True war and combat stories Books

Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURYNow an FX TV series streaming on DISNEY+''Unquestionably one of the greatest literary achievements of the 21st century'' Nick HornbyFrom the author of Empire of Pain a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.One night in December 1972, Jean McConville, a mother of ten, was abducted from her home in Belfast and never seen alive again. Her disappearance would haunt her orphaned children, the perpetrators of this terrible crime and a whole society in Northern Ireland for decades.In this powerful, scrupulously reported book, Patrick Radden Keefe offers not just a forensic account of a brutal crime but a vivid portrait of the world in which it happened. The tragedy of an entire country is captured in the spellbinding narrative of a handful of characters, presented in lyrical and unforgettable detail.A poem by Seamus Heaney inspires the title: Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'. By defying the culture of silence, Keefe illuminates how a close-knit society fractured; how people chose sides in a conflict and turned to violence; and how, when the shooting stopped, some ex-combatants came to look back in horror at the atrocities they had committed, while others continue to advocate violence even today.Say Nothing deftly weaves the stories of Jean McConville and her family with those of Dolours Price, the first woman to join the IRA as a front-line soldier, who bombed the Old Bailey when barely out of her teens; Gerry Adams, who helped bring an end to the fighting, but denied his own IRA past; Brendan Hughes, a fearsome IRA commander who turned on Adams after the peace process and broke the IRA's code of silence; and other indelible figures. By capturing the intrigue, the drama and the profound human cost of the Troubles, the book presents a searing chronicle of the lengths that people are willing to go to in pursuit of a political ideal, and the ways in which societies mend or don't in the aftermath of a long and bloody conflict.Trade Review A Best Book of the Year: The Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Economist, GQ, Slate, NPR, Variety, Slate, Buzzfeed ‘Breathtaking in its scope and ambition… Keefe has produced a searing examination of the nature of truth in war and the toll taken by violence and deceit… Will take its place alongside the best of the books about the Troubles’ Sunday Times, A Book of the Year ‘Keefe’s narrative is an architectural feat, expertly constructed out of complex and contentious material, arranged and balanced just so… This sensitive and judicious book raises some troubling, and perhaps unanswerable, questions’ New York Times, A Book of the Year ‘Unforgettable… Radden Keefe examines the profound human cost of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the lengths that people will go to in pursuit of a political ideal’ Dua Lipa, A Book of the Year ‘A horrible, chilling tale and I’m glad someone has at last had the guts to tell it. There have been, thus far, only two good books to emerge from the Troubles. This is the third’ Jeremy Paxman ‘A gripping and profoundly human explanation for a past that still denies and defines the future… Only an outsider could have written a book this good … If conclusions are possible, Radden Keefe’s is that everyone became complicit in the terror… I can’t praise this book enough: it’s erudite, accessible, compelling, enlightening. I thought I was bored by Northern Ireland’s past until I read it’ The Times ‘An exceptional new book, Say Nothing explores this brittle landscape to devastating effect’ Wall Street Journal

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Book SynopsisA former US Navy SEAL, the author tells the story of his legendary career, from 1999-2009, during which time he recorded the most confirmed sniper kills in the history of the United States military, any branch, from 1776 to present. He also tells the story of the men of SEAL Team 3 who fought and died as brothers with him.Trade Review"Chris Kyle tells his story with the same courage and grit he displayed in life and on the battlefield. American Sniper is a compelling read." -- CLINT EASTWOOD "An amazingly detailed account of fighting in Iraq--a humanizing, brave story that's extremely readable." -- PATRICIA CORNWELL, New York Times Book Review "In the elite community of warriors, one man has risen above our ranks and distinguished himself as unique. Chris Kyle is that man. A master sniper, Chris has done and seen things that will be talked about for generations to come." -- MARCUS LUTTRELL, author of Lone Survivor "Chris Kyle was incredible, the most celebrated war hero of our time, a true American hero in every sense of the word." -- D Magazine "The raw and unforgettable narrative of the making of our country's record-holding sniper, Chris Kyle's memoir is a powerful book, both in terms of combat action and human drama. Chief Kyle is a true American warrior down to the bone, the Carlos Hathcock of a new generation." -- CHARLES W. SASSER, Green Beret (US Army Ret.) and author of One Shot, One Kill "Reads like a first-person thriller narrated by a sniper. The bare-bones facts are stunning. ... A first-rate military memoir." -- BOOKLIST #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER -- No Source "American Sniper is the inside story of what it's like to be in war. A brave warrior and patriot, Chris Kyle writes frankly about the missions, personal challenges, and hard choices that are part of daily life of an elite SEAL Sniper. It's a classic!" -- RICHARD MARCINKO (USN, Ret.), First Commanding Officer of SEAL Team Six and #1 bestselling author of Rogue Warrior

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Book SynopsisIn June 2005 four US Navy SEALs left their base in Afghanistan for the Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al-Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less than twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs was alive.This is the story of team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing. Blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing, Luttrell endured four desperate days fighting the al-Qaeda assassins sent to kill him, before finding unlikely sanctuary with a Pashtun tribe who risked everything to protect him from the circling Taliban killers.

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Book SynopsisA landmark in travel writing, this is the incredible true story of Heinrich Harrer's escape across the Himalayas to Tibet, set against the backdrop of the Second World War.Heinrich Harrer, already one of the greatest mountaineers of his time, was climbing in the Himalayas when war broke out in Europe. He was imprisoned by the British in India but succeeded in escaping and fled to Tibet. Settling in Lhasa, the Forbidden City, where he became a friend and tutor to the Dalai Lama, Heinrich Harrer spent seven years gaining a more profound understanding of Tibet and the Tibetans than any Westerner before him.More recently made into a film starring Brad Pitt, Seven Years in Tibet is a stunning story of incredible courage and self-reliance by one of the twentieth century's best travel writers.Trade Review‘It deserves its place among the few great travel stories of our times.’ The Times ‘This is an absorbing and remarkable travel tale that also gives unparalleled accounts of the life and customs of an inaccessible region.’ Sunday Times ‘Few adventurers in this century have had the combined luck and hardihood to return with such news as this. Fewer still have rendered it so powerfully unadorned.’Times Literary Supplement ‘Some books, like some mountains, are lonely and unrivalled peaks. This is one of them.’ Economist

