True stories / true accounts of events Books

Book SynopsisIan Shipley has now been traditionally hand-digging graves for 40 years. He was taught to dig the old-fashioned way and four decades on, averaging 114 graves per year, Ian can still be found habitually toiling away in one of any number of locations across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. In Tales of a Gravedigger, the author's first book, he recalls true tales from his early years whilst working at Newark's London Road Cemetery in Nottinghamshire. It is a light-hearted and occasionally amusing look into the life of a gravedigger. From coffins getting stuck to stomach-churning exhumations. From unexpected cave-ins to practical jokes and various other ghostly goings-on. It's an interesting glimpse into a profession that most of us know very little about. Ian has always believed that a grave should be hand-dug. It's more personal that way. For years he has declined to use mechanical digging, preferring instead to keep alive the old ways. In Newark-on-Trent and throughout the surrounding villages of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, Ian will possibly be the last of the traditional gravediggers.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Newark Cemetery 1 Chapter 2 In at the Deep End 8 Chapter 3 The Knowledge 10 Chapter 4 Initiation 14 Chapter 5 Moonlighting 16 Chapter 6 Phantom Digs 20 Chapter 7 The Notorious Mr X 22 Chapter 8 Machine Digging 24 Chapter 9 Class C's 27 Chapter 10 A Practical Joke 30 Chapter 11 Restless Spirit 31 Chapter 12 When the Coffin Gets Stuck 34 Chapter 13 The Old Gravedigger's Cottage 37 Chapter 14 There's Always One 39 Chapter 15 A Strange Occurrence 42 Chapter 16 Three Nuns 45 Chapter 17 Collapsed Graves 47 Chapter 18 Sikorski Goes Home 51 Chapter 19 A Lucky Escape for All 55 Chapter 20 Ignoring the Obvious 58 Chapter 21 The Man who was Buried Twice 61 Chapter 22 Exhumation 62 Chapter 23 Unmarked Graves 66 Chapter 24 We Do the Work; They Take the Credit 68 Chapter 25 Stumped 72 Chapter 26 Blood, Sweat and Toil 74 Chapter 27 Ashes? What Ashes? 78 Chapter 28 Can You Dig Us Another? 80 Chapter 29 An Unpleasant Smell 83 Chapter 30 All's Well That Ends Well 85 Chapter 31 Artic Conditions on New Year's Eve 88 Chapter 32 Peace of Mind 91 Chapter 33 Easily Spooked 94 Chapter 34 Strange People 97 Chapter 35 Cemetery Wildlife 99

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Book SynopsisWhat do 'Abu Sindi', 'Timothy Sean McCormack', 'Saro', and 'Commander Avo' all have in common? They were all aliases for Monte Melkonian. But who was Monte Melkonian? In his native California he was once a kid in cut-off jeans, playing baseball and eating snow cones. Europe denounced him as an international terrorist. His adopted homeland of Armenia decorated him as a national hero who led a force of 4000 men to victory in the Armenian enclave of Mountainous Karabagh in Azerbaijan. Why Armenia? Why adopt the cause of a remote corner of the Caucasus whose peoples had scattered throughout the world after the early twentieth century Ottoman genocides? Markar Melkonian spent seven years unravelling the mystery of his brother's road: a journey which began in his ancestors' town in Turkey and leading to a blood-splattered square in Tehran, the Kurdish mountains, the bomb-pocked streets of Beirut, and finally, to the windswept heights of Mountainous Karabagh. Monte's life embodied the agony and the follies bedevelling the end of the Cold War and the unravelling of the Soviet Union. Yet, who really was this man? A terrorist or a hero? "My Brother's Road" is not just the story of a long journey and a short life, it is an attempt to understand what happens when one man decides that terrible actions speak louder than words.

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Book SynopsisIn this large, full colour, hard cover book by James Court, yu can read about guitarist, drummer, bass player, pianist, keyboardist, song writer, producer, programmer, arranger, vocalist, business entrepreneur, actor, director, dancer and choreographer Prince. James Court has been an avid collector, writer and follower of Prince and his work for more than thirty years. Upon Prince's death in April 2016, James set about the colossal task of revealing every part of this fascinating ever-changing musician, leaving no stone unturned. The Biography tackles the issue's that plagued the Superstar, his fight for Musical freedom and his constant need to write record and perform without restriction or filter.Often described as the greatest Musician of his generation Prince remained at the very top of the game, a multi-instrumentalist with the ability to write cutting edge songs at will, his talent ability and influence were simply unmatched. The results make this the most comprehensive, detailed and exhaustingly accurate depiction of one of the most popular, misunderstood and illusive musicians in modern day music....

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Book SynopsisA shocking exposé of the dangerously under-regulated medical device industry, revealing the corruption, greed, and deceit that has helped make medical interventions a leading cause of death in America.

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Book SynopsisThere is perhaps no crime more disturbing than the abuse of a child—and no court cases as upsetting as those in which juveniles who have faced abuse are tried for fighting back. In this gripping memoir Sara Kruzan, a survivor of childhood abuse and sex trafficking, tells the honest, disturbing, and ultimately empowering story of her journey from abuse to incarceration without parole for killing her abuser to finally gaining her liberation.As someone who has worked with trafficking survivors in the developing world, I am struck by how vividly Kruzan’s memoir shows us how easily these same atrocities take place, barely noticed, beneath the sophisticated veneer of life in the U.S. A brilliant and illuminating read.—Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and author of Mighty Be Our PowersSara is currently an advocate for the rights of incarcerated women and children, and the inspiration behind Sara’s La

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Book SynopsisWeird and wonderful stories about people, places, animals and the supernatural have always fascinated young and old alike. Disasters happen. Accidents occur. Motorcars collide, aeroplanes fall out of the sky, ships sink and nations decline and fall.

