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Homesick: Why I Live in a Shed
by Catrina DaviesThe story of a personal housing crisis that led to a discovery of the true value of home.*'You will marvel at the beauty of this book, and rage at the injustice it reveals' George Monbiot**'Incredibly moving. To find peace and a sense of home after a life so profoundly affected by the housing crisis, is truly inspirational' Raynor Winn, bestselling author of The Salt Path*Aged thirty-one, Catrina Davies was renting a box-room in a house in Bristol, which she shared with four other adults and a child. Working several jobs and never knowing if she could make the rent, she felt like she was breaking apart. Homesick for the landscape of her childhood, in the far west of Cornwall, Catrina decides to give up the box-room and face her demons. As a child, she saw her family and their security torn apart; now, she resolves to make a tiny, dilapidated shed a home of her own.With the freedom to write, surf and make music, Catrina rebuilds the shed and, piece by piece, her own sense of self. On the border of civilisation and wilderness, between the woods and the sea, she discovers the true value of home, while trying to find her place in a fragile natural world.This is the story of a personal housing crisis and a country-wide one, grappling with class, economics, mental health and nature. It shows how housing can trap us or set us free, and what it means to feel at home.
Homing: On Pigeons, Dwellings and Why We Return
by Jon Day'Big-hearted and quietly gripping' Guardian'I love Jon Day's writing and his birds. A marvellous, soaring account' Olivia Laing'[A] beautiful book about unbeautiful birds' Observer'This is nature writing at its best' Financial Times'Every page of this beautifully written book brought me pleasure' Charlotte Higgins'A vivid evocation of a remarkable species and a rich working-class tradition. It's also a charming defence of a much-maligned bird, which will make any reader look at our cooing, waddling, junk-food-loving feathered friends very differently in future' Daily Mail'Endlessly interesting and dazzlingly erudite, this wonderful book will make a home for itself in your heart' ProspectAs a boy, Jon Day was fascinated by pigeons, which he used to rescue from the streets of London. Twenty years later he moved away from the city centre to the suburbs to start a family. But in moving house, he began to lose a sense of what it meant to feel at home.Returning to his childhood obsession with the birds, he built a coop in his garden and joined a local pigeon racing club. Over the next few years, as he made a home with his young family in Leyton, he learned to train and race his pigeons, hoping that they might teach him to feel homed.Having lived closely with humans for tens of thousands of years, pigeons have become powerful symbols of peace and domesticity. But they are also much-maligned, and nowadays most people think of these birds, if they do so at all, as vermin.A book about the overlooked beauty of this species, and about what it means to dwell, Homing delves into the curious world of pigeon fancying, explores the scientific mysteries of animal homing, and traces the cultural, political and philosophical meanings of home. It is a book about the making of home and making for home: a book about why we return.
The Honey Bus: A Memoir Of Loss, Courage And A Girl Saved By Bees (Hq Fiction Ebook Ser.)
by Meredith MayThe Honey Bus: A Girl Raised by Bees is a memoir about a girl’s journey into the heart of a beehive to find herself.
Hooligan
by Paddy Holohan Richard BarrettWhen Paddy Holohan discovered mixed martial arts as a teenager, it was the first time his life settled into something approaching focus.Far removed from the chaos of the outside world, every bout reduced that maze of hardship to one simple proposition: survive – a task made all the more unlikely given Paddy’s rare form of haemophilia, which he kept secret from the MMA world for years.For the duration of his career, he was never more than one misplaced strike away from the end. Why enter the Octagon knowing you might never leave?For Holohan, it would take a journey to the summit of his sport, and a high-profile fall from grace, to unravel the answer to that question and, with it, finally find some measure of redemption.This is his story.
Hope and History: A Memoir of Tumultuous Times
by William J. vanden HeuvelHope and History is both a memoir and a call-to-action for the renewal of faith in democracy and America. US Ambassador William J. vanden Heuvel presents his most important public speeches and writings, compiled and presented over eight decades of adventure and public service, woven together with anecdotes of his colorful life as a second-generation American, a soldier, a lawyer, a political activist, and a diplomat. He touches upon themes that resonate as much today as they did when he first encountered them: the impact of heroes and mentors; the tragedy of the Vietnam War; the problems of racism and desegregation in America; tackling the crisis in America's prisons; America and the Holocaust; and the plight and promise of the United Nations. Along the way, he allows us to share his journey with some of the great characters of American history: Eleanor Roosevelt, William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan, President John F. Kennedy and RFK, Harry S. Truman, and Jimmy Carter.Throughout, vanden Heuvel persuades us that there is still room for optimism in public life. He shows how individuals, himself among them, have tackled some of America's most intractable domestic and foreign policy issues with ingenuity and goodwill, particularly under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and those who sought and still seek to follow in his footsteps. He is not afraid to challenge the hatred and bigotry that are an unfortunate but undeniable part of the American fabric. He exhorts us to embrace all the challenges and opportunities that life in the United States can offer.
