Memoirs Books

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Book SynopsisThey say to never meet your heroes. Brad Balukjian doesn''t listen.From the bestselling author of The Wax Pack, comes another eye-opening road trip adventure into a pocket of massively popular pop culture-professional wrestling-starring the Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, Tito Santana, and many more larger-than-life characters of the WWF of the 1980s.In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his dream job as a magazine fact-checker to pursue another dream: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name is Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went terribly wrong, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjan''s life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion. He seeks out six of the Sheik''s contemporaries, fellow witnesses to the World Wrestling Federation''s (WWF) explosion in the mid-80s, along with the ma

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Book SynopsisFrom MSNBC producer Daniela Pierre-Bravo comes a book on how women of colour, children of immigrants, and minoritized groups who are deemed "other" are predisposed to feeling like workplace imposters, and how we can overcome obstacles to success and show that our differences are our winning assets.

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Book Synopsis"Lis Paice's positivity shines through on every page of this book. She writes in a beautifully simple and accessible style. The book will be a tremendous introduction for those setting out on the same path as new coaches, or for more experienced coaches who want to compare their journey with hers." Dr John Launer, Honorary Consultant and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Tavistock Clinic, London, UK"I love this book. I've not seen a book before that uses the experience of the one who is learning rather than just telling you how to do it. It will be so useful in taking away the inevitable anxiety that comes when you are about to learn a new skill - and learn it in public. The author's honesty about her own pitfalls will help you know what to expect, and the light bulb moments that she has as she progresses will undoubtedly light up the occasional bulb for you too. It might be a book about learning, but it's also a book that outlines the skills of coaching in a whole neTable of ContentsAbout the authorAcknowledgementsSeries editor's forewordIntroduction Who needs training?Beginner's luck Rules, tools and techniquesLearning the role of the coachOpening and closingPerspectives and positivityHolding backOut of the comfort zoneSkills for lifeProfessional coachBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA story of migration, identity and belonging, drawing on the stories of people from Audrey Osler''s mixed-heritage family, over three centuries. Whether or not we trace our families from beyond the shores of Britain, we British people deserve a better understanding of our shared past, and opportunities to explore and recognise the complexities and contractions of empire. Careless or wilful amnesia has allowed the British migration narrative to begin in the mid-twentieth century, with migrants from India, Pakistan and the Caribbean forming the foundation of present-day multicultural Britain. A racist fixation means that some twenty-first-century Britons fantasise that people of colour arrived after World War Two, without any link to the country, to exploit the British welfare state and British hospitality.For people of colour the questions, Where are you from? No, where are you really from? often imply more than simple curiosity. They are politicTrade ReviewLovely, perceptive and timely... weaving the threads of colonialism, migration, mixed-race relationships and other life experiences into the tapestry of Britishness today, it is wonderful * Yasmin Alibhai-Brown *The power is in the gentle, almost lyrically intimate force of the tale and its many messages, so courageously put, with generosity. Timely, affecting, and so darn necessary at this moment. Thank you, Audrey Osler, I say * Philippe Sands *