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Book SynopsisWas George Mallory the first man to reach the summit of Everest? Conrad Anker and Leo Houlding embark on a death-defying expedition to find outTrade Review'Good solid stuff ... [MacKenzie] has done a terrific job in conveying the misery, danger and exhilaration of life on the world's tallest mountain ... a superb yarn of high adventure' * BBC Focus Magazine *'Impressive book ... MacKenzie deals with the issue deftly' * TLS *'Faced with a plethora of material, Mark MacKenzie rose to the challenge triumphantly, marrying impeccable research to a sensitive feel for the extraordinary range of emotions experienced by those who challenge this extraordinary range. If the film is half as good, Oscars beckon' * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 NED KELLY AWARD, DANGER PRIZE AND WAVERLEY LIBRARY NIBTrue history that is both shocking and too real, this unforgettable tale moves at the pace of a great crime novel.In the early hours of Saturday morning, 17 November 1923, a suitcase was found washed up on the shore of a small beach in the Sydney suburb of Mosman. What it contained - and why - would prove to be explosive.The murdered baby in the suitcase was one of many dead infants who were turning up in the harbour, on trains and elsewhere. These innocent victims were a devastating symptom of the clash between public morality, private passion and unrelenting poverty in a fast-growing metropolis.Police tracked down Sarah Boyd, the mother of the suitcase baby, and the complex story and subsequent murder trial of Sarah and her friend Jean Olliver became a media sensation. Sociologist Tanya Bretherton masterfully tells the engrossing and moving story of the crimTrade ReviewBretherton's unflinching fact-finding is what makes this book throb. * Australian Women's Weekly *A pacy tale recommended for history lovers. * Law Society Journal *

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Book SynopsisWhenever society produces a depraved criminal, we wonder: is it nature or is it nurture?When the charlatan Alicks Sly murdered his wife, Ellie, and killed himself with a cut-throat razor in a house in Sydney''s Newtown in early 1904, he set off a chain of events that could answer that question. He also left behind mysteries that might never be solved. Sociologist Dr Tanya Bretherton traces the brutal story of Ellie, one of many suicide brides in turn-of-the-century Sydney; of her husband, Alicks, and his family; and their three orphaned sons, adrift in the world.From the author of the acclaimed THE SUITCASE BABY - shortlisted for the 2018 Ned Kelly Award, Danger Prize and Waverley Library ''Nib'' Award - comes another riveting true-crime case from Australia''s dark past. THE SUICIDE BRIDE is a masterful exploration of criminality, insanity, violence and bloody family ties in bleak, post-Victorian Sydney.

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Book SynopsisFrom the best-selling author of CARDINAL comes a searing examination of the power imbalance in our legal system - where exposing the truth is never guaranteed and, for victims, justice is often elusive.

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Book SynopsisWhen Samuel Johnson unicycled around Australia, he met some awesome people. And before we had to lock down, he and his other sister, Hilde, were travelling the country talking at schools, community groups and at the side of busy streets to spread their message about how to kick cancer in the face hole. But in the process they connected and listened as people shared their own stories - not just about how cancer impacted them, but about love, fighting fires, making families out of choice not blood, knitting, being there and being surprised by life and finding solace from strangers. They decided those stories should be shared and the idea for Heroes Next Door was born. The result is a moving, funny, irreverent, inspiring and big-hearted book that shows us all that resilience and kindness are what make the difference, and that you don''t have to travel far to find good people ... often they are right next door.

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Book SynopsisFunny without knowing it and naive without being innocent, Zoe is pretty much left alone to get on with growing up. Yet the most relevant events of her youth are invariably caused by other people. This novel is about adolescence and lack of innocence.Trade Review'Layered with delicious ambiguities, memorable characters and, most of all, the author's eye for the ironic and unlikely' Daily Telegraph 'These hard-edged stories raise the amusing dinner party anecdote to an art form. They are short, tricky, witty and apposite' Independent 'The entertainment value lies in Prantera's immaculate understatement ... Each episode has a polished ambivalence and a dry observation of the nearness of tragedy and loss' Observer 'Reaching the end of this collection one cannot help being a little disappointed that the pleasure is over so soon' TLS

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Book SynopsisA collection of tragic and forgotten historic disasters around Britain, from the 1800s to the twenty-first century