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Book Synopsis***Winner of the Booker Prize***''ONE OF THE WORLD''S GREATEST WRITERS'' Spectator''Extraordinary'' Graham Greene ''Powerful'' The Times ''Marvellous'' Sunday TimesThe acclaimed bestselling classic of Holocaust literature, adapted into the award-winning film Schindler''s ListIn the shadow of Auschwitz, as thousands faced death in Nazi-occupied Poland, an unlikely saviour emerged. Oskar Schindler was a heavy-drinking, womanising industrialist who defied and outwitted the SS to save more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War II.Based on a true story, Schindler''s Ark is an astonishing tale of huge risks and great courage in the face of unspeakable evil.PRAISE FOR THOMAS KENEALLY''A superb storyteller'' Alan Sillitoe''One of the historical novel''s most expert practitioners'' Guardian''A grTrade ReviewAn extraordinary achievement -- Graham Greene, author of BRIGHTON ROCKBrilliantly detailed, moving, powerful and gripping * The Times *Thomas Keneally has done marvellous justice to a marvellous story * Sunday Times *This remarkable book has the immediacy and the almost unbearable detail of a thousand eye witnesses who forgot nothing * New York Times Book Review *Keneally is a superb storyteller. With Schindler's Ark he has given us his best book yet, a magnificent novel which held me from the first page to the last -- Alan Sillitoe, author of SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNINGAn extraordinary tale . . .no summary can adequately convey the stratagems and reverses and sudden twists of fortune . . . A notable achievement * New York Review of Books *A magnificent book, powerful, harrowing and beautifully written * Sunday Express *A fine and moving story * Evening Standard *Fascinating, expertly told and impossible to put down * Bookseller *Magnificent . . . Beautifully written * Mail on Sunday *A masterful account of the growth of the human soul * Los Angeles Times *An astounding story . . . in this case the truth is far more powerful than anything the imagination could invent * Newsweek *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A historical bombshell…Compelling…The most controversial book yet on Japan’s previous emperor.” — The Economist “The author’s virtuoso scholarship and accessible narrative invite us into Hirohito’s world and change the way we think of recent history; his portrayal of a monarch rationalizing evil is superb.” — The New Yorker “”The triumph of Mr. Bix is that of a tailor able to assemble disparate scaps of material and sew them into a seamless whole.”” — The New York Times “Myth-shattering…[T]his superb biography should jog loose a few suppressed memories.” — Newsweek “Nothing published since the Berlin Wall’s fall quite comes up to Herbert Bix’s new book…It’s a startling work—awesomely ambitious, faultlessly researched, daring in its thesis, and profound in its implications.” — Business Week “Persuasive. . . . Bix proves, in an immensely readable 800 pages, that good imperial biography is still possible.” — The Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisEVAN WRIGHT is the author of Generation Kill, one of the most celebrated books on the Iraq War and recently adapted by David Simon into a 7-hour HBO miniseries. He is a recipient of the National Magazine Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Award, a PEN/Faulkner Award and a Lukas Book Prize. He is also a contributing editor to Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair.Trade ReviewThis is war reporting up there with such greats as Michael Herr's Dispatches * Financial Times magazine *Easily the best book on the Iraq war so far. A deeply disturbing, compulsively readable narrative offering profound insights into the lives of America's young soldiers * New Statesman *An adrenaline rush of intelligent prose. One of the best books to come out of the Iraq war * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA twenty-year battle-seasoned pilot who flew 151 combat missions in the world's most iconic fighter plane - the F-16 Fighting Falcon - the Viper as its pilots call it. A fighter pilot who came of age at the end of the Cold War, Dan Hampton was one of the flyers scrambled into the skies on 9/11. This title tells his story.Trade Review"A rare riveting memoir of a highly decorated fighter pilot that's packed with grit, swagger, and great humor. Do not miss this one!" -- W.E.B. GRIFFIN & WILLIAM E. BUTTERWORTH IV "Hampton's one of the most decorated pilots in Air Force history. ... We may never see his like again." -- New York Post "Offers a gripping cockpit view of modern air combat ... Hampton is a vivid writer and an unabashed warrior. ... An outstanding work." -- Booklist (starred review) "Viper Pilot is an awesome adrenaline rush. If you love action packed modern day war stories then strap yourself in and get ready for a gut-wrenching, g-force defying thrill ride!" -- ALEX KERSHAW, bestselling author of The Liberator and The Few "Viper Pilot is fantastic. Lt. Col. Dan Hampton offers a personal, irreverent, no-holds-barred look into the life of an Air Force fighter pilot. A great read!" -- DALE BROWN, former USAF Captain and New York Times bestselling author of A Time for Patriots "Viper Pilot is an instant aviation classic. Dan Hampton's thrilling portrayals of combat missions kept me glued to the story, and he has captured the essence of Wild Weasel fighter operations as no one has before." -- BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID L. MOODY (Retired USAF) "Dan Hampton's Viper Pilot truly impressed me--if you're a combat vet, it's sweaty palms again; if not, strap in and get ready. Filled with lots of action, here's a real and up-close look at modern fighter combat, told straight from the cockpit." -- COLONEL JACKSEL BROUGHTON (USAF, Ret.), recipient of the Air Force Cross for extraordinary heroism and author of Rupert Red Two: A Fighter Pilot's Life "Dramatic. ... Viper Pilot delivers 300 pages of aviation fireworks." -- Kirkus Reviews "The best air combat memoir I have ever read... An incredible look into the unique culture of Wild Weasels." -- Tyler Rogoway, Foxtrot Alpha, a Gawker Media site

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Book SynopsisA graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Karl Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. Matterhorn, his novel about the Vietnam War, took over three decades to complete and was an international bestseller. He and his wife Anne live on a small lake in western Washington state.Trade ReviewA searing account from within the guts of the war itself. * The Times *A novel of astonishing power and insight * OBSERVER *There has never been a more realistic portrait or eloquent tribute to the nobility of men under fire, and never a more damning portrait of a war that ground them cruelly underfoot for no good reason. * MARK BOWDEN *Karl Marlantes has written a staggeringly beautiful book on combat - what it feels like, what the consequences are and above all, what society must do to understand it. In my eyes he has become the preeminent literary voice on war of our generation. He is a natural storyteller and a deeply profound thinker who not only illuminates war for civilians, but also offers a kind of spiritual guidance to veterans themselves. As this generation of warriors comes home, they will be enormously helped by what Marlantes has written - I'm sure he will literally save lives. * Sebastian Junger *What It Is Like to Go to War is a well-crafted and forcefully argued work that contains fresh and important insights into what it's like to be in a war and what it does to the human psyche. * The Washington Post *brutally honest, clear-eyed and necessary. * Financial Times *You may not ever read a better book about war than this... There are some very gruesome things here, and some of the best philosophical thinking I've ever read in a memoir. * Evening Standard *the brave and illuminating work of a courageous and humane man. * The Times *Marlantes examines with lacerating frankness his experiences at the forefront of battle, in Vietnam more than 40 years ago. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Paperback of the YearA Spectator and New Statesman Book of the Year‘An illuminating and riveting read.’ - Jonathan DimblebyJeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and its troubled present. Here, Bowen offers readers a gripping and invaluable guide to the modern Middle East, how it came to be and what its future might hold.In The Making of the Modern Middle East – in part based on his acclaimed podcast, ‘Our Man in the Middle East’ – Bowen takes us on a journey across the Middle East and through its history. He meets ordinary men and women on the front line, their leaders, whether brutal or benign, and he explores the power games that have so often wreaked devastation on civilian populations as those leaders, whatever their motives, jostle for political, religious and economic control.Clear throughout is Bowen's deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences between countries as diverse as Erdogan’s Turkey, Assad’s Syria, Netanyahu’s Israel, and Palestine, whether Hamas-controlled Gaza or the West Bank, and his long experience of covering events in the region.Trade ReviewWritten with modesty, grace and compassion, his account of 30 years working in the Middle East for the BBC combines his own personal experience with and a rare understanding of what makes this tortured region so dangerously combustible . . . The result is an illuminating and riveting read. -- Jonathan Dimbleby, broadcaster, author and historianArresting . . . excellent, doom-freighted -- Justin Marozzi * The Times *Bears witness to how lofty dreams of the post-Cold War period crashed and burned ... with deep empathy and understanding of the roots of the conflict. -- Emma Sky * The New Statesman *[A] compelling blend of sweeping history and vivid memoir . . . Bowen paints in the historical background masterfully and manages to convey the pressure, euphoria and horror of war reporting as well. * Mail on Sunday *A gripping and compelling account that swings between gut-wrenching eyewitness stories and dispassionate analysis, laying bare the hopes and horrors of the Middle East in the twenty-first century. A remarkable book. -- Professor Eugene Rogan, author of The Arabs: A HistoryThis book is a very personal and erudite history of a troubled region where enemies of impartiality abound, though some don’t even live there. I highly recommend this fascinating book which is also a testament to a better era in journalism. -- Michael Burleigh, author of The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: A History of NowThis is a wise, compelling, fast-paced book - essential reading if you wish to make sense of the forces that have convulsed the Middle East, as well as unsettling all our lives, since the end of the Cold War. -- Jason Cowley, author of Who Are We Now? and Editor in Chief of The New StatesmanFew people are as well placed to authoritatively depict the making of the modern Middle East than Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s long-serving correspondent in the region . . . excellent * The New European *Jeremy Bowen is a master of succinct writing for television and in print, and his skill is showcased to brilliant effect in this distillation of decades of experience reporting from the Middle East. It’s a terrific book, pithy and pacy, equally at home telling stories of ordinary people as in encounters with princes and presidents. -- Matthew Teller, journalist and author of Nine Quarters of JerusalemJeremy Bowen is uniquely qualified to analyse and explain the region’s complex political and religious landscape. His book should be essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of this fascinating, but deeply troubled, part of the world. -- Con Coughlin, author of Saddam: The Secret Life and Khomeini's Ghost

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Book SynopsisFrom the podcast legends who brought you The Rest is History comes The Rest is History Returns!This time Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook bring you an alphabetical miscellany, taking on some of history's best and most bizarre moments. Charge forth against the traitors of the American Revolution, journey through Baghdad to discover the origins of the Arabian Nights and head to Sicily to witness the first face-off between Carthage and Rome. Along the way you''ll find the answers to questions like: - Who was Jesus's wife? - What would it have been like to live-tweet through the eruption of Vesuvius? - Why did the Romans inspire so much American science fiction? - Which Mitford sister tried to seduce her girlish crush, Adolf Hitler? - Who are history''s top 10 monkeys? - Was Henry V's great-grandfather, Edward III, the biggest lad' in British history? But that's not all this

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Book SynopsisBlaine Harden is a reporter for PBS Frontline and a contributor to the Economist, based in Seattle, having completed a tour as the Washington Post's bureau chief in Tokyo. He is the prize-winning, acclaimed author of two books: Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent and A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia and the author of Escape from Camp 14.Trade ReviewThis is a story unlike any other because Shin is one of the few, if not only, long-term prisoners to have escaped from the North Korean gulag . . . The integrity of this book, shines through on every page. -- Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea‘Harrowing . . . Harden’s account of Shin’s extraordinary, perilous journey through North Korea and into China (which has a history of sending asylum seekers back to North Korea) and later to South Korea is gripping stuff . . . bearing witness will be Shin’s legacy’ Daily Mail‘Harden sheds light on the horrors of North Korea, with a gripping account of the story of Shin In Geun’ Financial Times - Favourite Books of 2012'Until recently, full accounts of life in this famine-riven dystopia were hard to come by. Then a couple of years ago, Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy provided excoriating testimonies of refugees who had managed to escape into China and then on to South Korea. The picture those witnesses drew of North Korea was of one vast and brutal gulag. Now comes Escape From Camp 14, a still more harrowing account of the gulag within the gulag, the huge prison camps that litter the more remote provinces of this benighted country. Written by Blaine Harden, an experienced American journalist, it tells the extraordinary story of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in the gulag to have escaped’ Guardian‘Harden knows a lot about North Korea and he wears his knowledge lightly . . . Harden deserves a lot more than ‘wow’ for this terrifying, grim and, at the very end, slightly hopeful story of a damaged man still alive only by chance, whose life, even in freedom, has been dreadful’ Literary ReviewHarrowing story of a young man’s flight from one of the slave labor camps where as many as 200,000 political unreliables — a category that includes not just those who run afoul of authority but their relatives for three generations — are sent to be starved, tortured and ultimately worked to death. Harden’s book, besides being a gripping story, unsparingly told, carries a freight of intelligence about this black hole of a country’ * New York Times *‘A skilfully researched piece of book-length journalism uncluttered, as far as seems reasonable, with emotion. It is old now, the saying that for evil to exist, good men must do nothing. And that is what you take away, more than anything, from Harden's book. More than why the crimes against humanity are happening in the first place, more than whose responsibility it is to stop them, the question is why — for the sake not of politics but of mankind — is nobody in power doing anything about it?’ SpectatorIn depicting the depravity of North Korean prison life, Harden’s book is an important portrait of man’s inhumanity to man’ Washington Post

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZEA wake-up call' Amal ClooneyDevastating rape and sexual abuse continue to be a pervasive and all-too-often hidden feature of conflict zones the world over' HM Queen CamillaFrom award-winning war reporter and co-author of I Am Malala, this is the first major account to address the scale of rape and sexual violence in modern conflict.Christina Lamb has worked in war and combat zones for over thirty years. In Our Bodies, Their Battlefield she gives voice to the women of conflicts, exposing how in today's warfare, rape is used by armies, terrorists and militias as a weapon to humiliate, oppress and carry out ethnic cleansing.Speaking to survivors first-hand, Lamb encounters the suffering and bravery of women in war and meets those fighting for justice. From Southeast Asia where comfort women' were enslaved by the Japanese during World War Two to the Rwandan genocide, when an estimated quarter of a million women were rTrade Review Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020 Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2021 ‘A wake-up call to the magnitude and horrors of rape in war – the world's most neglected war crime. These women’s stories will make you weep, and then rage at the world's indifference.’ Amal Clooney ‘Sharing these stories is necessary and incredibly brave’ Sheryl Sandberg 'Christina Lamb has done the impossible – and written women into history … An extraordinary achievement of in depth journalism, powerful storytelling, grit and heart. A wake up call to the magnitude and horror of rape of women throughout history and the world. If you read one book this year, read this. Astounding.' Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues ‘For millennia mass rape has been a weapon of war. But the testimony of abuse is almost entirely absent from all recorded history. At last this brave, beautiful and brutal book allows victims to speak – devastatingly, inspirationally’ Bettany Hughes ‘This is the most powerful and disturbing book I have ever read. It must have taken courage to research and write this book. Christina Lamb has more than accomplished her duty. It is now our duty to face this terrible truth – that of man’s inhumanity to woman.’ Anthony Beevor, Spectator ‘A brave and harrowing book, and were there justice in the world, would be at the top of the bestsellers list for weeks.’Melanie Reid, The Times ‘A deeply traumatic and important book … Provides a corrective that is by turns horrific and profoundly moving … Lamb is an extraordinary writer. Her compassion for those she talks to and deep understanding of how to tell their stories makes this a book that should be required reading for all – even though (and perhaps because) it is not an enjoyable experience … Powerful’ Peter Frankopan, Guardian

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.In 1936, George Orwell volunteered as a soldier in the Spanish Civil War. In Homage to Catalonia, first published just before the outbreak of World War II, Orwell documents the chaos and bloodshed of that moment in history and the voices of those who fought against rising fascism.His experience of the civil war would spark a significant change in his own political views, which readers today will recognise in much of his later literary work; a rage against the threat of totalitarianism and control.

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Book SynopsisWinchester Lever-Action repeating rifles are an integral part of the folklore of the American West. Introduced shortly after the American Civil War, the very first Winchester, the M1866, would go on to see military service as far afield as Bulgaria, but it was in the hands of civilians that it would become known as ''The gun that won the west.'' Offering a lethal combination of portability, ruggedness and ammunition interchangeability with pistol sidearms, the Winchesters and their innovative and elegant breech-loading system represented a revolutionary design. They were used by a staggering variety of military and civilian groups - gold-miners, trappers, hunters, farmers, lawmen, professional gunmen and Native Americans. It equipped a whole generation of settlers and as such left an imprint on American culture that continues to resonate today. This book explores the Winchesters'' unique place in the history of firearms, revealing the technical secrets of their success with a full arraTable of ContentsIntroduction / Development: “The ability to shoot repeatedly” / Use: North, South – and West / Impact: The Winchester’s place in history / Conclusion / Select bibliography / Index

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Book SynopsisMeet the dogs who searched for life amongst the ruins of the Twin Towers.Many heroes were made on 9/11 and in the weeks that followed. Not all of them showed human courage. Some of them could only show that they were truly man's best friend. German Shepherds, Labradors and Spaniels accounted for the majority of the four-legged heroes.Over three hundred search and rescue dogs worked the pile at Ground Zero and the crash site at the Pentagon. For hours they searched, fighting off exhaustion with sheer determination and they continued every day long after the hope of finding survivors had passed.There were faithful Guide dogs who helped their sightless owners out of the Twin Towers and led them to safety showed unstinting devotion in the face of adversity. And later, therapy dogs arrived to bring comfort to the bereaved and confused. At every stage of the operation, dogs were there helping humankind in various roles. And invaluably, they provided comfort and reassurance and lifted spirits

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Book SynopsisOn Wings of Eagles is the thrilling novel based on the incredible real-life rescue of two Americans by a Green Beret colonel and a group of corporate executives from revolutionary Iran, from number one bestseller Ken Follett.A Terrifying PrisonAs Iran descends into revolution, two Americans get caught up in the upheaval. They are captured and held in a heavily guarded fortress. Their situation is desperate, with the US government refusing to get them out. But all hope is not lost . . .A Daring RescueThis is the fictionalised real-life story of a Green Beret colonel, who came out of retirement to lead a secret raid; the computer executives, shaped into a crack commando team; and the Texas industrialist, Ross Perot, who would not abandon two Americans in an Iranian jail.A Dangerous EscapeBreaking the prisoners out is only the beginning of the mission. In order to get to the safety of the Turkish border, they must m

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Book SynopsisAlready winning acclaim as one of the best accounts of combat ever written, Black Hawk Down is a minute-by-minute, heart-stopping account of the 1993 raid on Mogadishu, Somalia. Late in the afternoon of Sunday, October 3 1993, 140 elite US Soldiers abseiled from helicopters into a teeming market neighbourhood in the heart of the city. Their mission was to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take them about an hour.Instead, they were pinned down through a long and terrible night in a hostile city, fighting for their lives against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. Two of their high-tech helicopters were shot out of the sky. When the unit was rescued the following morning, eighteen American soldiers were dead and more than seventy badly injured. The Somali toll was far worse - more than five hundred killed and over a thousand injured.Authoritative, gripping, and insightful, Black Hawk Down is destined to become a classTrade Review'Rip-roaring stuff, with one of the most gruesome battlefield wound treatments ever committed to paper' * Maxim *A thrilling and visceral no-holds-barred classic of modern war'One of the most electrifying, immediate and detailed accounts of a single battle ever told...the whole 24-hour nightmare seems like it's happening to you' * Later *