The Hope Circuit: A Psychologist's Journey from Helplessness to Optimism
by Martin SeligmanOne of the most important psychologists alive today tells the story of the transformation of modern psychology through the lens of his own career and change of heart.Martin E. P. Seligman is one of the most decorated and popular psychologists of his generation. When he first encountered the discipline in the 1960s, it was devoted to eliminating misery: the science of how past trauma creates present symptoms. Today, thanks in large part to Seligman's own work pioneering the Positive Psychology movement, it is ever more focused on the bright side; gratitude, resilience, and hope.In this his memoir, Seligman recounts how he learned to study optimism; including a life-changing conversation with his five-year-old daughter. In wise, eloquent prose, Seligman tells the human stories behind some of his major findings. He recounts developing CAVE, an analytical tool that predicts election outcomes (with shocking accuracy) based on the language used in campaign speeches, and the canonical studies that birthed the theory of learned helplessness - which he now reveals was incorrect. And he writes at length for the first time about his own battles with depression at a young age.All the while, Seligman works out his theory of psychology, making a compelling and deeply personal case for the importance of virtues like hope, anticipation, gratitude, and wisdom for our mental health. You will walk away from this book not just educated but deeply enriched.
Horizon
by Barry Lopez‘Horizon is magnificent; a contemporary epic’ Robert Macfarlane, author of UnderlandFrom the author of the classic Arctic Dreams comes a vivid recollection of his travels around the world and the encounters that have shaped an extraordinary life. Taking us nearly from pole to pole – from modern megacities to some of the earth’s most remote regions – and across decades of lived experience, Barry Lopez gives us his most far-ranging yet personal work to date, in a book that describes his travels to six regions of the world: from Western Oregon to the High Arctic; from the Galápagos to the Kenyan desert; from Botany Bay in Australia to finally, unforgettably, the ice shelves of Antarctica. Lopez also probes the long history of humanity's quests and explorations, including the prehistoric peoples who trekked across Skraeling Island in northern Canada, the colonialists who plundered Central Africa, an enlightenment-era Englishman who sailed the Pacific, a Native American emissary who found his way into isolationist Japan, and today's ecotourists in the tropics. Throughout his journeys – to some of the hottest, coldest, and most desolate places on the globe – and via friendships with scientists, archaeologists, artists and local residents, Lopez searches for meaning and purpose in a broken world. Horizon is a revelatory, epic work that voices concern but also hope – a book that makes you see the world differently, and that is the crowning achievement by one of America's great voices.
Hormonal: A Conversation About Women's Bodies, Mental Health and Why We Need to Be Heard
by Eleanor Morgan'Reading Hormonal should be a rite of passage for every woman who wants to relearn her body and reclaim her self' Sheila Hamilton (author of All the Things We Never knew: Chasing the Chaos of Mental Illness) Hormonal explores everything from contraception to PMS, in relation to anxiety, depression and taboos about hysteria and the 'hormonal' woman. It is a compelling portrait of the modern landscape of women and health, showing us how to navigate stigma and misinformation.Combining her own experiences with extensive research and expert contributions, Eleanor Morgan explores the relationship between the female body, the female mind and the ways in which women's bodies are being medicalised. As Morgan argues, we've gotten better at talking about mental health, but we still shy away from discussing periods, miscarriage, endometriosis and menopause. That results in a lack of vital understanding for women, particularly as those processes are inextricably connected to our mental health; by exploring women's bodies in conjunction with our minds, Morgan urges for new thinking about our health.'Filled with wisdom and wit and brilliant insight' Amy Ferris (author of Marrying George Clooney: Confessions from a Midlife Crisis)'Hormonal feels like an essential guide in helping us truly understand our cores' Vogue
A House for Two Pounds
by K. IgguldenA richly recounted memoir of growing up in an Irish farming community in the 1940sA love of Ireland and the Irish is what shines through this little memoir. Growing up amongst the fields, woods and characters of a farming community near Cork, Kathleen Iggulden depicts a world that is both immediate and real, yet belongs to a now-distant past. Here is a pony and trap to church every Sunday, evenings full of fiddle, flute and song, and new shoes and clothes twice a year. Kathleen's childhood in the 1930s involved two or three generations - her parents, her brother and sisters, as well as the daily lives of farmworkers and craftsmen, friends and relations. She beautifully chronicles rural celebrations and forgotten practicalities of country life - all painted with a sensitive touch and a freshness of observation. She saw her people as intensely polite, decent and innocent, with humour and music always ready. She saw them as poets, and poetry as the highest art.Recounted with immense charm and wit,A House for Two Pounds is a wonderful, vivid account of a childhood on an Irish farm - and an enduring people, just on the cusp of change.
