True stories of heroism, and endu Books

Book SynopsisAn international bestseller, the joys and challenges of a life dedicated to conservation are vividly described in The Elephants of Thula Thula by Françoise Malby-Anthony, owner of the Thula Thula reserve.'Enthralling' - Daily Mail‘Somehow, the elephants got into my soul, and it became my life’s work to see them safe and happy. There was no giving up on that vision, no matter how hard the road was at times.’Françoise Malby-Anthony is the owner of a game reserve in South Africa with a remarkable family of elephants whose adventures have touched hearts around the world.The herd’s feisty matriarch Frankie knows who’s in charge at Thula Thula, and it’s not Francoise. But when Frankie becomes ill, and the authorities threaten to remove or cull some of the herd if the reserve doesn’t expand, Françoise is in a race against time to save her beloved elephants . . .The search is on to get a girlfriend for orphaned rhino Thabo – and then, as his behaviour becomes increasingly boisterous, a big brother to teach him manners.Françoise realizes a dream with the arrival of Savannah the cheetah – an endangered species not seen in the area since the 1940s – and finds herself rescuing meerkats kept as pets. But will Thula Thula survive the pandemic, an invasion from poachers and the threat from a mining company wanting access to its land?As Françoise faces her toughest years yet, she realizes once again that with their wisdom, resilience and communal bonds, the elephants have much to teach us.Trade ReviewFrançoise’s descriptions of the empathetic behaviour of elephants, both towards each other and towards the humans who love them, are beguiling * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisSAS trooper and trainee pilot Jamie Hull was flying solo when his aircraft caught fire. It should have been the end of his life, but it was the beginning of his story.With flames up to his chin, he brought the plane in, climbed out and jumped from the wing. As he lay on the ground, fully conscious, waiting for the emergency services, he could smell his flesh burn.Even if he survived, what would he have left to live for?But this man is made of stern stuff. He fought back from the brink of death, and created a new and profoundly meaningful life from the wreckage of his experience.Meet Jamie Hull, former Special Services soldier, now Ambassador for Help for Heroes and veteran of two marathons, a 3,000-mile bicycle race across America and an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro. His story will take to you to the furthest extremes of human endurance and endeavour.Trade ReviewExtraordinary. An inspiration to all of us. * Ross Kemp *Unlike the Boys' Own adventures from my youth, this man is real and the story is all too true * Jeremy Clarkson *Jamie is a remarkable survivor. What he has been through is extraordinary. A very brave man indeed * Sir Jackie Stewart *

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Book Synopsis'The wartime spy career of Mathilde Carré - aka "the Cat" and "Agent Victoire" - is so extraordinary it almost defies belief' The TimesAn exhilarating true story of espionage, resistance, and one of WW2's most charismatic double-agents.Occupied Paris, 1940. A woman in a red hat and a black fur coat hurries down a side-street. She is Mathilde Carré, codenamed 'the Cat', later known as Agent Victoire - charismatic, daring and a spy.These are the darkest days for France, yet Mathilde is driven by a sense of destiny that she will be her nation's saviour. Soon, she is at the centre of the first great Allied intelligence network of the Second World War.But as Roland Philipps shows in this extraordinary account of her life, when the Germans close in, Mathilde makes a desperate and dangerous compromise. Nobody - not her German handler, nor the Resistance and the British - can be certain where her allegiances now lie...'A truly astonishing story, meticulously and brilliantly told' Philippe Sands, author of The Ratline'Gripping... Enough plot twists and moral ambiguity to satisfy any spy novelist' SpectatorTrade ReviewThe wartime spy career of Mathilde Carré - aka 'the Cat' and 'Agent Victoire' - is so extraordinary it almost defies belief * The Times *Enough plot twists and moral ambiguity to satisfy any spy novelist ... At its heart this is a book about the moral dilemmas involved in living under the perverting conditions of war and occupation ... Philipps does a fine job of setting the scene inside France, and building up the tension in this increasingly gripping wartime story, and all that follows ... a deeply humane book -- Clare Mulley * Spectator *What a read! What a fascinating character! I was gripped from the first page to the last. A truly astonishing story, meticulously and brilliantly told -- Philippe Sands, author of The RatlineA wonderful, atmospheric book: a miraculous portrait of a flawed human being, and a masterful account of the moral quagmire of wartime France and Britain -- Carmen Callil, author of Bad FaithRoland Philipps tells Victoire's story with skill and compassion, and reveals that for all her betrayals, she deserves more understanding than she received in her lifetime -- Artemis Cooper, author of Patrick Leigh Fermor

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinarily brave memoir about faith, family, shame and addiction - an Observer, New Statesman and Sunday Times Book of the Year'Brilliant... lively, engaging and extremely well written - scrupulously, painfully honest... sharply funny' PANDORA SYKES, SUBSTACKMatt Rowland Hill grew up the son of a minister in an evangelical Christian church. It was a childhood fraught with bitter family conflict and the fear of damnation. After a devastating loss of faith in his late teens, Matt began his search for salvation elsewhere, eventually becoming addicted to crack and heroin - an ordeal that stretched over a decade and culminated in a period of hopeless darkness.Recklessly honest, and as funny as it is grave, Original Sins is an extraordinary memoir of faith, family, shame and addiction. It's about looking for answers to life's big questions in all the wrong places, how hope can arrive in the most unexpected forms, and how the stories we tell might help us survive.'Remarkable, funny, arrestingly well-written... Brings to mind Edward St Aubyn's Patrick Melrose novels, but is also entirely, exhilaratingly its own thing' The Times'Electric... Artfully structured with novelistic verve... Hill is a blazing talent' Observer'A beautifully controlled tale of a life spiralling out of control... One of the best books I've read this year' Sunday TimesLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE AND WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDTrade ReviewElectric...artfully structured...with novelistic verve... Hill is a blazing talent -- Anthony Cummins * Observer *His remarkable, funny, arrestingly well-written memoir brings to mind Edward St Aubyn's Patrick Melrose novels, but is also entirely, exhilaratingly its own thing * The Times *A beautifully controlled tale of a life spiralling out of control...Original Sins is one of the best books I've read this year, full of vivacity and honesty...To carve such an entertaining and beautifully paced story from such depths of misery suggests a writer of immense gifts -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * Sunday Times *This book is brilliant. The writing shimmers off the page -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *[Hill] deploys dark wit and needle-sharp insight to describe how he swapped a love of Jesus for a love of class-A drugs... devastatingly good... I was blown away * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisFor these men and women, it isn't just a job. It's a calling.PROTECTThey are our eyes. Our ears. Our protectors. Those who wear a badge, doing their best to help people.SERVEThese cops serve their communities. They serve their country. They're in the business of saving lives-even at the risk of their own.DEFENDThese patrol officers and K9 handlers, sheriffs and detectives reveal what it's really like to wear the uniform, to carry the weight of the responsibility they've been given.American Cops is the extraordinary first-person account of America's police force._____________________________Praise for James Patterson'The master storyteller of our times' Hillary Rodham Clinton'James Patterson is the gold standard by which all others are judged' Steve Berry'No one gets this big without natural storytelling talent' Lee Child'Nobody does it better' Jeffrey Deaver'James Patterson is The Boss. End of.' Ian Rankin