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Book SynopsisThis is the remarkable story of Donald Caskie, minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris at the time of the German invasion of France in 1940. Although he had several opportunities to flee, Caskie stayed behind to help establish a network of safe houses and escape routes for Allied soldiers and airmen trapped in occupied territory. This was dangerous work, and despite the constant threat of capture and execution, Caskie showed enormous resourcefulness and courage as he aided thousands of servicemen to freedom. Finally arrested and interrogated, he was sentenced to death at a Nazi show-trial, and it was only through the intervention of a German pastor that he was saved. After the war, Caskie returned to the Scots Kirk, where he served as minister until 1960. This inspiring story of selfless commitment to others in the face of extreme adversity is the legacy of a truly brave man.Trade Review'More thrilling than any adventure story' - The Scotsman

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times bestseller, powerful, highly-charged and moving, No Way Out is Adam Jowett’s tribute to the men of Easy Company who paid a heavy price for serving their country in Afghanistan.'Fiercely immersive. Truly heroic.' – Tom Marcus, bestselling author of Soldier Spy.______________In Helmand province in July 2006, Major Adam Jowett was given command of Easy Company, a hastily assembled and under-strength unit of Paras and Royal Irish rangers. Their mission was to hold the District Centre of Musa Qala at any cost. Easy Company found themselves in a ramshackle compound, cut off and heavily outnumbered by the Taliban in the town.In No Way Out, Adam evokes the heat and chaos of battle as the Taliban hit Easy Company with wave after wave of brutal attack. He describes what it was like to have responsibility for the lives of his men as they fought back heroically over twenty-one days and nights of relentless, nerve-shredding combat. Finally, as they came down to their last rounds and death stared Easy Company in the face, the siege took an extraordinary turn . . ._____________'Vivid and brilliantly written: a pulsating account of the battle for Musa Qala, the Rorke's Drift of our times.’ – Martin Bell, OBE, war reporter.'A superb account of the chaos and brutality of conflict' – Levison WoodTrade ReviewFerociously immersive. Truly heroic. The action is relentless and claustrophobic as, surrounded by death, Easy Company fought for each other. I challenge you to read a more brutally honest account of brotherhood, survival and belonging. -- Tom Marcus, bestselling author of Soldier SpyA brilliant first hand account of men and war that crackles with action and brims with humanity -- Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of 3 Para, Fighter Boys, Bomber Boys, Air Force BlueSoldierly, vivid and brilliantly written: a pulsating account of the battle for Musa Qala, the Rorke's Drift of our times. * Martin Bell, OBE, war reporter *A superb account of the chaos and brutality of conflict which conveys the highs and lows of life on the front line with vivid accuracy. It us ultimately a fascinating story of modern soldiering and the bravery of Easy Company fighting a battle far from home. * Levison Wood *A truly extraordinary story of courage and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds . . . Brilliantly written and with a clear pride in the tenacity and grit of the nineteen-year-olds under his command who performed so bravely, Jowett's book belongs on the shelves of anyone interested in modern conflict and the experience of soldiering. -- Barney Campbell, author of RainA gritty, heart-pounding account of combat and courage that brings the siege of Musa Qala to life, from the 'crump' of mortar fire to the exhaustion and dogged determination of Easy Company as they fought on alone. -- Dan Jarvis MP

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating millitary history tells the intriguing tale of the bitter and attritional Winter War between the USSR and Finland in the midst of World War II.On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tracts of territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by the Finnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giant Soviet military machine.But this forgotten war, fought under brutal, sub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one of the most astonishing in military history. Using guerrilla fighters on skis, even reindeer to haul supplies on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of one of the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bay but won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts.Its surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", when starving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resist the cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and were ambushed as they stopped to sup.Although by sheer attritional weight of numbers Stalin eventually prevailed over the Finns, their pointed resistance enabled their country to remain free, even as other countries fell one by one.This book gives a telling insight into the military history of Russia, as once again Russian troops march on foreign soil, and a nation at Russia's borders fights to retain its independence.

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Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War in this 'riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult' (Los Angeles Times).

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThe second bestselling book from ''the most joyous and brain-enhancing podcast out there'' (The Times) - also including puzzles and a quiz!Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook bring you an alphabetical miscellany, taking on some of history's best and most bizarre moments. Charge forth against the traitors of the American Revolution, journey through Baghdad to discover the origins of the Arabian Nights and head to Sicily to witness the first face-off between Carthage and Rome. Along the way you''ll find the answers to questions like: - Was Henry V''s great-grandfather, Edward III, the biggest lad in British history?- Which Mitford sister tried to seduce her girlish crush, Adolf Hitler? - Who are history''s top 10 monkeys?- Why did the Romans inspire so much American science fiction?Dust off your tricorne hat, grab your lasso and get ready for a rollicking rollercoaster ride through the past . . . All history podcasts have to be measured against The Rest is History. To listen to anyone else attempt to tell historical stories in audio form is to realise just how good Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland are' James Marriott, The TimesHolland and Sandbrook have reached a peak of listenability at which you'd happily hear them chortle through a history of paperclips or phonebooks' Jasper Rees, TelegraphA global sensation . . . Dives into the past with raucous good cheer' Wall Street Journal

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Book SynopsisThe second part of the bestselling novelist's autobiography about his time in the Gurkhas during the second world war

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Book Synopsis''If you want to know what is was like to go to Vietnam as a young American... and find yourself caught in ferocious, remorseless combat with an enemy as courageous and idealistic as you were, then you must read this book. Moore and Galloway have captured the terror and exhilaration, the comradeship and self-sacrifice, the brutality and compassion that are the dark heart of war'' THE TIMESTHE MUST READ CLASSIC OF THE VIETNAM WARIn November 1965, 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt.Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered - how they sacrificed themTrade ReviewBetween experiencing combat and reading about it lies a vast chasm. This book makes you almost smell it * Wall Street Journal *A stunning achievement... I read it and thought of The Red Badge of Courage, the highest compliment I can think of -- David HalberstamThe best account of infantry combat I have ever read, and the most significant book to come out of the Vietnam War -- Colonel David HackworthThere are stories here that freeze the blood... The men who fought at Ia Drang could have no finer memorial * The New York Times Book Review *If you want to know what is was like to go to Vietnam as a young American... and find yourself caught in ferocious, remorseless combat with an enemy as courageous and idealistic as you were, then you must read this book. Moore and Galloway have captured the terror and exhilaration, the comradeship and self-sacrifice, the brutality and compassion that are the dark heart of war * The Times *

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Book SynopsisA magisterial history of the greatest and most terrible event in history, from one of the finest historians of the Second World War. A book which shows the impact of war upon hundreds of millions of people around the world- soldiers, sailors and airmen; housewives, farm workers and children..Reflecting Max Hastings's thirty-five years of research on World War II, All Hell Let Loose describes the course of events, but focuses chiefly upon human experience, which varied immensely from campaign to campaign, continent to continent.The author emphasises the Russian front, where more than 90% of all German soldiers who perished met their fate. He argues that, while Hitler's army often fought its battles brilliantly well, the Nazis conducted their war effort with stunning incompetence'. He suggests that the Royal Navy and US Navy were their countries' outstanding fighting services, while the industrial contribution of the United States was much more important to allied victory than that of thTrade Review“This is the book he was born to write: a work of staggering scope and erudition, narrated with supreme fluency and insight, it is unquestionably the best single-volume history of the war ever written….. he writes with a wonderfully clear, unsentimental eye……and has a terrific grasp of the grand sweep and military strategy……But what makes his book a compelling read are the human stories……at the end of this gruesome, chilling but quite magnificent book, you never doubt that the war was worth fighting”. Sunday Times “No other general history of the war amalgamates so successfully the gut-wrenching personal details and the essential strategic arguments. Melding the worm’s eye view and the big picture is a difficult trick to pull of – but Hastings has triumphed”. The Times “majestic…it is impossible to emerge without a sense of the sheer scale of human tragedy…..To gather all these anecdotes together is a task in itself, but to assemble them in a way that makes sense is something entirely different….Hastings shapes all these stories, almost miraculously, into a single coherent narrative”. Daily Telegraph “In this massive work, the crowning volume of the 10 impressive books he has written about the Second World War, Sir Max Hastings spares us nothing in portraying the sheer bloody savagery of the worst war that the world has yet seen….this magnificent book….is hypnotically readable from the first page to the last”. Sunday Telegraph “A fast-moving, highly readable survey of the entire war…Hastings combines a mastery of the military events with invariably sound judgment and a sharp eye for unusual telling detail….this is military history at its most gripping. Of all Max Hastings’s valuable books, this is possibly his best – a veritable tour de force”. Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisInspired by the incredible true story of the most decorated servicewoman of the second world war. Nancy Wake was an Australian girl who, aged, 16 ran away from her abusive mother to the other side of the world.Nancy Wake was a wife who, when her husband was snatched by the Gestapo, fought to be trained by SOE and returned to France to take her revenge.Nancy Wake was a soldier who led a battalion of 7,000 French Resistance fighters who called her Field Marshall. Who had a 5-million Franc bounty on her head. Who killed a Nazi with her bare hands. Who defeated 22,000 Germans with the loss of only 100 men. Who sold her medals because, I''ll probably go to hell and they''d melt anyway.Discover the roots of her legend in a thriller about one woman''s incredible quest to turn the tide of the war, save the man she loves and take revenge on those who have wronged her.Trade ReviewHer extraordinary story has been told before, but Kealey uses the freedom of fiction to breathe new life into it . . . exciting and well-written * The Times *What a story, and Imogen Kealey tells it brilliantly. This is more than a heart-stopping and exciting adventure thriller: Nancy Wake is a heroine for our times, as well as for hers. The most extraordinary thing of all is that in its essentials, the story is true. * Andrew Taylor *A fresh, original, breathless thriller. Nancy Wake may be drawn from history but she is a heroine for our times * Erin Kelly *Big on high stakes action . . . exciting * Daily Mail *Imogen Kealey has written a proper page-turning thriller, remarkably based on the true story of one of the Second World War's truly great heroines. * Ben Fergusson *The White Mouse is a Resistance heroine of legendary courage, daring and cleverness. Imogen Kealey conjures her rebellious, passionate character with conviction, insight and gritty detail. * Amanda Craig *I absolutely raced through this, based on the incredible Nancy Wake, a real-life superhero. An astonishing, heart-thudding and unforgettable story, brilliantly told. * Jill Mansell *A bold, blazing account of an astonishing woman in an extraordinary time, by a master storyteller. Vivid, harrowing, engaging, but above all compelling. A rare treat. * Robyn Young *Brims with heart-pounding tension * Sunday Mirror *A thrilling debut . . . featuring plenty of espionage and a memorable female lead, this is a cinematic treat for fans of wartime adventure novels * Publishers Weekly *A blistering, gripping, and absolutely fascinating novel. Set aside plenty of quality time as I was consumed, and read it all in one heady, breathtaking go. * Love Reading *