A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism (The\resistance Quartet Ser. #4)
by Caroline Moorehead'Moorehead paints a wonderfully vivid and moving portrait of the women of the Italian Resistance…an excellent book… She depicts a tragic fate that is timeless, of dreams forged in adversity, shattered by collisions with practical politics' MAX HASTINGS, SUNDAY TIMESThe extraordinary story of the courageous women who spearheaded the Italian Resistance during the Second World WarIn the late summer of 1943, when Italy changed sides in the War and the Germans – now their enemies – occupied the north of the country, an Italian Resistance was born. Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca were four young Piedmontese women who joined the Resistance, living clandestinely in the mountains surrounding Turin. They were not alone. Between 1943 and 1945, as the Allies battled their way north, thousands of men and women throughout occupied Italy rose up and fought to liberate their country from the German invaders and their Fascist collaborators. The bloody civil war that ensued across the country pitted neighbour against neighbour, and brought out the best and worst in Italian society. The courage shown by the partisans was exemplary, and eventually bound them together as a coherent fighting force. The women’s contribution was invaluable – they fought, carried messages and weapons, provided safe houses, laid mines and took prisoners. Ada’s house deep in the mountains became a meeting place and refuge for many of them.The death rattle of Mussolini’s two decades of Fascist rule – with its corruption, greed and anti-Semitism was unrelentingly violent, but for the partisan women it was also a time of camaraderie and equality, pride and optimism. They had proved, to themselves and to the world, what resolve, tenacity and, above all, exceptional courage could achieve.
How Not to Be a Professional Racing Driver
by Jason Plato'HILARIOUS AND OUTRAGEOUS' CHRIS EVANSTHE FULL-THROTTLE MEMOIR FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHARACTERS IN UK MOTOR RACINGTwo-time championship-winning and record-breaking racing driver, Jason Plato is a living, breathing example of what you shouldn't do if you want to become a professional racing driver:DO NOT: · Steal a JCB in Monaco and end up in prison there - twice· Kill Bernie Ecclestone (almost)· Choose fags and booze over the gym· Give Prince Charles the finger on the M42 · Make enemies with a 6ft 6" rival who is a black belt in everythingSince joining the Williams Touring Car team in 1997 he has had more race wins than Lewis Hamilton and Stirling Moss, competed in more races than Jenson Button and set the largest number of fastest laps ever. But he's also a rule breaker who has had more than his fair share of near-death experiences, drunken escapades and more. And yet he's still racing. There is nothing sensible, predictable or considered about Jason, but this is how he became a racing legend.'As entertaining as watching him drive, a cracking read!' Sir Chris Hoy 'Jason Plato is one of the most gifted racing drivers of his generation!' Damon Hill
How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together
by Dan KoisIn this "refreshingly relatable" (Outside) memoir, perfect for the self-isolating family, Slate editor Dan Kois sets out with his family on a journey around the world to change their lives together.What happens when one frustrated dad turns his kids' lives upside down in search of a new way to be a family?Dan Kois and his wife always did their best for their kids. Busy professionals living in the D.C. suburbs, they scheduled their children's time wisely, and when they weren't arguing over screen time, the Kois family-Dan, his wife Alia, and their two pre-teen daughters-could each be found searching for their own happiness. But aren't families supposed to achieve happiness together?In this eye-opening, heartwarming, and very funny family memoir, the fractious, loving Kois' go in search of other places on the map that might offer them the chance to live away from home-but closer together. Over a year the family lands in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and small-town Kansas. The goal? To get out of their rut of busyness and distractedness and to see how other families live outside the East Coast parenting bubble.HOW TO BE A FAMILY brings readers along as the Kois girls-witty, solitary, extremely online Lyra and goofy, sensitive, social butterfly Harper-like through the Kiwi bush, ride bikes to a Dutch school in the pouring rain, battle iguanas in their Costa Rican kitchen, and learn to love a town where everyone knows your name. Meanwhile, Dan interviews neighbors, public officials, and scholars to learn why each of these places work the way they do. Will this trip change the Kois family's lives? Or do families take their problems and conflicts with them wherever we go?A journalistic memoir filled with heart, empathy, and lots of whining, HOW TO BE A FAMILY will make readers dream about the amazing adventures their own families might take.