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Book Synopsis*WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN NON-FICTION**Finalist for the National Book Award for Non-fiction*'His Name Is George Floyd is essential for our times.' Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist'An intimate, unvarnished and scrupulous account of his life...brilliantly revealing.' NEW YORK TIMESYou know how he died. This is how he lived.Who was George Floyd? What did he hope for? What was life like for him? And why has his death been the catalyst for such a powerful global response?The murder of George Floyd sparked a summer of activism and unrest all over the world in 2020, from Shetland to São Paolo, as people marched under the Black Lives Matter banner, demanding an end to racial injustice. But behind a face that would be graffitied onto countless murals, and a name that has become synonymous with civil rights, there is the reality of one man's stolen life.In His Name is George Floyd we meet the kind young boy who talked his friends out of beating up a skinny kid from another neighbourhood and then befriended him on the walk home. Big Floyd the high school American football player who ignored his coach's pleas to be more aggressive and felt queasy at the sight of blood. The man who fell victim to an opioid epidemic we are only just beginning to understand. The sensitive son and loving father, constantly in search of a better life in a society determined to write him off based on things he had no control over: where he grew up, the size of his body and the colour of his skin.Drawing upon hundreds of interviews with friends and family members, His Name Is George Floyd reveals the myriad ways that structural racism shaped Floyd's life and death - from his forebears' roots in slavery to an underfunded education, the overpolicing of his community and the devastating snare of the prison system. By offering us an intimate portrait of this one, emblematic life, Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa deliver a powerful and moving exploration of how a man who simply wanted to breathe ended up touching the world.Trade ReviewSince we know George Floyd's death with tragic clarity, we must know Floyd's America - and life - with tragic clarity. His Name Is George Floyd is essential for our times. -- Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist'In this age of misinformation, where the victims of police killings are made out to be the problem, this humanising of Floyd is necessary... Samuels and Olorunnipa's greatest triumph is placing Floyd's life in the context of white supremacy.' * Observer *An intimate, unvarnished and scrupulous account of his life...brilliantly revealing. * New York Times *Detailed, vivid and moving. * Washington Post *A wondrous feat of vivid writing and deep reporting, from the way it leads the reader through George Floyd's final fateful day on earth to its masterly account of Floyd's hopes and frustrations in the larger context of race in America. -- David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story

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Book SynopsisThe staggering story of the most influential Chinese political dissident of the Mao era, a devout Christian who was imprisoned, tortured, and executed by the regimeBlood Letters tells the astonishing tale of Lin Zhao, a Chinese poet and journalist arrested by the regime in 1960 and executed eight years later, at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Alone among the victims of Mao's dictatorship, she maintained a stubborn and open opposition during the years she was imprisoned. She rooted her dissent in her Christian faith--and expressed it in long, prophetic writings done in her own blood, and at times on her clothes and on cloth torn from her bedsheets.Miraculously, Lin Zhao's prison writings survived, though they have only recently come to light. Drawing on these works and others from the years before her arrest, as well as interviews with friends, family, and classmates, Lian Xi paints an indelible portrait of courage and faith in the face of unrelenting evil.

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Book SynopsisSee the Holocaust through the Eyes of Children.Stefan and Marion Hess's happy childhood was shattered in 1943. Torn from their home in Amsterdam, the six-year-old twins and their parents were deported to a place their mother called "this dying hell"—the infamous concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Inseparable is the vivid account of one family's struggle to survive the Holocaust. In the camp, the children ran from SS soldiers, making it a game to see who could get closest to the guard towers before being warned they would be shot. Stefan and Marion witnessed their father beaten beyond recognition, dodged strafing warplanes, and somehow survived in a place where "the children were looking for bread between the corpses." Above all, this is the unforgettable story of a young mother and father who were willing to sacrifice everything for their children. From the Hesses' prosperous pre-war life in Germany to their desperate ride in a bulletstrafed boxcar through the rubble of the collapsing Third Reich, Faris Cassell weaves Stefan and Marion’s personal memories and historical details into a gripping narration of their family’s heroic fight for their lives. As the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles, the Hess twins' account of their childhood ordeal forces the reader to grapple with pure evil. And more important, it is an opportunity to offer the most meaningful of tributes to victims and survivors of the Third Reich—remembrance.

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Book Synopsis‘What joy to be at sea again, adrift on the vast Pacific, in the clutches of a gifted storyteller. Harrison Christian and the mutineers of Men Without Country held me happily captive to the very last page.’ – Dava Sobel, author of Longitude‘Men Without Country shows what a writer can produce when he has real skin in the game... Harrison Christian sets the record straight on the Bounty mutiny with forensic fervour, including the before, the during – and the after.’ – Adam Courtenay, author of The Ship that Never WasFull of misadventure and mystery, Men Without Country is a sweeping history of exploration and rebellion in the South Seas – told by a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian, the man who led the infamous mutiny on the BountyA mission to collect breadfruit from Tahiti becomes the most famous mutiny in history when the crew rise up against Captain William Bligh, with accusations of food restrictions and unfair punishments.Bligh’s remarkable journey back to safety is well documented, but the fates of the mutinous men remain shrouded in mystery. Some settled in Tahiti only to face capture and court martial, others sailed on to form a secret colony on Pitcairn Island, the most remote inhabited island on earth, avoiding detection for twenty years. When an American captain stumbled across the island in 1808, only one of the Bounty mutineers was left alive.Told by a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian, Men Without Country details the journey of the Bounty, and the lives of the men aboard. Lives dominated by a punishing regime of hard work and scarce rations, and deeply divided by the hierarchy of class. It is a tale of adventure and exploration punctuated by moments of extreme violence – towards each other and the people of the South Pacific.For the first time, Christian provides a comprehensive and compelling account of the whole story – from the history of trade and exploration in the South Seas to Pitcairn Island, which provided the mutineers’ salvation, and then became their grave.

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Book Synopsis'Remarkable and compelling. I loved this book' EDMUND DE WAAL'An exemplary sleuth, both astute and open-minded . . . Manera Sambuy writes with impassioned style and insight' TELEGRAPHA lost princess and a vanished world: a remarkable true story that moves from the Punjab of the Raj to 1930s Paris and the cataclysm of the Second World WarOn a sweltering day in 2007, Italian writer Livia Manera Sambuy encounters a photograph of Princess Amrit Kaur in a Mumbai museum. The picture is arresting, gorgeous - but the caption will change Livia's life forever. It claims that the Punjabi princess sold her jewels in occupied Paris to save Jewish lives, only to be arrested by the Gestapo and sent to a concentration camp where she died within a year.It's a sensational story - and for Livia, the beginning of a compulsive search for the truth as she delves into the history of the British Raj, the diamonds and sapphires of the twentieth-century aristocracy, and the lives of extraordinary figures: bankers, jewellers, explorers and spies. Past and present converge when Livia travels to meet Bubbles, the princess's daughter, now in her eighties. Striving to reconnect Bubbles with the elusive woman who abandoned her in 1933, Livia unearths a strange and complicated family history; one that diverges unexpectedly from the story that she set out to uncover.Filled with glamour and terror, beauty and sorrow, In Search of Amrit Kaur is an engrossing detective story, a kaleidoscopic history lesson, and a moving portrait of mothers, lovers and daughters across the century, seeking personal freedom.* WINNER OF THE CAPALBIO PIAZZA MAGENTA LITERARY PRIZE 2023 *Trade ReviewLivia Manera is a wonderful detective-companion to lead us through this rich and complex world of princesses and prisoners of war, love and deceit, secrets and discovery... a thoroughly engaging read -- Kamila Shamsie, author of HOME FIRE'Remarkable and compelling. I loved this book' * Edmund de Waal *Nuanced but relentlessly curious, Livia Manera Sambuy has a gift not only for listening to other people's stories but for probing and unfolding exceptional narratives. In Search of Amrit Kaur - an ambitious, absorbing work that peels back the layers of its enigmatic subject and digs deeply into the author's own emotional vicissitudes - is her crowning jewel -- Jhumpa Lahiri, author of WHEREABOUTS'An exemplary sleuth, both astute and open-minded . . . Manera Sambuy writes with impassioned style and insight' * Telegraph *Fascinating * TLS *