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Book SynopsisThis is the incredible true story of the unbreakable bond forged between Treo, the world's most highly decorated dog, and his handler Sgt. Dave HeyhoeWhen Dave Heyhoe was sent to Afghanistan to help detect the Taliban's murderous roadside bombs, he knew he'd need a special dog by his side. Luckily for him, his closest pal Treo, a staggeringly brave ball of energy and mischief was with him every step of the way. The two friends had a miraculous understanding that helped them save countless lives but, as they embarked on a roller-coaster emotional ride, Dave realized he needed Treo more than he could ever have imagined. Tear-jerkingly sad one moment, laugh-out-loud hilarious the next, It's All About Treo is a moving and uplifting story that will melt the hearts of animal lovers everywhere.

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Book SynopsisWanted: Volunteers for Project Delta. Will guarantee you a medal. A body bag. Or both. When the author issued this call to arms in Vietnam in 1965, he revolutionized American armed combat. This title tells the story of what would eventually come to be known as Delta Force.Trade Review"Delta Force, considered the equivalent of SEAL Team 6, are far more tight-lipped than the SEALs." -- New York Times "Delta Force is arguably the most effective fighting unit in the world." -- Washington Post "Absolutely compelling...nations without men like this simply don't survive." -- The Wall Street Journal "The Army's most elite commando unit." -- Los Angeles Times "A page turner. ... Hard to put down. ... One of those rare books that military people will annotate and underline and hesitate ever to lend out. ... Beckwith's candor is extraordinary." -- Armed Forces Journal

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of Agent Zigzag' comes a breathtaking biography of WWII's Scarlet Pimpernel' as fast-paced and emotionally intuitive as the best spy thrillers. This celebrates unsung hero Robert de La Rochefoucauld, an aristocrat turned anti-Nazi saboteur, and his exploits as a British Special Operations Executive-trained resistantWhen the Nazis invaded France during the Second World War and imprisoned his father, Robert de La Rochefoucauld a scion of one of the oldest aristocratic families in France escaped to England and trained in the dark arts of anarchy and combat. Under the guidance of SOE spies, he learned to crack safes, plant bombs and kill enemies with his bare hands.Then, back in France, he organised Resistance cells, killed Nazi officers and interfered with German missions. He survived unbearable torture and escaped Nazi confinement on not one but two occasions, to live well into his eighties. The adventures of de La Rochefoucauld offer rare insight into a unique moment Trade Review‘Kix has produced a narrative that is both chilling and powerful … This is first-class adventure writing, which, coupled with a true-life narrative of danger and intrigue, adds up to all-night reading’ New York Times ‘’The Saboteur’ is completely engrossing and elegantly told, which means any reader of this work will inevitably want more and more’ Washington Post ‘A mesmerizing book that builds up propulsive momentum until its final twists. It was a joy to disappear into this story. Like only the very best historical biographers, Paul Kix has turned years of deep reporting into a tightly coiled narrative that you never want to put down’ Eli Saslow, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President ‘Kix had to do first-class detective work using primary sources to create this riveting story. Fans of World War II history will eagerly read this story, which is almost as exciting as a James Bond novel’ Library Journal ‘Set in motion by a steamed-open letter and a burning hatred of Hitler, a dashing young aristocrat embarks on a campaign of clandestine warfare. The Saboteur sounds like a World War II spy thriller, but in fact it is a rip-roaring true story, wonderfully told’ Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of 13 Hours and Lost in Shangri-La ‘A winner: the stories are fascinating, the pages nearly turn themselves, and La Rochefoucauld is a true hero’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ‘Kix’s sharp, well-paced writing is perfect for telling La Rochefoucauld’s story. But this is more than a gripping yarn of daring-do. La Rochefoucauld was a complex character, and Kix’s portrait is nuanced and moving… [posing] the big questions: What is duty? What is courage? What is loyalty?’ BookPage