How To Be Autistic
by Charlotte Amelia PoeAn urgent, funny, shocking, and impassioned memoir by the winner of the Spectrum Art Prize 2018, How To Be Autistic presents the rarely shown point of view of someone living with autism. Poe’s voice is confident, moving and often funny, as she reveals to us a very personal account of autism, mental illness, gender and sexual identity. As we follow Charlotte’s journey through school and college, we become as awestruck by her extraordinary passion for life as by the enormous privations that she must undergo to live it. From food and fandom, to body modification and comic conventions, Charlotte’s experiences through the torments of schooldays and young adulthood leave us with a riot of conflicting emotions: horror, empathy, despair, laugh-out-loud amusement and, most of all, respect.
How To Be Extraordinary
by Rashmi SirdeshpandeCould you be EXTRAORDINARY? This book will inspire you with the real-life stories of extraordinary people, showcasing a total variety of personalities and talents. Whoever you are, and whoever you want to be, read about the extraordinary stories of these 15 people, and decide how YOU will be extraordinary too!From around the world and throughout history, discover unsung heroes - and some well-known faces - brought to life with astonishing story-telling and illustration.Meet an artist, scientist, medic, environmentalist, musician, activist, writer, politician, and even a spy . . . above all, discover that there are MANY ways to be extraordinary and to make a real difference in the world. Featuring the real-life stories of: Aeham Ahmad, David Attenborough, Mo Farah, Keiko Fukuda, Stephen Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Abdul Kalam, Judith Kerr, Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela, David Nott, Michelle Obama, Krystyna Skarbek, Alan Turing, Sau Lan Wu
How to Catch a Mole: And Find Yourself in Nature
by Marc HamerA life-affirming book about the British countryside, the cycle of nature, solitude and contentment, through the prism of a brilliant new nature writer’s experience working as a traditional mole-catcher, and why he gave it up.I have been catching moles in gardens and farms for years and I have decided that I am not going to do it any more. Molecatching is a traditional skill that has given me a good life but I am old now and tired of hunting and it has taught me what I needed to learn. Although common, moles are mysterious: their habits are inscrutable, they are anatomically bizarre, and they live completely alone. Marc Hamer has come closer to them than most, both through his long working life out in the Welsh countryside, and his experiences of rural homelessness as a boy, sleeping in hedgerows. Over the years, Marc has learned a great deal about these small, velvet creatures who live in the dark beneath us, and the myths that surround them, and his work has also led him to a wise and uplifting acceptance of the inevitable changes that we all face. In this beautiful and meditative book, Marc tells his story and explores what moles, and a life in nature, can tell us about our own humanity and our search for contentment.How to Catch a Mole is a gem of nature writing, beautifully illustrated by Joe McLaren, which celebrates living peacefully and finding wonder in the world around us.'From the first few words I knew I had encountered loving honesty and no one needs more than that. It is rare to encounter such respect and understanding of nature for herself.' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows
How to Fail: Everything I've Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong
by Elizabeth DayInspired by her hugely popular podcast, How To Fail is Elizabeth Day’s brilliantly funny, painfully honest and insightful celebration of things going wrong.