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Book SynopsisA RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK''Wild Swans for Ukraine ... rich and magnificent'' Bookseller ''A paean to hope and home. I loved it and it will haunt me'' HELEN MACDONALD''Marvellously vivid and often heartbreaking... I read it in a single enthralled sitting''MIRANDA SEYMOUR''An instant classic: an essential book in these darkening times''SOPHY ROBERTS''Compelling, beautifully written... an insight into the complexity of Ukraine''s history''MERIEL SCHINDLERIn the Ukrainian city of Poltava stands a building known as the Rooster House, an elegant mansion with two voluptuous red roosters flanking the door. It doesn''t look horrifying. And yet, when Victoria was a girl growing up in the 1980s, her great-grandmother would take pains to avoid walking past it. In 2014, while the Russian state was annexing Crimea, Victoria visited Trade ReviewA moving personal journey unravelling complex family relationships, secrets and memories. Belim takes us into the homes of rural Ukrainians, illuminating their hopes, fears, struggles and traditions. Her love of the country and its people stands out in her sensitive depiction of their stoicism, hospitality and bonds... This is an honest, insightful and passionate book, that provides a beautiful insight into a nation beyond war headlines -- Tom Pilgrim * Independent *Sparkles with details of rural life and Soviet-inherited bureaucratic absurdity ... a moving account of a still much-misunderstood country, given extra poignancy by the disaster now unfolding * New Statesman *Ethereal and transporting ... Ukraine comes alive through a tapestry of multisensory descriptions. Barbed by pain, this is a book as poignant as it is timely ... it reflects the indestructible strength of the Ukrainian people, who so fiercely hold on to hope * Times Literary Supplement *A Wild Swans for Ukraine ... an enthralling, multilayered family story, told across four generations. Rich and magnificent. A marvel * Bookseller *Part memoir, part detective story ... [this] picture of a divided Ukrainian family shows how deep the divisions can be - and how to heal them means overcoming decades of silence, secrecy and denial -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *Emotionally shattering yet utterly unputdownable, Belim's search to find out what happened to her great-grandfather's brother in 1930s Ukraine is a haunting work of research and revelation * Waterstones *A powerful memoir... tells the story of Ukraine through the lens of her own family, from WWII occupation to Chernobyl - to the trauma of today * Irish Examiner *A beautifully written evocation of the Ukrainian people through the prism of four generations of one family, but it is also a celebration of Ukrainian women... evokes a Ukraine beyond the rubble-strewn images we see on the television news... a truly redemptive book, strangely joyful even, one that makes the tragedy of the Russian invasion personal * New European *Ukraine comes alive through a tapestry of multisensory descriptions... Such descriptions are ethereal and transporting, but Belim balances them with a raw bluntness in her sketches of war and trauma... a book as poignant as it is timely... it reflects the indestructible strength of the Ukrainian people, who so fiercely hold on to hope -- Caroline Eden * Times Literary Supplement *The Rooster House is so many things at once, and all of them pull at my heart. The book is a seriously beautiful evocation of an imperilled nation and an account of a personal quest to retrieve the memories and secrets that families and states maintain. It's a careful meditation on exile, on return and belonging, and what it means to be. And most of all it's a paean to hope and home, written with such gentleness and deep adherence to emotional truth that to me its words become a fierceness to cast against harm, hardship and hurt. I loved it and it will haunt me for a long time. * Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk *The familiar village symbol of a rooster on the roof hides a dark secret in Victora Belim's marvellously vivid and often heartbreaking account of a personal quest, one that leads us deep into the complexities that lie behind news headlines while introducing us to an unforgettable group of characters. I read it in a single enthralled sitting * Miranda Seymour, author of I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys *A haunting quest - beautifully told, with stunning momentum - travelling through place, history, and private memory on the fraying edge of Europe. I loved this book: the voice, the determination, the pace, the characters, the insights into exile and belonging, into remembering and forgetting. A book where the search for truth shines so brightly, The Rooster House feels like an instant classic: an essential book in these darkening times. * Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Sibera *A compelling, beautifully written and researched family memoir that weaves together the personal and the political and gives the reader an insight into the complexity of Ukraine's history * Meriel Schindler, author of The Lost Cafe Schindler *A touching memoir about four generations of a Ukrainian family * The i, Best New Books for May *[A] poignant, gently unfolding . . . elegant family narrative of myriad characters traumatized by the deep-seated Russia-Ukrainian struggle. . . Throughout this powerful text, readers will encounter numerous satisfying layers * Kirkus, starred review *A captivating family memoir spanning four generations ... Belim blends the personal and the historical to tell a moving, century-long tale of fear, hardship and resilience * The i *Victoria Belim's poignant memoir unveils the Ukrainian roots of a family mystery. . . Belim's book, and her work with Ukrainian refugees in Brussels, honors Ukraine's vibrant culture and the resilience of its people. . . The Rooster House is an intimate, down-to-earth memoir that reveals the corrosive effects of secrets and the healing power of truth * Foreword, starred review *This magnificent memoir is hauntingly narrated by its author who takes you through her family's turbulent past and the mystery of her great-great uncle Nikodim... This riveting audio tracks Belim's search for truth * Sunday Post *Stunning... an expatriate Ukrainian returns in search of answers to modern and historical riddles in the packed earth of her bitterly disputed homeland * Strong Words *

