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Getting to Know Death: A Meditation
by Gail Godwin"Getting to Know Death could just as easily be called Getting to Know Life. As a meditation, it is both unsentimental and full of wonder. As a piece of writing, it stands beside the best of Godwin's fiction. Extraordinary." -Ann PatchettFrom New York Times-bestselling, three-time National Book Award finalist Gail Godwin, a consideration of what makes for a life well lived-for readers of Oliver Sacks's Gratitude and Deborah Levy's Cost of Living.I can't see a way out of this. Things will not necessarily get better. This is my life, but I may not get to do what I want in it.Ingmar Bergman once said that an artist should always have one work between himself and death. When renowned author Gail Godwin tripped and broke her neck while watering the dogwood tree in her garden at age eighty-five, a lifetime of writing and publishing behind her and a half-finished novel in tow, Bergman's idea quickly unfurled in front of her, forcing her to confront a creative life interrupted. In Getting to Know Death, Godwin shares what spoke to her while in a desperate place. Remembering those she has loved and survived, including a brother and father lost to suicide, and finding meaning in the encounters she has with other patients as she heals, she takes stock of a life toward the end of its long graceful arc, finding her path through the words she has written and the people she has loved. At once beautiful, biting, precise, poetic, and propulsive, Getting to Know Death is her own reckoning with the meaning of a life, the forms of passion that guide it, and how the stories we hold can shape our memories and preserve our selves as we write our own endings.
The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America's Most Famous Hispanic War Hero
by William SturkeyThe dramatic life of Vietnam War hero Roy Benavidez, revealing how Hispanic Americans have long shaped US history, from "a major new voice [with] lyrical powers as a biographer&” (David W. Blight, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Frederick Douglass) In May 1968, while serving in Vietnam, Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez led the rescue of a reconnaissance team surrounded by hundreds of enemy soldiers. He saved the lives of at least eight of his comrades that day in a remarkable act of valor that left him permanently disabled. Awarded the Medal of Honor after a yearslong campaign, Benavidez became a highly sought-after public speaker, a living symbol of military heroism, and one of the country&’s most prominent Latinos. Now, historian William Sturkey tells Benavidez&’s life story in full for the first time. Growing up in Jim Crow–era Texas, Benavidez was scorned as &“Mexican&” despite his family&’s deep roots in the state. He escaped poverty by enlisting in a desegregating military and was first deployed amid the global upheavals of the 1950s. Even after receiving the Medal of Honor, Benavidez was forced to fight for disability benefits amid Reagan-era cutbacks. An unwavering patriot alternately celebrated and snubbed by the country he loved, Benavidez embodied many of the contradictions inherent in twentieth-century Latino life. The Ballad of Roy Benavidez places that experience firmly at the heart of the American story.
The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion
by Cory LeadbeaterAs an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon-and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.
A Promised Land
by Barack ObamaTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making-from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy.'Gorgeously written, humorous, compelling, life affirming' Justin Webb, Mail on SundayIn the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency-a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation's highest office.Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune's Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective-the story of one man's bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of "hope and change," and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama's conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.'What is unexpected in A Promised Land is the former president's candour' David Olusoga, Observer*One of Goodreads Most Popular Books of the Past Decade*
Proceedings of the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Studies (Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research #829)
This is an open access book. The Graduate School of Universitas Sebelas Maret organizes the 2nd International Conference on Multidisciplinary Studies (ICOMSI) 2023. This conference aims to bring together scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from various disciplines to engage in meaningful discussions on the critical issues surrounding cultural preservation, social equity, and ecological balance and their collective contribution to achieving a sustainable and inclusive future.In today’s rapidly changing world, preserving cultural heritage and fostering social equity is paramount to ensuring a harmonious and sustainable society. We can cultivate a more inclusive and tolerant society by recognizing and appreciating diverse cultural expressions and practices. Simultaneously, addressing environmental challenges and achieving ecological balance is crucial for our planet’s and future generations long-term well-being.This conference is a platform to explore the intricate connections between cultural preservation, social equity, and ecological balance. Participants can share their research findings, experiences, and best practices in various domains, including cultural studies, social sciences, environmental sciences, and related disciplines. The conference encourages interdisciplinary dialogues and collaborations to develop innovative strategies and approaches that foster a sustainable and inclusive future.We invite researchers, academics, practitioners, policymakers, and students interested in cultural preservation, social equity, and ecological balance to attend this conference. Together, we can explore innovative solutions, share insights, and collaborate towards building a sustainable and inclusive future for our global community.
