Military history: post-WW2 conflicts Books
Helion & Company Tailships: Hunting Soviet Submarines in the
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£17.95
Helion & Company Pig, Missiles and the CIA: Volume 1: from Havana
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£16.10
Headline Publishing Group Diary of an Invasion
Book Synopsis'Uplifting and utterly defiant' Matt Nixson, Daily Express 'Immediate and important ... This is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary' Helen Davies, The TimesThis journal of the invasion, a collection of Andrey Kurkov's writings and broadcasts from Kyiv, is a remarkable record of a brilliant writer at the forefront of a 21st-century war. Andrey Kurkov has been a consistent satirical commentator on his adopted country of Ukraine. His most recent work, Grey Bees, is a dark foreshadowing of the devastation in the eastern part of Ukraine in which only two villagers remain in a village bombed to smithereens. The author has lived in Kyiv and in the remote countryside of Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion. He has also been able to fly to European capitals where he has been working to raise money for charities and to address crowded halls. Kurkov has been asked to write for every English newspaper, as also to be interviewed all over Europe. He has become an important voice for his people.Kurkov sees every video and every posted message, and he spends the sleepless nights of continuous bombardment of his city delivering the truth about this invasion to the world.Trade Review'Ukraine's greatest living novelist' -- Charlie Connelly, New European Books of the Year'No one with the slightest interest in this war, or the nation on which it is being waged, should fail to read Andrey Kurkov' -- Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail'A vivid, moving and sometimes funny account of the reality of life during Russia's invasion' -- Marc Bennetts, The Times'The author's on-the-ground account is packed with surprising details about the human effects of the Russian assault ... His voice is genial but also impassioned, never more so than when deploring Putin's efforts to erase Ukrainian culture and history. Ukraine, he says, "will either be free, independent and European, or it will not exist at all". That's why the war has to be fought, with no concession of territory. And he remains quietly hopeful that it will be won' -- Blake Morrison, Guardian'It is little wonder [...] Kurkov, known for his keen eye for the absurdities of life, would pack his diary of the war with fascinating and eccentric details ... yet what makes Kurkov's diary memorable is its departures into the more quotidian gossip-filled trips to the sauna, Ukraine's morale-boosting victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, ruminations on the status of Ukrainian literature amid paper shortages, and ploys to protect animals in the country's shuttered zoos' -- Megan Gibson, New Statesman'Uplifting and utterly defiant' -- Matt Nixson, Daily Express'Immediate and important ... This is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary' -- Helen Davies, Times
£15.29
Headline Publishing Group Diary of an Invasion
Book Synopsis'Uplifting and utterly defiant' Matt Nixson, Daily Express 'Immediate and important ... This is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary' Helen Davies, The TimesThis journal of the invasion, a collection of Andrey Kurkov's writings and broadcasts from Kyiv, is a remarkable record of a brilliant writer at the forefront of a 21st-century war. Andrey Kurkov has been a consistent satirical commentator on his adopted country of Ukraine. His most recent work, Grey Bees, is a dark foreshadowing of the devastation in the eastern part of Ukraine in which only two villagers remain in a village bombed to smithereens. The author has lived in Kyiv and in the remote countryside of Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion. He has also been able to fly to European capitals where he has been working to raise money for charities and to address crowded halls. Kurkov has been asked to write for every English newspaper, as also to be interviewed all over Europe. He has become an important voice for his people.Kurkov sees every video and every posted message, and he spends the sleepless nights of continuous bombardment of his city delivering the truth about this invasion to the world.Trade Review'Ukraine's greatest living novelist' -- Charlie Connelly, New European Books of the Year'No one with the slightest interest in this war, or the nation on which it is being waged, should fail to read Andrey Kurkov' -- Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail'A vivid, moving and sometimes funny account of the reality of life during Russia's invasion' -- Marc Bennetts, The Times'The author's on-the-ground account is packed with surprising details about the human effects of the Russian assault ... His voice is genial but also impassioned, never more so than when deploring Putin's efforts to erase Ukrainian culture and history. Ukraine, he says, "will either be free, independent and European, or it will not exist at all". That's why the war has to be fought, with no concession of territory. And he remains quietly hopeful that it will be won' -- Blake Morrison, Guardian'It is little wonder [...] Kurkov, known for his keen eye for the absurdities of life, would pack his diary of the war with fascinating and eccentric details ... yet what makes Kurkov's diary memorable is its departures into the more quotidian gossip-filled trips to the sauna, Ukraine's morale-boosting victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, ruminations on the status of Ukrainian literature amid paper shortages, and ploys to protect animals in the country's shuttered zoos' -- Megan Gibson, New Statesman'Uplifting and utterly defiant' -- Matt Nixson, Daily Express'Immediate and important ... This is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary' -- Helen Davies, Times
£12.34
Helion & Company War of Intervention in Angola Volume 5: Angolan
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£17.95
Helion & Company Koevoet Volume 1: South West African Police
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£17.95
Helion & Company Nine Lives of the Flying Tiger Volume 1:
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£17.95
Helion & Company The Armed Forces of North Korea
Book SynopsisA look at North Korea''s secretive military detailing its unique weaponry, doctrines, and modernization efforts.Modernity has lifted the obsessive veil of secrecy in military innovation in all but one country: North Korea. With both its past and present a mystery, there exists little reliable information on one of the most exotic armed forces in the world today. Having essentially run aground its entire economy for the twin purposes of Juche (self-reliance) and Songun (military first), the DPRK today fields a uniquely diverse inventory of indigenous weaponry, and adheres to a military doctrine unlike any other. This highly unconventional situation is simultaneously one of the most precarious in the world, with the possibility of conflict ever looming on the horizon. To many, North Korea has become synonymous with the threat of nuclear war, having seen ballistic missiles soar and the ground tremble under a succession of escalating strategic weapons tests. The international focus on this topic has resulted in an imbalance of information, where its equally significant and numerically vast conventional forces are typically ignored. More than just posing a threat in its immense proportions however, the KPA remains a force to reckoned with due to a continuing drive for modernization, that though struggling under the pressure of a defunct economy appears to be serious in scope and realism. Any assessment of its abilities that omits such developments is invariably inaccurate, and with literature sparse and available sources often disseminating misinformation more than anything else, there is no definitive framework for placing new information about the KPA?s ground forces in its proper context. This book aims to provide precisely such a framework by setting out its history in detail and mapping pretty much all there is to know about the DPRK?s current military endeavors. This comprehensive information is accompanied by well over 150 unique images, most of which have never been seen by the general public. Furthermore, sixteen gorgeous artworks provide a better look at those armaments that have managed to evade getting caught on camera, or that deserve being highlighted in perfect detail. Subsequently published volumes will complete a small series on North Korea?s elusive military, giving both the casual reader as well as those with a professional interest a complete overview of even the most secretive aspects of a military that is unlike any other.
£17.95
Helion & Company Hunting the Viet Cong: Volume 1 - The
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£17.95
Helion & Company Operation Allied Force Volume 2: Air War Over
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£17.95
Helion & Company We Were Never There Volume 2: CIA U-2 Asia and
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£20.23
Helion & Company The Hunt for the Storozhevoy: The 1975 Soviet
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£16.10
Helion & Company Handbrake!: Dassault Super Etendard
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£17.95
Helion & Company Urgent Fury: Grenada 1983
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£17.95
Helion & Company Coin Operations in Paraguay: Dirty Little Wars
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£17.95
Helion & Company The June 1967 Arab-Israeli War Volume 1: Prequel
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£17.95
Helion & Company Czechoslovak Arms Exports to the Middle East
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£17.95
Helion & Company Iran Iraq Naval War Volume 2
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£17.95
Helion & Company San Carlos to Stanley: 40 Commando in the
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£16.10
Monsoon Books Operation Blowpipe
Book SynopsisAt the end of the Malayan Emergency Jason Rance visits the orang asli hill tribes in Malaya and only the skill of a Gurkha saves him from being killed by four poisoned blowpipe darts.
£9.49
Monsoon Books Operation Tipping Point
Book SynopsisThe story of what would become the tipping point of the Malayan Emergency in favour of the security forces is retold against a background of events in Moscow, Darjeeling, Delhi and Calcutta, where senior communist party members plot to infiltrate Gurkha units and destabilise Malaya.
£9.49
Scribe Publications The Secret Gate: a true story of courage and
Book SynopsisThe incredible story of a breathtaking rescue in the frenzied final hours of the US evacuation of Afghanistan — and how a brave Afghan mother and a compassionate American officer engineered a daring escape. When the US began its withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Afghan army instantly collapsed, Homeira Qaderi was marked for death at the hands of the Taliban. A celebrated author, academic, and champion for women’s liberation, Homeira had achieved celebrity in her home country by winning custody of her son in a contentious divorce, a rarity in Afghanistan’s patriarchal society. Despite her fierce determination to stay in her homeland, it finally became clear to Homeira that escaping was the only way she and her family would survive. However, like so many, she was mired in the chaos that ensued at Kabul Airport, struggling to get on a plane with her eight-year-old son, Siawash, along with her parents and the rest of their family. Meanwhile, a young US foreign service officer, Sam Aronson, who had volunteered to help rescue the more than 100,000 Americans and their Afghan helpers stranded in Kabul, learned that the CIA had established a secret entrance into Kabul Airport two miles away from the desperate crowds crushing toward the gates. He started bringing families directly through, and on the very last day of the evacuation, Sam was contacted by Homeira’s literary agent, who persuaded him to help Homeira get out. The story that follows is unbelievable but true. Zuckoff’s firsthand accounts come exclusively and directly from Homeira, Aronson, and Homeira’s literary agent. The Secret Gate is beyond riveting, and will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Trade Review‘In Mitchell Zuckoff’s capable hands, here is an unforgettable account of a daring attempt to temper the brutality of war. It’s all here: the impossible moral choices; the desperation and the ingenuity; the courage to step in and help when it’s most needed; the anguish of those who must uproot themselves and take the struggle for freedom to another shore. The Secret Gate is inspiring on every level.’ -- Robert Kolker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road‘Mitchell Zuckoff’s The Secret Gate is the harrowing and emotional true-life story of survival during the Afghanistan evacuation. The fast-paced drama centres around the American diplomat Sam Aronson and the Afghan women’s rights activist Homeira Qaderi. This riveting book has major motion picture written all over it. A must read!’ -- Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Silent Spring Revolution and American Moonshot‘Mitchell Zuckoff has located a genuinely thrilling tale, told with style, grace, and empathy. The Secret Gate will get your blood pumping.’ -- Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and On Desperate Ground‘An American diplomat intervenes to help a women’s rights activist and her son flee Kabul before it falls to the Taliban in this taut account from journalist Zuckoff … Drawing on extensive interviews with Aronson and Qaderi, Zuckoff reveals the human side of geopolitics. Readers won’t be able to put this down.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘A suspenseful chronicle of a dramatic rescue at the end of America’s evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021 … An uplifting account of genuine heroics in the latest American military debacle.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Reads like a thriller … Zuckoff does a remarkable job not only of describing the chaos and confusion at Kabul airport, but also of framing the fraught choices faced by Afghans and Americans alike. The Secret Gate describes, in compelling detail, the excruciating decisions faced by members of the diplomatic corps and military as they decided who to evacuate and who to leave behind; however, the book doesn’t fall into the trap of allowing the American narrative to subsume the Afghan one. [It] is a fast-paced escape narrative, but it is also a morally complex interrogation of Homeira’s wrenching choice.’ * The Washington Post *Praise for Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11: ‘With his rigorous research and moral clarity, Mitchell Zuckoff has provided us with an invaluable service. He has deepened our understanding of what happened on 9/11 and recorded the voices of the victims and the survivors. What's more, he has ensured that we never forget.’ -- David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower MoonPraise for Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11: ‘The 9/11 book we’ve been waiting for. A terrific storyteller and gifted researcher, Mitchell Zuckoff has rendered that world-changing day on a scale both intimate and monumental. This is narrative history at its very best.’ -- Cokie Roberts, New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning journalistPraise for Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11: ‘Inspiring, depressing, heartbreaking, and simply astonishing … Zuckoff delivers a master-class in long-form historical journalism.’ * The Sydney Morning Herald *Praise for 13 Hours: the inside account of what really happened in Benghazi: ‘A crisply written, gripping narrative of the events of the battle in Benghazi that adds considerable detail to the public record of what happened there … [an] authoritative account.’ * The Wall Street Journal *Praise for 13 Hours: the inside account of what really happened in Benghazi: ‘A great number of journalists and government instrumentalities have tilted at Benghazi … All of those efforts look fragmentary when placed side-by-side with 13 Hours.’ * The Washington Post *
£17.09
Asia Ink On The Ho Chi Minh Trail – The Blood Road, The
Book SynopsisA mix of travelogue, history, and mediation on a journey through the Ho Chi Minh Trail that reveals the critical role women played in defending it. Offering both a personal and historical exploration of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, this book highlights the critical role the Trail and the young women soldiers who helped build and defend it played in the Vietnam War. Accompanied by two traveling companions, Sherry Buchanan winds her way from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in the south. Driving through the spectacular scenery of Vietnam and Laos, she encounters locations from the Truong Son mountains, the Phong Nha Caves, ancient citadels, and Confucian temples to the Khmer Temple of Wat Phu at the western-most point of the Trail in Laos. Buchanan records her interactions—both scheduled and spontaneous—with those who experienced the Vietnam War firsthand. She listens to the women who defended the Trail roads against the greatest bombing campaign in modern times, walks through minefields with the demolition teams hunting for unexploded ordnance, and meets American veterans who have returned to Vietnam with an urge to “do something.” Buchanan weaves informative, and often humorous, tales from her journey with excerpts from the accounts of others, situating the locations she visits in their historical and political context. On the Ho Chi Minh Trail brings together geography, history, and personal accounts to reveal the scale of the tragedy, its harmful legacies, and our memory of it. Buchanan challenges American exceptionalism and calls for redress for those harmed by US military actions during the Vietnam War and America’s subsequent wars.Trade Review"Never in my life have I finished a book in just a few days as I did On the Ho Chi Minh Trail. More than four decades after the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, Sherry Buchanan journeyed down the trail to meet actors and participants from all sides of the war, especially the women who built and defended it. By following in the footsteps of these young women, she has given them a voice and a face not too many people know about. She also brings to the fore the strategic role they played in the conflict." -- Le Ly Hayslip * USA Today *"Buchanan’s interview style gives the women space to tell their own stories in their own words, reviving their youthful energy and dedication. . . . Also included are photographs that capture Vietnam’s beauty and contrasts—of mountain ranges swathed in blue mists that hide steep, death-dealing ravines; of a tank abandoned fifty years ago that rusts at the edge of a rice field. On the Ho Chi Minh Trail is a satisfying cultural history with insights into Vietnam and the women who fought for it." * Foreword Reviews *"Intrigued to know more about the War from female perspectives, [Buchanan's] book is guided by interviews with former female soldiers who contributed to the building of the trail or fought in the war against the US Army. . . . The book is conveniently structured in chapters, as each marks a point in her journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. In each city or place, she meets the female soldiers whose contribution to the war still has not been sufficiently appreciated and adequately honored in Vietnam. These are women balancing ammunition boxes on their shoulders, who fought side by side with their male counterparts, and who still remain traumatized by the horrors of the war they experienced first hand." * Asian Review of Books *"The Ho Chi Minh Trail was the quasi-mythical network of roads, paths and tunnels that North Vietnam used, in its war against South Vietnam and the Americans, to transport military supplies to its supporters in the South, the Viet Cong. On the Ho Chi Minh Trail is a travelogue, charting American journalist, author and publisher Sherry Buchanan’s trip down the trail in 2014, collecting the stories of the young women who played a vital role in keeping the trail open despite the constant American bombing. The book includes pictures of Vietnamese war art, maps and an itinerary (in case you want to follow in her footsteps!) and brings all of the author’s knowledge of Vietnam to bear." * Five Books *"Combining travelogue, history, interviews, art, and 'endless empathy', this reveals the hidden history of the women who defended the Ho Chi Minh Trail against the most ferocious bombardment in modern times, during the Vietnam War." * The Bookseller *"Buchanan tells the powerful story of the women who defended the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of roads and trails used by the North Vietnamese to supply their troops, defeat the Americans and their South Vietnamese allies, and unify the country. A journalist, expert on Vietnamese art and an historian, Buchanan has deep insight and understanding that flows through this historical reminiscence and travelogue. . . . Buchanan’s voice is lyrical. . . . By grounding her modern meditations on the Trail in an historic context, Buchanan has contributed to that process of gradual, person-by-person, healing and reconciliation." -- Ted Osius, former US Ambassador to Vietnam * tedosius.com *“I look forward to giving a copy of On the Ho Chi Minh Trail to my father, who served in the Navy in Da Nang. I have no doubt that it