True stories of heroism, and endu Books

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Book SynopsisDrawing on previously unpublished letters of journals of crew members, their descendants and, astonishingly, interviews with survivors, Jennifer Niven's book is a riveting account of one of the most ambitious - and disastrous - Arctic expeditions ever mounted. It is a story about unlikely heroes and unexpected villains - humans reduced to their primal needs by the infinite power and mystery of nature... 'For more than 30 years I have been reading polar survival stories, but none so gripping and meticulously based on the written accounts of the survivors as The Ice Master' Ranulph Fiennes, Daily Mail 'A powerful narrative' Independent 'Riveting and meticulously researched' Sunday Telegraph 'Niven's remarkable epic is something special...an astonishing read.' Publishing News 'With so much repetitive polar stuff on the market, it is a relief to come across something fr

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Book SynopsisThe true story of a child born in London after World War II. Initially cared for by his grandmother and a guardian angel who watches over him, at six he finds out a devastating secret that changes his life forever.

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Book SynopsisOn June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home by religious fanatic, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. Thid book tells her story.

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Book SynopsisThis is the moving account of the horror of the Warsaw Ghetto -- written by the recognised archivist and historian of the area while he lived through it. Through anecdotes, stories, and notations -- some as brief as was slapped today in Zlota Street -- there emerges the agonising, eyewitness accounts of human beings caught in the furore of senseless, unrelenting brutality. In the Journal, there is the whole of life in the Ghetto, from the erection of the Wall, in November 1940, for hygienic reasons, through the brief period of deceptive calm to the eventual mass murders. It is a portrait of man tested by crisis, stained at times by the meanness of avarice and self-preservation, illumined more often by moments of nobility.

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Book SynopsisThis book is fiction. The story that inspired it was not. In 1990, a box of very old documents was found on a small farm in the west of Ireland. They had been stored for well over a hundred years and told an incredible story of suffering, of love and of courage. In 1846, a young couple met during the worst days of the Great Irish Famine. The Killing Snows is a way to imagine what led to their meeting and what followed from it.Trade Review'Powerful and compelling' Sarah Hackett - The Irish Post 'Famine novel likened to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.' Connaught Telegraph 'A vital reminder of the fragility of life, love and survival.' The Irish Post

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Book SynopsisThe astonishing true story of Beverli Rhodes, child victim of a sick, high-profile paedophilia ring and, years later, of the London Tube Bombings, who rebuilt her life with the help of one very special animal - the horse. Horses saved Beverli Rhodes' mind, and life. As a child, her world consisted of sexually abusive men, and her beautiful saviour horses. She survived to make a life for herself - only to suffer a second, devastating blow when she was caught up in the London Underground bombings of 7 July 2005, in which she was seriously injured. With the British healthcare system failing her, she sought other avenues to cop with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, her recovery directly resulting from contact with horses. She is now able to live a peaceful life, and continues to maintain her strong connection with the animals that helped save her. Moving and at times horrific, The Horse Girl is an extraordinary story of hate redeemed by love, as well as a testament to the triumph of the human spirit over the most terrible adversity.

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Book Synopsis'I can tell you exactly the day it all went wrong - the day my mum attacked my dad with a kitchen knife. In those few, short seconds, a black hole opened up in my life and I fell right in.' Tina McGuff's life was perfect - or so she thought. Living in Dundee with her devoted parents and three younger sisters, she was a happy, healthy and confident thirteen-year-old. But all that changed in one horrifying act of revenge and Tina's world collapsed overnight. Terrified, lost and confused, she turned to the one thing she thought she could control - food. And so began the biggest fight of her life. Tina's life-or-death struggle with anorexia is told with devastating honesty in this extraordinary account of a girl at war with herself. Through her years in and out of psychiatric wards, Tina takes us to some of the darkest places of the mind. But in the end her courage, conviction and sheer determination win out. It took Tina seconds to snap and a lifetime to recover - but today, as a passionate campaigner for mental health, she is living proof that there is always a reason to hope that one day, things will get better.Trade ReviewThis book is inspiring and empowering. Tina takes you on a journey through her darkness and into the light, offering much needed insight and hope to those on a similar path. Thank you Tina for sharing your story with such open honest and clarity. You are a gift. -- Fi Munro * Author & public speaker *This book was exactly what I needed when I needed it. It was there for me when I felt alone. It gave me hope when I thought all hope was lost. So raw, honest, and inspiring. More books like this need to be written and shared. Thank you, Tina. -- Haven Marah * Model *Mother, Grandmother, and speaker sharing the lessons she has passed on to her daughters around working hard, spreading kindness, and finding your own positivity, confidence, and beauty - I read Tina McGuff's survival story with awe. She is truly a war-survivor. A veteran in the battle against mental illness in the form of anorexia. Like many of us, her feud takes place on the battlefield of her mind against an invisible enemy who strikes with words of inadequacy, failure, and fear. In a time where we are all struggling to understand mental illness, McGuff's courageous and candid story speaks to what it is like to face down an enemy that lurks in the hidden places of your mind and destroys you from within. This timely and important story is universal. For who among us has not heard an inner-voice whisper "You're not good enough" and wondered if it wasn't true? -- Linda Graham * . *What is exceptional about this book is that it's not only a heartwarming true story and a gripping read, but that it manages to be both while providing hope for so many by helping us understand so much about the psychology of this terrible disease. -- Gary Clark * Musician *Congrats on so many things, will keep reading your harrowing yet compelling tale. My pleasure Tina - your story is shocking and affirming in equal measure and I am sure a big help to many people who find themselves in similar situations. Congrats again. -- Dom Holland * Comedian, Author and Broadcaster *What an amazing book written with such honesty - you are such a strong and inspiring lady, thank you for sharing your story, I am sure it was not easy to be so open and honest but the help and hope it will give anyone going through a tough time is so important. -- Tana Ramsay * Author and broadcaster *