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Book SynopsisThe great leader of the women’s suffrage movement tells the story of her struggles in her own words.Emmeline Pankhurst grew up all too aware of the prevailing attitude of her day: that men were considered superior to women. When she was just fourteen she attended her first suffrage meeting, and returned home a confirmed suffragist. Throughout the course of her career she endured humiliation, prison, hunger strikes and the repeated frustration of her aims by men in power, but she rose to become a guiding light of the Suffragette movement. This is the story, in Pankhurst’s own words, of her struggle for equality.Trade ReviewShe shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back * Time *She put body and soul at the service of liberty, equality and fraternity and secured a triumph for them -- Rebecca WestEmmeline Pankhurst fought for women's suffrage with indomitable courage * Guardian *The finished product rests somewhere between a gripping novel and a painstaking historical record. No view of the suffragette story is complete without this comprehensive puzzle piece. -- Jacqui Agate * The Independent *She shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back * Time *

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Book SynopsisFor fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Librarian of Auschwitz and The Choice, this is the incredible true story of a British soldier POW. In 1942, young British soldier Arthur Dodd was taken prisoner by the German Army and transported to Oswiecim in Polish Upper Silesia. The Germans gave it another name, now synonymous with mankind’s darkest hours. They called it Auschwitz. Forced to do hard labour, starved and savagely beaten, Arthur thought his life would end in Auschwitz. Determined to go down fighting, he sabotaged Nazi industrial work, risked his life to alleviate the suffering of the Jewish prisoners and aided a partisan group planning a mass break-out. This shocking true story sheds new light on the operations at the camp, exposes a hierarchy of prisoner treatment by the SS and presents the largely unknown story of the military POWs held there.Trade Review'compelling' * The Guardian *'An extraordinary book.' * Military Illustrated *'A human witness to inhumanity: Arthur Dodd’s account is another important piece of evidence.' * Legion, the Royal British Legion magazine *'Colin Rushton’s masterly account… is a harrowing addition to public knowledge of the Holocaust.' * Soldier magazine *'It is a riveting story and it is true.' * Barnes & Noble *'If we do not remember the past, we will repeat it. Truly an extraordinary book.' * Defence Focus, the House Journal of the Ministry of Defence *'a pertinent historical account' * Jewish Chronicle *'Simple sentences add a terrible innocence in keeping with Arthur’s ordinariness, struggling against the unimaginably extraordinary. History will be grateful that Arthur Dodd’s story was told.' * Scottish Legion News *

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Book SynopsisThis is the tale of an epic three-month adventure through unexplored jungle terrain – and it might even change your life Fuelled by a zest for life and the desire to explore the world around her, Pip Stewart took on a world-first challenge: following Guyana’s Essequibo River from source to sea. With the help of guides from the Waî Waî indigenous community, Pip and her teammates journeyed through the rainforest, facing peril every day as they kayaked rapids, traversed waterfalls and hacked their way through the mountainous jungle of the Guiana Shield, before finally reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Survival skills and a flesh-eating parasite weren’t the only things Pip took home from the rainforest. From contending with snakes to learning about the value of community, forgiveness and self-belief, in Life Lessons from the Amazon Pip shares many pearls of wisdom that we can all apply to our own lives. Her hard-won insights invite us to embrace the wildness within ourselves and live more every day.Trade ReviewA book with the power to inspire change. * Helen Skelton, adventurer and TV presenter *A remarkable journey. * Ed Stafford, explorer and the first person to walk the length of the Amazon River *A tough jungle expedition by an even tougher team. Life lessons from the Amazon is their story told with humour, humility and honesty. * Ben Fogle, broadcaster, writer and adventurer *A wonderful read, exhilarating from start to finish. Pip shares her unique knowledge of this jungle frontier and takes us on a journey of discovery through some of the harshest terrain on earth. An incredible adventure. * Levison Wood, explorer, writer and photographer *An absolute page-turner in which Pip shares her fascinating inner journey including doubt, struggles and overcoming challenges. A brilliantly candid and thought-provoking escape to the wild. * Reza Pakravan, explorer, filmmaker and writer *Brave, strong and determined female adventurers. * Paul Chekema, leader of Masakenari *Fascinating insights that I will apply to my own life. * Ross Edgley, extreme adventurer and writer *Stewart is a wonderful travelling companion. Not only does she take us through the physical and mental highs and lows of adventure travel, she tackles head-on the ethics and morals of modern-day travel, addressing privilege, over-tourism and sustainability: an absolute joy. * Monisha Rajesh, journalist and travel writer *

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Book SynopsisNatalie Queiroz was eight months pregnant when she was stabbed by her partner in the most vicious attack imaginable. In the space of nine minutes, and in broad daylight, Natalie was stabbed twenty-four times with a carving knife. She suffered horrific wounds to her lungs, liver, stomach and uterus, whilst the knife missed her baby by a margin of two millimeters, before the arteries in her wrists were methodically severed by the hooded attacker she finally realised was her partner and the father of her unborn child. After heroic intervention by passers-by and police, the attack was brought to an end, but her ordeal was not over. An air ambulance rescue was launched, and against all medical odds, Natalie and her baby survived - but not without life-changing physical and emotional damage. Still Standing is the story of one life-shattering event - what came before that fateful day, what happened on it, and how one woman and her baby survived to rebuild and heal together after it. At once a shocking story of evil, manipulation and violence, and a truly moving reminder that a life can be pieced back together, no matter how bad the damage, this book will empower and inspire anyone who has ever faced true adversity to rise up and stand tall.