would offer him—and all of the book’s readers—an illuminating, creative, and revelatory view of this conflict that continues to haunt the American psyche.” -- Erin Hogan, author of Spiral Jetta“This is a fascinating account of the largely untold story of the courageous women who played a strategic role for the North by safeguarding the major supply route from North Vietnam to the combatants waging the war in the South. Buchannan provides new insights into the long conflict by illuminating the critical contributions of women who not only undertook a very dangerous mission in an extremely harsh environment, but also became a powerful force for reconciliation at the war’s end. We get to travel the Ho Chi Minh Trail with the author, becoming present-day witnesses to the compelling history of women who defended the Blood Road decades ago.” -- Melanne Verveer, former US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues"Buchanan takes us to a beautiful and haunted land where hundreds of thousands of young women and men risked their lives in a staggering effort to forge a route to national unification against the greatest military power on earth. Combining travelogue, history, interviews, art, and endless empathy, On The Ho Chi Minh Trail is a compelling meditation on the relationship between past and present, war and peace, memory and reconciliation." -- Christian G. Appy, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity"Buchanan takes us on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in a riveting and as relevant a journey today as it was fifty years ago. She charts new territory—-especially in the vivid, often heartbreaking stories of women who fought in the war as teenagers and the forced roles of housewives who stood on rooftops to shoot down U S planes that bombed their homes. Buchanan details—at times too much to absorb—the countless centuries of Vietnam's perilous path to freedom. But her vibrant writing and crystal clear interviews with women—their youthful dreams and present day realities—shine a powerful light on a war and a previously unexplored dimension that should never be forgotten." -- Myra McPherson, author of Long Time Passing: Vietnam and the Haunted Generation"A riveting read of a hidden history. Buchanan reveals the untold story of the young women in Vietnamese war drawings who patriotically defended the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the American–Vietnam War (1965–1975). This book is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand Asian history from new perspectives." -- Jessica Harrison-Hall, curator, British Museum"I have two vastly different, but enduring memories of the Ho Chi Minh trail. Firstly, as an Air Force fighter pilot bombing the trail, and 31 years later, as the first post-war U.S. ambassador to Vietnam frequently travelling along its length while engaging in bilateral diplomacy. Consequently, in reading Sherry Buchanan’s meticulously researched, stimulating and beautifully written On the Ho Chi Minh Trail, I felt like I was on the journey with her. The book is an exceptional travel log; the reader gets a superb geography lesson; a narrowly focused history of the trail during the war; and an introduction into Vietnam’s unique artistic and cultural identity including a primer on some of its exceptional cuisine. But above all, the author’s trip companion’s commentary and the heart-wrenching stories of the people (especially the women) they met along the way are what makes this book an absolute gem. Their remarkable stories of survival and sacrifice along with their remembrance of the hundreds of thousands who did not survive along the Trail will keep readers spell bound.” -- Pete Peterson, first postwar US ambassador to Vietnam and Vietnam War Veteran"In On the Ho Chi Minh Trail: The Blood Road, the Women Who Defended It, the Legacy, journalist Sherry Buchanan adds another chapter to the conflict’s story by recording the War’s events from the perspective of the women who fought on its frontlines." * Scheer Intelligence Podcast *Table of ContentsPreface Mapping the Trail Chapters and MapsChapters 1 to 6 The Trail through the north of Vietnam Chapters 7 to 9 The Trail through Laos Chapters 10 & 11 The Trail through the south of Vietnam Doing the Trail Notes Readings & References
£15.20
Orenda Books Our Daily War
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£10.44
Scribe Publications Well Done, Those Men: memoirs of a Vietnam
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£16.14
Monash University Publishing Don't Mention the War: The Australian Defence
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£15.29
Exisle Publishing The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American
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£14.24
Tellwell Talent The Third Chopstick: Tracks through the Vietnam
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£12.71
Monash University Publishing Writing for Raksmey: A Story of Cambodia
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£17.99
Exisle Publishing The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American
Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Panzer Commander Hermann BalckFalse Flagscomes an in-depth, critical evaluation of the maneuver warfare revolution that has transformed the American military. Colonel John Boyd, a maverick fighter pilot, revolutionized the American art of war through his ideas on conflict and the human mind. Boyd claimed that victory is won by the side which transitions through ''decision cycles'' faster than the enemy, mentally checkmating them with minimal violence. Maneuver warfare concepts became military doctrine during the 1980s but this revolution accidently undermined American security. When formulating his theories on conflict, Boyd relied upon fraudulent accounts of WWII written by Wehrmachtveterans who fabricated historical evidence to disassociate their reputations from Germany''s defeat and cover up their willing participation in Nazi war crimes. Boyd fell for this deception and unknowingly injected dangerous misinformation into the American military mind. Maneuver warfare has accordingly corrupted the art of war and resulted in catastrophic decisions made in Iraq and Afghanistan during 21st century conflict. The Blind Strategistseparates fact from fantasy and exposes the myths of maneuver warfare through a detailed evidence-based investigation. A must-read for anybody interested in American military history.