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Book SynopsisIn one of the world's most intractable and under-reported rebellions, the Naxalites have been engaged in a decades-long battle with the Indian state. Presented in the media as a deadly terrorist group, the movement is made up of Marxist ideologues and lower-caste and tribal combatants who seek to overthrow a system that has abused them. In 2010, anthropologist Alpa Shah embarked on a seven-night trek with some of these communist guerrillas, walking 250 kilometres through the dense, hilly forests of eastern India. Speaking to leaders and living for years with villagers in guerrilla strongholds, Shah seeks to understand how and why some of India's poor have shunned the world's largest democracy and taken up arms to fight for a fairer society--and asks whether they might be undermining their own aims. Nightmarch is a compelling reflection on dispossession and conflict at the heart of contemporary India. SHORT-LISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING, 2019 SHORT-LISTED FOR THE NEW INDIA FOUNDATION BOOK PRIZE, 2019 WINNER OF THE 2020 ASSOCIATION FOR POLITICAL AND LEGAL ANTHROPOLOGY BOOK PRIZE A 2018 New Statesman Book of the YearTrade Review‘One of the most nuanced, informed accounts yet of this strange and awful conflict . . . one of the few accounts we possess that gives [the Naxalites] a voice.’'I’ve enormously enjoyed and admired Alpa Shah’s careful, rich, sympathetic account of the Maoist insurgency in India . . . a brave and necessary work'.'This remarkable account offers unprecedented insight into the Naxalite movement .... skilfully sketching characters such as Gyanji, the intellectual elder, Kohli, the tribal teenager 'adopted' by the guerrillas, and Vikas, the corrrupt commander ... What emerges is a portrait of India's diminishing democracy, under the yoke of its ultra-Hindu nationalist government.' -- Le Monde Diplomatique'Powerful, emotional and painstakingly detailed analysis . . . a rare insight. . . the book is engrossing and its characters will haunt you.' * The Hindu *'A subtle and moving portrait . . . Shah combines powerful first-hand description – as gripping as any novel – with analysis which understands the rebel’s motivations and backgrounds without ever falling into simplistic political binaries.’‘Powerful, reflective and deeply engaged scholarship . . . rarely does a work of social science transport one so fully into the lives and worlds of those whose stories are being recounted. Alpa Shah succeeds in doing just that and more by combining ethnographic profundity with almost cinematic vividness . . . the work is a perfect illustration of the unique contribution anthropologists can bring in comprehending the world we live in.’'An astonishing journey. A rare, granular portrait.' -- The Indian Express‘[Alpa Shah] treats the groups she is living with as equal social and political beings … The result is a powerful synthesis, warm but never uncritical, a distillation of her own scholarship and the experiences of her subjects, that immerses the reader in a lifeworld.’ -- New Left Review'A thoughtful and balanced account.' -- La Stampa'Simultaneously a major contribution to scholarship and at the same time written to entice a wider readership to care about the poor and their insurgent politics.' -- Journal of Peasant Studies‘A beautifully crafted and highly engaging narrative that draws the reader into the secretive world of one of today’s forgotten revolutions . . . [an] ethnographically rich and vivid rendering.’'An eloquent and compassionate account of revolutionaries whose voices are rarely heard. Shah skilfully analyses the individual motivations for the Naxalites' radical commitment, their failures, and the deep history of exploitation and neglect that has provoked their struggle for liberation.' -- David Lan, theatre producer and author of 'Guns and Rain'‘[A] vibrant piece of anthropological work . . . written in a way that provides food for thought and, at the same time, moves hearts, this book is an example of the unique contribution anthropologists can bring to understanding the world we live in.’'Shah’s brilliant, careful research and writing is not meant to be an apologia for her subject. It’s quite the opposite. . . . a book that dwells on the electrifyingly complex battle between ideas and experience.''As a committed independent observer and researcher, [Shah's] experience has endowed her with a genuine understanding of the Naxalite revolutionaries.''A story that could not be more important, told with the perfect balance of clear-eyed realism, thoughtful criticism, and deep and abiding love. ... Nightmarch reveals what anthropology can do in the hands of a master willing to take genuine risks in the name of human freedom.' -- David Graeber, author of 'Bullshit Jobs' and 'Debt: The First 5000 Years''One of the most gripping, engaging and accessible books I've encountered on the Naxalites. Shah fearlessly bears witness to the upheavals caused by India's rising inequalities, while also asking many urgent, difficult questions.' -- Meena Kandasamy, author of 'When I Hit You''Compassionate, courageous and uncommonly observant. This is an extraordinary work of rigorous, reflective and deeply engaged scholarship, full of unexpected insights. At the same time, it manages to be haunting, lyrical, occasionally harrowing, even racy--more compelling than some of the best fiction writing.' -- Harsh Mander, human rights worker and author of 'Fatal Accidents of Birth', 'Looking Away' and 'Ash in the Belly''It is hard to imagine a work of social science as a page-turner that you cannot put down. But this intrepid author has produced that rare find: ... a beautifully written and absorbing book that disturbs, moves and educates the reader all at once.' -- Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University‘A brilliant work of social anthropology that feels like watching Pontevecoro’s masterpiece, The Battle of Algiers, seamlessly illuminating the wider conditions that lead to insurgency with moving personal stories of those on the ground.’ -- Steve Chandra Savale, guitarist/composer/producer, Asian Dub Foundation'In this intimate and insightful book, Shah elucidates why Adivasis become Naxalites and are also able to alternate between being Naxalites and not being Naxalites; brings out several contradictions in the Naxalite movement; breaks stereotypes about the Adivasis; discusses issues of class, community, privilege, sexual behaviour, and the status of women; and asks one vital question: Is the Naxalite movement doing good for the Adivasis?' -- Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, author of 'The Adivasi Will Not Dance''Brave, brilliant and beautifully written, Nightmarch is an anthropological tour de force. Shah portrays the Naxalites' revolutionary dedication with love, respect and analytical acumen, while laying bare the tragic contradictions of their armed struggle.' -- Philippe Bourgois, author of 'In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio' and 'Righteous Dopefiend''Nightmarch is outstanding, combining ethnographic depth with almost cinematic vividness. From an extraordinary inside perspective, Shah reveals a complex interplay among the Naxalites of political ideals, cultural values, personal attachments, and the lure of money.' -- Sherry B. Ortner, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, UCLA'Riveting, finely textured, and acutely perceptive, Nightmarch captures both the Naxalite insurgency's contradictions and its human promise against the background of the crippling indignities and exclusions of Indian society. It is a model of what ethnography can offer.' -- James C. Scott, author of 'Against the Grain''Profoundly insightful and compassionate, but also critical. ... An admirable example of serious social science writing, this book exhibits the potential of ethnographic research with a comparative angle -- grounded and accessible, yet still theoretically rich.' -- Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University'Bold and courageous, humane and sensitive, Nightmarch is an excellent illustration of how to take ethnography beyond the confines of the academic world.' -- Virginius Xaxa, author of 'State, Society and Tribes: Issues in Post-Colonial India'‘Woven into a fascinating account of her walk through the Maoist heartland, Shah tells a scorching story of dispossession, displacement, exploitation, intense inequality and state violence in India.’

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestsellerOne of the most dramatic forgotten chapters of the war, as told in a new book by the incomparable Max Hastings' DAILY MAILIn August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to the Axis, because its 300,000 people could no longer be fed. Churchill made a personal decision that at all costs, the island fortress' must be saved. This was not merely a matter of strategy, but of national prestige, when Britain's fortunes and morale had fallen to their lowest ebb.The largest fleet the Royal Navy committed to any operation of the western war was assembled to escort fourteen fast merchantmen across a thousand of miles of sea defended by six hundred German and Italian aircraft, together with packs of U-boats and torpedo craft. The Mediterranean battles that ensued between 11 and 15 August were the most brutal of Britain's war at sea, embracing four aircraft-carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, scores of destroyers and smaller craft. The losses were aTrade Review The #1 Times bestseller and #3 Sunday Times bestseller (May 2021) ‘Over this past year of pandemic, we’ve lost so much. People have died, great institutions have gone under, life itself seems permanently altered. Yet one certainty remains: Max Hastings still churns out military histories, and they continue to be outstanding. This book like all the others … is a cracker. With his usual combination of sensitivity to human suffering and superb dramatic instinct, Hastings has given us a gripping tale …The immediacy of this book obliterates the cold detachment that time’s passage usually allows … We feel in our bones torpedoes hitting home … the four-day ordeal British sailors endured … is a drama superbly told …The delight lies in the detail, the percussive power of tiny facts …is what makes Hastings such a superb storyteller’The Times ‘Superb … as ever Hastings gives excellent pen portraits of the personalities involved … Hastings has written many wonderful books … but few combine so well his unique gifts as a historian: an understanding of human nature, a nose for a telling quotation, and the ability to write gripping prose’Sunday Telegraph ‘The white-knuckle ride of Hastings’s gripping narrative … is a high-octane adventure served up with torpedoes, Stuka dive bombers and catastrophic U-boat attacks … heart-stirring …memorable … and highly readable’Sunday Times ‘One of the most dramatic forgotten chapters of the war, as told in a new book by the incomparable Max Hastings’Daily Mail ‘Veteran military historian Hastings’ first full-length narrative of war at sea measures up to his usual high standards … Vividly chronicling the sinking of the aircraft carrier Eagle, Hastings initiates 250 pages of gripping fireworks and insights … Another enthralling Hastings must-read’Kirkus, starred review

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Book SynopsisForgotten Island is the story of Navy radioman George Tweed, who was trapped on Japanese-occupied Guam during World War II, and the American liberation of the island.The opening days of World War II in the Pacific found the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands to be an isolated American possession that was nearly surrounded by Japanese territory. The island came under immediate attack with the start of hostilities. The small garrison of marines, navy personnel, and Guamanians surrendered to Japanese invaders after offering only token resistance. However, not all of the American servicemen capitulated. Navy radioman George Ray Tweed was one of six sailors who disappeared into the thick interior jungle. The Japanese occupiers quickly solidified control over the island and began a ruthless search for the missing sailors. Five of the Americans were eventually found and mercilessly killed. The sole survivor, Tweed spent the next thirty-one months on the run

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Book SynopsisSecond Lieutenant Wilfred Owen was twenty-four years old when he was admitted to the newly established Craiglockhart War Hospital for treatment of shell shock. A nascent poet, trying to make sense of the terror he had witnessed, he read a collection of poems from a fellow officer, Siegfried Sassoon, and was impressed by his portrayal of the soldier’s plight. One month later, Sassoon himself arrived at Craiglockhart, having refused to return to the front after being wounded during battle.Over their months at Craiglockhart, each encouraged the other in their work, their personal reckonings with the morality of war, and their treatment. Therapy provided Owen, Sassoon, and their wardmates with insights that allowed them to express themselves better, and for the 28 months that Craiglockhart was in operation, it notably incubated the era’s most significant developments in both psychiatry and poetry.Soldiers Don’t Go Mad tells for the first time the story of the soldiers and doctors who struggled with the effects of industrial warfare on the psyche. As he investigates the roots of what we now know as PTSD, Glass brings historical bearing to how we must consider war’s ravaging effects on mental health, and the ways in which creative work helps us come to terms with even the darkest of times.Trade Review'A marvellous and very moving book' - Allan Massie, The Scotsman

