * New Statesman *I admire Intensive Care very much - the way it rises to the challenge of writing-to-the-moment, the way it manages compassion without sentimentality, & shows a constant commitment to social justice without piety. Its message is oddly reassuring too - as if we will eventually make sense of this pandemic. -- Sarah Moss, author of Ghost Wall and SummerwaterA rich seam of insights and empathy runs through [all his books]: Francis' interest in and affection for his fellow human beings seem inexhaustible. Now comes Francis' new book, Intensive Care: A GP, a Community & COVID-19, a searing yet beautiful "eyewitness account of the most intense months I have known in my twenty-year career". ... It is now that Francis' writing comes into its own. With understated eloquence, he depicts the ravages of lockdown for the community he serves. ... Francis deals words with devastating potency. Swiftly, calmly he diagnoses a central cruelty of this pandemic: "That the virus spreads through speech and touch was one of its harshest twists, attacking the most basic elements of our humanity-how we connect, empathise and show love". Ultimately, Intensive Care is less a hot take than an astute manifesto for what matters most in life, as well as in medicine. Reciprocity, selflessness, compassion, and tenderness are what motivate Francis. He ends with the heartfelt hope that, despite everything the pandemic has and will continue to cost us: "the core of medicine-the clinical encounter with its alliance of science, kindness and intensive care-[will] endure. -- Rachel Clarke, author of Breathtaking: Inside the NHS in a Time of Pandemic and Your Life in My Hands * Lancet *Rich in compassion, patience and humanity. Early in the pandemic Francis read two books with plague themes, Boccaccio's Decameron and Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year. His own effort matches them...This is a short book, written in terse sentences with strong and immediate impact. It is intended to raise the human spirit as well as our understanding of health workers, shelf-stackers and the rest of us. * Oldie *Intensive Care is one doctor's beautifully written, easily read account of 2020, the year of Covid-19. It reveals the sheer intensity of what the pandemic has been like for workers in the health and care sectors. The stories it contains constantly remind the reader of the easily-forgotten fact that this whole extraordinary experience has been about people, both as individuals and as members of families, communities and workplaces, and how they survive or are enabled to survive - or not. Rich in detail, conscious of the long historical context of pandemics, Gavin Francis's book does not shy away from pain and despair but it is, ultimately, both humane and hopeful. The passages about the issue of homelessness, in particular, tell how apparently intractable issues can be solved when the will is there and the right people are involved. We may well need to be reminded of this, too, in the coming months and years. A great read and an important record of our times. -- James Robertson, author of the Booker-Longlisted The Testament of Gideon MackIntensive Care is a marvellous book, superb... absolutely the best account I've seen of the realities of living through last year. I loved it. -- Iona Heath, writer and former President of the Royal College of GPsA wise, literate man whose compassion is grounded in realism * Tablet *Insightful ... compelling -- Charlotte Heathcote * Daily Mirror *Compassionate, beautifully written ... will only grow in importance and interest as the years go by -- Jenny Colgan * Spectator Books of the Year *