£22.09
30 Degrees South Publishers Platoon 3: A mechanised ratel soldiers story
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£19.79
BOA Editions, Limited Disclamor
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£11.39
Booklocker Inc.,US DMZ Diary: A Combat Marine's Vietnam Memoir
£19.45
Ross & Perry Operation Desert Storm
£29.95
Feral House,U.S. Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine
Book SynopsisA Marine officer's innter struggle with turht after coming home from Iraq.
£14.39
Bellevue Literary Press Then They Started Shooting: Children of the
Book Synopsis"Remarkable insight and sensitivity ...deepen[s] our understanding of human resilience and how people rebuild their lives from tragic circumstances." --KENNETH ROTH, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch "The stories in this book are eloquently and poignantly recounted, and offer a vital, complex portrait of what the long road to peace looks like." --DINAW MENGESTU, author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air "Profound ...Rarely do we get the opportunity to delve into the thoughts of the young caught up in such a tragedy--and meet them not just once in their lives but again years later." --TIM JUDAH, Europe correspondent for Bloomberg World View, Balkans correspondent for The Economist, and author of The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia Imagine you are nine years old. Your best friend's father is arrested, half your classmates disappear from school, and someone burns down the house across the road. Imagine you are ten years old and have to cross a snow-covered mountain range at night in order to escape the soldiers who are trying to kill you. How would you deal with these memories five, ten, or twenty years later once you are an adult? Jones, a relief worker and child psychiatrist, interviewed over forty Serb and Muslim children who came of age during the Bosnian War and now returns, twenty years after the war began, to discover the adults they have become. A must-read for anyone interested in human rights, children's issues, and the psychological fallout from war, this engaging book addresses the continuing debate about PTSD, the roots of ethnic identity and nationalism, the sources of global conflict, the best paths toward peacemaking and reconciliation, and the resilience of the human spirit. Lynne Jones was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her work in child psychiatry in conflict-affected areas of Central Europe and has established and directed mental health programs in areas of conflict and natural disaster throughout Latin America, the Balkans, East and West Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Her field diaries have been published in O, The Oprah Magazine and London Review of Books, and her audio diaries have been broadcast on the BBC World Service.Trade Review"Beautifully illustrates the way in which people (in this case children) actively engage with the experience of war ... Highly original." --Times Literary Supplement "Out of the horror of human cruelty in the Bosnian war comes a bright note." --Foreign Affairs "Careful, sensitive ... a deeply intimate look into the emotional makeup of children of war." --Kirkus Reviews "Thought-provoking and readable." --Library Journal "Psychiatrist Lynne Jones, working in Bosnia's Gorazde in 1996, discovered a striking puzzle: most children exposed to the extreme trauma of bombing, rape, or 'ethnic cleansing' were emotional, but not 'mentally ill.' Written with an engaging style by a caring doctor with unique experience in setting up clinics in conflict zones, Jones describes children in this Muslim town, detailing how their interpretation of trauma protected them or rendered them vulnerable. Careful to be balanced, she also listened to the Serbian children in the neighboring town, and revisited these children on both sides of the conflict years later. This remarkable book not only contributes to social history--including our understanding of the genocide in Srebrenica--but also to psychiatry. Her astonishing work challenges the medical model in understanding human responses to cruelty." --SIMON BARON-COHEN, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, Cambridge University, and author of The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty "Profound ... Rarely do we get the opportunity to delve into the thoughts of the young caught up in such a tragedy--and meet them not just once in their lives but again years later. This is a moving, well written and above all, deeply disturbing book." --TIM JUDAH, Europe correspondent for Bloomberg World View, Balkans correspondent for The Economist, and author of The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia "Part narrative, part analysis, part thoughtful reflection, this book belongs among the classic accounts of children and war." --JENNIFER LEANING, M.D., S.M.H., Harvard School of Public Health "Lynne Jones brings to the extreme situation she describes a truly unique combination of hands-on communally oriented psychiatric help; sensitive research on the impact of war and upheaval on children; and an astute sense of the interplay of political policies and psychological behavior... The book not only deepens our understanding of what happened in the former Yugoslavia but contributes greatly to our more general grasp of the consequences of death, loss, and dislocation, and the stubborn human persistence in the face of them." --ROBERT JAY LIFTON, author of The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide and Witness to an Extreme Century "One of the most illuminating books to have emerged out of the embers of the Bosnian war. Few outsiders have acquired such an inside knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of ordinary Bosnians, on both sides of the wartime divide." --NOEL MALCOLM, author of Bosnia: A Short History and Chairman of the Bosnian Institute in London "Then They Started Shooting upends the traditional discourse on the victims of war by continuing the narrative long after the violence has ended. The stories in this book are eloquently and poignantly recounted, and offer a vital, complex portrait of what the long road to peace looks like." --DINAW MENGESTU, author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air "Human rights investigations tend to produce snapshots at the moment of abuse. Rarely do we have occasion to look at the aftermath. Lynne Jones adds the dimension of time. With remarkable insight and sensitivity, she follows a group of young Bosnians from both sides of the Serb-Muslim conflict as they grow up. We see how they try to cope with, comprehend, and transcend the horrors that their elders have visited upon their communities. Their successes and failures deepen our understanding of human resilience and how people rebuild their lives from tragic circumstances." --KENNETH ROTH, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch "Lynne Jones is an internationally-known expert on the effects of war on children. Her description of the legacy of the savage war in Bosnia is a shattering but necessary read... This book should be in the knapsack of every international administrator." --BRENDAN SIMMS, author of Europe: The Struggle for SupremacyTable of ContentsMaps The Balkans, 1990 The Balkans, 2003 Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1998 The Drina Valley, 1998 Abbreviations Introduction Part One: Children in Wartime 1. Fighting Begins 2. The War Goes On 3. Adjusting to Peace Part Two: Understanding What Happened 4. Why Did We Fight? 5. What Became of Our Neighbors? 6. What Country Is This? 7. Where Do They Come From? Part Three: Psychosocial Consequences 8. War and Well-being 9. Day after Day 10. Making Sense of Madness 11. Crimes and Punishments