Completely Free: The Moral and Political Vision of John Stuart Mill
by John Peter DiIulioAn original, unified reconstruction of Mill’s moral and political philosophy—one that finally reveals its consistency and full powerFew thinkers have been as influential as John Stuart Mill, whose philosophy has arguably defined Utilitarian ethics and modern liberalism. But fewer still have been subject to as much criticism for perceived ambiguities and inconsistencies. In Completely Free, John Peter DiIulio offers an ambitious and comprehensive new reading that explains how Mill’s ethical, moral, and political ideas are all part of a unified, coherent, and powerful philosophy.Almost every aspect of Mill’s practical philosophy has been charged with contradictions, illogic, or incoherence. Most notoriously, Mill claims an absolute commitment both to promoting societal happiness and to defending individual liberty—a commitment that many critics believe must ultimately devolve into an either/or. DiIulio resolves these and other problems by reconsidering and reconstructing the key components of Mill’s practical thought: his theories of happiness, morality, liberty, and freedom. Casting new light on old texts, DiIulio argues that Mill’s Utilitarianism and liberalism are not only compatible but philosophically wedded, that his theories naturally emanate from one another, and that the vast majority of interpretive mysteries surrounding Mill can be readily demystified. In a manner at once sympathetic and critical, DiIulio seeks to present Mill in his most lucid and potent form.From the higher pleasures and moral impartiality to free speech and nondomination, Completely Free provides an unmatched account of the unity and power of Mill’s enduring moral and political thought.
Educating the Romantic Poets: Life and Learning in the Anglo-Classical Academy, 1770-1850 (Romantic Reconfigurations: Studies in Literature and Culture 1780-1850 #17)
by Catherine E. RossEducating the Romantic Poets: Life and Learning in the Anglo-Classical Academy, 1770-1850 explores how the public and endowed grammar schools and the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge trained some of the most important writers, critics, and public figures of the Romantic period. These institutions are recognized here as intentional partners and are discussed collectively as the “Anglo-classical academy”. The book shows how they not only schooled students in “classics, maths, and divinity” but also in accepted social behaviours, cultural values, political beliefs, and literary tastes. In so doing, this academy gave shape to the literature and spirit of the age. By discussing the schools and the universities together and by focusing upon pedagogies and daily life as well as the texts and topics studied, this book shows as no other has done how writers and readers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries became such fluent linguists, skilled prosodists, and perceptive critics. As each chapter explores and comments upon the relational, intellectual, and cultural aspects of the Anglo-classical educational experience, it directs readers’ attention to the ways in which this information can be used to reread texts, reassess certain Romantics’ literary careers, and launch new lines of research.
Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism
by Yanis Varoufakis‘What an amazing piece of work this is. Ground-breaking, thought-provoking and highly accessible. Everyone should read it. The dark, scary, exciting song of our age. 100 out of 100’ IRVINE WELSHCapitalism is dead. Welcome to technofeudalism.In his boldest and most far-reaching book, the visionary economist and number-one bestselling author Yanis Varoufakis shows how the owners of big tech became the world's feudal overlords – replacing capitalism with a fundamentally new system that enslaves our minds, defies democracy and rewrite the rules of global power.But as Varoufakis also reveals, technofeudalism contains new opportunities to thwart and overturn it, bringing into focus more clearly than ever the revolution we need to escape our digital prison.‘An epochal, once-in-a-millennium shift . . . this isn't just new technology. This is the world grappling with an entirely new economic system and therefore political power’ Observer‘An urgent demand to seize the means of computation’ CORY DOCTOROWA FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Live. Fight. Survive.: An ex-British soldier’s account of courage, resistance and defiance fighting for Ukraine against Russia
by Shaun PinnerREAD FORMER BRITISH ARMY SOLDIER SHAUN PINNER’S EXTRADORDINARY FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINEFor fans of Bravo Two Zero, Touching the Void, and No Way Out‘A hell of a story’ Sgt Dan Mills, