True stories / true accounts of events Books

Book SynopsisI opened my mouth and it came. It wasn't a cry, or even a sob. It came from deep in my soul... It was the sound of a mother helpless to save her child from danger. I asked the same unanswered questions over and again. Where was he? Where was my Damien?On 2 November 1996, sixteen-year-old Damien Nettles went out for the evening in his home town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. CCTV recorded him in a chip shop at 23:40 and on the High Street just after midnight. He has never been seen since.His mother, Valerie, has spent over two decades desperately trying to find out what happened to her son. Arrests have been made, and suspects released without charge. Despite years of research by journalists and a private investigator, Damien's vanishing remains a mystery.In this hugely moving and compelling account, Valerie Nettles tells the full, perplexing story of her son's disappearance. Someone must know what happened to Damien. Will the truth ever emerge from the shadows?

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Book Synopsis“Policing is a uniquely dangerous, harrowing and challenging profession where officers are expected to do far more than prevent and detect crime. To be a police officer is also to be a social worker, marriage guidance counsellor, mental health worker and medic.” Offering incredible true stories from the front line of policing, The Coppers' Lot is a compelling insight into what it takes to be a police officer in Britain in the 21st century. The extraordinary experiences recounted include: The heroic officer who continued to put his life in grave danger as he pursued marauding terrorists wearing suicide vests, while they indiscriminatingly stabbed members of the public. The undercover officer who targeted organised crime groups and drug dealers. The courageous officer who regularly tackled knife crime head on, saving several lives. The intense feeling of elation when an officer discovered key evidence to convict a murdering paedophile. The officer who, trapped alone and disarmed with a violent man, persevered despite being in fear of her life as her radio was thrown away leaving no means of summoning help. Taking readers on a ride along with the exceptional men and women who have sacrificed so much whilst protecting and serving their communities, these officers reveal, often in their own words, just how much policing has changed from the traditional notion of the bobby on the beat.

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Book SynopsisRunning a railway is a complex business. However organised it is, there will always be surprises: often hilarious, frequently unexpected, but sometimes serious.Along Different Lines includes such bizarre ‘everyday’ events as coping with hurricanes, rogue locomotives and runaway wagons; PR successes and otherwise; the Brighton Belle, Flying Scotsman and Mallard; training-course capers; a wino invasion; trackside antics; the Eurostar backdrop; the birth of a prison; and royal and other special occasions.Expert authors Geoff Body and Bill Parker lovingly compiled this entertaining collection in which railway professionals recall notable incidents from across their careers. This illustrated compilation provides an enjoyable look back at life on the railways.

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Book SynopsisNeed cheering up? How about a nostalgic trip back to the 1970s with a different perspective? Follow the true story of two young yet disparate Brits as they venture east to Hong Kong to join the colonial police out there. Initially bought-in to the adventure, bright lights and the hedonistic pleasures of the Exotic East, Alan and Bob are thrown into a world somewhat divergent to the picture painted whilst under training. They begin to butt heads with corruption, colonial excess, privilege and protectionism and run into connivers, skivers and survivors. The story follows the two young, relatively naive men along their journey from their eight-month police training to their posts as policemen. It is filled with colourful incidents and exotic tales, with liberal doses of tongue in cheek humour and literary licence thrown in, you'll scarcely believe what they encountered.

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Book SynopsisNoel Thomas, who was a respected village sub-postmaster and councillor, was sent to prison accused of stealing money from the post office he ran on Ynys Mon, Wales. A charge based on computerized evidence which later turned out to be totally false. Noel tells the story in his own words as we follow his heroic journey with all its twists and turns over the years to clear his name. Fighting not only two huge corporate institutions in the form of computer giants Fujitsu and the Post Office with all their power, influence and money. But also taking on successive UK Governments as well - the sole shareholder of POL (Post Office Limited).The book also features the voice of his daughter, Sian Thomas, who has devoted years of her life researching and networking widely to help her father clear his name. The Stamp of Innocence is a story about an unbreakable bond between a father and daughter, building up to their eventual redemption in the Court of Appeal in April 2021, and their continuing campaign to be fully compensated for the cruel injustice perpetrated against them. It''s also a story about their beloved island community and the support provided by that community to sustain the family through all their trials and tribulations. It''s a tale to shock and horrify, but it''s also an uplifting tale about the resilience of the human spirit.The Stamp of Innocence is a heart-rending tale of an ordinary Welsh family whose lives were ripped apart by false imprisonment and an epic 16-year battle against the Post Office to restore the family name.

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Book SynopsisThis is the true story of Charles Lucky Luciano, the man who organized crime. An immigrant Italian child, growing up on the filth-ridden, poor and deadly streets of New York city''s infamous Lower East Side, in Manhattan. Through brutality, street smarts, manipulation, treachery, and murder, he became the leader of the American underworld and the most powerful crime boss of all time. The back drop to his rise to power was the glitz, glamour, fun and frivolity, and the reckless abandon of the Roaring Twenties.

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Book SynopsisFilled with terrifying tales of gruesome murders, grand theft and kidnappings, this compendium of the worst side of humanity is guaranteed to chill the bloodDid you hear about London's Victorian, all-female gang? What about the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist? Do you know the story of the killer nun? Prepare yourself for the urge to sleep with the light on and to double-check you've locked the door, because this collection of True Crime Stories is not for the faint-hearted. Spanning criminal activity from across the world, this book will take you on a journey to the darkest reaches of human nature. Ranging from white-collar criminals and con artists to kidnappers and killers, there's plenty to shred your nerves. Whether you're a true crime junkie or just morbidly curious, let these stories of charismatic criminals and their sinister deeds ensnare your interest and send a shiver down your spine.