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Book SynopsisIn 1945, as Allied bombers continued their final pounding of Berlin, the panicking Nazis began moving the assets of the Reichsbank south for safekeeping. Vast trainloads of gold and currency were evacuated from the doomed capital of Hitler's 'Thousand-year Reich'. Nazi Gold is the real-life story of the theft of that fabulous treasure - worth some 2,500,000,000 at the time of the original investigation. It is also the story of a mystery and attempted whitewash in an American scandal that pre-dated Watergate by nearly 30 years. Investigators were impeded at every step as they struggled to uncover the truth and were left fearing for their lives. The authors' quest led them to a murky, dangerous post-war world of racketeering, corruption and gang warfare. Their brilliant reporting, matching eyewitness testimony with declassified Top Secret documents from the US Archives, lays bare this monumental crime in a narrative which throngs with SS desperadoes, a red-headed queen of crime and American military governors living like Kings. Also revealed is the authors' discovery of some of the missing treasure in the Bank of England.Trade ReviewReads like the sleazy world described in Graham Greene's Third Man with several noughts added to the transactions * Daily Express *A major feat of detection . . . a remarkable story . . . the murky post-war world of racketeering and corruption . . . it is all here . . . they have solved the mystery as far as anyone could solve it * Birmingham Post *A riveting thriller-style account of what happened to the Nazi gold hoard * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisAusterlitz is W. G. Sebald''s haunting novel of post-war Europe.In 1939, five-year-old Jacques Austerlitz is sent to England on a Kindertransport and placed with foster parents. This childless couple promptly erase from the boy all knowledge of his identity and he grows up ignorant of his past. Later in life, after a career as an architectural historian, Austerlitz - having avoided all clues that might point to his origin - finds the past returning to haunt him and he is forced to explore what happened fifty years before. Austerlitz is W.G. Sebald''s melancholic masterpiece.''Mesmeric, haunting and heartbreakingly tragic. Simply no other writer is writing or thinking on the same level as Sebald'' Eileen Battersby, Irish Times''Greatness in literature is still possible'' John Banville, Irish Times, Books of the Year''A work of obvious genius'' Literary Review''A fusion of the mystical and the solid ... His art is a form of justice - there can be, I think, no higher aim'' Evening Standard''Spellbindingly accomplished; a work of art'' The Times Literary Supplement ''I have never read a book that provides such a powerful account of the devastation wrought by the dispersal of the Jews from Prague and their treatment by the Nazis'' Observer''A great book by a great writer'' Boyd Tonkin, IndependentW . G. Sebald was born in Wertach im Allgäu, Germany, in 1944 and died in December 2001. He studied German language and literature in Freiburg, Switzerland and Manchester. In 1996 he took up a position as an assistant lecturer at the University of Manchester and settled permanently in England in 1970. He was Professor of European Literature at the University of East Anglia and is the author of The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn, Vertigo, Austerlitz, After Nature, On the Natural History of Destruction, Campo Santo, Unrecounted, A Place in the Country. His selected poetry is published in a volume called Across the Land and the Water.Trade ReviewA work of obvious genius and an extraordinary writer way above most of his contemporaries * Literary Review *Anyone with a serious interest in fiction should read Sebald -- John Lanchester * Daily Telegraph *His tale of one man's odyssey through the dark ages of European history is one of the most moving and true fictions on the postwar world. Sebald is the Joyce of the 21st century * The Times *W.G. Sebald, the greatest writer of our time -- Peter Carey

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Book Synopsis‘One of our very best writers on France.’ Antony Beevor After publishing an acclaimed biography of Jean Moulin, leader of the French Resistance, Patrick Marnham received an anonymous letter from a person who claimed to have worked for British Intelligence during the war. The ex-spy praised his book but insisted that he had missed the real ‘treasure’. The letter drew Marnham back to the early 1960s when he had been taught French by a mercurial woman - a former Resistance leader, whose SOE network was broken on the same day that Moulin was captured and who endured eighteen months in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Could these two events have been connected? His anonymous correspondent offered a tantalising set of clues that seemed to implicate Churchill and British Intelligence in the catastrophe. Drawing on a deep knowledge of France and original research in British and French archives, War in the Shadows exposes the ruthless dTrade Review‘War in the Shadows is a melange of Le Grand Meaulnes and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. It is unforgettable.’ * TLS, BOOKS OF THE YEAR *‘A masterly analysis, impeccably presented.’ * Spectator *‘It is beautifully written, minutely observed… full of underhand trickery… in every sense of the word an intriguing book.’ -- Roger Boyes, The Times‘Fascinating… Marnham has a vast and scholarly knowledge of this often treacherous world… [and] has painted a vivid picture of a number of idealistic and trusting men and women caught up in a game of subterfuge, rivalry and politics that remains impervious to full exposure, even now.’ * Literary Review *‘Combining history and personal memoir it has all the intrigue, duplicity and betrayal of a Le Carré or Deighton thriller.’ -- Herald‘Patrick Marnham is one of our very best writers on France.’ -- Antony Beevor‘A brilliant and revelatory work of modern historical investigation, throwing new light on the French Resistance and the complex world of secret intelligence. Written with remarkable insight, understanding and empathy – a triumph.’ -- William Boyd‘An incredible story brilliantly told. Marnham has created an utterly gripping story of wartime espionage, deception, double-crossing and terrible betrayal that drew me in from the outset. A stunning work of investigation, research and scholarship. I honestly think this is the best book I have ever read about the SOE in France.’ -- James Holland

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Book SynopsisRobert Kee's vivid account of his years in a German prisoner-of-war camp - and his flight across Europe when he escaped. A classic survival storyTrade ReviewArguably the best POW book ever written * THE TIMES *A wonderfully impartial, unjudging account of the way feelings and imagination are shrunk and benumbed in a cramped and crowded world * LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS *Certain pages of this book, especially those about being questioned while on the run, still make my blood run cold . . . Dozens of accurate and perceptive images stop one in one's tracks * OBSERVER *His depiction of frightened, desperate men grappling for hope is touching and thought-provokling * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *Robert Kee went on to have a distinguished career as a writer and in television, but this marvellous memoir may well be his finest acheivement. * OLDIE *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Korda clearly has command of his subject...[Clouds of Glory] is well-considered and amply documented. Military buffs will find much to feast on." -- Christian Science Monitor "Masterful...Korda delivers the goods." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Superbly engaging." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Monumental." -- BookPage "Lively, approachable, and captivating...Llike Lee himself, everything about Clouds of Glory is on a grand scale." -- Boston Globe

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Book SynopsisThe true story of the greatest battle of World War II and the basis of the film of the same name, directed by Richard Attenborough. The true story of the greatest battle of World War II and the basis of the 1977 film of the same name, directed by Richard Attenborough.Trade Review'The most brilliant reporter now alive' * Malcolm Muggeridge, 1973 *'I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage.' * General James A Gavin *

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Book SynopsisThe first-person account of a 26-year-old who fought in the war in Sierra Leone as a 12-year-old boy.My new friends have begun to suspect that I haven''t told them the full story of my life.Why did you leave Sierra Leone?Because there is a war.You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?Yes, all the time.Cool.I smile a little.You should tell us about it sometime.Yes, sometime.'This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. There are more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide and it is estimated there are some 300,000 child soldiers fighting. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived. Ishmael Beah, now twenty-fivTrade Review'A corrosive, eloquent and illuminating account of a child soldier's life, and it makes you look at the news with a fresh eye. What he has done is to make his situation imaginable for us, and stop us from simply turning away in horror. That is the best gift he could give the world.' Hilary Mantel ‘Gives the war a painfully human dimension and reminds us of its pointlessness…If the pathos of this book helps to persuade the puppeteers of the estimated 300,000 child soldiers fighting today to put down their guns, then Beah will have done more than all those A47s ever have.' The Times ‘A lucid, pensive, beautifully written account of a madness that he has the bravery to revisit head–on.’ TLS ‘Few of those boy soldiers have told their story as eloquently as Ishmael Beah.’ Sunday Telegraph 'The arming of children is one of the greatest evils of the modern world, and yet we know so little about it because the children themselves are swallowed up by the very wars they are forced to wage. Ishmael Beah has not only emerged intact from this chaos, he has become one of its most eloquent chroniclers. “A Long Way Gone” is one of the most important war stories of our generation. We ignore its message at our peril.' Sebastian Junger 'A ferocious and desolate account of how ordinary children were turned into professional killers.' The Guardian 'Beah makes no excuses for his actions and is entirely lacking in self pity, but the honesty of his memoir reveals the full horror of a war in which the brutalisation of children was commonplace…Beah is a living testament to the endurance of the human spirit.' Sunday Times ‘Ishmael Beah has achieved the seemingly impossible task of helping us to imagine the reality behind the statistics by empathising with just one of the many thousands of children who are soldiers around the world – a remarkable book.’ The Guardian