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Book SynopsisLanguage is always changing. No one knows where it is going but the best way to future-cast is to look at the past. John Simpson animates for us a tradition of researching and editing, showing us both the technical lexicography needed to understand a word, and the careful poetry needed to construct its definition. He challenges both the idea that dictionaries are definitive, and the notion that language is falling apart. With a sense of humour, an ability to laugh at bureaucracy and an inclination to question the status quo, John Simpson gives life to the colourful characters at the OED and to the English language itself. He splices his stories with entertaining and erudite diversions into the history and origin of words such as ''kangaroo'', ''hot-dog'' , ''pommie'', ''bicycle'' , not ignoring those swearwords often classed as ''Anglo-Saxon'' ! The book will speak to anyone who uses a dictionary, ''word people'' , history lovers, students and parents.Trade ReviewInviting, adj., is given two senses by the OED: that which invites or gives invitation, and attractive, alluring, or tempting. Although this superb memoir is not likely to lead you into temptation, it otherwise fits the definition very well. Simpson was a key figure on the editorial team that rescued the OED from obsolescence and ensured its ongoing relevance. They took on the considerable job of bringing the OED online and of adapting it in other ways that have transformed it from a historical monument into an indispensable record of our living language. In similar fashion, this funny, insightful, and really just wonderful book renders Simpson's own past accessible, engaging, and germane. Part social history, part dictionary history, and part personal history-with beguiling etymologies interwoven throughout (computer, deadline, skanking)-The Word Detective will appeal to any reader curious about the English language and how it evolves. Simpson is the perfect guide to the OED. I adored this book -- Alena Graedon, author of The Word ExchangeThere is a poignant and unanticipated counterpoint to John Simpson's fine memoir of his time at the OED-for while his majestic dictionary was during his tenure undergoing changes of the profoundest kind, he and his family were dealing with a personal challenge that places all his lexicographic achievements in the most human of contexts. This is a wonderful book, then-but on two levels, both equally revealing, intimate and true -- Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the MadmanA perfect title. According to the OED, a Sherlock is someone "who investigates mysteries or shows great perceptiveness". This aptly summarizes Sherlock Simpson, who tells the inside story of how that great dictionary has come to be written, illustrated by illuminating and sometimes daring word histories, and grounded in an engaging and moving autobiography. Anyone fascinated by words and their history will love it -- David CrystalPeople think of dictionaries as oracles that channel eternal verities about The Language. In fact they are the handiwork of mortals who deliberate about how to make sense of the creative brainchildren and viral fads of hundreds of millions of wordsmiths. The Word Detective is a delightful and revealing look at the human side of dictionaries, with insights galore about the nature of language. (And why does the adjective galore come after the noun?) -- Steven Pinker, author of The Language InstinctVibrant and inspiring * Publishers Weekly *Simpson's memoir features entertaining, culturally revealing stories of many curious words, phrases, and roots * Booklist *Simpson, writing with a wry and often self-deprecating wit and an obvious passion for his subject, tells a story that is at once deeply personal and part of the larger story of a fundamental shift in how we share information * Maximum Shelf *I found this book surprisingly moving. John Simpson's quiet devotion to his daily task, handling words with calmness and devotion, even love, is an inspiration -- Roger Lewis * Mail on Sunday *A charmingly full, frank and humorous account of a career dedicated to rigorous lexicographic rectitude . . . [Simpson] is an absolute hero -- Lynne Truss * International New York Times *A compelling tribute to the wonder of language -- Anita Sethi * Guardian *Poignant . . . a sustained and sincere reflection on what it means to make a dictionary - the toil, the puzzles, the costs and the profits -- Henry Hitchings * Guardian *This elegantly crafted volume will surely provide greater entertainment than a few more famous memoirists this autumn -- Marcus Berkmann * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA thought-provoking, informative and at times hilarious memoir of the author's quest for everlasting happiness through various spiritual traditionsTrade ReviewCurham bravely acts upon the instincts that many of us have to dig deeper, but few of us carve out the time to explore. A wise, honest and amusing account of her adventures in soul-searching and religion-hopping. Something More is a spiritual memoir for anyone who has wondered if there is more to life than work and relationships - a more mysterious force that can't be fully grasped by even the oldest of conventional religions. -- Natasha Scripture * Man Fast: How one woman's dating detox turned into a spiritual reckoning across four continents *

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Book SynopsisA radically honest and uplifting memoir about defying death and learning to live.Trade ReviewRadically honest memoir . . . Roche's story is one of survival and what it means to stay alive * Bookseller *This book reminded me why Juno is one of my favourite writers. Few can write with such fresh analysis, whilst remaining so full of heart, wit and charm. I'm obsessed with this book -- Travis AlabanzaJuno Roche is a sharp-eyed writer who journeys into dark territory with warmth and wit. An important voice for our time. -- John McCullough'For so many of us who grew up in dysfunctional families, our lives are all about escape, but by telling this incredibly important story, Juno Roche teaches us that our identity is not just about the past or the journey, but a future life built on our own terms and the discovery of a destination we can truly call home' -- Natasha Carthew, Writer and Artistic Director Class FestivalA wonderful, indelible work. Juno Roche's prescient exploration of intergenerational trauma and self-regeneration should be read by everyone. -- Irenosen OkojieJuno Roche's memoir is a beautiful and important book, testifying to an extraordinary life of enormous difficulty and enormous courage. It is simultaneously an intensely personal account and an insightful, moving commentary on public events, told with anger and humour in equal measure. It exemplifies what good memoir must have - an authentic interior voice and the story of hard-won transformation. Roche's writing about AIDS, particularly the story of Simon, is delicate and devastating. The movement back and forth in time makes the book a compelling page-turner - and yet, I didn't want it to end. A Working-Class Family Ages Badly is not like any memoir I've read before, and it is up there with the best of them. -- Hannah LoweIn equal parts brutal and beautiful, dark and funny. An incredible story of survival. -- Jenny KleemanSo gripping, I had to make myself slow down to appreciate the quality of the writing. When I say it's an addictive read, I mean it in the best possible sense. Such a powerful story, and so beautifully written. Bravo, Juno! -- Paul BurstonThis is a powerful combination of beautifully evocative writing with many profound and important messages about the society in which we live -- Natasha DevonPerfect for fans of Shuggie Bain, Roche's story is enormously moving. Roche is a charming, unflinchingly honest, guide on a journey that's as funny as it is heartbreaking. Written with verve and much lyricism. -- Juno DawsonJuno writes with a daring honesty that makes me feel braver. This is truly a tale of survival. -- Cat WhiteJuno Roche rips up the notion of memoir and replaces it with something far more bold and exciting. A beautifully written elegy to our shared humanity -- Angela ChadwickI was completely drawn into Juno's world from the opening pages. A compelling memoir of the complexities of family, and intergenerational trauma made lyrical by the beauty of Juno's writing. This is a must read. -- Nana Darkoa SekyiamahJuno has always been a literary voice like no one else, scathingly honest and endlessly expansive. A Working-Class Family Ages Badly makes the much needed links between queerness and class, the HIV pandemic and Covid, and between Brexit and feeling belonging. -- Amelia AbrahamBrutally honest and disarmingly witty, A Working-Class Family Ages Badly overflows with Roche's hallmark unflinching, tender wisdom. Roche, as ever, is generous in giving the reader a new and vital perspective on the many conflicted meanings of life, love, self, and family. Compassionate, dreamlike, and deeply moving -- CN LesterAre you worthy of tenderness? For survivors, this most human question impels grotesque considerations, which Juno Roche lays bare in masterful prose and with exacting candour. A Working-Class Family Ages Badly is a gripping meditation on how abuse, addiction, and internalised stigma can banish the individual from even the humblest of desires. By the last page, Roche succeeds in revealing just how universal such exile can be, which will leave any reader with a pulse feeling a little less alone. -- Jakob GuanzonLike Louise Bourgeois' generative and reparative maternal spider, Roche weaves threads from their life into stories that viscerally and cinematically explore intergenerational trauma and the search for love and family from London to Spain via Egypt's Valley of The Kings. And in that beguiling web, they create stories that leave you feeling alive and nourished, or crying and still glad to be alive because they're deftly and beautifully told from the heart. Roche's last three books were already touchstones for me because of the generous space they gave to bold, reflective, and sensitive thinking about queer sex, desire, identity and transness. In this literary memoir, that soft power is infused with their emotional acuity and humour - who else could write a love story that centres pubic lice? Roche's poetic prose, kaleidoscopic colour and killer lines you'll want to memorise, and treasure make A Working-Class Family Ages Badly a singular work of artistic genius. -- Chance Czyzselska, writer & psychotherapistJuno's writing is such that it both holds you and challenges you at once. Theirs are never easy ideas, but somehow they take big, hard things and make them absolute no brainers. I love Juno's books, but this memoir in particular feels utterly unique in the landscape of memoirs. Nobody has had a life like Juno, and nobody can write with warmth and confrontation the way Juno can. This makes for a totally compelling mix. I found myself laughing and in tears; angry and elated; and overjoyed that Juno's generosity means that this book speaks to everyone while being so remarkably unique to one of the most unique writers I've encountered. It'll be one of few books on my read again and again pile. -- Tom RasmussenI'm floored by Juno's exquisite prose paired with stark brutality, portraying pain and love and hope and despair, all in the same sentence. It's a beautiful book. -- Julie Cohen[A] remarkable memoir . . . An incredibly honest tale of survival, escape and resilience -- Ben East * Observer *Achingly exquisite . . . Roche stands out as a memoirist of the highest calibre with a voice that teaches us how to live with emotional intelligence, wit and vigour, a voice that is sorely needed in this moment. -- Chance Czyzselska * DIVA *A sentence or two gives a whole back story, a comma gives insight, a reflection shared offering a re-assessment of trauma and painful memories in the comfort of a well-worn safe place. More than once I felt the tears come before being made to smile by the raw swift wit laid like flowers between the hard spaces -- GScene

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Book SynopsisJack Sutherland has, you might say, led a charmed life in the face of seeming damnation. After a childhood spent in London, his family moved to California and by his twenties Jack was PA and bodyguard to the Hollywood stars - most notably Michael Stipe, RuPaul and Mickey Rourke.