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Book SynopsisExperience the unconditional love and incredible stories of remarkable dogs in Dog Tales. This heartwarming collection celebrates the uplifting impact and unwavering bond between dogs and humans, leaving you inspired and filled with joy.This collection of heart-warming stories shares true accounts of some extra-special pups and celebrates the many ways dogs uplift and enrich our lives every day Dive into these pages to meet some of the most incredible dogs and puppies who have touched the lives of their owners in unforgettable ways. From loyal service dogs who have helped their owners through some of life's toughest challenges, to playful puppies who bring joy to every moment, the furry friends featured in this heart-warming collection of stories will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. Whether you're a dog lover or simply need a dose of positivity, the stories inside are sure to raise your spirits. Filled with tales

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Book SynopsisAn outstanding collection of high profile and enormously respected individuals, each describe the journey they took to become extraordinarily successful in life. They then share their insightful wisdom and ultra-valuable advice, to both inspire you and empower you, to make the most of your own journey too... A Few Wise Words is a fundamental guide and a hugely practical resource, that delivers impactful help for anyone who aspires to become truly successful in life. Our exceptional contributors will show you exactly what you need to do from today, to plan for and then navigate, your own unique journey with confidence, purpose, and direction.... Whether you are at the very start of your journey, or your career is already fully underway, you will find A Few Wise Words an inspiring travelling companion.... This book is helpful for parents too, with invaluable advice on what we can all do to encourage our children to flourish early, and to prepare themselves completely, for when their own journey begins in earnest later on... Contributors to the book include: Sir Ben Ainslie --- Frank Arnesen --- Zak Brown --- Ursula Burns --- Sir Roger Carr --- Sherry Coutu --- Pablo Ettinger --- Mikhail Fridman --- Stephen Fry --- Dame Katherine Grainger --- Tanni Baroness Grey-Thompson --- Anya Hindmarch --- Declan Kelly --- Martha Baroness Lane-Fox --- Dame Joanna Lumley --- Dame Carolyn McCall --- Sir Keith Mills --- Vin Murria --- Danielle de Niese --- Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks --- Shriti Vadera --- Sir Clive Woodward

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Book SynopsisIn 'Hebridean Sharker' Tex Geddes describes his exploits during the 1950s as a hunter of basking sharks in the waters of the Minch, between the Inner and Outer Hebrides. His story is full of adventures and fantastic descriptions of a seagoing life in the islands. It has become a Hebridean classic.

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA. 'Miss du Maurier creates on the grand scale . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here' OBSERVER 'It is my pick of the Spring biographical material for sheer entertainment value . . . a gifted story teller' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH When Daphne du Maurier wrote this book she was only thirty years old and had already established herself both as a biographer with the acclaimed Gerald: A Portrait and as a novelist. Here, she further explores her fascinating family history.The Du Mauriers was written during a vintage period of her career, between two of her best-loved novels: Jamaica Inn and Rebecca.Her aim was to write her family biography 'so that it reads like a novel' and it was due to du Maurier's remarkable imaginative gifts that she was able to breathe life into the characters and depict with affection and wit the relatives she never knew, including her grandfather, the famous Victorian artist and Punch cartoonist - and creator of Trilby.Trade ReviewMiss du Maurier creates on the grand scale; she runs through the generations, giving her family unity and reality . . . a rich vein of humour and satire . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here * Observer *It is my pick of the Spring biographical material for sheer entertainment value - and Daphne du Maurier is a gifted story teller, and makes no bones about the shortcomings of her own forebears, albeit she does it with a sympathetic - at times a tender - touch * Kirkus Reviews *Daphne du Maurier has no equal * Sunday Telegraph *One of the last century's most original literary talents * Daily Telegraph *Miss du Maurier creates on the grand scale; she runs through the generations, giving her family unity and reality . . . a rich vein of humour and satire . . . observation, sympathy, courage, a sense of the romantic, are here * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThis book covers the author's flying career from the finish of World War II until his final appointment as CO of the Naval Test Squadron at Boscombe Down. Having had an outstanding wartime record 'Mike' Crosley became heavily involved with the introduction of Britain's first carrier-borne jet aircraft. The book explains how modern techniques, such as the angled flight deck, steam catapult and decklanding mirror sights were developed and tested. At Boscombe down he developed the 'hand's-off' launch technique for the Buccaneer which saved it from probable cancellation at a very difficult time for British naval aviation.

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Book SynopsisThis is a collection of compelling, true stories of after-death communication from the experiences of psychic medium Carole J. Obley. These inspiring examples open our hearts and minds by convincingly demonstrating how contact with the spirit world can be a catalyst in healing grief. We are uplifted and comforted by realizing that the challenges we face in life can be positively transformed by the magnificent strength of undying love.Trade Review'An extremely readable record. A worthwhile addition to anyone's library of spiritual and Spiritualist books. I welcome it.' Ray Buckland, Author of The Spirit Book. 'Carole Obley's extremely well-written journey into mediumship is an inspiration to anyone wanting to understand life after death, connect with loved ones or with their own spiritual guidance. This must-read book makes mediumship understandable for anyone in an easy-to-read format that transforms mysteries about life after death into realities.' Nancy Mramor, Author of Spiritual Fitness. 'Carole Obley's tools for healing grief are powerful and clear. This book can give people dealing with loss a new sense of purpose and a new level of relationship with their loved-ones in spirit.' Sharon Anne Klingler, author, Intuition and Beyond.

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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 SynopsisThis book commemorates the enduring legacy of the world's most famous ship TITANIC. Her story is one of all those bound together on that fateful voyage. On board were: writers, artists, honeymooners, sportsmen, priests, reverends, fashion designers, aristocrats, millionaires, children, crew and emigrants looking for a better life.

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Book SynopsisHe wanted a war. And, for his sins, he got one. James Brabazon was an ambitious young war reporter when he entered the chaos of the Liberian Civil War in 2002. Running with the infamous LURD rebels, he survived numerous deadly ambushes and a dramatic two-hundred-mile escape from Government troops through dense equatorial jungle. He even had a bounty put on his head. Surrounded by child soldiers, cannibals and ruthless rebels, Brabazon was accompanied by Nick du Toit, a South African mercenary with a dark past. Before long, Nick promised James the scoop of his life: a front seat, beside Simon Mann, in an audacious coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. And the offer was too good to refuse.Trade Review'An outstanding memoir about the power of friendship in the morally complex theatre of war. James Brabazon is a fearless reporter and a brutally honest narrator. I couldn't put this book down. -- ANDY MCNABJames Brabazon has written a fully-adrenalized book about civil war, mercenaries and the tiny margins by which fate determines the course of one's life. He is not only a beautiful writer but an incredibly brave reporter, and this book reflects both brilliantly. I was also in the Liberian civil war in 2003 - on the other side - and I remember hearing that there was this crazy Brit who was running with the rebels as they advanced on the capital. Brabazon's account of an attempted coup by friends of his in Equatorial Guinea is a classic story of intrigue, greed and violence in one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world. -- SEBASTIAN JUNGERCompelling. * * Sunday Times * *Intriguing. * * Spectator * *Brabazon's book is alarmingly frank...it is a compelling insight into a devastated region that is the playground of rapacious warlords, western intelligence agents and opportunistic businessmen. * * Sunday Business Post * *intriguing * * Spectator * *