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE 2012. This is the gripping story of the men of the Welsh Guards and their bloody battle for survival in Afghanistan in 2009. Underequipped and overstretched, they found themselves in the most intense fighting the British had experienced in a generation. They were led into battle by Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, a passionate believer in the justness of the war who was deeply dismayed by the way it was being resourced and conducted. Thorneloe was killed by an IED during Operation Panther's Claw, the biggest operation mounted by the British in Helmand. Dead Men Risen draws on secret documents written by Thorneloe, which raise questions from beyond the grave that will unnerve politicians and generals alike. The Welsh Guards also lost Major Sean Birchall, commanding officer of IX Company, and Lieutenant Mark Evison, a platoon commander whose candid personal diary was unnervingly prophetic. Not since the Second World War had a single British battalion lost officers at the three key levels of leadership. Harnden transports the reader into the heart of a conflict in which a soldier has to be prepared to kill and die, to ward off paralysing fear and watch comrades perish in agony. Given unprecedented access to the Welsh Guards, Harnden conducted hundreds of interviews in Afghanistan, England and Wales. He weaves the experiences of the guardsmen and the loved ones they left behind into a seamless and unsparing narrative that sits alongside a piercing analysis of the political and military strategy. No other book about modern warfare succeeds on so many levels.Trade Review'Dead Men Risen dilutes the saccarine perception of soldiering and replaces it with the gritty and gruesome reality of war' Patrick Hennessey, author of The Junior Officer's Book Club. * Patrick Hennessey *'Desperately moving ... Dead Men Risen is a serious work, far removed from the blood-and-thrills of the Bravo Two Zero school of military literary campaigning. Such books may grip but they do not engage. Harnden's does both' Spectator. * Spectator *'So vividly rendered that one can almost smell the sweat, the cordite and the acrid scent of fear' Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *'The best book so far on Britain's military adventure in Afghanistan ... Dead Men Risen will stand as a true, unsparing record of what happened there' Patrick Bishop, author of 3 PARA. * Patrick Bishop *Table of ContentsMaps. Order of Battle. Author's Note. Prologue. Cymru Am Byth. Green Zone. Whitehall Warrior. Fighting Season. The Afghan Factor. Barma Inshallah. Flashman's Fort. Life is Fragile. Mystery Junction. Low Metal Content. Heaven in Helmand. Big Hand, Small Map. On the Canal. Top Cover. Regret to Inform. Men of Harlech. Battle Shock. One Shot, Two Kills. Dragon Punch. Time and the Clock. Epilogue. List of Key Personnel. Chronology. Glossary. Notes. Bibliography. Acknowledgements. List of Maps. Picture Credits. Index.

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Book SynopsisA gripping history of the SAS in World War II, supported by a collection of rare images from the SAS Regimental Association.The SAS are among the best-trained and most effective Special Forces units in existence. This book is the incredible story of their origins, told in their own words. During the summer of 1941, a young Scots Guard officer called David Stirling persuaded MEHQ to give its backing to a small band of 60 men christened ''L Detachment''.With a wealth of stunning photographs, many from the SAS Regimental Association, the book captures the danger and excitement of the initial SAS raids against Axis airfields during the Desert War, the battles in Italy and those following the D-Day landings, as well as the dramatic final push into Germany itself and the discovery of such Nazi horrors as Belsen. An exhaustive account of an elite organization''s formative years, The SAS in World War II is the fruit of Gavin Mortimer''s expertise and his unprecedented access to tTrade ReviewPraise for the SAS in World War II 'Recounted with breathless pace and very effective use of first-hand testimonies, and supported by a superb collection of photographs and documents, this is a fascinating and hugely enjoyable book. It should prove an important starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about the early years of this legendary regiment.' BBC History MagazineTable of ContentsDedication Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Stirling’s leap of faith Chapter 2: L Detachment takes wings Chapter 3: Stirling’s capture Chapter 4: The SRS in Sicily and Italy Chapter 5: Bill Stirling and the boys of 2SAS Chapter 6: Roy Farran: from Toronoto to Termoli Chapter 7: Back to Blighty Chapter 8: D-Day for 1SAS Chapter 9: 2SAS earn their wings Chapter 10: 2SAS return to Italy Chapter 11: Operation Archway: the drive into Germany Chapter 12: Operation Howard: Paddy Mayne’s last hurrah Chapter 13: Delighted then demobbed Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed for its vivid, poignant, and honest recreation of sixteen brutal months of nearly continuous battle in the deadly Hindu Kesh, Outlaw Platoon is a Band of Brothers or We Were Soldiers Once and Young for the early 21st century—a riveting, action-packed, highly emotional true story of enormous sacrifice and bravery.At twenty-four years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon, the 10th Mountain Division—a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws. Tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a valley in the Hindu Kush, Parnell assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians until, in May 2006, a routine patrol turned into a brutal ambush. Through sixteen months of combat, the platoon became Parnell''s family. The cost of battle was high for these men. Not all of them made it home, but for those who did, it was the love and faith they found in one another that ultimately kept them alive.A magnificent account of heroes, renegades, infidels, and brothers, Outlaw Platoon stands with Sebastian Junger’s War as one of the most important books to yet emerge from the heat, smoke, and fire of America’s War in Afghanistan.Trade Review"The range of emotions that Sean Parnell summons in Outlaw Platoon [is] stunning. A nuanced, compelling memoir ... Parnell shows he's a gifted, brave storyteller." -- Pittsburgh Tribune "Outlaw Platoon put me back on the battlefield again. It's a heartfelt story that shows how very different people can be thrown together in combat and find a way to make it work. Parnell and the soldiers who fought beside him are all courageous heroes-real bad asses." -- Chris Kyle, author of American Sniper "Two of the most intense tales of courage under fire I own are Black Hawk Down and Lone Survivor. I now have a third, Outlaw Platoon. It's an absolutely gripping, edge-of-your-seat ride." -- Brad Thor, author of Full Black "Outlaw Platoon is an utterly gripping account of what our soldiers endure on the front lines-the frustrations, the fear, the loneliness... Here, in these pages, are the on-the-ground realities of a war we so rarely witness on news broadcasts" -- Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried "Outlaw Platoon is an exceptional look into the mind of a platoon leader in Afghanistan; Captain Parnell shares his experiences of leadership, loss, and aggressive military tactics. You can really feel the bonds forged between these brothers in arms as the battle plays out" -- Marcus Luttrell, author of Lone Survivor "At times, I forgot I was reading about a war as I was drawn up in the drama the same way you [are] when reading Krakauer's Into Thin Air ... This is a book of probing honesty, wrenching drama and courage." -- Doug Stanton, author of Horse Soldiers "[A] soulful story of men at war ... Outlaw Platoon shows us that the love and brotherhood forged in the fires of combat are the most formidable quaities a unit can possess." -- Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire "Outlaw Platoon is expertly told by a man who braved the heat of battle time and time again. An epic story as exacting as it is suspenseful, it reveals the bravery and dedication of our armed service men and women around the world." -- Clive Cussler "This book is more than just a rip-roaring combat narrative: it is a profoundly moving exploration into the nature and evolution of the warrior bond forged in desperate, against-all-odds battles. A significant book, not to be missed." -- Jack Coughlin, author of Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper "Outlaw Platoon is the real deal. It's a terrific tale of combat leadership that deserves to be studied by all small-unit leaders. The narrative goes beyond the battlefield to depict the maddening nature of the war and the grit of those who selflessly protect us." -- Bing West, author of No True Glory "Sean Parnell reaches past the band-of-brothers theme to a place of brutal self-awareness ... [he] never flinches from a fight, nor the hard questions of a messy war." -- Kevin Sites, author of In the Hot Zone: One Man, One Year, Twenty Wars

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable autobiography of the last great wartime icon.Born Vera Welch on 20 March, 1917 in the East End of London, Dame Vera Lynn's career was set from an early age - along with her father, who also did a turn', she sang in Working Men's Clubs from just seven years old. She had a successful radio career with Joe Loss and Charlie Kunz in the 1920s and 30s, but it was with World War II that she became the iconic figure that captured the imagination of the national public.Her spirit and verve, along with her ability to connect with the men fighting for their country and those left behind praying for their loved ones, made her the Forces' sweetheart'. Performing the songs that she will always be associated with, such as We'll Meet Again' and Yours', Vera toured Egypt, India and Burma to entertain the troops and bring them a sense of back home'.Her career after the war flourished, with hits in the US and the UK, but Vera was never able to leave behind her wartime role and was deeply a

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