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Book Synopsis'A no holdout account of the Falklands War from a man who was in the fight.' Andy McNabTony Hoare always knew he wanted to be in the SAS and so, after working his way through the ranks, he passed arduous SAS selection in 1978.Less than four years later, Tony and his team were sent to the Falklands, just off the coast of Argentina, where tensions were rising and war was on the horizon. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened over the course of the next 12 weeks, as the Falkland Islands became a battleground between the British and Argentinians. As helicopters crashed and ships sank, Tony battled across treacherous terrain to help reclaim the islands from a fearsome enemy.This is a thrilling account of the Falklands from a trooper who saw it all.Trade Review'There is no higher accolade than a fellow solider wanting you to be beside them in the fight. Tony is the real deal and a personal hero of mine. All soldiers would have wanted him alongside them when things got brutal. This is a no holdout account of the Falklands War from a man who was in the fight' -- Andy McNab

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Book SynopsisFOREWORD BY ADAM KAY, AUTHOR OF THIS IS GOING TO HURTPortion of proceeds go to NHS Charities Together.A beautiful and heart-warming collection of stories, this landmark publication tells, for the first time ever, the rich history of the NHS through the ordinary people who have experienced it.Founded on the concept of providing healthcare to rich and poor alike, the National Health Service (NHS) has been at the heart of our everyday experiences of life and death since 1948.From Joan Meredith, who stood on street corners in the freezing winter to campaign for a new health system, to one of the first patients diagnosed with HIV/Aids, Jonathan Blake, and Klarissa Velasco, who comforted and held the hands of people suffering from Covid-19, Our Stories follows our health service from its conception to today, and tells the many incredible stories that have happened throughout its lifetime.Filled with tales of every part of life, this beautiful book tells, for the first time ever, the moving history of our world-leading health service through the voices of the patients, nurses, doctors, porters and ordinary people who have turned it into the beating heart of our country. It is a heart-warming account of an amazing institution.Trade Review'What shines through with all the stories is a deep affection for the NHS' -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm

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Book SynopsisA touching. heart-warming account of a man and his beloved, heroic Labrador dog. But Echo is something special. With the dedication and persistence of his handler, he is trained to be part of a search and rescue team called upon to travel to disaster areas around the globe to assist in locating survivors trapped among piles of rubble. The bravery of Echo and his handler is recalled in vivid detail as they cope to deal with tragedy and heartbreak in their own ways. Sometimes it can be hard facing up to the challenges and they come perilously close to death but their determination is there for all to see. Years later, Echo is rewarded for his sterling work with the Pride of Britain award, one of such accolades he receives.

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Book SynopsisImagine standing over a bomb - you need to make a choice. Remember, your life depends on it.In this extraordinary memoir, Lucy Lewis reveals the hidden world of bomb disposal training and how she came to be the UK's first female bomb disposal expert. From joining Sandhurst to rushing to her first bomb disposal call-out, Lucy's story is full of high stakes and tense situations that for most of us, are beyond comprehension. Lucy's story however is also a deeply inspirational one - joining the military in the 1980s just as women were taking on more dangerous roles, Lucy's every move was watched and scrutinised. This didn't hold her back however, and this is how she broke through the ceiling, fought against sexism and achieved something no woman had ever done before. Lighting the Fuse is an eye-opening memoir, that reveals the hidden world of being a woman in the military and how a young woman with an ordinary background, made history - not just once, but twice.Trade ReviewGripping and eye-opening * Choice magazine *

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Book SynopsisBorn a bastard to a teenage mother in the slums of 1950s Dublin, Martha has to be a fighter from the very start.As her mother moves from man to man, and more children follow, they live hand-to-mouth in squalid, freezing tenements, clothed in rags and forced to beg for food. But just when it seems things can't get any worse, her mother meets Jackser.Despite her trials, Martha is a child with an irrepressible spirit and a wit beyond her years. She tells the story of her early life without an ounce of self-pity and manages to recreate a lost era in which the shadow of the Catholic Church loomed large and if you didn't work, you didn't eat.Martha never stops believing she is worth more than the hand she has been dealt, and her remarkable voice will remain with you long after you've finished the last line.Trade ReviewStands head and shoulders above everything else in the category . . . a remarkable personal and literary achievement for the author and an unforgettable experience for the reader * Irish Independent *[Long's] story is unique in its rawness and its honesty. Entirely self-educated, she narrates her own life in a way which is both riveting and moving * Greenock Telegraph *Without question the most harrowing tale I have ever read. Even Charles Dickens, whom we appreciate for being the voice of so many abused children, is left in the dust -- Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

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Book SynopsisAt 16, Martha collapses on the streets, suffering from starvation and exposure. She has reached rock bottom, but after Martha is taken to hospital, Lady Luck smiles kindly on her and she is given the opportunity to get off the streets for ever.Before long, Martha is on the way to leading the normal life she has so long dreamt of. She makes friends, begins to put the misery of her past behind her and even experiences her first taste of love.For her, love is a powerful feeling. She has never experienced real affection before and is now plunged into the complex world of love between a man and a woman. The intense emotion consumes her, for this is a forbidden love that can never be requited. After all, Ralph Fitzgerald is a priest, and he will never break his vow of chastity. This love brings heartbreaking consequences and changes the direction of Martha's life for ever . . .

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Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell’s vivid memoir of his time living among the desperately poor and destitute, Down and Out in Paris and London is a moving tour of the underworld of society. Written when Orwell was a struggling writer in his twenties, it documents his ‘first contact with poverty’. Here, he painstakingly documents a world of unrelenting drudgery and squalor – sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses of last resort, working as a dishwasher in Paris’s vile ‘Hôtel X’, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts, living alongside tramps, a star-gazing pavement artist and a starving Russian ex-army captain. Exposing a shocking, previously-hidden world to his readers, Orwell gave a human face to the statistics of poverty for the first time – and in doing so, found his voice as a writer.