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Book Synopsis'Beautifully woven' Sunday Times'Extraordinary city stories ... ambitious and entertaining ... [Taylor] does a fine job of telling the New York story' GuardianA symphony of contemporary New York told through the magnificent words of its people - from the best-selling author of Londoners.In the first twenty years of the twenty-first century, New York City has been convulsed by terrorist attack, blackout, hurricane, recession, social injustice, and pandemic. New Yorkers weaves the voices of some of the city's best talkers into an indelible portrait of New York in our time - and a powerful hymn to the vitality and resilience of its people. Vibrant and bursting with life, New Yorkers explores the nonstop hustle to make it; the pressures on new immigrants, people of colour, and the poor. It captures the strength of an irrepressible city that - no matter what it goes through - dares call itself the greatest in the world. Drawn from millions of words, hundreds of interviews, and six years in the making, New Yorkers is a grand portrait of an irrepressible city and a hymn to the vitality and resilience of its people.Trade ReviewBeautifully woven * Sunday Times *One of Craig Taylor's many skills as an interviewer lies in his eye for the vivid detail that captures a larger abstraction ... Remarkable -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Extraordinary city stories ... ambitious and entertaining ... [Taylor] does a fine job of telling the New York story -- Hari Kunzru * Guardian *As gorgeous, cacophonous and shocking as New York itself. Like those great oral historians Studs Terkel and Ronald Blythe, Craig Taylor has the gift of drawing out the most idiosyncratic confidences, creating a magical, uproarious and sometimes terrifying portrait of life in the ultimate city - Olivia Laing, author of The Lonely CityA symphonic choir of voices rising from the five boroughs ... the city is hopping, punching, reeling, dancing, thrumming, honking, thriving ... Taylor is as skilled a writer of literary nonfiction as I have ever read * The TLS *An incredible achievement. Insightful, funny, surprising, profound, moving and honest. This could be the great American novel - and it isn't even a novel - Joe Dunthorne, author of SubmarineThis is a stunning piece of work. New Yorkers is rich with the voices and stories of the city; voices that Craig Taylor has listened to with attentive generosity and that he offers us here with something close to love - Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir-13Jaw-dropping ... Enthralling ... Start spreading the news: Taylor's book is a stunning work of modern social history * Independent *A monumental and beautiful testimony to a city and to life itself ... This is what Craig Taylor has done: not just reveal a city, but the human spirit that lights the city; that spirit, which despite its flaws and madness, seems in the end to always wish to transform chaos and hatred into meaning and love - Jonathan Ames, author of The Extra ManEvery decade or so, a book comes along to define an epoch in New York life . . . Craig Taylor's New Yorkers is one of those. It is a monumental document of our age of precarity, catastrophe, and scrolling anomie. Just as importantly, though, it is an antidote, the opposite of a lockdown: a welcoming into the apartments of our neighbors and out into the living street. For those newly arrived to the city or long in love with it, New Yorkers belongs on the short shelf of required reading - Garth Risk Hallberg, author of City on FireCraig Taylor gets us. His sojourn in New York has resulted in a wonderful portrait of the city and its people, in good times and in bad, living, persevering, triumphant - Kevin Baker, author of DreamlandAn engrossing, multihued 'oral portrait' of New York City as told by the people who live there .... Admirers of the Big Apple will be enthralled * Publishers Weekly *One of the most enjoyable trips to New York I've ever taken: fascinating, exciting and weird. Like the very best kind of guide, Craig Taylor showed me parts of the city I would never have found on my own - Chris Power, author of Mothers: StoriesIn New Yorkers he has both perfected the method and found new range in his own voice. I lived in the city for six of the years covered here, but though Taylor does capture a tone I remember, I feel more that I've come to know the place better through the lens of his curiosity - John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of PulpheadCraig Taylor has conducted Gotham's voices into a gorgeous score. He has such a gift for getting cities to pause for their solos and close ups. With Londoners and now New Yorkers a decade later, he's like a Carson, a Winfrey, a Letterman of the vox populi: generous with each human he sits down with, making them look good without any makeup and giving them all the best lines. I've never heard New York sound this good, this in tune, despite its seas of trouble - Leanne Shapton, author of Swimming Studies[Taylor's] love of New York is plain, his ability to listen extraordinary -- Erica Wagner * New Statesman *The subjects are loquacious and often richly self-aware, leading to some memorable, blackly comic vignettes * Observer *Not even Craig Taylor's delightful cacophony of voices, dozens and dozens of them spilling their New York stories, can compass its vastness and variety. But what a tasty slice Taylor serves up! Until you can fly into JFK and see, hear, and smell for yourself, savour the grit, sweat in the choking humidity and shiver in the canyoned midtown winds - until then, his New Yorkers is just the ticket . . . Taylor deserves the keys to the city * Spectator *His achievement here is to accurately recreate the kinetic rhythms of New Yorkers' speech and, despite the disparity of choices, present us with a cohesive, intimate and vivacious kaleidoscope of New York in pages that crackle with the braggadocio, intensity and daring with which the city is synonymous. * Sunday Business Post *Taylor's bravest act in writing this book - subtitled, A City and Its People In Our Time - is to keep out of the way; preface and Coda apart there is no Taylor here. In an age of author's "Me! Me! Me!" complexes his schtick is "Them! Them! Them!" Let the people speak * Reaction *

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Book SynopsisOver the last 20 years, New York City has been convulsed by enormous challenges: terrorist attack, blackout, hurricane, recession, pandemic. New Yorkers is a grand portrait of the irrepressible city and a hymn to the vitality and resilience of its people. Craig Taylor spent years meeting New Yorkers - rich and poor, old and young, native and immigrant - and getting them to share indelible true tales. Here are the voices of those who propel the city each day - subway conductor, nurse, bodega cashier, electrician who keeps the lights on at the top of the Empire State Building - as well as unforgettable glimpses of the city, from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by a balloon handler to the Statue of Liberty by one of its security guards. New Yorkers captures the strength of the city that - no matter what it goes through - dares call itself the greatest in the world.Trade ReviewBeautifully woven * Sunday Times *One of Craig Taylor's many skills as an interviewer lies in his eye for the vivid detail that captures a larger abstraction ... Remarkable -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Extraordinary city stories ... ambitious and entertaining ... [Taylor] does a fine job of telling the New York story -- Hari Kunzru * Guardian *As gorgeous, cacophonous and shocking as New York itself. Like those great oral historians Studs Terkel and Ronald Blythe, Craig Taylor has the gift of drawing out the most idiosyncratic confidences, creating a magical, uproarious and sometimes terrifying portrait of life in the ultimate city - Olivia Laing, author of The Lonely CityA symphonic choir of voices rising from the five boroughs ... the city is hopping, punching, reeling, dancing, thrumming, honking, thriving ... Taylor is as skilled a writer of literary nonfiction as I have ever read * The TLS *An incredible achievement. Insightful, funny, surprising, profound, moving and honest. This could be the great American novel - and it isn't even a novel - Joe Dunthorne, author of SubmarineThis is a stunning piece of work. New Yorkers is rich with the voices and stories of the city; voices that Craig Taylor has listened to with attentive generosity and that he offers us here with something close to love - Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir-13Jaw-dropping ... Enthralling ... Start spreading the news: Taylor's book is a stunning work of modern social history * Independent *A monumental and beautiful testimony to a city and to life itself ... This is what Craig Taylor has done: not just reveal a city, but the human spirit that lights the city; that spirit, which despite its flaws and madness, seems in the end to always wish to transform chaos and hatred into meaning and love - Jonathan Ames, author of The Extra ManEvery decade or so, a book comes along to define an epoch in New York life . . . Craig Taylor's New Yorkers is one of those. It is a monumental document of our age of precarity, catastrophe, and scrolling anomie. Just as importantly, though, it is an antidote, the opposite of a lockdown: a welcoming into the apartments of our neighbors and out into the living street. For those newly arrived to the city or long in love with it, New Yorkers belongs on the short shelf of required reading - Garth Risk Hallberg, author of City on FireCraig Taylor gets us. His sojourn in New York has resulted in a wonderful portrait of the city and its people, in good times and in bad, living, persevering, triumphant - Kevin Baker, author of DreamlandAn engrossing, multihued 'oral portrait' of New York City as told by the people who live there .... Admirers of the Big Apple will be enthralled * Publishers Weekly *One of the most enjoyable trips to New York I've ever taken: fascinating, exciting and weird. Like the very best kind of guide, Craig Taylor showed me parts of the city I would never have found on my own - Chris Power, author of Mothers: StoriesIn New Yorkers he has both perfected the method and found new range in his own voice. I lived in the city for six of the years covered here, but though Taylor does capture a tone I remember, I feel more that I've come to know the place better through the lens of his curiosity - John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of PulpheadCraig Taylor has conducted Gotham's voices into a gorgeous score. He has such a gift for getting cities to pause for their solos and close ups. With Londoners and now New Yorkers a decade later, he's like a Carson, a Winfrey, a Letterman of the vox populi: generous with each human he sits down with, making them look good without any makeup and giving them all the best lines. I've never heard New York sound this good, this in tune, despite its seas of trouble - Leanne Shapton, author of Swimming Studies

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Book SynopsisSo this is surfing in Britain, I told myself as I grumpily walked up a slope of wet rocks and wispy beach grass, trying to keep a foothold as rain and wind both tried their utmost to send me skidding back down to the freezing beach below. Tom Anderson has always loved surfing – anywhere except the UK. But a chance encounter leads him to a series of adventures on home surf… As he visits the popular haunts and secret gems of British surfing he meets the Christians who pray for waves (and get them), loses a competition to a non-existent surfer, is nearly drowned in the River Severn and has a watery encounter with a pedigree sheep. All this rekindles his love affair with the freezing fun that is surfing the North Atlantic.Trade ReviewFunny and Sharp, it's a great insight into what makes surfers in the UK so dedicated. * Surf Girl *Funny, humbling and actually pretty inspiring. * Cooler *The vivid descriptions of grey skies and green waves, the freedom and the attitude of living life to the full combine to deliver a travel book with a twist and one that may have inspired a non-surfer to don a wetsuit and have a go, * Offshore *Tom Anderson learns to love the freezing fun [Britain's] waters offer... this book records his adventures around country's chilly coast. * Waterstone's Books Quarterly *Featured on BBC Radio 4 - Excess Baggage * BBC Radio 4 - Excess Baggage *

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Book SynopsisRoaming Wild details the unconventional and pioneering lives of Anna and Peter Roberts, a British couple who were instrumental in making the animal welfare movement a respectable, highly-impactful and worldwide organisation. This book explores the paths that led Anna and Peter to found and steward what is now the world's largest and most successful animal welfare charity from a backroom of their own home, with few funds, and at a time when caring for animals and our planet was seen as 'crankish' and 'sentimental'. This is the story of their family, their era, influence, their rebellion and prophetic ideas and the development of Compassion in World Farming. It spans the period from the early 1920s when they were born, throughout the decades of their childhoods and World War II, to their highly romantic meeting and marriage in the 1950s, and then the next years of their lives as dairy and chicken farmers in rural Hampshire. This 'ordinary' part of their story preceded their move to change everything by making the 'extraordinary' decision during the tumultuous 1960s, of risking their livelihood, going vegetarian (as animal farmers), and losing the approval of their peers, to found their compassion-driven campaign. This personal transformation was at a time when the British countryside was also transforming, irrevocably and for the worse, when intensive, polluting farms were just taking root, the cruel battery and broiler system had recently been developed, and the countryside's biodiversity was being destroyed with the implementation of monoculture and the profligate spraying of lethal biocides, such as DDT. The Roberts were at first rejected by the popular animal charities of the day; believing that the public cared only about companion animals or those in circuses, rather than those animals who suffer the most at human hands - those in the food chain - and so the Roberts family went out alone and set up CIWF in the face of much public derision. Then followed the highs and lows of campaign life, a court battle with an order of veal-farming Catholic monks, famine campaigns in Ethiopia, work alongside comedian Spike Milligan, model Celia Hammond and philosopher Peter Singer, challenging EU legislation, and battles with agricultural and chemical giant Monsanto. Corporate giants like McDonald's were influenced to go free-range, even the British Royal family was challenged to go free-range, and animals were put on the agenda of every major political party in the 1970s and much more. The story interweaves the personal with the political and documents the highs and lows of family life, the judgement faced when they chose to raise their three daughters as vegetarians in the 1960s, their myriad spiritual quests, including the couple's time spent in the Indian ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, their rewilding of the land near their family home, and the story of their fifty-year love. This is a tale of an 'ordinary couple with an extraordinary vision'.

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Book SynopsisTwo dismembered bodies discarded in the borderlands of Scotland, hideously mutilated to avoid identification. Forty-three pieces of rotten flesh and bone wrapped in rags and newspaper. A jigsaw puzzle of decomposing human remains.

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Book SynopsisHinterland is a quarterly, print and digital magazine dedicated to creative non-fiction. Hinterland's fourth issue celebrates the art of a beautifully turned piece of flash writing, with our Flash Non-Fiction Special: 40 pages of the best bite-sized writing around. Mark Cocker leads with a piece on the army ant, others consider topics as varied as migrant youth, New York through the decades, the troubling life of pets, inter-racial relationships, and the fall of dictators. Inside a stunning cover, created exclusively for Hinterland by artist Mia Hague, is an outstanding line-up of new creative non-fiction plus all our great regular features, including a beautiful photo essay by Lily Bungay and an interview with Tessa McWatt.

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Book SynopsisJoin Fons Oerlemans and Kee Arens on a journey of courage, resilience and high adventure as they push the boundaries of possibility on six heroic transatlantic voyages aboard their extraordinary self- built vessels. From a humble life raft to daring designs using unconventional materials such as an old steam boiler, a nine-ton truck and even a colossal bottle, Oerlemans fearlessly sails his creations across the Atlantic to forge a legacy of innovation and determination. With his wife, Kee, he navigates treacherous waters, tempestuous storms and harrowing challenges to conquer not only the ocean’s depths but also their own doubts and fears. From their first expedition in 1974 to their latest voyage, their story celebrates the indomitable spirit of true adventurers.

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Book SynopsisWonder Boy is a riveting investigation into the turbulent life of Zappos visionary Tony Hsieh, whose radical business strategies revolutionized both the tech world and corporate culture, based on rigorous research and reporting by two seasoned journalists. Tony Hsieh's first successful venture was in middle school, selling personalized buttons. At Harvard, he made a profit compiling and selling study guides. In 1998, Hsieh sold his first company to Microsoft for $265 million. About a decade later, he sold online shoe empire Zappos to Amazon for $1.2 billion. The secret to his success? Making his employees happy. At its peak, Zappos's employee-friendly culture was so famous across the tech industry that it became one of the hardest companies to get hired at, and CEOs from other companies regularly toured the headquarters. But Hsieh's vision for change didn't stop with corporate culture: Hsieh went on to move Zappos headquarters to Las Vegas and personally funded a nine-figure campaign to revitalize the city's historic downtown area. There, he could be found living in an Airstream and chatting up the locals. But Hsieh's forays into community-revival projects spun out of control as his issues with mental health and addiction ramped up, creating the opportunity for more enablers than friends to stand in his mercurial good graces. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with a wide range of people whose lives Hsieh touched, journalists Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans craft a rich portrait of a man who was plagued by the pressure to succeed but who never lost his generous spirit.Trade ReviewA story of the extraordinary business success of Tony Hsieh. In this cautionary tale, reporters Au-Yeung and Jeans unsparingly shed light on what went wrong. -- Financial Times * Best Summer Books of 2023 *A heartbreaking and extraordinary account of a heartbreaking and extraordinary man. Hsieh was an innovative business leader, but he was also frenetic, generous, difficult, and tormented. His rise and fall is a quintessential American tragedy. -- Max Chafkin * author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power *A captivating story about the combustible mixture of genius, ambition, ego, empathy, wealth, and intoxicants in the turbocharged environment of the technology elite. Revelatory and entertaining. -- Alec Ross * author of The Raging 2020s *Wonder Boy is so much more than a biography... it's full of lessons for anyone interested in psychology, business, or social dynamics. Angel Au-Yeung and David Jeans approach their subject as investigative reporters, yet they remain full of empathy and compassion. -- Dan Alexander * author of White House, Inc.: How Donald Trump Turned the Presidency into a Business *

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Book Synopsis"Music is part of my oxygen, Without it I would dry up" Mention the name Carly Simon to some people and they will probably think of one song in particular, maybe two or three at a push, while others may remember her for being one half of the "golden couple" of the Seventies' pop landscape. But this is a little unjust for an artist whose career has spanned over fifty years and counting, and during that time has amassed a catalog of over thirty groundbreaking albums and scores of hit singles; has composed music for theatre, movies and television; has written not only an opera, but a series of acclaimed children's books, and two best-selling memoirs. And we should not forget she is also the recipient of two Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar, as well as having countless honours bestowed on her for her accomplishments. Carly Simon is truly a musical phenomenon. Few female artists have achieved such a magnificent body of work; even fewer have been involved in so many facets of the music business; and no one has written so candidly to create an audio diary for the whole world to hear. From the moment her mother sang lullabies to her, that musical journey takes you from a childhood fraught with anxieties and phobias, having to conquer discrimination, stage fright, and life-threatening illness, to becoming one of the most glamorous, photographed, interviewed, and successful female artists of her generation. Not bad for a little girl who once saw herself as an ugly "left-over sister." But this is Carly Simon, and nobody has done it better.

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Book Synopsis'In my darkest hour, I reached for a hand and found your paw'When Nicola found Buddy, abandoned and broken, she vowed to do all she could to help save him. What she didn't know at the time was that this little dog would in turn save her.This is the story of Buddy and me: a remarkable true story of survival, hope, and never giving up, no matter how hard life gets.

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Book SynopsisReading The Power of Talking: Stories from the Therapy Room feels as though you have joined author Stelios Kiosses at his favourite coffee shop for a chat whilst enjoying a cappuccino and slice of cake. It is a joy to read, inviting you into the psychotherapeutic world as a welcome guest to discover the process of psychotherapy, the role of the therapist, and the psychological defences we all employ. ‘Being a therapist is truly a lifelong journey which we share with others towards healing.’ So says Stelios Kiosses and here he presents his journey so far. Along the way, we meet Gareth, suffering from depression for many years. Then there is Helen, dealing with unresolved childhood trauma. John and Alice, experiencing difficulties in their relationship, hoping couple therapy will help. David, successfully treated for burnout / work-related stress over a decade ago, but now struggling with suicidal thoughts after the loss of his job and his mother. This case has the added resonance of the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to work remotely via video. And finally, Abigail, who is struggling with hoarding and the memories and pain of sexual abuse. These stories come to life in an engaging, enthralling, and enjoyable read for therapists and the public alike.Trade ReviewIn a humane, moving and highly intelligent book, Stelios Kiosses opens the door on the world of therapy. He shows how human beings can come to acknowledge their own deepest wounds, and then find the strength to repair them. So much talk about therapy is shrouded in confusing jargon. This book is at the opposite extreme; it explains the scope and the limits of the therapist’s role in a plain and comprehensible way that many will find illuminating – and comforting. -- Bruce Clark, writer for ‘The Economist’ on history and cultureTable of ContentsAcknowledgements About the author Preface 1. On being a therapist 2. Gareth 3. Helen 4. John and Alice 5. David 6. Abigail Index