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Book SynopsisA rediscovered story of unrequited love which reveals an intimate new portrait of the poet T. S. Eliot and of its author, a formidable woman sidelined by literary history.Heartbreaking and wonderfully told.' Susan Hill, Spectator Books of the YearCompelling ... compulsive.' Margaret Drabble, New StatesmanIn 1938 T.S. Eliot struck up a friendship with Mary Trevelyan, a passionately curious woman and intrepid traveller. Their relationship was cosy and domestic characterised by churchgoing, record-playing, day trips with Mary at the wheel or Eliot in his rolled shirt-sleeves cooking up sausages for dinner. Over the years, Mary came to believe that their friendship might lead to something more . . . but their journey together did not end as she would have hoped.Trevelyan left a unique document of diaries, letters and pictures charting their twenty-year-long relationship in her vivid prose. Erica Wagner has brought this untold stor

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Book SynopsisA leading advocate for social justice excavates the history of forced migration in the twelve American towns she’s called home, revealing how White supremacy has fundamentally shaped the nation. “At a time when many would rather ban or bury the truth, Ali-Khan bravely faces it in this bracing and necessary book.”—Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Homeland Elegies Sofia Ali-Khan’s parents emigrated from Pakistan to America, believing it would be a good country. With a nerdy interest in American folk history and a devotion to the rule of law, Ali-Khan would pursue a career in social justice, serving some of America’s most vulnerable communities. By the time she had children of her own—having lived, worked, and worshipped in twelve different towns across the nation—Ali-Khan felt deeply American, maybe even a little extra American for having seen so much of the country. <

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Book SynopsisFrom one of America's most transformative politicians and activists, a powerful and inspiring memoir that sheds light on a harrowing personal journey and reveals how urgently we need our political leadership to prioritize meeting the needs of our most marginalized communities.Piercing and gripping... Bush’s words are beautifully devastating. —The Cut Having worked as a nurse, a pastor, and a community organizer in St. Louis, Missouri, Cori Bush hadn’t initially intended to run for political office. But when protests in Ferguson erupted in 2014, Bush found herself on the frontlines, providing medical care and protesting violence against Black lives. Encouraged by community leaders to run for office, and compelled by an urgency to prevent her children and others from becoming social media hashtags, Bush campaigned persistently while navigating myriad personal challenges—and ultimately rose to unseat a twenty-year incu

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Book Synopsis#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER “When I tell you that I dogeared almost every page in this book, I'm telling God's honest truth. I didn't know how much I needed someone else to validate what I was going through. The sense that I had lost my curiosity, my imagination, my ability to make meaning.” – NPR Morning Edition host Rachel Martin Such a teacher for every single person who is trying to live closer to who they were born to be and not who the world tamed them to be.” – New York Times bestselling author Glennon Doyle on We Can Do Hard Things “I love Katherine May’s new book, Enchantment.…It’s a beautiful offering of light, truth and charm in these strange, dark times.” – New York Times bestselling author Anne Lamott   “Katherine May gave so many of us language and vision for the long communal ‘wintering&rsqu

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Book SynopsisAn award-winning writer retraces her dysfunctional, biracial, globe-trotting family’s journey as she reckons with ethnicity and belonging, diversity and race, and the complexities of life within a multicultural household.“Almost Brown is that rarest of things: a memoir that is both deeply intimate and intellectually ambitious.”—Susan Orlean, author of The Library BookCharlotte Gill’s father is Indian. Her mother is English. They meet in 1960s London when the world is not quite ready for interracial love. Their union results in a total meltdown of familial relations, a lot of immigration paperwork, and three children, all in varying shades of tan. Together they set off on a journey from the United Kingdom to Canada to the United States in an elusive pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness—a dream that eventually tears them apart. Almost Brown is an exploration of diasporic inter

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Book Synopsis“A moving chronicle of trans resilience and joy.”—Vogue “Rocero forged a path for herself where one hadn’t previously existed and in Horse Barbie gives us such a warm and relatable story of strength and spirit.”—Elle, Best Memoirs of 2023 (So Far)As a young femme in 1990s Manila, Geena Rocero heard, “Bakla, bakla!,” a taunt aimed at her feminine sway, whenever she left the tiny universe of her eskinita. Eventually, she found her place in trans pageants, the Philippines’ informal national sport. When her competitors mocked her as a “horse Barbie” due to her statuesque physique, tumbling hair, long neck, and dark skin, she leaned into the epithet. By seventeen, she was the Philippines’ highest-earning trans pageant queen.A year later, Geena moved to the United States where she could change her name and gender marker on her documents