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Book SynopsisThe deepest cave on earth was a prize that had remained unclaimed for centuries, long after every other ultimate discovery had been made. This is the story of the men and women who risked everything to find it, earning their place in history beside the likes of Peary, Amundsen, Hillary, and Armstrong.In 2004, two great scientist-explorers attempted to find the bottom of the world. Bold, American Bill Stone was committed to the vast Cheve Cave, located in southern Mexico and deadly even by supercave standards. On the other side of the globe, legendary Ukrainian explorer Alexander Klimchouk - Stone's opposite in temperament and style - had targeted Krubera, a freezing nightmare of a supercave in the Republic of Georgia.Blind Descent explores both the brightest and darkest aspects of the timeless human urge to discover - to be first. It is also a thrilling epic about a pursuit that makes even extreme mountaineering and ocean exploration pale by comparison. These supercavers spent months in multiple camps almost two vertical miles deep and many more miles from their caves' exits. They had to contend with thousand-foot drops, deadly flooded tunnels, raging whitewater rivers, monstrous waterfalls, mile-long belly crawls, and much more. Perhaps even worse were the psychological horrors produced by weeks plunged into absolute, perpetual darkness, beyond all hope of rescue, including a particularly insidious derangement called 'The Rapture'.Blind Descent is a testament to human survival and endurance - and to two extraordinary men whose relentless pursuit of greatness led them to heights of triumph and depths of tragedy neither could have imagined.Trade ReviewHeart-stopping and relentlessly gripping. Tabor takes us on an odyssey into unfathomable worlds beneath us, and into the hearts of rare explorers who will do anything to get there first. -- Robert Kurson, author of Shadow DiversHair-raising . . . the chronicle of an obsession to reach the deepest, darkest, loneliest, scariest, least survivable pocket of the planet....A big thumping man-book like The Perfect Storm. * Washington Post. *Using a pulse-pounding narrative, this is tense real-life adventure pitting two master cavers mirroring the cold war with very uncommonly high stakes. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Blind Descent is as awe-inspiring as any adventure story above ground. Tabor's claustrophobic and pulse-pounding narrativepulls no punches in describing the many terrifying hazards that cavers face underground. Blind Descent is a captivating summer read for adventure seekers and armchair adrenaline junkies alike. * Amazon.com Best Books of June 2010 *A fascinating and informative introduction to the sport of cave diving, as well as a dramatic portrayal of a significant man-vs.-nature conflict. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisMotorcycle road trips across the United States were a lifelong dream, and now, with children grown up and a new work posting to Texas, it finally seemed within reach for Chris and Denise Arthey. But only a few hours down the road, on an arrow-straight stretch of Highway 35, devastation struck. A drunk driver veered across the carriageway and their Harley-Davidson was involved in a head-on collision. One medic commented after the air ambulances lifted off that "the motorcyclists may not make it". The Artheys did "make it", and then some. Both lost their left leg above the knee, and Chris suffered serious head and internal injuries, but their survival was remarkable. Even more remarkable is the story of their recovery. As Chris and Denise learned to cope with pain and a new reality, they simply refused to become physically held back, or to be frozen in anger and regret. They have gone on to lead extraordinarily full lives; returning to their vocations and taking another overseas posting to the Middle East before building new roles as ambassadors in the prosthetics industry. Chris has taken on marathons and triathlons, Mount Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and a master's degree along the way. With an honesty that is both raw and vulnerable, the Artheys take us on their unique journey of hope against all odds, explaining how they rebuilt their lives, 'step by step', after their accident. More than a compelling story of survival, Highway 35 is an account of astounding personal strength and fighting spirit, of depth and integrity of relationship and uncompromising faith in the face of the most difficult of challenges.Table of ContentsForeword by Pete Greig, 24-7 Prayer Acknowledgements 1. Highway 35 2. First responders 3. Alive on arrival Miracles still happen 4. Family 5. Texas church family 6. Family gathering 7. Not alone 8. Resurfacing Working all things together 9. Through the valley, Denise 10. Through the valley, Chris I know that you're with me 11. A very different road trip 12. Setbacks 13. Encouragement 14. Fears and doubts True worth 15. Prayer and project management 16. Going home Why me? What now? 17. Disabled in an able-bodied world 18. Perseverance and hope 19. Game of marbles 20. New legs 21. The legal maze 22. Return to Highway 35 23. Sentencing trial 24. Restitution Justice, mercy and grace 25. The long and winding legal road 26. The power of goals 27. The air beneath me 28. Triathlete 29. 26.2 miles - a long way on one leg Desires of our hearts 220 30. Postscript: What those Artheys did next Take heart

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Book SynopsisThrough interviews conducted with surviving members of Soviet orchestras, through his reading of philosophers, psychoanalysts, and neurologists, Johnson paints a compelling picture of one man's music and its power to validate and sustain another man's life.Trade Review'How Shostakovich Changed My Mind' is one of the most powerful, honest, and profound revelations that exists on what it is that music means and does: it's just an essential document.' - Tom Service, Presenter, Music Matters; '... an intensely readable, highly personal analysis of the major works of a composer, who, Mr. Johnson decides, has recorded a collective experience for an all-inclusive listenership....All great music teeters the edge of madness. This troubled writer makes a convincing case that the music of Dmitri Shostakovich helped to save his mind. In life's crises, he suggests, each of us comes up against an internal siege of Leningrad, and music comes to your relief.' Norman Lebrecht, The Wall Street Journal; 'For Radio 3 presenter and journalist, Stephen Johnson, Shostakovich's music is nothing less than a matter of life and death. Johnson, a tireless and passionate advocate of the man and his works, explores how the fraught music of Shostakovich shepherded the Soviet Union through the dark times of Stalin and the Great Patriotic War - and also helped to pull Johnson, suffering from clinical depression, out of the suicidal depths of despair.' Classical Music Magazine;

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Book Synopsis'By eating my food, you come into my family. You are sitting with me, with my grandparents, parents and cousins, talking, sharing and enjoying the feeling of being together.'Hamed Allahyari cooks to connect - for that joyful moment you can say salamati (Persian for 'health' and 'cheers') around the table. A restaurateur in Iran, it was natural for Hamed to gravitate to food after a long and perilous journey to settlement in Melbourne. He road-tested his dishes at hundreds of cooking classes, eventually launching his heartfelt cafe and SalamaTea restaurant. With every swipe of warm pita through herbed dadami dip, every bite of braised lamb with dried lime and saffron rice, every sip of homemade sour cherry tea, Hamed shines a light on his past in his native Tehran and continues to build an optimistic Australian future.This book is a gateway to Persian culinary culture, with recipes that are simple, celebratory and appealing, flexible and full of flavour. Wherever you live and whatever your background, you are invited to join the feast.Trade Review''This book is a feast for the heart, soul and spirit. A book to cherish with recipes made with love and humanity.' Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource CentreTable of ContentsIntroductionMy Life in FoodPersian Food CultureEssential Ingredients and Cooking TechniquesMy Country, My PersiaBrunchDips and SnacksStarters and SidesSalads and VegetablesSoupsMains - MeatMains - VegetarianPickles and PreservesSweetsDrinksBasicsPersian BanquetsResourcesGlossaryAcknowledgementsIndex

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Book Synopsis'The authors of this absorbing book have a strong command of detail, context and narrative structure... the results are impressively claustrophobic.' - Times Literary Supplement'Gripping... The authors skillfully capture the fear and claustrophobia. A riveting real-life drama.' - Kirkus'Cabin Fever is riveting, taut, and extensively researched. Smith and Franklin have written a page-turning adventure that will keep you reading late into the night.' - Martin Dugard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Taking Paris'A gripping account of how an invisible stowaway - the Covid-19 virus - transformed a fun-filled luxury cruise into an unimaginable nightmare.' - Sara Gay Forden, bestselling author of House of Gucci'Extensive first-hand testimony and the authors' brisk, matter-of-fact style enrich this propulsive account of how a holiday cruise turned into a nightmare. Readers will be riveted.' - Publishers WeeklyIn early 2020, the world was on edge. An ominous virus was spreading and no one knew what the coming weeks would bring. Far from the hotspots, the cruise ship Zaandam was preparing to sail from Buenos Aires loaded with 1,200 passengers - British, American, Australian, European and South American tourists, plus 600 crew. Most passengers were over the age of 65.There was concern about the virus in the news but that was oceans away. Escaping to sea at the ends of the earth for a few weeks seemed like it might be a good option. The cruise line had said the voyage would go ahead as scheduled and it would be safe. Within days, people aboard the Zaandam began to fall sick. The world's ports shut down. Zaandam became a top story on the news and was denied safe harbour everywhere. With only two doctors aboard and few medical supplies to test for or treat Covid-19, and with dwindling food and water, the ship wandered the oceans on an unthinkable journey.Cabin Fever is a riveting narrative thriller, taking readers behind the scenes of the ship's complex workings, and below decks into the personal lives of passengers and crew who were caught unprepared for the deadly ordeal that lay ahead. It is a story layered with moments of peril, perseverance and kindness. A remarkable tale that is filled with individual acts of heroism and the struggles and the tragedies of the crew and passengers.Trade Review'The authors of this absorbing book have a strong command of detail, context and narrative structure... the results are impressively claustrophobic.' -- Henry Hitchings * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisLessons Life Has Taught Me is a collection of stories and experiences from different parts of the globe exploring life’s complexities – its highs and lows. Each of the eighteen contributors shares their golden thread stories as they head down a path of deep reflection, to inspire others and start conversations on taking control of the present and looking forward to a brighter future. The contributors are: Adesola Orimalade, Fatima Alimohamed, Kevin Tong, Aysha Iqbal, Lara Rogers, Idowu Adebayo Thompson, Adaeze Oreh, Junjuan He, Nina Bressler, Amelia Samai-Nicome, Shervonne Johnson, Susana Ecclestone, Natasha Preville, Minal Srivastava, Natalie Heilling, Geri Maroney, Christopher Weguelin, and Gabrielle Botelho.Trade Review“Fascinating stories of adaptation and resilience. A window into our complex, rich world. ... Rewarding reading.” - Ian Gregory Strachan, Associate Professor of English at The College of The Bahamas; Playwright; Poet; Novelist