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Book Synopsis"From a historical point of point, the book is fascinating... From a literary point of view, it’s eloquent ... If you’re a Bordeaux wine collector with deep pockets and a large cellar, it’s invaluable." —Tamlyn Currin, Jancis Robinson "Associations and societies such as the Bordeaux Club are the very acme of civilization. Botticelli and Bach were engaged in the eternal quest for truth and beauty in painting and music, and the Bordeaux Club did the same for viniculture." — Andrew Roberts "For lovers of claret - indeed, all wine - this can only be described as a drool-inducing book." — World of Fine Wine The story of 12 friends who gathered to share and celebrate the extraordinary wines of Bordeaux. Like-minded in their love of wine, they differed wildly (often alarmingly!) in their personal wealth, life and circumstances – their opinions, always voiced, had the power to ignite anger and divide friendships just as easily as they bound them together. Neil McKendrick, member and minute-taker for 57 of the Club’s 70 extraordinary years, weaves the tale of this convivial group with the rigour of a Cambridge academic (he is ex-Master of Gonville and Caius) and the humour of a born raconteur. Alongside the likes of Hugh Johnson, Steven Spurrier and Michael Broadbent, he celebrates the beauty of top-class Bordeaux and the splendour of each setting – from glorious country park to rickety Dickensian boardroom – in which these men were lucky enough to dine, serving up memories of vintages the like of which we will never see again.Trade Review"From a historical point of point, the book is fascinating... From a literary point of view, it’s eloquent ... If you’re a bordeaux wine collector with deep pockets and a large cellar, it’s invaluable." - Tamlyn Currin, Jancis Robinson"Written by historian Neil McKendrick, this is the true story of a group of male friends – including wine writers Hugh Johnson, Steven Spurrier and Michael Broadbent, and Neil himself – united by their love of claret." - Decanter"...a quite remarkable book... For students of this period and for future historians, this will be essential reading." - World of Fine Wine"For lovers of claret - indeed, all wine - this can only be described as a drool-inducing book." - World of Fine Wine

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Book Synopsis'If ever a dog's story is guaranteed to touch hearts, then Maggie's is.' Your Dog Magazine'This story will leave you smiling.' Best MagazineBeaten, tortured and shot 17 times, Maggie the little street dog should have given up on the world.But the world didn't give up on her.With the help of her human friends, Maggie begins her long road to recovery and starts to spread joy everywhere she goes.This is the inspirational true story of a little dog who learned to be loved just as she is.Trade ReviewWhat readers are saying:'I fell in love with this story. It's a must-read for any animal lovers' Anna, 5 stars'This is an inspiring story, both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It shows how the most severe mental and physical traumas in dogs may be mitigated by the proper care and lots of love and positive attention. Highly recommended.' Carolyn, 5 stars'A lovely story of this wonderful dog. An emotional ride' Angela, 5 stars