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Book Synopsis6th September, 1942: a middle-aged Jewish refugee stands on the Swiss side of the Franco-Swiss border above Geneva. He has been living in Switzerland since he fled Vienna in November 1938, as the Nazi persecution of the city’s Jewish population intensified. He is now waiting for the arrival of the wife he has not seen for nearly four years. Against all odds he has managed to get an entry permit for her to join him in Switzerland. She appears on the French side. They see each other. Call out. She begins to cross the few yards of no-mans-land that separate them. An official calls her back. She hesitates, turns, goes back - and is lost forever. This book tells the story of the wartime journey of Toni Schiff, as she ventured across Europe to the this fateful near-meeting at the Franco-Swiss border – and what happened next. Based on the extensive research of her daughter, Kindertransportee Hilda Schiff, and told by Sheila Rosenberg, who shared much of the later research and many of the research journeys, this book sheds light on the lives of one family – caught up in, and ultimately separated by, the tragic and tumultuous events of World War II.Trade ReviewThis is a well-researched and often heartrending book, illustrated with poignant poetry. It draws from Hilda’s own recollections and extensive investigations as well as on historical research by others. It is strong in human interest and painstakingly put together with helpful headings to make reading easier. * AJR Journal *Thoughtfully illustrated by precious family photographs ... Hilda and her family have clearly undertaken a great deal of meticulous research ... [This book] should help anyone else researching a typical European Jewish family in terms of where they might need to undertake research to locate vital fragments of information about what happened to their relatives. * Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine *Contains a terrific amount of information and is thoroughly researched ... Informative and touching, and a worthy contribution to Kindertransport and Holocaust literature ... A beautiful book, with many interesting illustrations; a book that raises interesting questions about memoir as a literary form. * Voices Newspaper *Represents a necessary form of intervention that appeals to the responsibility not of future but of current historians and journalists. * Jewish Historical Studies *The Exit Visa is remarkable. It encapsulates the bravery, fear and ultimately impossible choices of Jewish Refugees from Nazism. Through painstaking research, the journeys of the Schiff family are re-created. it is a study especially of mother and daughter: Toni, who comes agonisingly close to safety on the French-Swiss border, but is turned away and deported to her murder at Auschwitz, and Hilda who comes to England on the Kindertransport. This multi-layered account, curated deftly by Sheila Rosenberg, melds history, memory and reflection, most powerfully through Hilda Schiff's poetry of loss and displacement. It raises troubling questions of what happens when human beings are labelled 'illegal' as relevant to the migrant crisis today as it is to understanding the Jewish experience of persecution during the Holocaust. * Professor Tony Kushner, University of Southampton *The Exit Visa tells how the horrors of the Nazis overwhelmed a typical Jewish family – a unique story of survival by some and the capture of one woman on the Swiss German border within sight of her horrified husband. * Lord Alf Dubs, Arrived in the UK in 1939 on a Kindertransport *A moving and often unsettling investigation of alienation and reunification under and after the Nazi regime. Rosenberg has crafted a skillfully embroidered narrative of the Schiff children, Hilda and Gitti, their experiences as Kindertransportee children in England, and their efforts to unravel the mystery of their mother, Toni, who was separated from her husband at the Franco-Swiss border in September 1942. The story roves across cities, memories and conversations, while historians and archives reveal the painful conclusion of Toni's journey in Nazi Europe. The Exit Visa is a vital memoir of longing and loss. * Dr Simone Gigliotti, Senior Lecturer/Reader in Holocaust Studies, Royal Holloway University of London *Table of ContentsPrologue 1. Hilda 2. Vienna: Toni and the family up to February 1939 3. Escape to Belgium 4. Switzerland: The Moses Schiff story 1938-1942. The Swiss via 5. From Antwerp to Annemasse 6. The last journeys: Annemasse to Rivesaltes; Rivesaltes to Drancy 7. The last journeys: Convoy 33 to Auschwitz and Auschwitz Epilogue: 'And the Sun Still Shone'

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Book SynopsisVictory is a life well lived or a day enjoyed.'In this inspiring memoir, Frank recounts his life and experiences as an elite runner, as well as his fourteen-year battle with Parkinson's Disease. He is well aware that Parkinson's will ultimately win, but he is determined to not get ahead of himself, as after all tomorrow is another day.

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Alice celebrates the special moments and the everyday blessings of life. Come sit awhile with Alice Taylor. Take a little time out – to rest, to think, or just to be. Life can race along at a fast pace, sometimes almost stampeding us along with it. What a pity not to slow down and take the time to enjoy little things, or simply doing nothing or chatting with a good friend. Sometimes Alice finds a comfortable place to sit, maybe a low wall, a garden seat or a grassy bank. A place to let the mind calm down and let thoughts drift. With this book she invites you to share the special moments of life.

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Book SynopsisI’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m hanging upside down in a circus hoop suspended from the beams of a redundant church in Sheffield. I’m not very far from the floor, but the way I feel I may as well be. What am I scared of? Fear just is. It’s there in the muscle memory… Now, knees gripping the metal hoop I let go with my hands and see the world upside down. Upside Down in a Hoop is memoir about loss and letting go. What is it that keeps us going through the tough times? The joy of dancing as a child? The adventures we dare to take as adults? Through fear and holding on, to freedom.