How to Grow Old: A middle-aged man moaning
by John BishopIntimate confessions and spit-your-dentures-out hilarious commentary – this is observational comedy at its best.How to Grow Old is a stupid title, because the answer is obvious: Don’t Die. Provided you don’t die, you are growing old.Don’t come to this book under any illusions. It isn’t going to tell you how to stay alive any longer. It won’t help you understand the aging process from a sociological and anthropological perspective, and I’m not sure how much practical advice you’re going to get. However, if you happen to want to know what a white, heterosexual, middle-aged man thinks of getting old – from the struggle to stay fit, keep hold of your friends or stay relevant, to why I’m better at doing a dump now than at any time in my life – this book could very well be exactly what you have been looking for. You might even find it a bit funny.
How to Lose a Country: The New Ice Age Of Politics
by Ece Temelkuran’This is essential’ Margaret Atwood on Twitter ‘She's one of the most acute and perceptive analysts of the furtive growth of fascism. Everyone should know about this’ Philip Pullman ’Vibrates with outrage’ The Times
How to Lose a Country: The New Ice Age Of Politics
by Ece Temelkuran’This is essential’ Margaret Atwood on Twitter ‘She's one of the most acute and perceptive analysts of the furtive growth of fascism. Everyone should know about this’ Philip Pullman ’Vibrates with outrage’ The Times
How to Make a Difference: 300 Simple Ways To make A Difference In Yourself--and The World
by Kate Robertson Ella Robertson"An exceptionally relevant book for this age of activism." Bob GeldofWith a foreword by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the UN (1997-2006).How to Make a Difference is a practical roadmap to modern day activism created by the powerful and imaginative minds behind the world's biggest campaigns including Colin Kaepernick, Emma Watson, Sir Bob Geldof, Fatima Bhutto, Black Lives Matter, Doutzen Kroes, Yeonmi Park, Terry Crews, Cher, Matt Damon, Paul Polman and Gina Miller; collectively they combine the latest models of thinking, their real life experiences, radical techniques and effective advice in order to help incentivize everyone and anyone who has ever wondered, how can I help? From How to Change the Law, How to Protest, How to Use Social Media Effectively, How to End a Problem Forever and How to Change a Big Organization, this book educates as much as it encourages and informs us all to see the world as something that can and must be changed. This book will help you find an active role in positive, necessary activism and meaningful change on every scale across the globe. The only book to pool together the biggest names in activism and showcase how they have used their voices, their networks and their abilities to change the world around us.How to Make a Difference speaks to a generation who are switching selfie-sticks for protest placards and will showcase how everyone has the ability to be the change they want to see in the world.If not now, when? If not you, who?Perfect for fans of This Is Not a Drill, No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference and There Is No Planet B.
How to Start a Revolution: Young People and the Future of Politics
by Lauren DucaFor fans of Reni Eddo-Lodge, Laurie Penny and Laura Bates, How to Start a Revolution is an examination of fourth wave feminism and political youth culture. It is also a much-needed reminder that government by and for the people requires our input.Journalist Lauren Duca wrote her now famous article 'Donald Trump is Gaslighting America' just after Trump's election. It went viral and was viewed over 1.5 million times. The article examined Trump's lies, fake news and manipulative language much before the mainstream media picked up on it, and it put Teen Vogue on the map. Now, in How to Start a Revolution, Duca explores the post-Trump political awakening and reimagines what an equitable democracy would look like, while providing smart and practical advice for how to challenge the status quo.Combining extensive research and first person reporting, Duca tracks her generation's shift from political alienation to political participation. She also draws on her own story as a young woman catapulted to the front lines of the political conversation (all while figuring out how the hell to deal with her Trump-supporting parents).'Lauren Duca is the millennial feminist warrior queen of social media. I cannot wait to hear more from this fearless and important new voice' (Ariel Levy, author of Female Chauvinist Pigs)
How to Survive: Lessons for Everyday Life from the Extreme World
by John Hudson'When it comes to survival and getting out of trouble, listen to this man. John is the real deal.'Levison WoodWhat is the connection between crawling through a jungle and your ‘to do’ list? What can ejecting out of a stealth bomber teach you about the importance of thinking the worst? What can surviving in extreme situations teach us about surviving everyday life?John Hudson, Chief Survival Instructor to the British Military, knows what it takes to survive. Combining first-hand experience with 20 years of studying the choices people have made under the most extreme pressure, How to Survive is a lifetime’s worth of wisdom about how to apply the principles of survival to everyday life.The cornerstone of military survival (surviving anything) is understanding the relationship between effort, hope and goals – a mindset that can be transposed anytime, anywhere. In How to Survive you will learn how this template for survival can be applied to any situation in your everyday life.Through gripping first-hand accounts of near disaster and survival stories from across the extreme world you will learn that by following these principles you can develop the mindset that will allow you to make better decisions under pressure, which are as equally applicable to first dates and presentations as to climbing Everest and getting lost at sea.