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Book SynopsisPrison is a word which conjures up different things to the people who hear it. To some, it is a place where people are simply locked away for a period of time, away from society. Others may think it is place where torture, fear, violence and hopelessness are common place, whereas some may think it a place of rehabilitation. Then there are those who believe it is a state of mind. In the best-selling ‘34 Years In Hell’, author Jamie Morgan Kane told the story of how, after being born on the Isle of Man, he was taken to Canada as a baby and then transported into the United States of America where, at the age of 14, he was sold to an American couple to replace, as he found out many years later, a child they had previously adopted who had mysteriously disappeared. He recounted how he had joined the US military the day he left school in the belief that he was an American citizen; how circumstances persuaded him to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit, and how that had resulted in him being sentenced to prison for more than three decades. Since then, he has been asked many times: “But what was prison really like?” This new follow-up book attempts to answer that question. This is the ultimate guide to what it’s like to be behind bars in America. It lays bare the day-to-day existence of prisoners and the hustles they get up to in order to survive. It is a fascinating, sometimes shocking and raw account of life at its most brutal.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the acclaimed No Visible Bruises, a piercing account of the author’s childhood in an evangelical Christian community, her teenage escape, and her career as a reporter at the frontline of the global epidemic of violence against women. Award-winning journalist Rachel Louise Snyder has spent her career reporting on abuse that happens under the cover of ‘private life’. And yet the story of her own troubled family is one she has always kept locked away. Snyder was eight when her mother died, and her distraught father thrust the family into an evangelical, cult-like existence halfway across the country. Furiously rebellious against this life, she was expelled from school, and then from home. Living out of her car and relying on strangers, she soon found herself masquerading as an adult, talking her way into college, and eventually travelling the globe. In places like India, Tibet, and Niger, she interviewed those who had been through the unimaginable. In Cambodia, where she lived for six years, she watched a country reckon with the horrors of its own recent history. Written with a storyteller’s gift for immediacy, and weaving the personal with the universal, Women We Buried, Women We Burned is a necessary story of family struggle, female survival, and the passionate drive to bear witness.Trade Review‘With the same virtuosity and eye for detail she brought to No Visible Bruises, Rachel Louise Snyder uses her own story to illuminate the many divides that plague America, from class and culture wars to toxic religiosity and frayed family ties. Women We Buried, Women We Burned is a gorgeous memoir that parses the patriarchy with an endearing frankness as fierce as it is, astonishingly, forgiving.’ -- Beth Macy, New York Times bestselling author of Raising Lazarus and Dopesick‘Bravery and honesty are the cornerstone of the memoir, but Snyder adds to this — generosity. This is a compassionate telling of a sometimes brutal story. Women We Buried, Women We Burned reminds me of opera, with its beautiful sadness and artistic triumph. The hope contained on these pages is hard won, and all the more precious due to the struggles from which it emerges.’ -- Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage‘With a journalist’s keen eye and a novelist’s elegant prose, Rachel Louise Snyder delivers an unsentimental and bone-deep observational memoir of death and family, class and history, East and West, and politics and travel; at the centre of each story is a reaffirmation of human survival as an art of triumph.’ -- Suki Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Without You, There Is No Us: undercover among the sons of North Korea's elite‘Women We Buried, Women We Burned is a profoundly moving and layered memoir that is nuanced in all the spaces where life gets complicated. A writer with wit as sharp as her prose, Rachel Louise Snyder’s story connects on so many levels because she writes honestly about traumas, forgiveness, and the hard work it takes to build a life. A truly stunning book that will broaden hearts and minds, and also educate and inspire.’ -- Loung Ung, bestselling author of First They Killed My Father‘A bold and searing memoir about family and violence, illness and independence, pain and fear and beauty. With wry humour and enormous humanity, Rachel Louise Snyder shows us how to summon the courage to imagine in a cruel and dangerous world. A beautiful book.’ -- Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times bestselling author of Rogues, Empire of Pain, and Say Nothing‘A harrowing story of survival that also brims with warmth, wit and insight, this memoir has the propulsive force of a novel, driven by a spirit of compassion and curiosity that will not be broken.’ -- Chelsea Bieker, author of Heartbroke and Godshot‘Rachel Louise Snyder’s story begins with a series of profound losses but becomes, in her careful and compassionate telling, a story about what we might gain by looking directly at the most difficult parts of our pasts. This is a gorgeous and radiantly honest book, brilliant in its ability to capture the way grief reverberates across a lifetime. Rather than force trauma into a false closure, Snyder transforms it into a radical openness and ability to connect.’ -- Danielle Evans, author of The Office of Historical Corrections‘As stunning as it is powerful, Women We Buried, Women We Burned is a tour-de-force memoir of family, faith, love, loss, resilience, and, ultimately, redemption. With deftness and grace, Snyder navigates the complicated terrain of childhood trauma and presents a model for how to reconcile with the ghosts of your past.’ -- Monica West, author of Revival Season‘The tenacity and bravery of a young woman determined to survive and make her own mark on the world move the narrative with unstoppable force as the sentences build in intensity and poignancy … Anyone moved by No Visible Bruises should put this at the top of their to-read list. Exceptional writing, a harrowing coming-of-age story, and critical awareness combine to make a must-read memoir.’ -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review‘Snyder’s most recent book, No Visible Bruises, explored the psychological entanglements of domestic violence. This offering once again considers complex relationships, but at a personal level … searingly honest and moving.’ * Booklist *‘How do you write a book about overcoming extreme hardship, about the singular people who convince you to take a chance on yourself, about finding the big world after a childhood that prepared you for a tiny one, about discovering that you love the people who failed to love you — and manage not to strike a single trite note? How do you remember every detail and make the reader feel like they saw, heard, and felt each moment? I have no idea, actually, but Rachel Louise Snyder has done it.’ -- Masha Gessen, National Book Award–winning author of The Future Is History and Surviving Autocracy‘With wonderfully evocative prose, Rachel Louise Snyder captures here the stark horror of a child losing her mother and half her roots as she’s then swept into her evangelical father’s second family and has to either flee or be erased. As nakedly honest as it is fair, what is so remarkable about Women We Buried, Women We Burned is that Ms. Snyder does flee, and her lone voyage to her very self is the voyage of so many girls and women around the world who have been uprooted and cast aside and must find their own way back. This is an important and profoundly moving memoir, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.’ -- Andre Dubus III, New York Times bestselling author of Townie and Such Kindness‘An affecting memoir … Excellent writing and a clear perspective enhance this primer on how to hope.’ * Los Angeles Times *‘[A] gripping memoir … Snyder’s curiosity is matched by her own resilience; writing stories about survivors parallels her own story of overcoming trauma and finding grace.’ * Washington Post *‘A penetrating memoir on grief and redemption … Snyder delivers her inspiring story with lyrical prose and sharp insights, particularly about the fraught father-daughter relationship at its centre. It’s an eloquent portrayal of the power of forgiveness.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Inspirational … Snyder observes the world with both an unsparing eye and a generous spirit … Instead of getting trapped in the familiar impasse of either/or, Snyder thinks in terms of ands. This expansiveness is of a piece with her writing on domestic violence … Snyder’s memoir shows how one might — must — live amid multiple truths.’ -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *‘Women We Burned is written with precision and intention. It is affecting but, crucially, never sentimental — and full of hard-won hope.’ -- Pippa Bailey * The New Statesman *‘The author of No Visible Bruises writes a searing memoir telling the story of her triumph over impossible odds, from her mother’s early death, expulsion from school and homelessness to her global reporting on domestic violence.’ * USA Today *‘Snyder’s memoir is as heartbreaking, wrenching and compelling as the stories of the victims in her eye-opening book on domestic violence … In explaining her own history, Snyder shows why she was drawn to the darkest stories and how she is able to retell them with such detail and compassion … The violence and neglect of her adolescence sounds nearly unsurvivable. And yet she is here, proof that there can be healing, reconciliation and professional triumph.’ * Minneapolis Star-Tribune *‘Rachel Louise Snyder’s two most recent books are like pendant portraits, each complementing and illuminating the other, a literary matched set. In No Visible Bruises, Snyder probed the pathology and sociology of intimate partner violence … Women We Buried, Women We Burned, an engrossing memoir of her own troubled, motherless early life, helps explain both her attraction to that dark subject and her appreciation of its complexity. [Snyder’s] difficult past, with all its emotional complexities, becomes an asset. It renders her unafraid to explore the grittier aspects of human nature … moving.’ * The Boston Globe *‘Compelling, propulsive, gripping and disturbing in equal measure.’ -- BookPage, starred review‘For fans of Tara Westover’s Educated, Snyder provides a triumphant story of beating the odds and of radical self-definition — with a punk rock backdrop to boot.’ * Oprah Daily *‘[Snyder’s] background as a journalist shines through as she describes her experiences honestly but without added drama or artifice, instead letting the people and events speak for themselves. This results in a narrative whose style belies its depth, for even as Rachel recounts her own maturation as a woman and a writer, she’s also commenting obliquely on how trauma is recapitulated and the countless ways in which male authority warps and erases women’s stories and lived realities. How she undertakes this work is subtle, even crafty.’ * Bookreporter *

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Book Synopsis'The Flight of The Arctic Fox' tells the riveting story of the lives of thirty-one passengers and crew on board a BEA Vickers Viscount flying from London to Naples in October 1958. Following a mid-air collision with a jet fighter over Nettuno in Italy, everyone on board died, including the author's brother, who was a member of the crew.Table of ContentsList of Plates 9 Maps 14 1958 Timeline 15 Preface 19 1. FATALITÀ 25 2. THE CREW 38 Captain Frank Foster First Officer Geoffrey Wright Radio Officer James Bannon Flight Attendants Rosemary Bevan Terence O’Grady 3. THE PASSENGERS 90 The Group 90 Eugenie Kawaja Patricia Watson Brian Fogaty Leslie King Couples 132 Charles and Diana Cubitt William and Margaret Buchan Mary Mathieson and Robert Allan Friends 166 Lady Jenny Weir and Frances Miller Colston Luxton and Robert Bruce Colleagues 196 John Prince and Reuben Silburn Singles 221 John Booth Robert Chalmers Arnold Davies Richard Golden George Kimble Sheila Lane Mary La Rosa Garth Marshallsay John Vella Eveline Yuille 4. AFTERMATH 308 5. THE INQUIRY 314 6. CLOSURE 327 Acknowledgements 334 Bibliography 347 Index 350 About the author 362