£13.49
McSweeney's Publishing The End of Major Combat Operations
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£10.99
Casemate Publishers Nam Sense: Surviving Vietnam with 101st Airborne
Book SynopsisNam Sense is the memoir of a combat squad leader in the 101st Airborne Division. Arthur Wiknik was drafted by the army in 1969 at the age of nineteen, promoted to sergeant ‘without ever setting foot in a combat zone’, and sent to Vietnam. He was flown north to Camp Evans, a mixed-unit outpost near Phong Dien, only a few miles from Laos. Wiknik was then thrown straight into the action: he was the first man in his unit to reach the top of Hamburger Hill during one of the last offensives launched by US forces, and later discovered a weapons cache that prevented a sneak attack on his advance fire support base. Between the sporadic episodes of combat he mingled with the locals and defrauded an unwitting US supplier to provide his platoon with a year of good food. This book offers a perfect blend of candour and humour – and it spares nothing and no one in its attempt to convey what really happened during this unpopular war. Nam Sense is not about heroism, mental breakdowns and haunting flashbacks: the GIs Wiknik lived and fought with during his year-long tour were there to do their duty, support their comrades and get home alive. ‘The soldiers I knew’, explains the author, ‘demonstrated courage, principle, kindness, and friendship – all the elements found in other wars Americans have proudly fought in.’ About the AuthorARTHUR WIKNIK was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968, selected to be trained as an Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and went to war in Vietnam.Trade ReviewThis memoir has it all. Its powerful prose sears into the reader the pathos of war-the loneliness, hopelessness, fear, anger, loathing of oneself and ones' enemy-while generating laughs, a better understanding of the Vietnam veteran, and a sense of pride in our armed forces. * AdvanceBookReviews.com *Nam Sense is written in an accessible and ironic style, whether describing whores or horrors, it provides an unflinching look at a year in the life of a Grunt in Vietnam. * Military History of the West *
£14.99
Casemate Publishers Days of Valor: An Inside Account of the Bloodiest
Book SynopsisDays of Valor tells the story of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, a major combat unit of the US Army that served in the Vietnam War. The brigade was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was sent out to Vietnam in December 1966. In January 1968, the 199th were conducting an operation in Bien Hoa Province, scouring the sector for NVA personnel, when the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive. This sudden offensive caught the US Army completely by surprise. The Viet Cong attacked all of the major cities in South Vietnam and 58 major towns. The Communist forces had considerable success in Huéand Saigon. Armed with rockets, mortars, Chinese claymores, mines, machine guns and AK-47s, the Viet Cong were able to force the 199th onto the back foot. Many of the characters described in this book did not make it home, and the narrative gives the reader a vivid impression of what it must have been like to fight in this horrific war. The author was a company commander during these battles, and he has interviewed many of the soldiers of the 199th who fought in this bloody conflict. Days of Valor is a no-holds-barred account of the Tet Offensive, and reveals the shocking reality of what young US soldiers faced. The Tet Offensive was the turning point of the Vietnam War. It was a huge propaganda victory for the Viet Cong, and the beginning of the end for the US in Vietnam. About the Author Robert L Tonsetic is Vietnam veteran and author of Forsaken Warriors (Casemate, 2009).Trade Review… a spell binding account of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade's actions surrounding the Tet Offensive… an excellent memorial to the exploits of this fighting unit. * Collected Miscellany *…will resonate with veterans, especially grunts who served anywhere in Vietnam….offers historical insights for today…a worthy memorial. * Vietnam Magazine *... this book has no other purpose other than to disclose the valor and sacrifice of those who fought during this period. … This book took me by surprise. I had begun the task to review a log of war, to gain new admiration of valor and courage. In the end, not only had I gained a renewed appreciation of courage and valor, but more importantly I had to come face to face with the enormity of loss and grief that is forever imposed on our soldiers. This book is a path to share that cost. * Reviewed by: Edward Fennell *...Tonsetic, who commanded an infantry company, relies heavily first person infantrymen to paint a picture of almost non-stop combat action… * Vietnam Veterans of America *... Tonsetic's account is a panegyric to the soldiers he served with rather than an attempt at a general history...the work is primarily about his own experiences and those of the people around him, collected from the personal recollections of participants and contemporary after-action reports. ..of interest to subject collections. * Library Journal *
£18.04
Just World Books The People Make the Peace: Lessons from the
Book SynopsisAs young adults in the 1960s and 1970s, the nine people featured in this book—including co-editor Frank Joyce, Rennie Davis, Judy Gumbo, Alex Hing, and others—worked to end the U.S. war in Vietnam. Independently of each other, while the United States was still at war, nearly all of them travelled to North Vietnam, risking physical harm and charges of treason back home. In 2013, they all revisited Vietnam in a trip organized by the editors of this book. The People Make the Peace presents their reflections on those experiences, providing thoughtful and well informed reflections on a war and an era that deeply affected the United States and the world.
£18.86
Trine Day An American in the Basement
Book SynopsisWinner of:General Non-Fiction, 2014 Next Generation Indie Book AwardsThe incredible story of denial, deceit, and deception that ultimately cost Navy pilot Captain Michael Scott Speicher his life is exposed in this military tell-all. Asserting that years of information has been intentionally kept from an American public, the book reveals that, contrary to reports, Speicher survived after he ejected from his stricken F/A-18 Hornet on the first night of the Persian Gulf War. Protected by a Bedouin tribal group, he evaded Saddam’s capture for nearly four years. In that time he was repeatedly promised by an American intelligence asset that a deal for his repatriation would be worked out but it never was. Speicher was left behind. After Saddam Hussein captured him, Speicher spent the next eight years in a secret Baghdad prison and being moved around in secret to avoid an American task force looking for him, and before he was killed after the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003. Author Amy Waters Yarsinske, a former naval intelligence officer and a veteran investigator and author, presents her fascinating case after years of research.Trade Review"[Amy Waters Yarsinske], an expert in contemporary and historical naval aviation, drew her conclusions from interviews with government and military officials, diplomats, pilots and Iraqi defectors and informers." -- Orlando Sentinel on "No One Left Behind""This true hero and fighter-pilot, shot down during the first Gulf War back in 1991, performed super-human feats trying to survive in Iraq. But he was betrayed and forsaken. Thank God, Amy - who's covered this story from day one - never give up. A MUST-READ that rates all of our five stars." -- May Glenn MacDonald, militarycorruption.com
£16.16
George F. Thompson Lost in Vietnam
Book SynopsisVietnam is an ancient and beautiful land, with a deep history of occupational conflict that remains an enigma in Americans’ collective memory. It is still easy to forget that Vietnam is a country and not a war, even as America’s role in Vietnam inflamed and divided the American citizenry in ways that are still evident today. It is as if Vietnam’s civil war resurrected our own. And if you are a Vietnam War veteran or a family member of a vet, it’s worse, because, even after a half-century, many of the wounds won’t heal. What do you do when you have given up on forgetting? Chuck Forsman is one of a sizable number of aging Vietnam vets who have found deep satisfaction in revisiting Vietnam, supporting charities, orphanages, and clinics, doing volunteer work and more—anything to redeem what the U.S. military did there. He is also a renowned painter and photographer who depicts places and environments in ways that become unforgettable visual experiences for the contemporary viewer. Lost in Vietnam chronicles a journey, not a country. They were taken on visits averaging two months each and two-year intervals over a decade. Forsman traveled largely by motorbike throughout the country—south, central, and north—sharing his experiences through amazing photographs of Vietnam’s lands and people. His visual journey of one such veteran’s twofold quest: the one for redemption and understanding, and the other to make art. The renowned Le Ly Hayslip introduces the book and sets the table for Forsman’s incredible sojourn.
£25.50
BOA Editions, Limited The Secret of Hoa Sen
Book SynopsisPoems by Nguyen Phan Que Mai Translated from the Vietnamese by Bruce Weigl and Nguyen Phan Que Mai Nguyen Phan Que Mai is among the most exciting writers to emerge from post-war Vietnam. Bruce Weigl, driven by his personal experiences as a soldier during the war in Vietnam, has spent the past 20 years translating contemporary Vietnamese poetry. These penetrating poems, published in bilingual English and Vietnamese, build new bridges between two cultures bound together by war and destruction. The Secret of Hoa Sen, Que Mai's first full-length U.S. publication, shines with craft, art, and deeply felt humanity. I cross the Lam River to return to my homeland where my mother embraces my grandmother's tomb in the rain, the soil of Nghe An so dry the rice plants cling to rocks. My mother chews dry corn; hungry, she tries to forget.Trade Review"The Secret of Hoa Sen, translated by the author and Bruce Weigl, takes us along the streets of Vietnam where we meet women bearing 'stars in the shape of carrying poles' and women who are the collectors of garbage who 'mend their lives whole from debris.' Que Mai takes us deep into the earth with 'earthworms who know how to sing the eternal song of emerald grass.' She brings forth the music in each rice plant blossoming in the lullaby of her grandma who died during the Great Famine. Through the suffering of war and greed and the celebration of life, these poems originate in the depths of mud and rise, like the lotus flower whose petals magically take flight, bringing us its truth and freedom." --Teresa Mei Chuc, author of Red Thread: Poems "Que Mai, a translator, poet, and winner of the Poetry of the Year Award from the Hanoi Writers Association, collaborated with poet and translator Weigl for this collection focused on the lingering physical and psychological effects of the Vietnam War. These straightforward, personal poems lament and celebrate with the landscape--the smells, colors, and people of her country--that is their touchstone ... But Nguyen also sings for the alienated orphans of the Vietnam War; for garment workers in Bangladesh; for the victims of Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines; and for mothers across the globe in perilous circumstances ... Mai writes with a nostalgic yet detail-oriented eye." --Publishers Weekly "Nguyen Phan Que Mai's poetry collection is firmly rooted in the Vietnamese tradition, though her poems--or, rather, full-blown songs--also travel to Bhutan, Bangladesh, and other locales. The Secret of Hoa Sen is a collection about the earth-born: family, feeding, sustenance, and how these are intimately connected to the earth. This is what makes the poems stand out from the recent trend in writing about the urban familial settings, but this is not to say that the poems are limited to pastoral settings. Nguyen's co-translator Bruce Weigl rightly describes the collection in the introduction as 'a global poetry, necessary for our troubled times.' ... Ms. Nguyen's