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Book SynopsisRich, powerful and authentic, Some Boys I Knew is the stunning follow-up to Clea Myers' first book of memoirs, Tweaking the Dream.

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Book Synopsis'She's hilarious' - Stylist'A social pioneer' - GlamourYOU ARE THE HERO THAT YOUR STORY NEEDS. I'm Fats/Fatima. I'm a comedian. I make jokes and videos. Sometimes I go on news programmes and tell men with bad tans what life is like for little people. I do this because I am a little person, in case you were wondering. It would be an odd thing to do if I wasn't.My life hasn't always been easy, but through the good and the bad times I've learned a few lessons which have made me fearless - how to be the hero that my story needs. Now, I want to share those lessons with you. So you can be the main character in your life, no matter what your challenges may be.So come on in. My story, like yours, is ready to begin.Love,Fats xTrade Review'A social pioneer' * Glamour *'She's hilarious' * Stylist *

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Book Synopsis"And now David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me is out in the world — perhaps the closest you’ll get to being on tour with Bowie in that era without a time machine and a backstage pass." — InsideHook "His photographic memoir reveals untold stories and nearly 150 candid photos." — The Guardian "Intimate and full of references so specific you can almost smell the pub carpets and stage make-up" — HuckMag "Go on tour with David Bowie in an all-new photographic memoir" — Yahoo! Entertainment David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me is Geoff MacCormack’s remarkable photographic memoir, charting his lifelong friendship with David Bowie. Images bring MacCormack’s stories to life, showing the places he and Bowie inhabited, the people they met and the adventures they shared. Beginning at Burnt Ash Primary school in the mid-1950s, the years go by in a whirlwind of discovering and making music. The book contains nearly 150 photos taken by MacCormack throughout the years, some never seen before: from touring the Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane shows and sailing to New York on a world tour, to Bowie’s first major film The Man Who Fell to Earth and the recording of Station to Station and his Thin White Duke persona. David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me is an incredible story, told with wit and candour. A must for all Bowie fans, it sheds a rare insight into a friendship where two men shared their love for music from the moment they met to their final goodbyes. Trade ReviewPosted on Instagram stories by the official DavidBowie.com site and 'liked' by >10,000 within 4 hours. - DavidBowieInstagram"His photographic memoir reveals untold stories and nearly 150 candid photos." - The Guardian"Intimate and full of references so specific you can almost smell the pub carpets and stage make-up" - HuckMag"David Bowie's Lifelong Friend Revisits '70s Adventures with Rocker in Rare and Never-Before-Seen Photos" - People, Yahoo UK Finance, KSLX Phoenix, Willmar Radio Minnesota"There’s even a witty and heart-warming afterword written by Bowie himself in 2007, which makes it all the more poignant." - Daily Mail"The songwriter and producer, who shared a friendship with Bowie for over 60 years, is now unveiling over 150 rare and unseen photos of the late star in a 'photographic memoir.'" - Fox News, Yahoo News"MacCormack recently discovered more never-before-seen photographs of his time with Bowie, capturing the Star Man in tender, unguarded moments." - Ultimate Classic Rock"Unseen David Bowie: Rock icon's childhood friend reveals intimate never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photos in memoir charting star's rise to fame and beyond." - Daily Mail"Go on tour with David Bowie in an all-new photographic memoir" - Yahoo! Entertainment"Geoff MacCormack's new book peeks behind the scenes of a lifetime's friendship." - Mojo4Music"Very close to David Bowie from the end of the 1960s, photographer and musician Geoff MacCormack immortalized the rocker's first