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Book SynopsisIn this unflinching and inspiring memoir, Jesse Leon tells an extraordinary story of resilience and survival, shining a light on a childhood spent devastated by sex trafficking, street life, and substance abuse.A book for survivors and those who know someone they hope survives, bodhisattvas all.  —Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of The House on Mango Street Born to indigenous working-class Mexican immigrants in San Diego in the 1970s, Jesse Leon’s childhood was violently ruptured. A dangerous and harrowing encounter at a local gift shop when he was eleven years old left Jesse with a deadly secret. Hurt, alone, and scared for his life, Jesse numbed his pain by losing himself in the hyper-masculine culture of the streets and wherever else he could find it—in alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. Overlooked by state-sanctioned institutions and systems intended to help victims of abuse, neglected like many other low-income La

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Book SynopsisNeena Gupta's memoir 'Sach Kahun Toh' delves into her journey from Delhi to Bollywood, highlighting her personal struggles, unconventional choices, and successful comeback. It offers a candid look at her life, challenging stereotypes and revealing the person beyond the public image.

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Book SynopsisIn For the Love of Farming, Farmer Will reveals his life on the farm, season by season. It’s relentless: the mornings are early and sometimes things don’t go right, but is it fun? Would he be dancing otherwise?? Table of ContentsHello! I’m Farmer Will Meet Will Meet the Family (and the Farm) Welcome to the Farm Autumn September: Ready, Steady, Go October: A Healthy Ram Is a Happy Ram November: It’s Tupping Time! Winter December: Goodnight Sunlight January: New Year, New Ewe February: No Rest For the Wicked Spring March: In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb April: Springing and Leaping May: Back to Business Summer June: Here Comes the Sun July: Miss Piggies August: A Lamb’s Tale See You Soon Index

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Book Synopsis''The descriptions are sublime . . . Goodwin''s eye - sharp, unforgiving - allows nothing to escape . . . His literary promise is savage'' THE AUSTRALIAN''Goodwin is a natural-born storyteller, effortlessly compelling whether he''s talking about the draconian policies of his bosses, the mad ramblings of his regulars or his own forays into chemical-induced debauchery . . . However, the true secret to Servo''s brilliance is that beneath its irreverent, gonzo stylings it''s actually a heartfelt, coming-of-age memoir'' READINGSAn odyssey of drive-offs, spiked slurpees, stale sausage rolls and sleep-deprived madness.Most of us have done our time in the retail trenches, but service stations are undoubtedly the frontline, as Melburnian David Goodwin found out when he started working the weekend graveyard shift at his local servo.From his very first night shift, David absorbed a consistent level of mind-bending lunacy, enco

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Book Synopsis''In my dreams, I was always in some vast landscape on a long, straight road. Driving. Always driving.''Gwenda had always loved the open road, but her home town of Newcastle didn''t really offer the sort of adventure she longed for. So, in 1957, with friend and fellow nurse Pat in tow, she left the dismal British winter behind, and embarked on an amazing American adventure.After a year nursing in Cleveland, Gwenda, Pat and three new friends set off on a road trip around North America, driving in a rickety 1949 Ford. What follows is the charming true story of five remarkable young women. Over the course of eighteen months, the girls go to a 4th July rodeo, visit San Francisco and Las Vegas, learn to surf in Hawaii, spot movie stars in Hollywood and celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans.Wherever they go, the travelling nurses cause a sensation. This is a delightfully nostalgic memoir of friendship and the romance of the open road.Trade ReviewCall the Midwife meets Thelma and Louise - a warm, funny and nostalgic memoir' * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary true story of the first Girl Scout troop designated for homeless girls - from the homeless families it brought together in Queens, New York, to the amazing citywide and countrywide responses it sparked.Giselle Burgess, a young mother of five, and her children, along with others in the shelter, become the catalyst for Troop 6000. Having worked for the Girl Scouts earlier on, Giselle knew that these girls, including her own daughters, needed something they could be a part of, where they didn''t need to feel the shame or stigma of being homeless, but could instead develop skills and build a community that they could be proud of.New York Times journalist Nikita Stewart embedded with Troop 6000 for more than a year, at the peak of New York City''s homelessness crisis in 2017, spending time with the girls and their families and witnessing both their triumphs and challenges. Stewart takes the reader with her as she paints intimate portraits o