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Book SynopsisIn 2015, climber and documentary maker Joe French was about to fulfil a dream of a lifetime – to climb Everest and film it. Then tragedy struck and Joe found himself at the epicentre of an earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people. Only a few years previously, his team of Sherpa had been killed in another avalanche, and soon after that, Julie, his wife, was diagnosed with cancer. The accumulation of trauma took its toll: suffering from post-traumatic stress, Joe was haunted by the horrors he’d witnessed. In an attempt to find a resolution, he turned to his love of the outdoors. Running barefoot through the forests and glens around his house in Scotland, Joe discovered the means to find a return to health and peace of mind.Trade Review‘Thrilling and utterly honest. This book transports its reader to the audacity, bravery and tragedy of climbing in the theatre of Everest.’Disastrously, unputdownably readable. This isn’t just derring-do, but a deeply intelligent and moving reflection on the sort of creatures we are, and how we should live.‘This book took me to dark edge of fear... An utterly compelling read.’

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Book Synopsis"I am just an ordinary mum, yet I would go to the ends of the earth to get justice for my daughter. If I can change the way people are treated, then Jodey will not have died in vain. I now feel that this was her destiny; to change the lives of millions of others." While Jodey Whiting was stuck in hospital battling pneumonia over Christmas, a letter dropped on her doormat from the Department of Work and Pensions, asking her to attend an assessment. It was a letter she never saw. Despite suffering from major health problems and needing daily care, the powers-that-be callously halted benefit payments for the mum-of-nine. While waiting for her appeal, and with no money coming in, Jodey killed herself, aged just 42. Another DWP letter pronouncing her 'fit to work' was sent to her home three days after her tragic death. A Mother's Job is the story of how Jodey's mum Joy Dove, 67, took on the system - and won justice for her daughter. A former cleaner and shop-worker, she is intimidated by nothing and nobody. Joy reveals how she struggled to raise her family, as a single mother, living on the now notorious: 'Benefits Street' estate in Stockton-on-Tees. Of how Jodey, her middle daughter, developed problems including curvature of the spine, a brain cyst, and bipolar and personality disorders and how, as her health deteriorated, Joy became her unofficial carer, visiting several times a day. Jodey left farewell notes following her suicide, warning that her youngest son, Cory, a twin, was particularly vulnerable. Tragically, her premonition was realised when, unable to cope with his grief, he died from a drug overdose, aged 19, in May 2020. Joy felt that the DWP had stolen two members from her family. An inquiry after Jodey's death found the DWP had failed to follow its own safeguarding practice. It issued an apology and compensation. The case was discussed in Parliament where the Prime Minister labelled it 'appalling.' Joy launched 'Justice For Jodey' which aims to hold the DWP to account and to prevent other tragedies. She met other grieving families and her campaign saw her take centre stage at the Labour Party conference and argue her case in the High Court.

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Book Synopsis"It was like going through a door which had been locked all my life. I had walked past it every single day, afraid to even rattle the handle. Now I was smashing the locks, I was wrenching it from the hinges, and I was marching through. Here I am!" A woman whose mother twice tried to kill her as a child has won a ground-breaking battle in the supreme courts for the right to claim compensation. Monica Allan’s legal victory set a precedent and has opened the floodgates for others to claim in her wake. Thanks to her 12-year legal fight, other victims now have hope. Other victims now have a voice. In her memoir, Monica, 54, tells the story of her childhood, when her mother, Betty Mount, forced her head under running bathroom taps and tried to strangle her. She had previously tried to kill Monica as a baby. Monica was taken into foster care, where her new parents ran a brutal regime. To the outside world, the family was devoutly religious and respectable, but behind closed doors, Monica was physically and sexually abused. Failed by a second mother figure, she moved into her own home aged 18 and went on to have four children. Monica loved her children but battled constantly with the demons from her past. She carried her dark secrets around with her for 40 years until in 2010, haunted by her trauma, she finally decided to seek justice. She was told she could not seek compensation because of the ‘same roof’ rule, meaning victims who lived with their attackers up to 1979 were ineligible for pay-outs. For the past 12 years Monica has been fighting her case through the Supreme Courts and was recently awarded compensation from CICA in respect of the sexual abuse she suffered in foster care. She is awaiting a second settlement for the attacks by her mother.

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Book SynopsisOn 20th July 1995, Robin Bowes, one the last great twentieth century barnstormers, died at the controls of his replica Red Baron' Fokker DR1 triplane just as he was about to commence an aerial dogfight display at Stourhead Gardens, Wiltshire.

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Book SynopsisWhen she was nine years old, Savitri was married to thirteen-year-old Jyotirao Phule. Savitri yearned to be able to go to school, to read books. Jyotiba wanted his wife to be educated as well, and so he taught her. Soon, she learnt not just to read and write, but also trained as a teacher. Together, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule started schools where girls and boys, Dalit children, and those who had been shunned from schools till then could get educated. They fought against caste atrocities. They made sure that women learnt of their rights to exist with dignity.Savitribai Phule became one of India's first woman teachers and female reformers.

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Book Synopsis'Life is too short to waste time on second-class ambitions. Go for the big ones.' Now in his late seventies, Sir Ranulph Fiennes looks back on a lifetime of exploration, and draws powerful, inspiring lessons that we can all use when faced by the tribulations of everyday life. Having crossed both Polar ice caps on foot, climbed Everest and the Eiger, served in the SAS and circumnavigated the world along its polar axis - a 53,000 mile odyssey that has never been repeated - 'Ran' looks back from the summit of an incredible life and teaches us how to: - Learn self-discipline, and master fear - Plan for success, and make your own luck - Learn from failure and strive to succeed - Keep going, whatever life throws at you

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Book SynopsisWhen Sky and her older sister Avril were taken into care, the social workers knew this was a case like no other. Raised by troubled parents who hoarded compulsively, creating horrific conditions no child should live in, the two girls arrived at foster carer Louise's home, neglected, malnourished, and indoctrinated. Louise had to draw on all of her experience as one of Britain's leading foster carers to rehabilitate and change the course of their lives.But with constant attempts to thwart her work, Louise ends up under siege in her own home. Will she succeed or is their fate sealed forever?