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Book SynopsisIn Spirit Sisters, women of all ages share their very personal encounters with the supernatural.We meet a high-flying banking executive whose life changed forever after a visit from a bizarre, winged entity, a mother of seven who was held and soothed by her husband five days after she''d buried him, the woman who lost most of her family in a car accident and gained a guardian angel; and many more whose lives have been touched by uplifting encounters with the other side.This is a heart-breaking, inspiring, and ultimately, comforting book. Packed with amazing anecdotes, it opens the door to the spirit world and helps us reconnect with those we have lost to the afterlife.Trade Review'Author Machado is right: there's something really delicious about hearing ghost stories. Which means that this collection of spooky tales by Australian women, abouttheir experiences with the paranormal, is very hard to put down. Machado is a great writer who spins a fine sense of mystery as she relates interviews with ordinary people about extraordinary events that raise serious questions about the afterlife and will make even a sceptic's neck hairs stand to attention. And, although some of the stories are creepy, there are many others that are very moving and that make you wonder about the idea that love is stronger than death.' Sunday Telegraph * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisBBC Breakfast''s Dr Rosemary Leonard shares a collection of incredible true tales from her twenty years as a south London GP.''Hello, this is the emergency services. Do you require fire, police or ambulance?'' asked the female switchboard operator with brisk professionalism. I thought fast. ''I actually need all three,'' I answered .It''s not every day that a home visit turns out to be an eco-protestor with appendicitis stuck up a tree. But as Dr Rosemary shares in this book, it''s all part of a day''s work for a south London GP. From an octogenarian nymphomaniac to a teenager in labour with a baby she didn''t know about, when Dr Rosemary opens her surgery door she doesn''t know who''s going to walk in...Trade Review'a riveting read' * Daily Express *'She has a breezy, confident style that makes this an entertaining glimpse into the sharp end of medicine.' * The Lady *'Funny, heartwarming - and you can skip the gory bits.' * Yours Magazine *'[A] funny and heartwarming collection of anecdotes' * Inside Soap *'Warm, humorous' * Choice *

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Book SynopsisAs American astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from shy military spouses to American royalty: having tea with Jackie Kennedy, attending high society galas, and being featured on the cover of Life magazine. They quickly grew into fashion icons, donning sherbet-swirled Pucci dresses and lacquering their hair into extravagant rocket styles (to match their husbands'' spaceships).Annie Glenn was the envy of the other wives, with her many magazine features; platinum-blonde bombshell Rene Carpenter was proclaimed JFK''s favourite; homely Betty Grissom worried her husband was having affairs; Louise Shepard just wanted to be left alone to her card games; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived on base with a dirty secret. Together they rallied to form the Astronaut Wives Club, which has now turned into over 40 years of enduring friendship. Sexy and sophistic

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING JULIETTE BINOCHE AND ANTONIO BANDERASTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST''Riveting ...The best book I''ve read all year.'' Ann Patchett''An astonishing tale of survival'' Spectator THE STORY THAT GRIPPED THE GLOBEAugust 2010: the San Jose mine in Chile collapses trapping 33 men half a mile underground for 69 days. Faced with the possibility of starvation and even death, the miners make a pact: if they survive, they will only share their story collectively, as ''the 33''.1 billion people watch the international rescue mission. Somehow, all 33 men make it out alive, in one of the most daring and dramatic rescue efforts even seen.Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Héctor Tobar is the man they choose to tell their story.'' An eloquent testamenTrade Review. . . an eloquent testament to the human spirit. * The Times *Riveting . . . The best book I've read all year. * Ann Patchett *Riveting... Tobar vividly narrates the miners' lives post-rescue as they come to terms with their life-changing experience and the media frenzy surrounding it. Rich in local color, this is a sensitive, suspenseful rendering of a legendary story. * Publishers Weekly, Most Anticipated Books of 2014 *..fascinating... (The ) narrative cracks along at a suitably breathless pace * Irish Mail *Héctor Tobar takes us so far down into the story and lives of the Chilean miners that his reconstruction of a workplace disaster becomes a riveting meditation on universal human themes.Deep Down Dark is an extraordinary piece of work. * George Packer *In this masterful dissection of the 2010's dramatic sixty-nine day ordeal by thirty-three trapped Chilean miners, Héctor Tobar weaves a suspenseful narrative that moves back and forth between the waking nightmares of the buried men, and those of their families on the earth's surface. In Deep Down Dark, Héctor Tobar takes us deftly to the very cliff-edge of human survival. * Jon Lee Anderson *It's almost hard to believe that Héctor Tobar wasn't himself one of the trapped Chilean miners, so vivid, immediate, terrifying, emotional, and convincing is his Homeric narration of this extraordinary incident. Deep Down Dark is a literary masterpiece of narrative journalism, surgical in its reconstruction, novelistic in its explorations of human personality and nuance. In a manner that feels spiritual, Tobar puts himself at the service of his story, and his fidelity to and unquenchable curiosity about every fact and detail generates unforgettable wonderment and awe. * Francisco Goldman *A gripping narrative, taut to the point of explosion . . . An electrifying, empathetic work of journalism that makes a four-year-old story feel fresh. * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisHilarious, heart-wrenching and brilliantly written account of a twenty something returning home to his large, eccentric, foul mouthed family to care for his beloved, dying father.Trade ReviewIt's hard to imagine how a memoir about moving home to take care of your cancer-stricken mom and your dying dad could be fun to read, but Dan Marshall manages to pull it off. Equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking, Home is Burning proves that with family, tragedy always has company. -- James FreyBoth a touching memoir about the author losing both his parents, and the funniest fucking thing I've ever read-profane, self-aware, and ruthlessly honest. Dan Marshall might be a self-described 'spoiled white asshole,' but he's also a depraved comedic genius. -- Justin St. GermainA death in the family-the whole miserable and hilarious story, complete with all the gory mechanical details of grief, rage, drug binges, hostility, self-pity and more rage. -- Rob SheffieldHorrible. Hysterical. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Just like life. -- Jenny Lawson

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Book SynopsisA beautifully written food memoir with a queer bent in which the author comes to terms with her Ukranian heritage and her lesbian identity by way of their connections with food.

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Book SynopsisAn NPR Best Book of 2022 An incredible, deeply reported story of identical twins Isabella and Hà, born in Viêt Nam and raised on opposite sides of the world, each knowing little about the other’s existence until they were reunited as teenagers, against all odds. “Stirring and unforgettable—a breathtaking adoption saga like no other.” —Robert Kolker It was 1998 in Nha Trang, Vi?t Nam, and Liên struggled to care for her newborn twin girls. Hà was taken in by Liên’s sister, and she grew up in a rural village with her aunt, going to school and playing outside with the neighbors. They had sporadic electricity and frequent monsoons. Hà’s twin sister, Loan, was adopted by a wealthy, white American family who renamed her Isabella. Isabella grew up in the suburbs of Chicago with a nonbiological sister, Olivia, also adopted from Vi?t Nam. Isabella and Olivia attended a predominantly white Catholic school, played soccer, and prepared for college. But when Isabella’s adoptive mother learned of her biological twin back in Vi?t Nam, all of their lives changed forever. Award-winning journalist Erika Hayasaki spent years and hundreds of hours interviewing each of the birth and adoptive family members. She brings the girls’ experiences to life on the page, told from their own perspectives, challenging conceptions about adoption and what it means to give a child a good life. Hayasaki contextualizes the sisters’ experiences with the fascinating and often sinister history of twin studies, intercountry and transracial adoption, and the nature-versus-nurture debate, as well as the latest scholarship and conversation surrounding adoption today, especially among adoptees. For readers of All You Can Ever Know and American Baby, Somewhere Sisters is a richly textured, moving story of sisterhood and coming of age, told through the remarkable lives of young women who have redefined the meaning of family for themselves.Trade Review“Somewhere Sisters is a heartbreaking, many times maddening tale of three adoptees, two of whom are twins separated at birth, who find themselves at the intersection of nature and nurture, fighting against fate and circumstance to carve out their own destinies. Seamlessly weaving historical context with brilliant reportage, Hayasaki delivers an incisive and poignant exploration of the world of transracial adoption and twinship, bearing witness to the profound struggles of those caught between two worlds, trying to define themselves.” —Ly Tran, author of House of Sticks “Well-researched and compassionately written, Somewhere Sisters is a journey from separations to reunions, from individual lives to the history of adoption. Urgent and compelling, this book asks important questions about responsibility and ethics and will inspire all of us as we work toward a more responsible and inclusive society.” —Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, author of the international bestseller The Mountains Sing "Somewhere Sisters is stirring and unforgettable — a breathtaking adoption saga like no other; a provocative exploration into the ideas of family and belonging; and a deeply meaningful meditation on what makes us who we are and what connects us to one another.”—Robert Kolker, New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road and Lost Girls“Somewhere Sisters is a heartbreaking, many times maddening tale of three adoptees, two of whom are twins separated at birth, who find themselves at the intersection of nature and nurture, fighting against fate and circumstance to carve out their own destinies. Seamlessly weaving historical context with brilliant reportage, Hayasaki delivers an incisive and poignant exploration of the world of transracial adoption and twinship, bearing witness to the profound struggles of those caught between two worlds, trying to define themselves.” —Ly Tran, author of House of Sticks“Expertly reported, this tale of Vietnamese twins separated in infancy and raised in a world apart challenges perceptions of international adoption.”—People Magazine“Hayasaki contextualizes [the sisters’] stories in the larger history of transracial and transnational adoption, as well as nature-nurture science, making for a nuanced portrait.”—NPR, Best Books of 2022“Hayasaki, a journalist who spent five years tracing the girls’ diverging paths, writes a sensitive, well-researched account of the years before and after their emotional reunion.”—The Washington Post“Journalist Erika Hayasaki chronicles the unbelievable timeline of twin sisters Isabella and Hà…a heart-wrenching tale told with compassion.”—Buzzfeed“A talented journalist, Hayasaki has meticulously reported this story, touching on complex topics such as the ethics of adoption, Asian American identity, how siblings reunite, and more.”—Shondaland“Erika Hayasaki lays out what happened to both twins, and what their story can teach us about family, nature and nurture, and adoption.”—Bustle“Hayasaki explores the many dimensions of transracial and transnational adoption in this moving account of families torn apart.” —The Cut"Deeply researched, artfully woven, and lyrically written, Somewhere Sisters explores the harsh reality behind international transracial adoption. Hayasaki is a master storyteller, and her compassion for her subjects is evident on every page. Her meticulous exploration into the dark legacy of nature-nurture studies, American saviorism, and the science of attachment is a powerful addition to our understanding of the lifelong impact of adoption."—Gabrielle Glaser, author of the New York Times notable book American Baby “Well-researched and compassionately written, Somewhere Sisters is a journey from separations to reunions, from individual lives to the history of adoption. Urgent and compelling, this book asks important questions about responsibility and ethics and will inspire all of us as we work toward a more responsible and inclusive society.”—Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of the international bestseller The Mountains Sing"Erika Hayasaki has produced an elegant exploration of race and nationality. This intimate, meticulously reported portrait of an impoverished Vietnamese mother and her twin daughters, who were separated by adoption, is a not only a compelling story, but one that touches on profound questions of human identity.”—Barbara Demick, author of Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town and Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea“Hayasaki reveals the racial and class prejudices at the root of such adoptions without losing sight of the complexities of human emotions and family ties. This is a clear-eyed and well-grounded take on a thorny social issue.”—Publishers Weekly“Hayasaki weaves their reflections about belonging, heritage, and identity—gleaned from hundreds of hours of interviews with the girls and their birth and adoptive families—with a broad consideration of adoption and twin studies that aim to shed light on the extent to which genes and environment shape human behavior, personality, and development. An engaging portrait of intersected lives.”—Kirkus Reviews“Fascinating and moving on its own, the sisters' complex story of growing up, both together and apart, is complemented by Hayasaki's illumination of the personal, psychological, and sociocultural realities of adoption.”—Booklist“This book raises so many critical questions about the responsibility of wealthier countries and their attitude toward adoption in countries that they often left after years of colonization and war… A very emotional and human account of finding out what the meaning of family is.”—San Diego Union Tribune“SOMEWHERE SISTERS should be required reading for anyone considering intercountry and/or transracial adoption. Even-handed and balanced, Hayasaki’s book is a vivid, searing portrait of the complex realities behind the simple saviorism that is so often the impetus for foreign adoptions.”—Washington Independent Review of Books“SOMEWHERE SISTERS should be required reading for anyone considering intercountry and/or transracial adoption. Even-handed and balanced, Hayasaki’s book is a vivid, searing portrait of the complex realities behind the simple saviorism that is so often the impetus for foreign adoptions.”—Washington Independent Review of Books, "Our 51 Favorite Books of 2022"“This incredible true story is as fascinating as any novel... Journalist Erika Hayasaki interviewed family members extensively in order to write this nuanced tale of transracial adoption, nurture-versus-nature, and sisterhood.” —BookBub

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Book SynopsisAnne Crawford was a feature writer for The Age and The Sunday Age for more than ten years and is co-author of Doctor Hugh: My Life with Animals, Forged with Flames: A True Story of Courage and Survival, and Shadow of a Girl. Great Australian Horse Stories was published in 2013. Her most recent book, Women of Spirit, was released in May 2014. A horse-owner and horse-lover, Anne has ridden everywhere from the Victorian High Country to Patagonia to the deserts of Morocco. She lives in country Victoria where she rides a small mare with a lot of attitude called Poppy.

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Book SynopsisCompassion, nurturing and pain are at the heart of everyone’s story of mothers and motherhood. In this book, Matt Hopwood presents a selection of deep, powerful stories of and by mothers which were told openly and bravely to him. Women, men, children, teenagers and centenarians tell their experiences of childhood, motherhood, birth, loss, yearning, fear, contentment, love and divinity. They tell of connection with Mother and the Mother instincts that reside in every human being. Together, these stories, from as far afield as the USA, Russia, Taiwan, and Europe as well as the UK, are a gift that help bring us to a deeper understanding of our humanity and the role of the intuitive feminine Mother that is so needed by every one of us.Trade Review'Motherhood is a transformational journey but it’s not an exclusive journey, what [Matt] is saying is that we can all key into motherhood and experience that narrative…' -- Rev. Kate Bottley * BBC Radio 2 *'[Matt Hopwood] allows us all to learn more about the thing that makes each of our lives unique – our experience and understanding of love' -- Clare Balding'One of the most valuable insights we can have is to appreciate the insights of others. The world of love as seen from a different angle than our own. Make time for this man – his ministry is both vivid and valuable' -- Peter Owen Jones

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Book Synopsis'There's a lot of stigma attached to sex. Particularly with women, you have a big dichotomy between: Do you have sex? Do you not? Do you be a slut? Do you be a virgin? Do you be a prude? Do you be a man-whore? You can't really win.' Women are always being told how to be sexy, but are rarely asked what actually turns them on. Wendy Jones wanted to find out, so she interviewed twenty-four women from all walks of life, including a burlesque dancer, a girl guide leader, a shop assistant, a ninety-four year old who remembers the sexual freedom of the war, a transexual, a nun, a feminist into BDSM, a covered Muslim, a mother, a student, a polyamorist, and a sexual healer. The women talked about their lives, bodies, sexual fantasies and relationships, about what they've learned, how they have been hurt, what they enjoy and what they long for. The interviews are frank, engaging, and surprising. Each woman is unique but together they speak for a majority, and it's time we listened. This honest and inspiring exploration of female desire will change the way we think and talk about sex forever. 'English women have a reputation for being reserved and uptight; actually behind closed doors we're outrageous.'Trade ReviewFascinating and thought-provoking * Grayson Perry *A compelling and thought-provoking collection ... it's brave, honest and full of things you'll relate to. * Elle *We are bombarded with commercialised images of what women's sexuality is about. This book shows us what it is really about. Wendy Jones' gift is that she can really listen to what people tell her, pick out what's important without distorting their distinct voices. -- Philippa PerryThe interviews feel very real and immediate...entertaining, heart-warming -- Viv Groskop * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisOn 18 January 2012, Elise Schwarz received a phone call that threatened to tear her world to pieces: 'There's something wrong with Evan. He's turning blue,' her babysitter screamed down the line. When Evan was born Elise felt her life was complete. She had her own New York apartment, a brilliant career as a litigator and a beautiful baby boy. But all that was thrown into turmoil when her only child was found to be the victim of shaken baby syndrome. All evidence pointed to the babysitter, with whom Elise had entrusted Evan's care. In the agonising weeks and months that follow, she finds herself taking on both the New York authorities, who at first prevent her from taking charge of her own child, and a medical establishment that seems anxious to terminate Evan's prospects as swiftly as possible. But this single gay mother, with a great support network of friends and family around her, had the resilience to fight like a tigress for her son in order to prevent his short life being extinguished prematurely.Faced with a nightmarish mix of emotions and a roller coaster of conflicting advice and agonising decision making, Elise emerges a Mother Courage, prepared to go to any lengths for her son. This moving and compelling account, told in diary form, is a testament to a mother's unbending love and above all unflinching belief in her child.