hours of glory." - Vanity Fair France"Geoff MacCormack Looks Back on His Lifelong Friendship with David Bowie." - Interview Magazine"David Bowie remains a household name all over the world; in this interview, his childhood friend Geoff MacCormack dives into their friendship and beyond." - Reader's Digest UK"[MacCormack's] new book is about what the rock star was really like behind closed doors in an intimate memoir, which contains 150 images of their adventures, some of which are published for the very first time." - WGN9 TV Chicago"MacCormack was snapping photos the entire time, and those images form the centerpiece of his new book." - Rolling Stone"A photographic memoir like no other, David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me published by ACC Art Books chronicles MacCormack’s sixty years of friendship with Bowie, told with wit, humor, and candor." - Eye of Photography"Photography was purely a hobby for me for about five minutes - it just happened to be the right five minutes." - Kathimerini.gr"Geoff MacCormack’s candid photographs seen for the first time in new book." - The Times"an amazing story told with humor and candor..." - Viva Moda"And now David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me is out in the world — perhaps the closest you’ll get to being on tour with Bowie in that era without a time machine and a backstage pass." - InsideHook"Expect loads of candid backstage photos and early snapshots in this book." - Vera Magazine Virgin Airlines"Celebrating a lifetime of friendship with David Bowie, Geoff MacCormack - aka Warren Peace - looks back on his childhood and early years with the late music icon, as he rose to become one of the biggest stars on the planet." - Retropop"In MacCormack's remarkable photo memoir from ACC Art Books, he charts his lifelong friendship with Bowie, showing the places he and Bowie inhabited, the people they met and the adventures they shared, beginning at Burnt Ash Primary School in the '50s." - Music Connection"David Bowie: Rock ’n’ Roll with Me, recalls his relationship with Bowie (that lasted from their meeting at eight years old until Bowie’s death in 2016) in text and gorgeous, intimate photos." - Rock Cellar Magazine"From life to on the road to just life, MacCormack’s photographs affirm the poignant moments shared by a man venerated by the world but, to a close few, was first and foremost, a dear friend." - Robb Report Singapore"This week on Rockonteurs we welcome lifelong friend of David Bowie, Geoff MacCormack to the podcast….the stunning photographic memoir ‘David Bowie: Rock n Roll with Me’ – which includes a wonderful afterword from David." - Rockonteurs Podcast"Alongside his memories, MacCormack opens up his archive of photography, sharing never before seen images of his adventures with the music legend." - Independent"David Bowie’s photographic memoir like no other." - US Times Post"…an incredible story, told with wit and candour." - Antique & Collectors Trader"Geoff MacCormack’s remarkable photographic memoir charts his lifelong friendship with David Bowie." - Arts & Collections"Bowie fans will enjoy the graphic display and especially to see the Londoner in his day-to-day life, sometimes posing with a Kansai Yamamoto model and other times looking scared in the Soviet Union, when MacCormack, Bowie and a few other friends meet." - El Pais"Rare photos of David Bowie’s train travels through 1970s-era Soviet Union are now on view." - L A timesGeoff MacCormack was interviewed by NPR's Press Play on July 3rd 2023. - NPR.org"The intimate memoir, David Bowie: Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me, reveals rare insight into a friendship where two men shared their love for music from the moment they met to their final goodbyes." - The Independent"For readers seeking a slightly more domestic portrait, Geoff MacCormack’s Rock’n’Roll With Me offers the perspective of a lifelong friend who’d shared Bowie’s Wimpy Bar childhood in Bromley, then enjoyed a professional relationship with him during the mid-1970s." - The Critic MagazineGeoff McCormack was interviewed by Angellica Bell on the BBC's The One Show on 6th October 2023. - BBC The One Show

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Book SynopsisLife isn't all fairytales and glass slippers... ‘Cinderella’, I wish! is the powerful true story of Dominiquè DeVeraux’s life. Beginning with her early childhood as a young black child living with loving white foster parents, Dominiquè is content and adored. But when Nanny dies suddenly, Dominiquè is taken away from the loving home that she knew and thrust into a world of trouble. Dumped in a new home with strangers, Dominiquè’s life turns to one of difficulty and misery. In her fight for happiness she faces more and more abusers, domestic violence, rape and murder. Ploughing on regardless, Dominiquè chooses love as her weapon and shield. In this story of courage, our protagonist rises above the challenges she faces to celebrate life and to love herself indubitably.

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Book SynopsisM.E. Myself and I follows the story of a woman struck down with M.E and Fibromyalgia in the prime of her life as a successful TV psychic medium. Left with nothing but two dustbin bags, demons from the past and her two dogs, she embarks on an incredible journey. Grieving her old life and begrudgingly accepting guidance from angels and spirit guides after losing her faith, she finds a reason to live from the brink of suicide by experiencing celestial miracles and a passion to write.This inspirational self-help spiritual memoir highlights a chronic illness pandemic sweeping through the world that society has shamefully neglected. Her esoteric voice representing the 'millions missing' brings hope, faith and a definitive strength of the human spirit during the injustice of one life altering episode after another.Trade ReviewSpeaking from her heart, Nicky reaches out to each one of us with compassion and love as she openly and honestly shares her most intimate life details through such an amazing course of events. This book is a refreshing and real story. Horrific, but real. Her sufferings have made her the strong, compassionate woman she now is, a shining light, a beacon of hope to the world. This is her unique contribution to humanity, timeless in its strong message of hope to us all. You will not be able to put this book down, guaranteed!--Eileen McCourt, author

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Book SynopsisAs Nelson Mandela said, ‘a nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.’ Shadowland tells the sometimes inspiring, often painful stories of Germany’s prisoners, and thereby shines new light on Germany itself. The story begins at the end of the Second World War, in a defeated country on the edge of collapse, in which orphaned and lost children are forced to live rough, scavenging and stealing to stay alive, often laying the foundations of a ‘criminal career’. While East Germany developed detention facilities for its secret police, West Germany passed prison reform laws, which erected, in the words of a prisoner, ‘little asbestos walls in Hell’. Shadowland is Germany as seen through the lives, experiences, triumphs and tragedies of its lowest citizens.

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Book SynopsisAs featured in The Mirror, this is the story of mother's quest to find her murdered daughterBurying a child is every parent's nightmare. But Marie McCourt has spent over 30 years yearning to do just that.On 9 February 1988, Marie's 22-year-old daughter, Helen, left her office in Liverpool city centre and began her usual commute home. But she was never seen again. . . Within days, local pub landlord Ian Simms was charged with her murder. Despite Helen's body not being found, overwhelming DNA and circumstantial evidence at his trial secured his conviction, and he was sentenced to life.But Simms' refusal to disclose the whereabouts of Helen's body means that Marie and her family have never been able to have a grave at which they can lay flowers and pay their respects.For over 30 years, Marie has searched, in vain, for her daughter's body and campaigned tirelessly to prevent other families from facing the same horrifying fate, taking her fight to the houses of parliament. The resulting 'Helen's Law', ground-breaking legislation that recognises the distress caused to families of missing homicide victims, was passed in November 2020.This is the incredible story of a mother, devastated by the loss of her daughter, whofound the strength and determination to change the law.

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Book Synopsis 'Powerful. . . . A heart-wrenching profile of resilience, ingenuity, and heroism.' Publisher's Weekly 'A story of courage, compassion, and cunning so profound that it must be included with the greatest Holocaust literature. Janina Mehlberg is a heroine for the ages.' - Larry Loftis, New York Times bestselling author of The Watchmaker's Daughter The Holocaust has given rise to many accounts of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, untold story of 'Countess Janina Suchodolska', a Jewish woman named Janina Mehlberg who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by their country's Nazi occupiers. Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, 'the Countess' persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. Incredibly, she eluded detection, survived the war and eventually emigrated to the USA. Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg's own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, , historians and Holocaust experts Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa have uncovered the full story of this extraordinary woman. Unsparing yet inspiring, The Counterfeit Countess is an unforgettable account of selfless courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty, and a major addition to the history of the Holocaust.Trade Review'Powerful. . . . A heart-wrenching profile of resilience, ingenuity, and heroism.' * Publishers Weekly *'A story of courage, compassion, and cunning so profound that it must be included with the greatest Holocaust literature. Janina Mehlberg is a heroine for the ages.' -- Larry Loftis, New York Times bestselling author of The Watchmaker's Daughter * S&S NYC *'The Counterfeit Countess is an extraordinary testament to courage, resilience and humanity during the darkest months of the Holocaust. Beautifully crafted and meticulously researched by two of America's powerhouse World War II historians, this riveting story will ensure that the world never forgets the utterly remarkable Josephine Janina Mehlberg and an epic rescue mission that defied great evil. You will not put this book down until the very last word -- it is a stunning piece of Holocaust history that will stick with you long after you're done.' -- Debbie Cenziper, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler's Hidden Soldiers in America