voice is simple, but full of compassion, and there is both the quality of the earth and the wind in her poetry, an embracing lushness." --Asymptote "The author writes eloquently about family, femaleness and the sensual beauty of her country. When she writes of place, I feel that I am walking past the rice shoots in a long ago world." --Omaha World-Herald "While there are dark, gritty elements at play, Que Mai's work does not lose itself to despair. She crafts subtleties in sentiment without being overly sentimental." --Los Angeles Review of Books "Poetry is an effective and beautiful way to deal with the horrific aspects of war that have marked all of us. Those who have been avoiding Vietnam War poetry should try this book. You might find it surprisingly affecting." --David Willson, Vietnam Veterans of America "Like a lullaby, The Secret of Hoa Sen acknowledges our collective pain by looking at it head on. Nguyen does not sooth over old wounds, but she does break down the painfulness of the past by suggesting the journey back can offer a chance at redemption." -PleiadesTable of ContentsContents Introduction by Bruce Weigl 1. My Mother’s Rice 2. Eating Pho with My Grandpa 3. The Poem I Can’t Yet Name 4. The Gardener in the Royal Citadel 5. Stars in the Shape of Carrying Poles 6. The Boat Girl 7. Spring Garden 8. Pearls of My Aunt 9. The Garment Workers of Bangladesh 10. The Secret of Hoa Sen 11. Two Truths 12. Earth Home 13. Ceramic Rhythm 14. The White Time 15. With a Vietnam Veteran 16. Separated Worlds 17. April 18. Thousand Years 19. The White Sky 20. The Desire of Clouds 21. Mekong Delta 22. Hà Noi 23. Your River 24. My Father 25. My Mother 26. Speaking With My Children 27. The Sea 28. My Father’s Home Village 29. Being Vietnamese 30. Touching the Hair of Sunrise 31. Journey of the Human Train 32. Quang Tri 33. Van Anh 34. The Singing Sea 35. The Green Sphere 36. Steps of Time 37. Your Words 38. Night’s Whispers 39. Your Forest 40. Babylift 41. Grass 42. Vietnam Veterans Memorial 43. Through a Narrow Lane 44. Song of Garbage 45. Himalaya 46. Fish Sauce and Flowers 47. Blues for My Grandma 48. Crying for Mindanao 49. Fears 50. From the Deep Earth 51. The Music of Fire 52. Freeing Myself
£12.34
Vietnam Nurse Vietnam Nurse: Mending & Remembering
£14.00
Daylight Books A Whole World Blind: War and Life in Northern
Book SynopsisAward-winning photographer Nish Nalbandian has spent three years covering the war in Northern Syria and the refugees from that war in Turkey. His debut monograph, A Whole World Blind, entwines documentary photography and portraiture with oral testimony, essays, stories, and memoir to create a vivid picture of the reality of this war. The book depicts fighters on the frontline as well as everyday people eking out a living amidst the ruins. Fascinated by the dynamic of life that continued through conflict, Nalbandian's photographs humanize what often read as impersonal headlines about a dangerous war. Nish Nalbandian has photographed in more than thirty-five countries worldwide in a variety of environments and continues to cover Syrian Refugee issues. Nalbandian's awards include First Prize for Conflict photography in the 2014 IPA, the Gold Medal for War Photography in the 2014 PX3, and many more.Trade Review"In his debut monograph, Nalbandian weaves together harrowing images and powerful quotations.", - Smithsonian Mag, September 15, 2016 “...a honest and uncensored testimony to the strength and vitality of the people living amidst cataclysmic turmoil...", - Vice, November 19, 2016 “Despite all the guilt and all the horror, A Whole World Blind is at least in part a book about redemption. When people asked Nalbandian to tell their story—whether it was about a wedding or a funeral— he followed them and listened.”, - Feature Shoot, December 15, 2016
£34.19
Di Angelo Publications Only Cry For the Living: Memos from the ISIS
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Robert D. Reed Publishers Maverick Priest: A Story of Life on the Edge
Book SynopsisA Story of the Ongoing Struggle for Peace in Our Violent World This is the story of one man's unique journey around the world, in the name of human connection, peace, and active nonviolence. Father Harry J. Bury is a Catholic priest unlike any you have ever met. His travels through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Costa Rica, Philippines, Africa, Palestine and Israel, span over 60 years. His life-long dedication: to interact lovingly with citizens of the world in pursuit of peace and nonviolence. His determination to help his fellow human beings put him in sometimes compromising and often dangerous situations with American law enforcement, foreign governments, and the church alike. He was: Kidnapped at gunpoint in Gaza, Arrested at the Pentagon, Chained to the gates of the American Embassy in Saigon, Participated in the release of American POWs in Vietnam, Served at the side of Mother Theresa in Calcutta,Arrested by Swiss Guards for saying Mass on the steps of theBasilica of St. Peter in Rome, and Awarded the Key to Ho Chi Minh City in gratitude for his efforts to end the war in Vietnam. Father Bury's life reads like an adventure novel. But this is not fiction. It is the testament of a life lived to make a difference. Against all odds, with unwavering faith, he carries his message of love, peace, and non-violence as a priest, political activist, and warrior for peace. Nearing his 90th year, Father Bury puts his story on paper, hoping it will inspire and encourage all who care about humankind living in peace and without violence, to carry the message, do the work, continue the struggle, and never give up.
£15.15
Boutique of Quality Books The Hitchhike
Book SynopsisMark Paul Smith's hitchhike from Indiana to India in 1972 changed him from being an Air Force Officer into a conscientious objector. He hitchhiked through the Iron Curtain and worked on a collective farm in Hungary only to find that communism wasn't our real enemy. He met people from North Vietnam who showed him the real enemy was the U.S. war machine. Being an American was popular in those days, but the people of the world showed Smith kindness and kept him alive when he ran out of money. The long road to decision showed him that people everywhere want peace, not war. His faith in the United States of America was restored when he sued the government and won his case in federal court.
£15.26