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Book Synopsis'I stood up. A miracle had happened. I could walk. It was as if I was born again.'With a heart full of prayer, Marion Carroll journeyed to Knock in the west of Ireland. For 17 years, Multiple Sclerosis had ravaged her body so utterly that this reluctant pilgrim travelled on a stretcher. Then, at the Mass, an unimaginable miracle. Marion rose, pain-free, to walk, talk and see once more.Thanks to this wondrous blessing, Marion has transformed – in her 'own small way' – the lives of countless others. Her ministries share her rock-like faith and devotion to God. They testify to the power of ordinary people to listen, to care, to inspire.Nearly 30 years later, the Catholic Church officially recognised Marion's cure as a proclaimed miracle. Here, with warmth, grace, humility – and down-to-earth Irish humour – she tells of her life 'before' and 'after'. Marion's powerful, uplifting story is unique. It shines a light on love, hope and a remarkable relationship with God.Trade ReviewIn a world filled with bad news Marion Carroll’s story gives hope and inspiration to us all. * The Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisWhat is forgiveness?Are some acts unforgivable?Can forgiveness take the place of revenge?Powerful real-life stories from survivors and perpetrators of crime and violence reveal the true impact of forgiveness on ordinary people worldwide. Exploring forgiveness as an alternative to resentment or retaliation, the storytellers give an honest, moving account of their experiences and what part forgiveness has played in their lives. Despite extreme circumstances, their stories open the door to a society without revenge.All royalties from the sale of this book go to The Forgiveness Project charity.Trade ReviewThis reassuring and uplifting book testifies to the truth of forgiveness - freestanding, not dependent upon faith, but upon humanity. It is both provocative and full of hope. -- Jon Snow, journalist and presenterResentment and bitterness are cancers of the soul. Forgiveness is a healing balm. It is costly but effective as this book so clearly demonstrates. -- Terry Waite CBE, humanitarian and author, held hostage in Lebanon, 1987-91Confronting, inspiring and unforgettable. The stories in this book not only show the challenges and complexity of forgiveness but reveal unexpected pathways to creating a more tolerant and empathic world, and why we should consign revenge to the dustbin of history. -- Roman Krznaric, author of Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution and founding faculty member of The School of Life, LondonThere are many, many stories (and fine photographs) in this book and dipping into them on a grey, cold, rainy day was like walking into a room where all the lights blazed and a fire welcomed. I felt immeasurably better. Proud to be human. Hopeful that, despite all the evil that is perpetrated by the lost, ignorant and wicked, enough good people are spreading the messages which cancel it out. Uplifted, because it is true that 'to err is human, to forgive divine'. And if this is the finest aspect of the human spirit, then one thing is sure: there are many saintly souls walking the face of the world, teaching the rest of us how to be better. -- Bel Mooney, journalist and broadcasterThese testimonies show the power of forgiveness as a force for renewal and redemption that can harness reconciliation to positively transform the lives of victims and perpetrators. -- Peter Tatchell, political campaignerMarina Cantacuzino's new book asks us to consider the most challenging question: is it possible for a victim to forgive the perpetrator? Presenting us with heart-breaking and astonishing examples, she shows the answer is 'yes' - even when the victim is a grieving parent and the perpetrator is the murderer of that parent's child. Forgiveness allows the victim to recognise the humanity of the perpetrator (who may himself be a victim), to re-humanise him. And forgiveness is the antidote to a life imprisoned by bitterness and hatred. This book is an invaluable contribution to the debate surrounding peace and reconciliation. -- Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Cambridge UniversityI have seen, in warzones across the world, how destructive our human desire for revenge can be. It leads to perpetual conflict and inflicting our own sense of loss and grief on countless others. Marina Cantacuzino's work, in this important book and beyond, is a reminder that there is an antidote. These tales of forgiveness are the balm that can soothe our all too angry world. -- Dan Snow, historian and TV presenterThe testimonials in this book have taught me a great deal about forgiveness, which I think I thought was something rather easier than it is. They make me weep and they make me really think about what it is to forgive and what it is to try and understand someone instead of demonising them. I think this is probably one of the most important projects in the world today. -- Emma Thompson, actorThis book, in which the depths of human sadness are related