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Book SynopsisShocking, eye-opening and grimly fascinating, these are the true stories, patients and cases that have characterized a career spent treating mentally disordered offenders.As a forensic psychiatrist, it's Dr Das's job to treat and rehabilitate what the tabloids might call the 'criminally insane', many of whom assault, rob, rape, and even kill. His work takes him to high-security prisons and securely locked hospital wards across the country, as well as inside courtrooms, giving evidence as an expert witness.From the young woman who smothered her two-year-old nephew in a flash of psychosis, to the teenager who set his house on fire with his mother locked inside, Dr Das must delve into the minds of these violent offenders to elicit their symptoms of mental illness, understand their actions and prevent future atrocities.In this honest, revealing and at times humorous memoir, Dr Das shares stories from his fifteen years as a psychiatTrade Review'This is a thought provoking book which brings alive the work of psychiatrists in the criminal justice system. Dr Das writes with verve about a complex and difficult subject, and true crime readers are in for a treat. Very entertaining!' -- Gwen Adshead, author of THE DEVIL YOU KNOW'You will want to spend time with Dr Sohom Das - he's witty, insightful, humble and humane and above all he just makes you glad that there are still psychiatrists out there who work with and care about those unfortunate people who, if we are honest with ourselves, we would all prefer to ignore, or simply lock up' -- David Wilson, author of MY LIFE WITH MURDERERSIn a binary world where it is tempting to think of people as either victims or perpetrators Dr Das eloquently explains how they can be both. In this excellent and enlightening book we enter the minds of people who have been classified as both mad and bad. We learn what it has been like to walk in Dr Das's shoes as he treats these mentally disordered violent offenders -- Jonathan Levi and Emma French, authors of INSIDE BROADMOORIn Two Minds is a fascinating and moving account of life working with people who too often society wants to forget. Dr Das writes with warmth about his experiences as a psychiatrist and provides important insight into an world that usually remains hidden -- Dr Amanda Brown, author of THE PRISON DOCTOR

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Book SynopsisComedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter Danny Baker charts his 30 years in showbizDanny Baker was born in Deptford, South East London in June 1957, and from an early age was involved in magazine journalism, with the founding of fanzine Sniffin'' Glue, alongside friend Mark Perry. From there he moved to documentary series for LWT and over the years worked on a variety of quiz shows (Win, Lose or Draw, Pets Win Prizes, TV Heroes), as well two television commercials which made him a household name - Daz and Mars Bars.This book charts Danny''s showbiz career, the highs and lows, and everything in between, including the accusation that he killed Bob Marley ...Trade ReviewDanny Baker's passion runs deeper still as he attempts to squeeze the maximum amount of amusement from everything in his path in this hilarious first chronicle of his wonderful life. * THE OLDIE *Full of warmth and laughter -- Ian Hyland * Daily Mirror *A lively, memorable autobiography. * THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST *

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Book SynopsisThe Stand-Up while Sitting Down Years...Jo Brand tells the story of how she crawled to fame and fortune, managed to persuade someone to marry her and had some children at an age when she should have been in a bath chair on the seafront. In this second volume of her memoirs, Jo recounts wild times on the comedy circuit, the attempts to tart her up for the TV screen, running the marathon, rally driving, her numerous, occasionally extremely inebriated, Edinburgh festival appearances, her ''acting'' career, and much, much more.Jo Brand is one of our best-loved comedians, according to a quote she made up. This memoir is full of hard-won wisdom, hilarity and her views on life, laughs, friendships and all the good and bad things in the world. If she was Prime Minister, the country would be in even more of a mess than it is.

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Book SynopsisFrom #1 international bestselling author, speaker, and humanitarianDavePelzer comes the next chapter in his life?how, after spending decades saving others in the military, as a fire captain, and an internationally acclaimed advocate, he needs to confront a way to save himself.On the surface,DavePelzer?s life seems like an action movie?he?s walked the red carpet with celebrities and stood shoulder to shoulder with soldiers in Iraq; he?s flown top-secret missions for the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of chief, and battledwildfiresin California as a volunteer fire captain. And now?on the eve of the 50-year anniversary of this rescue from horrific childhood of abuse and into the safety of the foster care system?he reflects on the battles he?s fighting in his own heart. From a lifetime spent serving and saving others, can he learn how to serve and save himself? Banished to his basement at age five,DavePelzer had cried a river of tears before most children learned to tie their shoes. His now classic books,A Child Called ?It? andThe Lost Boy,chronicled how he was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who nearly killed him multiple times. But despite the odds stacked against him, he rose to become a#1 New York Timesbestselling author, inspirational speaker, andinternationallyrecognized humanitarian. After fighting for years to vanquish his pain and to channel it into service for others, Pelzer sifts through the psychological rubble of a life that has seemingly crumbled around him. What he shares is deeply transformative and unflinchingly honest.In his struggle to simplysurvive, he never learned how to justbe.Reeling from the loss of a love?and a broken spirit?Pelzer must reconcile his life choices and free himself of blame and shame to find peace and renewed purpose. Amidst the towering redwood trees and the serenity of his childhood utopia of the Russian River,Pelzerreflects on having thecourage to move forward in your life, the peace to accept yourself, the vulnerability to strip yourself of facades, and to find the tenacity to carry on when life doesn?t turn out the way you planned. For anyone who has been hurt, victimized, or feels alone, there is hope and there is always a way to rewrite your own story. Pelzer?s soulful and inspiring story will remind you to keep your faith, live with gratitude, and find the well of resilience deep within you.