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Book SynopsisGaynor escaped an abusive marriage riddled with fear and insecurity and was afraid to live. Any spark she once had had long been extinguished. When she began to find herself, she decided to grab life with both hands and start living. What had she got to lose? Looking a lot younger than her years, and dressed provacatively, her first unplanned initimate encounter was with a French bar manager in a larder. Spending money as though there was a neverending pot of gold, it soon ran out, so her mind turned to escorting wealthy elderly gentlemen with no sex attached... an unusual concept with interesting consequences. Her exploits - involving extracting chewing gum from pubic hair, a missing canary and a wanker in WHSmith - add humour to this story.

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Book Synopsis'As hilarious, charming, eccentric, informative, addictive and delightful as the show itself' STEPHEN FRYMuch-loved radio drama The Archers has been at the heart of British life for over seventy years, and the momentous events and changes of this time have all found a place in Ambridge. For more than three decades, scriptwriter Graham Harvey was the man behind the show’s farming storylines, writing over 600 episodes and crafting some of its most memorable moments: the Great Flood, the trashing of Brian’s GM crop, the loss of the Grundy family farm.In this book Graham interweaves personal memories of these moments with extracts from the scripts he created, offering behind-the-scenes details of how key characters and plotlines were developed, keeping pace with the real changes taking place in village and farm life. He also explores the part the show played in setting Britain on its disastrous transition from small-scale, sustainable farming to industrial agriculture. Could it now help guide the nation back to the nature-friendly, planet-saving methods we so desperately need?Underneath The Archers relates a personal drama, too: how Graham uncovered his father’s dark, wartime secret, the trauma which was to blight their family life. The insecurities of his youth gave Graham a deep attachment to the fictional community he was creating. The reassurance he found was in a love for England: its land, its soil, its farming culture – a love that found its perfect expression in the world of Ambridge and its inhabitants.Trade Review 'Any fan of The Archers will down this book in grateful glugs . . . As hilarious, charming, eccentric, informative, addictive and delightful as the show itself' Stephen Fry ‘A masterclass on how to weave environmental education and activism into popular media’ David R. Montgomery, co-author of Growing a Revolution and What Your Food Ate ‘A must for all Archers listeners’ Tim Bentinck ‘A fascinating insight into Britain’s longest-running rural soap opera, diving into the characters, storylines and how they ebb and flow with British agriculture through the decades. Full of wit, humour and the realities of British agriculture.’ Jake Fiennes, General Manager of Holkham Estate

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Book SynopsisThe memoirs of senior UK diplomat Sir Peter Westmacott, former ambassador in Turkey, France and the United States during Barack Obama's presidency. 'A highly readable account of a glittering diplomatic career' Tony Blair 'One of the most brilliant and consequential diplomats of his generation' Andrew Roberts 'A must-read guide to the crucial role for diplomacy in restoring British influence' Philip Stephens Urbane, globe-trotting mandarins; polished hosts of ambassadorial gatherings attended by the well-groomed ranks of the international great and good: such is the well-worn image of the career diplomat. But beyond the canapés of familiar caricature, what does a professional diplomat actually do? What are the activities that fill the working day of Her Majesty's Ambassadors around the world? Peter Westmacott's forty-year career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office straddled the last decade of the Cold War and the age of globalization, included spells in pre-revolutionary Iran and the European Commission in Brussels, and culminated in prestigious ambassadorial postings in Ankara, Paris and Washington in the post-9/11 era. As well as offering an engaging account of life in the upper echelons of the diplomatic and political worlds, and often revealing portraits of global leaders such as Blair, Erdogan, Obama and Biden, They Call It Diplomacy mounts a vigorous defence of the continuing relevance of the diplomat in an age of instant communication, social media and special envoys; and details what its author sees as some of the successes of recent British diplomacy.Trade ReviewA highly readable account of a glittering diplomatic career... Combines deep insights into the critical foreign policy challenges of the last forty years while also offering valuable lessons for Britain's future international role' -- Tony BlairPeter Westmacott was one of the most brilliant and consequential diplomats of his generation, rising to the apex of his service. Anyone interested in understanding how international relations work at the highest level should read They Call it Diplomacy -- Andrew RobertsPeter Westmacott's engaging memoir, drawing on a Foreign Office career that included the top job in Washington, provides a must-read guide to the crucial role for diplomacy in restoring British influence -- Philip Stevens, Financial TimesWestmacott offers a personal memoir of representing Britain as an ambassador, mischievous but also passionate and full of insight, particularly into Turkey, Iran and the US, his final posting... The strength of Westmacott's account is that as well as shrewd analysis, he gives a vivid sense of how making common cause actually works... Above all, he makes a powerful case for the kind of diplomatic skills – and deep knowledge of other countries – which he has spent his life honing' * Financial Times *Peter Westmacott's new book provides insights from a British envoy abroad [...] freed in his retirement of the bonds of self-restraint * Diplomat Online *Mounts a vigorous defense of the continuing relevance of the diplomat in an age of instant communication, social media and special envoys * The Foreign Service Journal *