alongside astonishing accounts of hope, courage and beauty, gives the lie to much that is said and written about forgiveness today. The introductory essay, and the stories that follow, point to the extraordinary range of experiences and situations where forgiveness is somehow relevant, and where it sometimes, often unaccountably, heals and transforms even the most wounded and broken. This is challenging and mysterious stuff, and it will draw a deep and different response from all who open themselves to the pain, truth and transcendence documented here. -- Stephen Cherry, Dean, King's College, Cambridge, and author of Healing Agony: Re-Imagining ForgivenessFor eleven years Marina Cantacuzino has been eliciting stories from people who have been able to experience the transformative power of forgiveness, people who have suffered losses that could have crippled their lives with grief and wishes for revenge. Her skill as an ex-journalist is very present as she lets the stories speak and, by not taking a strong moral stance but by being able to embrace the ambiguities inherent in forgiveness, she makes the book even more compelling. I have no doubt you will be left moved and perhaps even changed by reading them. -- Robin Shohet, psychotherapist and authorThe Forgiveness Project skillfully exposes through personal story the horror and brutality of what people too often do to each other. Thankfully, these stories are leavened with the transforming healing of non violence, understanding and forgiveness and serve as examples to us all. -- Frederic Luskin Ph.D., author of Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and HappinessThe Forgiveness Project encourages sensitive connection between parties whose only commonality may have been one of hate. The results are nothing short of miracles. Love knows no obstacles - and this book, sampling the breathtaking work of The Forgiveness Project, is evidence of that. Prepare to be astounded. -- Thandie Newton, actor...Ultimately, some very good books prove their merit by providing answers to life's dilemmas. Far rarer are those books that prove their merit by provoking us into answering questions about just such dilemmas. The Forgiveness Project is of the latter category and is well worth your attention. -- San Diego Book ReviewThe bulk of this impressive, original book, which deserves to be hugely influential, is a set of 'stories' that the author has written on behalf of people who have suffered some kind of traumatic harm at the hands of another. They are written in the first person and with such skill that the subtleties of personality and context shone through. The author is not promoting any theory of forgiveness because she doesn't have one. She believes that it takes a myriad of forms and is only known through specific and actual examples. It is, as she puts it, 'as mysterious as love'. -- Stephen Curry * Theology, 119(1) *This book combines human stories with a deep engagement with some hugely difficult issues. It is written from within the secular paradigm, but it has many overlaps and insights for theology. Concepts such as forgiveness, vengeance and reconciliation and how we address them are common to all of humanity, and this book with its telling of many human stories provides a good way in to reflecting deeply on these issues...this book is essential reading for anyone involved in the work of healing. It has the potential to be transformative. -- Revd Dr Sarah Hills * Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, Issue 4.1 (June) 2016 *This is a deeply moving book about a difficult subject...the book also shows us that forgiveness is a process, a journey that is not an easy choice but one that can transform the world if taken. -- The Reader, June 2016Table of ContentsIntroduction: 'As Mysterious as Love'. 1. Eva Kor - Poland. 2. Ray Minniecon - Australia. 3. Jayne Stewart - England. 4. Bud Welch - USA. 5. John Carter - England. 6. Ginn Fourie and Letlapa Mphahlele - South Africa. 7. Bassa, Aramin - Palestine. 8. Madeleine Black - England. 9. Sammy Rangel - USA. 10. Anne Marie Hagan - Canada. 11. Camilla Carr and Jon James - Chechnya. 12. Joe Berry and Patrick Magee - Northern Ireland. 13. Magdalene Makola - Scotland. 14. Samantha Lawler - USA. 15. Martin Snodden - Northern Ireland. 16. Katy Hutchinson and Ryan Aldridge - Canada. 17. Gill Hicks - England. 18. TJ Leyden - USA. 19. Geoff Thompson - England. 20. Grace Idowu - England. 21. Jude Whyte - Northern Ireland. 22. Wilma Derksen - Canada. 23. Satta Joe - Sierra Leone. 24. Salimata Badgi-Knight - Senegal. 25. Robi Damelin - Israel. 26. Assaad Emile Chaftari - Lebanon. 27. Linda Biehl and Easy Nofemela - South Africa. 28. Khaled al-Berry - Egypt. 29. Kelly Connor - Australia. 30. Arno Michaelis - USA. 31. Idan Barir - Israel. 32. Marian Partington - England. 33. Kemal Pervanic - Bosnia. 34. Jean Paul Samputu - Rwanda. 35. Cathy Harrington - USA. 36. Hanneke Coates - Indonesia. 37. Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel - USA. 38. Shad Ali - England. 39. Riham Musa - Palestine. 40. Bjørn Magnus Jacobsen Ihler - Norway.