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Book SynopsisCapital DJ Roman Kemp has achieved much success but he hasn't had an easy ride. He's battled depression since the age of 15, once contemplated suicide, and has bravely fought to smash the stigma still surrounding medication and mental health. The lifelong Arsenal supporter grafted his way to Capital's highly coveted Breakfast slot - and pulled in record-beating listeners with his cheeky sense of humour. Who else could convince Ed Sheeran to tattoo Roman's leg on air, drive around London playing cab-roulette with James Corden, get Craig David to freestyle rap, or rope Lewis Capaldi into a life-drawing class? Then, in 2019, Roman won over yet more fans coming third in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, with his uncanny impressions of everyone from Ant and Dec to his mate Harry Styles. Here, for the first time, Roman's ready to reveal the things that weren't captured on camera, and how his time in the jungle changed his whole outlook on life. During the pandemic Roman's life changed when his best friend - the producer who'd nurtured his career every step of the way - tragically took his own life. Amidst the shock, loss and confusion, Roman bravely made a moving BBC3 documentary about the alarming rates of suicide amongst young males. He's well aware he too, could have been a statistic. In this page-turning book - peppered with hilarious and surprising anecdotes from his youth - Roman also unflinchingly tackles the taboo of suicide, in the hope that by talking about his own struggles and sharing advice, he can help others. Roman shares all the experiences that have shaped him, and why love, marriage and having his own family one day are so important to his future dreams.

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Book Synopsis'A modern classic . . . Absolutely riveting and frequently moving' – The Telegraph 'Among the best books ever written on Irish sport' – Sunday Tribune 'Brilliant . . . Stand Up and Fight is the definitive account. It captures the essence of what makes Munster rugby and its provincial team so unique' – Tony Ward, Irish Independent 'A terrific combination of intelligent reportage and open-eyed mythmaking' – Sunday Times 'A seminal account' – New Zealand Herald 'Irresistible' – Guardian 31/10/1978, Thomond Park. On one of the greatest days in rugby history, Munster beat the All Blacks. More than 100,000 people claimed to have watched the game, even though the ground could only hold 12,000. Now, fully updated for the 45th anniversary of the match, Alan English tells the true story.

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Book SynopsisThere is a war on truth. And the liars are winning. There is an increasingly large number of weapons in the arsenal of the rich, the powerful and the elected to prevent the truth from coming out - to bury it, warp it, twist it to suit their purposes. Truthteller reveals how governments and corporations have covered-up mass murder, corruption and catastrophe. In a world where Putin and Trump have successfully branded journalists as traffickers in fake news, while promoting the actual creators of fake news, an investigative reporter shows the tools that are used to deceive us and explains why they work. Using exclusive documents and interviews drawn from three decades as an award-winning reporter, editor, foreign correspondent, television producer, documentary filmmaker, and journalism educator, Stephen Davis reveals shocking details of deception in the United States, the UK, Russia, Sweden, the Baltic republics, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the Arctic and Antarctic. Truthteller is an essential guide for understanding the modern media world - for teachers, students and concerned citizens who want to know the facts, not fake news and conspiracy theories. It takes you inside the world of investigative reporting in an intimate history of a reporter''s battles, won and lost, the personal and professional costs and the lives damaged along the way.

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Book SynopsisHow she managed a husband and two children is a mystery, although she acknowledges various helpers, always bringing them to life in fascinating detail. Many vignettes of people have been described in a manner not to be forgotten.

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Book SynopsisPeter Clutterbuck was lucky enough to be a teenager in the 1960s, when long summer holidays meant uninhibited opportunities to find freedom - and danger. He proceeded to set out on incredible voyages across the high seas in a 16 foot open dinghy. With a series of intrepid crew he first sailed across the Channel, then braved the notorious Bay of Biscay, cruised the Mediterranean, before tackling the North Sea and Baltic. Sailing on the edge, often on stormy nights, Peter and his crew survived towering waves, gales, capsizes, dismasting, nine rudder breakages, getting lost in fog, and hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation. Beautifully and charmingly written, with plenty of offbeat humour, this is a lovely insight into a golden age of freedom and adventure. With a Foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.Trade ReviewTorn between staying at sea to face probable disaster and running onto a lee shore where they may yet have a ghost of a chance, what follows is seamanship of the highest order. * Tom Cunliffe, Yachting World *The sailing is white knuckled, the resourcefulness breathtaking. * Yachting Monthly *A tremendous book. * Classic Sailor magazine *A classic real-life story of derring do on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity and many near-misses. * All at Sea *An object lesson in how to turn dreams into reality, of how to complete extremely risky challenges. -- Brian Thompson * Foreword *The events described, and the hardships not described, are so extreme as to seem suicidal. -- John Mardall, Editor * Maritime *

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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 SynopsisThe story of one man's evolution from naïve and ambitious young intern to world-class neurosurgeon.Trade Review"Dramatic, moving, and utterly fascinating." -- New York Times Book Review"By turns comic and tragic, this memoir…is a must-read for neurosurgeons but also of interest to most clinicians." -- Chris Barrett - The BMJ"Dr. Frank Vertosick provides an amusing, insightful and honest inside view of the training of the neurosurgeon. This highly readable account of daily life on the wards shows all the humility, fortitude, and humanity that genuinely underlies this sometimes not well-understood but genuinely wonderful profession." -- Dr. David W. Roberts, professor of surgery (neurosurgery), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center"When the Air Hits Your Brain lets you feel the pain, grief and joy of practicing medicine. This book should be read by every medical student, doctor and present or potential patient. In other words, by all of us." -- Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine and Miracles"Writing with humor and compassion, but without sentimentality, Vertosick shows us that neurosurgeons, those gods of the operating room, are humans, too." -- Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisBefore television and radio, people would gather on porches, on the steps outside their homes, and tell stories. Their bewitched listeners would sit and listen long into the night as moths flitted around overhead. Storytelling phenomenon The Moth recaptures this lost each week in cities across America, Britain, Australia and beyond, playing to packed crowds at sold-out live events. Occasional Magic is a selection of 50 of the finest Moth stories from recent shows, from storytellers who found the courage to face their deepest fears. The stories feature voices familiar and new. Alongside Neil Gaiman, Adam Gopnik, Andrew Solomon, Rosanne Cash, and Cristina Lamb, there are stories from around the world describing moments of strength, passion, courage and humour - and when a little magic happened. In finest Moth tradition, Occasional Magic encourages us all to be more open, vulnerable and alive.Trade ReviewPraise for The Moth: 'Brilliant and quietly addictive' * Guardian *Beautifully simple, authentic, a little bit therapeutic and utterly addictive. It is a joyful reminder of the power of the story and the need for story-telling. * Sunday Times *The stories remain very much in the voices of those who spoke them and thus retain the vulnerability and rawness inherent in the situation of one person, alone at the mic, telling a room full of strangers something personal. * Observer *

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