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

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Book SynopsisMy mother was a prostitute. My grandmother and great-grandmother were prostitutes.Maybe I should have given the family business a chance...BBC RADIO 4 PICK OF THE WEEK, Katie Puckrik'Eliska's story is an extraordinary and powerful read. It's the ultimate book about survival and an against-all-odds fight to make it in life. Highly recommend.' Clover Stroud'A scintillating, devastating memoir, and a fiercely witty and unabashed tribute to the toughness of the human spirit.' Damian Le Bas__________________________________________________To westerners, being Gypsy means being wild, romantic and free.To Eliska Tanzer, it means being rented out to dance for older men. It means living without running water. It means not being allowed a job or an education. It means being stuffed into a bare room with all your aunts and cousins, fighting over the thin, stained blanket the way you fight over the last piece of half-mouldy bread.It means joining the family prostitution ring when you're still a child.But Eliska was given a way out. Slung out of Hoe School and shipped to England in a washing machine box, she thought she had made it. But her dream soon turned into a nightmare.A moving and timely memoir from a powerful new voice in literature.Trade Review'A remarkable book about the hardest of beginnings written in a voice that is vibrant, sparkling, full of irrepressible humour, compassionate intelligence and ultimately forgiveness' Catherine Simpson -- Catherine Simpson'A scintillating, devastating memoir, and a fiercely witty and unabashed tribute to the toughness of the human spirit.' Damian Le Bas'Eliska's story is an extraordinary and powerful read. It's the ultimate book about survival and an against-all-odds fight to make it in life. Highly recommend.' Clover Stroud

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Book Synopsis“A fascinating, exciting story.” — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful MindWhile still in his early 20s, and under Hitler's shadow, Leonid “Leo” Hurwicz (1917-2008) left his home in Warsaw, Poland, seeking safety and a degree at the London School of Economics. The following years, while challenging and potentially life-threatening, contained the seeds of a lifelong intellectual adventure. Leo's story is personal (born a refugee, precarious war years for himself and his Polish-Jewish family, a new life in America), global (revolutions, wars, depressions), ideological (socialism, capitalism, economic planning, free markets) and professional (a sixty-year career as a professor of economics leading ultimately to a Nobel Prize). This book tells his story.Trade Review“A fascinating, exciting story.” — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind“Before he became an economist, Leo Hurwicz led a dramatic life worthy of a Hollywood movie. Michael Hurwicz tells this story with verve, and also succeeds in explaining to a lay readership the deep contributions his father made to economic science. Terrific reading.”— Eric Maskin, Nobel laureate in Economics, Harvard University“Kudos to Michael Hurwicz, who has written a paean to his late father, Leo Hurwicz, an extraordinary economist, teacher, polymath, and polyglot, whose genial personality and sense of humor endeared him to many in the profession. Especially for those of us who primarily knew Leo in an academic context, this book provides the background story of his life and times. It is meticulously researched and well-written.”— Samiran Banerjee, Teaching Professor of Economics at Emory University and editor of The Collected Papers of Leonid Hurwicz: Volume 1“Michael Hurwicz gives us a unique attempt to clarify, for all those who knew Leo Hurwicz, the complex history of his family. Many of us who knew Leo had only a fragmentary understanding of this story. Michael tells it with loving care. He then proceeds to interweave ideas from Leo's work and to show, with tenderness, aspects of Leo as a father. A remarkable achievement.”— Thomas Marschak, University of California, Berkeley, CA“Hurwicz tells the story of a remarkable man. A man, who received a Nobel Prize in Economics at age 90, who was married to the same woman, Evelyn, from age 27 until his death, who was the father of four children, who was an excellent pianist with a repertoire that reached from Beethoven to folk songs, an inspired — and inspiring — teller of bed-time stories, a life-long learner and knower of, almost, everything, an active citizen, and, yes, did I mention the Nobel Prize in Economics at age 90?And Leo Hurwicz achieved all of this in spite of — or should we say, because of — the times of existential peril through which he and his extended family lived. … It is a context of revolutions, wars, antisemitism, persecution, and genocide. But it is also a context of resistance, persistence, ingenuity, courage, and creativity, of humanity in the face of barbarism.”— Jens Kruse, The OrcasonianTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPrologue 1939, sierpień/août/August Born a Refugee Now or Never Home Safe? Get an Education! The Miracle Hurwicz Home School Crisis, Coup, Catastrophe Astrophysics, Chopin and Jazz Economics and Einstein Socialist Calculation Brown Shirts and Ghetto Benches Graduation Getaway Math, Models and Mechanisms Government Intervention A Lifeline Hurwiczes on the Run An Intellectual Warrior at the School for Peace Leo Hurwicz: “Excess Foreign Population” Geneva to Chicago by Way of Locarno, Barcelona and Lisbon Chicago and MIT Surprise Attack Honey A Little Bit Unruly The Great Book Review A Slow and Difficult Process Just a Closer Walk with Stan Blood, Fire, Smoke, Exile and Human Kindness Mechanism Design: Development and Recognition Appendix A. Leo’s MemorialAppendix B. A Celebration of Leo's 90th Birthday, Held at the Holiday Inn Metrodome, 1500 Washington Avenue South, in Minneapolis on April 14, 2007Appendix C. The Theory of Economic Behavior, by Leonid HurwiczAppendix D. The Hurwicz CriterionAppendix E. Edited transcript of 2007 interview with Leo, conducted by the authorAppendix F. A Timeline of the Life of Leo HurwiczAppendix G. What Is Mechanism Design?

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Book SynopsisA collection of soups, salads, meats and deserts. It includes over a hundred inventive recipes: lentil soup with tomatoes, calamari and coriander salad, five-spice lamb and rice, fried halloumi cheese with quince jam, pumpkin kibbeh, pears in arak, and rose ice cream, to name but a few.Trade Review`Ahmad Joudeh's story is one that is worth knowing, worth recounting to everyone ... it touches the heart and truly lets us understand the importance of having a dream, of believing in it solidly and of fighting for it until that dream becomes reality.' Roberto Bolle

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Book SynopsisThe Great Post Office Scandal is the extraordinary story behind the recent ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office. This gripping page-turner recounts how thousands of subpostmasters were accused of theft and false accounting on the back of evidence from Horizon, the flawed computer system designed by Fujitsu, and how a group of them, led by Alan Bates, took their fight to the High Court. Their eventual victory in court vindicated their claims about the defects of the software and exposed the heavy handed attempts by the Post Office to suppress them. The book also chronicles how successive senior managers, business leaders, lawyers, civil servants and Government ministers, at best failed to expose the injustice or, even worse, sought to cover it up, resulting in one of the largest miscarriages of justice in UK history. The author, Nick Wallis, is a journalist and broadcaster who has been reporting on the scandal for over ten years and who acted as script consultant on Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the ITV drama that brought the affair into the national consciousness. As the public inquiry reaches its climax, and senior figures such as Paula Vennells come to be questioned, The Great Post Office Scandal reveals the full scale of what happened and will leave you enraged at how so many of our trusted institutions allowed the saga to go on for nearly a quarter of a century, shattering the lives of thousands of innocent people.