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Book SynopsisZara H. Phillips seemed to live a charmed life - backing singer to the stars with an incredible career here and across the Atlantic - but her smile masked a difficult childhood and the reality that she was adopted as a baby in the 60s. Her life soon spiralled and as a teenager she suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, as she struggled to find her birth parents and her true identity.Somebody's Daughter is a fascinating and revealing account of how a beautiful woman's life has been dominated by her adoption and how it has affected her and those around her. Hard-hitting and emotional, Zara's memoir explores the needs of adopted children, with her characteristic warmth and wit, and the true journey it takes to find where you belong.

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2018If you had told Helen two years ago that she would be getting up at 6 a.m. on Sundays to swim in a freezing reservoir and spending her Saturday nights unshowered and covered in mud in a pub, she would have spat out her champagne. But when everyone around you starts settling down, what else is a glamorous party girl to do but to launch herself into the world of endurance sport?For someone who didn't even own a pair of flat shoes (and definitely no waterproofs), Helen would soon find she had a lot to learn.Join Helen on her hilarious and soul-searching journey as she swaps a life of cocktail bars and dating for the challenges and exhilaration of triathlons, trail runs, obstacle races, long-distance cycles and ocean swims... and sets herself the seemingly impossible goal of qualifying as a Team GB triathlete.Trade ReviewA chatty, and sometimes racy, account of going from glamour girl to GB triathlete. * Daily Mail, Friday Books *Helen's portrayal of her transformation through running is utterly brilliant. It's warming, funny and extremely relatable! * Editor, Women’s Running Magazine *I love Helen Croydon's honesty. It makes me connect with every word she writes! * Jo Good, BBC Radio London *Inspirational stuff from a compelling writer. Helen Croydon writes with great human insight and humour. * Samantha Washington, Sky News *Proof that we can all surprise ourselves and those that know us. A great tale with honesty and plenty of humour. I might get my running shoes on yet... * Lucrezia Millarini, ITV News *The writing style and narrative really drew me in. I was completely hooked and read the entire book in the space of 4 sittings. I would probably have devoured it whole if I didn't have a tiny human to look after! * Fat Girl to Ironman blog *This has to be one of the most enjoyable running related books I have ever read. It is incredibly well written and brilliantly captures why so many people of all abilities take up running or triathlons in the first instance...I found myself captivated, nodding along in agreement and smiling to myself as I recognised so much of what she described. * So Let’s Go Running Magazine *

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Book SynopsisKindness mattersWhen times are hard, we pull together. Despite the difficulties of life during the coronavirus pandemic, love and kindness prevail.Dive into this heart-warming book and discover the many uplifting and inspiring acts of kindness that have come from the crisis. Read about the postman who donned fancy dress while doing his rounds to bring a smile to his community, the mum who set up a virtual story time for young children, or the schools that worked together to manufacture face masks for local care homes and hospitals.The coronavirus crisis may be a challenging time for the world, but the amazing stories in this book show that nobody is too small to make a difference - and that, no matter what, we can always find light in the darkness.

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Book SynopsisFrom his Syrian hometown to Lebanon, Egypt, Scotland, and England, Hussein maps the path of a man cast out of his familiar world. No One May Remain is a raw and candid perspective from a Kurdish-Syrian author on the war in Syria, the refugee crisis, and life for a refugee in the West.

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Book SynopsisFor the characters in these stories, the mark is about to buss. Events have come to a head and decisions have to be made. Sixteen year old Paul, aka 'Umpire', discovers not only that he has a half-brother, but that he is coming to share his home. How is he to keep this cuckoo out of his life without attracting his mother's wrath? Mama Pala and her fourteen hungry-belly children have hit financial rock bottom. Can she humble herself enough to coax a little money from snooty Cousin Gloria? Soraya waits for her husband's return, trapped in her East End tower-block by the racist graffiti in the lift. Taiwanese student Li Li, alone and pregnant in London, takes desperate action. In Miami, Jamaican Basil confronts his homophobia when his 'batty boy' son comes home, and how long can Erma get away with her infidelities?These stories, written by Caribbean and Black British writers, share a common concern with the experiences of migration, poverty, racism and sexism, with human fragility and human strength. They range from the comic to the tragic in their telling. The stories speak of different places, different cultures, but what animates the writing is the concern with people, different but the same.This is a joint large print publication with the National Library for the Blind who brought out a simultaneous braille edition.

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Book SynopsisThe second part of Vincent Roth's memoirs of a life in Guyana covers the years between 1923 and 1935 when a second bout of blackwater fever nearly killed him and forced his retirement from working in the interior.In addition to his job as a government surveyor (one task was to survey a mere 400,000 acres between the Demerara and Berbice rivers) Roth was appointed as Warden of the Mazaruni, a post which combined being magistrate, inspector of weights and measures and regulator of the diamond and gold mining in the area - tasks which brought him into a world far from the proprieties of colonial Georgetown. There are vivid accounts of the Saturday night festivities when hundreds of prospectors and the 'women of the fields', gaudy birds of paradise, gathered at the trading posts for music, drinking, gambling and much more.What comes over is a picture (a mixed and contradictory one) of Guyana as, on the whole, an enterprising and pioneering society. Much of Roth's work was concerned with surveying the lots of farmers and gold and diamond prospectors - people creating if not great wealth, at least making things happen. But he also has a sharp eye for grandiose follies; interior enterprises built on dreams of wealth but inadequate foundations of knowledge. Their memorials lie in the ruins of mines collapsing into bush. And though Roth has an acerbic view of jumped-up officialdom and bureaucratic incompetence, he neverthess gives a picture of a country that worked, where the mail and the daily papers reached the remotest parts of the interior, but where the obliterating power of nature over human effort had to be constantly resisted. His accounts of roadbuilding and ideas for agricultural schemes suggest possibilities not yet realised in the Guyana of the present.In this volume, Roth grows from energetic and opinionated young manhood to a more relaxed and unbuttoned maturity. There is an affectionate portrayal of his relations with his father (and samples of Roth senior's appalling jokes!) and with his two sons who join him on his later expeditions. An epilogue, written by his son-in-law, Michael Bennett, takes Roth's story beyond the days of his journal to note the contribution he made to Guyana in his journalism, his historical writing and his work with the museum and the zoological gardens.Between 1907 and 1964, Vincent Roth contributed immensely to the development of Guyana, first as a surveyor in the interior, then as a journalist, historian and naturalist.

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