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Book SynopsisThe compelling account of a Swiss Protestant family that immigrated to Montreal and sent their four sons to fight for their new country in the First World War.Trade Review"The integration of the Bieler boys' war experiences into their family's story makes for a sophisticated and exceptional narrative." Terry Copp, Department of History, Wilfrid Laurier University "A fascinating book that weaves together letters and memoirs, Onward, Dear Boys is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a significant addition to the relatively few Canadian firsthand accounts of the Great War." Susan Mann, author of Margaret Macdonald: Imper

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Book SynopsisAt Cambridge University the author realised that the lengthy vacations were going to be the last periods of freedom before old age approached. Three friends chose to go on an expedition. This book describes that adventure where, never tiring of Fray Bentos, they drove across Europe, India and Africa travelling towards that glass of champagne.Table of ContentsCONTENTS Prologue 1. A Family Saloon 2. Gone 3. Persia Ancient and Modern 4. North West Frontier 5. Kashmir 6. Meeting Mr Nehru 7. Monsoon 8. South India 9. Aden 10. Africa 11. Champagne and Velvet Roads Epilogue

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Book SynopsisSometimes the life we have constructed needs to fall apart before we can begin the process of making something better. After his first marriage ended, Philip Lee found himself living with his younger brother in an old fisherman''s house by the sea, trying to restore some order to the wreckage of his life. It was a dark year of rain-bucket showers, blowtorch espresso, and abandoned renovation projects. They were bachelors in every sense of the word.With wit, warmth, and sensitivity, Philip Lee writes about this dark year, the struggle to rebuild his life and family and his rediscovery of love''s possibilities. Lee''s journey takes him from the coastlines of Eastern Canada to the cities of China and the Greek island of Naxos. Cutting to the heart of the matter, he explores how it is that we might lift ourselves up through the great work of love.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Written in a clear, engaging voice and never descends into sensationalist finger-pointing... a cogent and provocative reassessment of a tragic incident the DND has done little to address." -- Paul Challen * Quill & Quire *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Jan Wong takes us on a trip through three of the world’s greatest cuisines to learn the secrets of their foods, as well as the civilizations—past and present—that underlies what they eat. From a farm family in France coping with globalization to the stubborn traditions of central Italy and the cultural confusion of today’s China, we meet the families and people behind the dishes—and learn how to make them as well. A wonderful story about Jan’s own efforts to bond with her son, Apron Strings is what we have come to expect from Jan Wong: funny, insightful, and brutally honest." -- Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China"For foodies like me, Jan’s book will be irresistible, but the fact is that anyone would love this book. Apron Strings is one of the most appealing, charming, loveable books I’ve read in years." -- Stevie Cameron, author of On the Take"Apron strings may be for foodies, but Jan Wong’s Apron Strings is for everyone." -- Uwera Nina Ntanganzwa * The Brunswickan *"Apron Strings is dense in food history, customs, traditions and all the contrasts in between from school systems, familial roles and even water consumption." -- Jules Torti * Alphabet Soup *

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Book SynopsisA story of experimental crane migration & release.Wings Across the Desert documents a quest to determine if a flock of cranes could be trained to follow a truck on a long-distance migration and arrive wild enough to survive after release. This fast-moving, and often humorous, odyssey describes the training of tiny crane chicks and then the truck-led convoy of the grown birds on a bone-jarring, backroad migration over the mountains and across the deserts of Arizona. David Ellis'' cranes and his team of unshaven, obsessively dedicated craniacs suffer collisions with powerlines, eagle attacks and close calls with an array or trains, trucks and cars. The mood of this true adventure story varies from playful to mournful as the wonder and harshness of nature imprints the journey''s outcome.

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