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Book SynopsisWe did not stay in our houses. Not in the way our grandmothers had, or our mothers. We went out a little more and veiled ourselves a little less. Some of us longed for more learning and dreamed about leaving home to get it. The elders shook their heads and cautioned: too much education could ruin a girl's future.To be a Muslim girl in the Sri Lanka of the 50s and 60s was to have to stay inside once you hit puberty; where even a glimpse of flesh was forbidden; and where things were done the way they'd always been done.But Yasmin Azad's family is full of love, humour and larger-than-life characters, despite the strictures half of them were under. And almost despite himself, Yasmin's father allows her an education an education that would open the whole world to her, even as it risked closing her off from those she was closest to.An extraordinary portrait of a time and a community in the midst of profound change, Stay, Daughter vividly evokes a now-vanished world, but its central clash that of tradition and modernity is one that will always be with us.

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Book SynopsisBOOK OF THE YEAR IN GUARDIAN, OBSERVER, GRANTA AND TLS 'This dazzling anti-memoir is nothing less than a portrait of a writer with a beautiful mind. Harrison turns over what it takes to simultaneously be present to everyday life and imaginative flight. A masterpiece' Deborah Levy, Books of the Year 2023, Observer 'Is M John Harrison the best writer at work today? He's certainly among the deftest and most original, producing immaculately odd sentences in any genre he chooses' Olivia Laing, Summer Pick of 2023, Guardian 'Wish I Was Here by M John Harrison is a revival of the writer's memoir ... slippery and fascinating as any of his fiction' Jonathan Coe, Summer Pick of 2023, Guardian 'Unusual and impressive, Wish I Was Here is also a writing manual of brilliance' Sunday Times M. John Harrison has produced one of the greatest bodies of fiction of any living British author, encompassing space opera, speculative fiction, fantasy, magical and literary realism. But is there even an M. John Harrison and where do we find him? This is the question the author asks in this memoir-as-mystery, turning for clues to forty years of notebooking: 'A note or it never happened. A note or you never looked.' Are these notebooks, or 'nowtbooks', records of failed presence? How do they shine light on a childhood in the industrial Midlands, a portrait of the young artist in countercultural London, on an adulthood of restless escape into hill and moorland landscapes? And do they tell us anything about the writing of the books, each one so different from the last that it might have been written by another version of the author? With aphoristic daring and laconic wit, this anti-memoir will fascinate you and delight you. It confirms M. John Harrison still further in his status as the most original British writer of his generation.Trade ReviewInfectiously engaging, packed with rueful wisdom and a distinctive sense of mischief -- Keith Miller * Times Literary Supplement, Book of the Year 2023 *One of the best writers currently at work in English -- Robert Macfarlane, author of The Wild PlacesHilarious and haunting -- William Gibson, author of Neuromancer'Harrison is the shape-shifting master of absent and elusive things, many of them absent and eluding in Barnes and the Peak District. In this mesmerising book, the author - or rather his style - goes in search of what may have been his memories of different versions of his life. The result is an enchantment of instability, usually ungraspable, always intense.' -- Neil MacGregor, author of Living with the GodsA deep dive into the back-and-forth, up-down, sideways mind of a true genius. An immersive pleasure and a literary adventure -- Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black ConchHe is one of the very great writers alive today -- China Miéville, author of Perdido Street StationAn extraordinary writer and an extraordinary book. I don't know how to describe it, which is to say that I'll read it again, and again -- Helen Castor, author of She-WolvesM. John Harrison puts to work a writerly consciousness and imaginativeness like no other. Wish I Was Here doesn't reinvent memoir; it quietly constructs an entire new ballpark -- Isabel Waidner, author of Sterling Karat