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Book SynopsisIn 2004, Maggie Lane fell to her death from the cliffs at Beachy Head. While trying to come to terms with his wife's tragic death, Keith Lane sought solace by going back to the spot from which she had jumped. It was then that he spotted a woman about to take her own life and persuaded her not to go through with it. From this point on, Keith made it his mission to patrol the area in the hope of saving more lives. For nearly four years, Keith dedicated his life to helping those who felt that they had reached the point of no return. Dedicated and determined, he would be on his watch come rain or shine, whatever the circumstances - nothing fazed this remarkable man. In total, Keith has prevented a remarkable 29 people from going over the edge. In this dramatic and heart-rending book, Keith tells of his own personal despair at the loss of Maggie and how, in his darkest hour, his only wish was to join her in ending his own life; he tells of how his own existence was given meaning once more when he realised that he could help those in desperate need; he recalls with clarity and emotion those he has assisted and he tells of finding love and hope in the form of new wife Val.

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, a Rohingya speaks up to expose the persecution facing his people. ‘I am three years old and will have to grow up with the hostility of others. I am already an outlaw in my own country, an outlaw in the world. I am three years old, and don’t yet know that I am stateless.’ Habiburahman was born in 1979 and raised in a small village in western Burma. When he was three years old, the country’s military leader declared that his people, the Rohingya, were not one of the 135 recognised ethnic groups that formed the eight ‘national races’. He was left stateless in his own country. Since 1982, millions of Rohingya have had to flee their homes as a result of extreme prejudice and persecution. In 2016 and 2017, the government intensified the process of ethnic cleansing, and over 600,000 Rohingya people were forced to cross the border into Bangladesh. Here, for the first time, a Rohingya speaks up to expose the truth behind this global humanitarian crisis. Through the eyes of a child, we learn about the historic persecution of the Rohingya people and witness the violence Habiburahman endured throughout his life until he escaped the country in 2000. First, They Erased Our Name is an urgent, moving memoir about what it feels like to be repressed in one’s own country and a refugee in others. It gives voice to the voiceless.Trade Review‘Habiburahman’s book is a rare first-hand account of what the Rohingya have had to endure over the past few decades, and especially valuable because the events it describes took place long before most of the world had heard of them. Told in short, punchy chapters, written in an urgent present tense …’ -- David Eimer * The Spectator *‘Here is the first account by a Rohingya of the decades-long oppression of his people, as well as a memoir of his own journey. Chilling and eye-opening.’ * i *‘This is the gripping, chilling inside story of the incubation of a genocide. In a corner of Asia where hatred has raged for decades, Habib’s moving family history emerges as a powerful and, to my knowledge, unique historical document. His compelling storytelling relates how playground prejudice against the Muslim Rohingya of Arakan escalated into pogroms, terror, and apartheid. As he makes his arduous and dangerous escape, he writes “death is always snapping at our heels”. What an incredible story. There are many who, after the killing fields of Cambodia, Bosnia, or Rwanda have said “Never again”. It just did, in Burma, and here’s how.’ -- Jonathan Miller, Foreign Affairs Correspondent * Channel 4 News *‘Written in a simple style appropriate to the childhood it records, the memoir is a devastating testimony of persecution.’ -- David McKechnie * The Irish Times *‘The book is written in simple language and tells the story without embellishment. There is no need for flourishes; it is relentless.’ -- Gay Alcorn * The Guardian *‘Habiburahman is a vivid storyteller … It is a book that should be read the world over until the Rohingyas get justice … An essential read.’ -- Liam Heylin * Irish Examiner *‘An astonishing story … a moving read.’ -- Paul Ross, talkRADIO‘The remarkable first personal account from a Rohingya of his people’s persecution in Burma.’ * i *‘The greatest barriers to stories such as Habiburahman’s being heard, though. Are invalidation and indifference. Do not be indifferent to this urgent, humane book. Read it, share it, talk about what has been happening — and in so doing safeguard the humanity of Habiburahman, the Rohingya and all asylum seekers, as well as the imperilled humanity of this country.’ -- Maria Takolander * The Saturday Paper *‘[First, They Erased Our Name] tells the first-hand truth behind the global humanitarian crisis.’ * Business Standard *‘For the first time, Habib’s book gives written voice to the history of fate and his people who have been left stateless in their own country. Habib’s own story is an odyssey of danger, resistance, torture and courage.’ -- James Taylor * Surf Coast Times *‘Compelling.’ -- Robyn Douglass * SA Weekend, starred review *‘Habiburahman was a boy when Myanmar outlawed his ethnic group, the Rohingya, stripping its members of citizenship and turning them into a stateless people. His book is a rare account of growing up during the subsequent catastrophe for the Rohingya … a useful addition to the literature of human rights abuses.’ * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisIn this gripping memoir, originally published in 1957, the Dutch author, codename ‘Zip’, recounts her extraordinary journey. A young fighter for the resistance during World War II, Zip is captured and held prisoner as part of the ‘Night and Fog’ unit, political prisoners who wait out the war in a crowded, secret cell. During their long days and nights, each creates a secret embroidery telling the story of their war, including when they are moved from place to place, writing each other’s names in morse code out of contraband black thread. Upon liberation, Zip must find her way back to Holland with her three companions, scant belongings, and any food they can ‘liberate’ or are given by the goodwill of soldiers or villagers along the way. In cinematic, sweeping prose, Zip reveals all the details of the time, including the camaraderie of fellow political prisoners upon release: the Dutch prisoners of war who have kept their uniforms intact; the French p.o.w.s in threadbare yet debonair getups; the French women resistance fighters who break out in song (‘La Marseillaise’) to reunite a hungry mob; not to mention the Russian liberators, and the American soldiers. The world they enter has turned upside down. The jovial spirit and giddiness they share at being free is uplifting and unforgettable. An adroit, page-turning and heroic tale of humanity – after the darkness, there is so much light. The Walls Came Tumbling Down is a true World War II classic.Trade Review‘You feel the life seeping back into these wasted, emaciated, exhausted friends like spring itself … You marvel at the capillary action that one caring human being can create in another with simple kindness, but in the end, pure luck, like a blessing, rains down from the heavens.’ -- Susan Salter Reynolds * Los Angeles Times *‘Gripping and beautiful, Roosenburg’s memoir is a tale of bravery that will make you care deeply about its protagonists, even make you weep at their ordeal and homecoming. It is one of the unjustly neglected gems of Second World War literature.’ -- James Mustich, author of 1,000 Books To Read Before You Die‘Here is a book full of utterly unselfconscious heroism.’ * The Washington Post *‘I wept — tears of pride — while reading Henriette Roosenburg’s The Walls Came Tumbling Down. Pride? Yes, pride that human beings can rise to such heights.’ -- Noel Perrin * Los Angeles Times *‘Scribe has done readers a great service by reprinting the unjustly forgotten The Walls Came Tumbling Down by Henriette Roosenburg, nicknamed ‘Zip’ for the frequency with which she once secretly criss-crossed Nazi-held borders, narrates the incredible events that follow her liberation from a German prison by the Soviet military with casual simplicity and a touch of humour … [A] moving, often funny book, despite the circumstances, told by a brave and truly remarkable woman who deserves to be remembered.’ -- Hank Stephenson * Shelf Awareness *‘[A] gripping memoir.’ * Australian Jewish News *‘[R]eading Henriette Roosenburg’s gripping memoir of her postwar journey home to Holland from the Waldheim camp in Germany, I feel … awe at the human courage and indefatigable quest for home that pervades the book … The tone of this memoir is upbeat, and surprisingly amusing. The joy of freedom and her delight in being able to take independent action after their long captivity pervades each chapter … Highly recommended.’ -- Lisa Hill * ANZ LitLovers *

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Book SynopsisArriving in the UK from Jamaica at the tender age of 14, Keisha shares her empowering lived experiences growing up with undiagnosed Dyslexia and Dyspraxia.

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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 *

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