How to Treat People: A Nurse at Work
by Molly Case'Open, loving, bold, inquisitive, caring . . . the cycle of life and death is recounted fearlessly by a modern woman' The Times _______________________________The hand of a stranger offered in solace. A flower placed on a dead body as a mark of respect. A gentle word in response to fear and anger. It is these moments of empathy, in the extremis of human experience, which define us as people.Nobody knows this better than a nurse and Molly Case has witnessed countless such moments. In How to Treat People, she documents these extraordinary points, when two people truly connect. In rich, lyrical prose, she introduces us to patients with whom we share the pain, but also the experience of illness when life is at its most vivid. And when her father is admitted to the high dependency unit on which she works, Molly confronts care in a whole new way, when two worlds - the professional and the personal - suddenly collide.Weaving together medical history, art, memoir and science, How to Treat People beautifully illustrates the intricacies of the human condition and the oscillating rhythms of life and death. Most of all, it is a heart-stopping reminder that we can all find meaning in being part, even for a moment, of the lives of others.__________________________________'Molly Case reminds us that humanity and moments of true care are as healing as the medicine modern science can deliver' Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works'Beautifully written and passionate tales from the nurse you would choose for yourself' Stephen Westsaby, author of Fragile Lives'A profound reflection on the way we live and die' Bookseller'How to Treat People gets to the heart of who we are' Nina Stibbe'Intense, powerful, moving and very enlightening' Gerard Woodward'Fascinating and erudite' Jo Brand
Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking it All with Rene Redzepi, the Greatest Chef in the World
by Jeff GordinierShortlisted for the 2020 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards (ESTWA's) Travel Food & Drink Book of the Year. 'This smorgasbord of a tale will have travelers tasting every meal with renewed appreciation.' - National Geographic Feeling stuck in his life, New York Times food writer Jeff Gordinier met René Redzepi, the Danish chef whose restaurant, Noma, has been repeatedly voted the best in the world. A restless perfectionist, Redzepi was at the top of his game but looking to shutter his restaurant and set out for new places, flavours and recipes. This is the story of their four-year culinary adventure. In the Yucatán jungle, Redzepi and Gordinier seek the perfect taco and the secrets of molé. On idyllic Sydney beaches, they forage for sea rocket and wild celery. On a boat in the Arctic Circle, a lone fisherman guides them to - perhaps - the world’s finest sea urchins. Back in Copenhagen, Redzepi plans the resurrection of his restaurant on the unlikely site of a garbage-filled empty lot. Hungry is a memoir, a travelogue, a portrait of a chef, and a chronicle of the moment when daredevil cooking became the most exciting and groundbreaking form of artistry.
Hunt the Banker: The Confessions of a Russian Ex-Oligarch
by Alexander LebedevAlexander Lebedev is best known as the Russian businessman and public figure who bought the Evening Standard and The Independent newspapers in the UK. A former KGB intelligence officer in the USSR’s London Embassy, his book covers the years from his birth in 1959 to 2016.Written in a wry and humorous manner, the book is mainly a memoir of Lebedev's own hair-raising experiences as someone who aspires to show that an 'honest banker' is not an oxymoron. There is the thread of a whodunit as his attempts at constructive and charitable business enterprises are systematically torpedoed by a person or persons unknown. He describes the dirty tricks used against him and the attempt to assassinate him and details how the Russian and international political and business elite live.Lebedev openly tells of his relations with leading politicians, businessmen and cultural figures in Russia and abroad, and investigates corruption scandals, dodgy multi-billion-dollar deals and contract killings.A comical episode on how he faced five years of imprisonment for a minor fracas during a television talk show, and how world show business stars (Elton John, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, John Malkovich, Ian McKellen, Stephen Fry) rallied to his defence. He describes in detail how and why he became involved with two prominent UK newspapers.Lebedev reveals his access to inside sources of information, with policemen and secret policemen slipping him memoirs and transcripts of episodes which would otherwise have remained unknown. It is ultimately a portrait of a political system which ensures that genuine attempts to improve the fortunes of his country and its citizens are built on sand.