GoldI love this book, even if I don't know how to describe it. Is it a memoir? Is it a handbook for writers? As always with M John Harrison, you're never quite sure what you're reading or where it will take you next. There are only a few certainties: that it will surprise you, sometimes astound you, and leave you profoundly changed -- Jonathan Coe, author of The Rotters’ ClubWish I Was Here is a masterpiece. I don't use that word lightly: I've not loved a book as much as this for years. Pleating together the quotidian and fantastic, the material and ineffable, it is at once a beguiling autobiography and a sustained interrogation of genre, craft, and the uses of history, and a perfect instantiation of what it is to write and what it is to live. Formally inventive, constantly surprising, M John Harrison has written an archaeology of fragments that shivers with wholeness. It's exquisite -- Helen Macdonald, author of H is for HawkWhat Wish I Was Here does triumphantly is to capture the feeling of living in the 21st century with all its anxieties ... wondrous and self-defining and defiant * Guardian *M. John Harrison, the best British writer you've never heard of, operates on the margins. Unusual and impressive, Wish I Was Here is also a writing manual of brilliance' * Sunday Times *This book is old school experiment, several unrelated episodes from a literary reality show, a kind of negative biography with a big author-shaped hole in the middle waiting for the reader to fill based on all the evidence around it. It's also one of the best books I've read so far this year * International Times *This is one of the most original books about writing that I have read, in part because Harrison is as profound about the art as he is helpful on the craft ... destabilising, witty, exhilarating - an important contribution to the genre's evolution * i Paper *So wholly original that a label doesn't do it justice ... Wish I Was Here will leave you bewildered * New Statesman *Harrison captures the stultifying and and generative landscape of post-industrial England better than anyone else * Totally Dublin *It's extraordinary. Profound, hilarious, precise, vagrant and speculative. And always intensely good company. The sort of book that makes writing seem possible again. (Or is it impossible?) * Brian Dillon *M. John Harrison's 'anti-memoir' is a masterpiece. Broad in scope and beautifully written, this unconventional autobiography contains some of the best advice struggling writers will ever receive * Nicolas Lezard, The Spectator *Delightfully oddball and original -- Fiona Sturges * Guardian Book of the Year *A stand-out playful reframing of the memoir form -- Eley Williams * Granta, Book of the Year 2023 *Read it. You will want to press it on others like a mildly deranged Ancient Mariner haranguing those poor wedding guests as they try to go about their business -- Roger Luckhurst * LA Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisA Palestinian prisoner's memoir of thirty years' captivity, and a love letter to the wall that encircles and comforts him This is the story of a wall that somehow chose me as the witness of what it said and didNasser Abu Srour grew up in a refugee camp in the West Bank, on the outskirts of Bethlehem. As a child, he played in its shadow and explored the little world within the camp. As he grew older, he began questioning the boundaries that limited his existence. Later, sentenced to life in prison, with no hope of parole, he found himself surrounded by a physical wall. This is the story of how, over thirty years in captivity, he crafted a new definition of freedom. Turning to writings by philosophers as varied as Derrida, Kirkegaard and Freud, he begins to let go of freedom as a question that demanded an answer, in order to preserve it as a dream. The wall becomes his stable point of reference, his anchor, both physically and psychologically. As each year brings with it new waves of releases of prisoners, he dares to hope, and seeks refuge in the wall when these hopes are dashed. And, in a small miracle, he finds love with a lawyer from the outside while in her absence, the wall is his solace and his curse. A testimony of how the most difficult of circumstances can build a person up instead of tearing them down, The Tale of a Wall is an extraordinary record of the vast confinement and power of the mind.

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