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Book SynopsisSarah Forsyth has spent most of her life in fear. After overcoming the hurt and heartbreak of a horrific childhood, Sarah managed to build a new life for herself as a nursery nurse.Then, one day, she spotted a newspaper advert for a job in a crèche in Amsterdam. Excited by the prospect of a fresh start abroad, she eagerly signed up. But within minutes of stepping off the plane in Amsterdam her life began to fall apart...There was no crèche and no job. That night, at just nineteen years of age, her life - her real life, her life as Sarah Forsyth - ended. Fed cocaine and cannabis, and forced at gunpoint to work as a prostitute in the Red Light District of Amsterdam: Sarah was a victim of sex-trafficking.Sarah Forsyth is a survivor. This is her heartbreaking story.

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Book SynopsisThe second book from Sunday Times bestselling author Casey Watson.Two weeks after saying farewell to her first foster child, Casey is asked to look after Sophia, a troubled 12-year-old with a sad past. Sophia's actions are disturbing and provocative and, before long, Casey and her family find themselves in a dark and dangerous situation.Two years ago Sophia's mother had a terrible accident. Sophia has been in care ever since.Right away, Casey feels something isn't right. Sophia's a well-developed girl, who looks more like 18 than 12. She only seems to have eyes and ears for men, and treats all women with contempt and disgust. And she has everyone around her jumping through hoops.Over time, as more details begin to emerge about Sophia's past, it becomes clear that her behaviour is a front for an early life filled with pain and suffering. But although Casey feels she is gradually breaking through to Sophia and getting her to open up about things she has never spoken about before, her vio

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Book SynopsisA heroic doctor's unflinchingly honest and visceral tale of impossible choices in emergency medicine.A brilliant insight into the forgotten heroes at the sharp end of humanitarian emergencies.' Jon Snow, Channel 4 NewsWinner of a Pride of Manchester Lifetime Achievement AwardThis is a story of tireless hard work and astonishing bravery.Tony Redmond has deployed to wars, refugee crises, air crashes, earthquakes, typhoons, volcanoes, and disease outbreaks for over thirty years. Featuring tales of hope and redemption, as well as untold suffering and mismanagement, this raw, honest account could only have been written by someone who has for decades performed incredible feats of altruism.Frontline takes the reader from the wards of Manchester's Nightingale hospital to Kosovo, from Sierra Leone's Ebola outbreak to Lockerbie, and from Haiti to the Philippines. We find its author risking life and limb to help those affected by events beyond their control.But while humanitarian work and medicine require an innate goodness, not all those involved have benign motives. And saving lives requires difficult choices: between the desire to relieve suffering and the need to weigh up the context. Too often medical aid is found wanting, doing more harm than good.How are life-or-death choices made in the heat of the moment? What are the consequences of your action, or inaction? Is it better at times to do nothing? How do you live with yourself if you want to help but can't?This is a frank account of the personal toll physical, mental and social emergency medicine levies on those who choose to do it. But ultimately, Frontline offers a tale of optimism, persistence and triumph over adversity, speaking to the resilience and fortitude of those who help and those whose lives they save.Trade Review‘A stunning example of humanity in action.’ Kate Adie CBE ‘A true Humanitarian.’ David Nott, author of War Doctor 'A brilliant book by a courageous medic at the perilous forefront of disaster medicine.' Professor Stephen Westaby, author of Fragile Lives ‘Redmond displays a dogged determination. … The impetus for his career in catastrophe has always been the desire to care and to make a difference.’ The Guardian ‘Redmond has been shot at, spent months sleeping on floors, seen countless children die and often lived in fear for his own life and that of his team.’ The Independent ‘An impressive story of courage and compassion, at great personal risk — and cost.' Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being ‘The vividly told story of a remarkable man. An inspiring book, full of humanity and goodness.’ Martin Sixsmith, author of Philomena and The Litvinenko File ‘Tony Redmond’s story of extraordinary bravery and compassion is devastating and inspiring in equal measure. A book of rare insight and candour.’ Dan Jarvis MP, author of Long Way Home: Love, life, death, and everything in between 'This is the extraordinary story of an inspiring humanitarian. Dr Redmond has shown over decades that with the determination to save and change lives there is no limit to giving and altruism.' Dr Waheed Arian, author of In the Wars

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Book SynopsisKarel Kuttelwascher may have had a German surname, but he was a Czech who became the scourge of the Luftwaffe bombers operating from France and the Low Countries in 1942. Flying with the RAF's legendary No. 1 Squadron, his destruction of fifteen aircraft in only three months earned him the DFC twice in a mere forty-two days, and made him the RAF's top night intruder ace. After his daring escape from German-occupied Czechoslovakia, he flew in the ferocious Battle of France and participated in the final weeks of the Battle of Britain as one of Churchill's 'Few'. During the early circus operations, he clocked up his first three kills before playing a part in the famous Channel Dash. However, it was in the lauded but lonely night intruder role that his individualistic skills came to the fore. Flying a long-range Hawker Hurricane IIC armed with 20-mm cannon, the man the wartime media dubbed the 'Czech Night Hawk' unleashed a reign of terror that included shooting down three Heinkel bombers in just four minutes.

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Book SynopsisThe personal accounts of three young women who joined up in 1940.In the summer of 1940, Britain stood alone against Germany. The British Army stood at just over one and a half million men, while the Germans had three times that many, and a population almost twice the size of ours from which to draw new waves of soldiers. Clearly, in the fight against Hitler, manpower alone wasn't going to be enough.Eighteen-year-old Jessie Ward defied her mother to join the ATS, Margery Pott signed up for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, and nanny Kathleen Skin the WRNS. They left quiet homes for the rigours of training, the camaraderie of the young women who worked together so closely and to face a war that would change their lives for ever.Overall, more than half a million women served in the armed forces during the Second World War. This book tells the story of just three of them one from the Army, one from the Navy and one from the Air Force. But in their stories are reflected the lives of hundreds of thousands of others like them ordinary girls who went to war, wearing their uniforms with pride.

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Book SynopsisDON'T MISS THE MAJOR FILM INSPIRED BY CHASE'S NARRATIVE, IN THE HEART OF THE SEA On 20 November 1820, just south of the equator, the whaling ship Essex, spotted and pursued a shoal of sperm whales. As the crew started harpooning, the largest whale – some 85 feet long – rammed the Essex twice and 'stove in her bows'. What followed was an epic three-month voyage in open boats across storm-tossed seas. Only eight men survived, sustained by eating those who died.This edition includes Owen Chases’s famous account, as well as memoirs by two other crew members and a facsimile of Herman Melville's notes on Chase’s narrative.Trade ReviewThe effect is kaleidoscopic. A vivid portrait emerges of the shipwrecked men's privatations and fundamental moral dilemma: literally to eat or be eaten -- Lawrence NorfolkChase's book still has an almost Biblical power * Mail on Sunday *An incredibly vivid journal of survival * Scotsman *The reading of this wondrous story...had a surprising effect on me -- Herman MelvilleWhen I found myself popping the notes I attach to potential quotes to virtually every page, I realised I might as well just deliver a rousing injunction to read the book for yourselves -- Christina Hardyment * Independent *

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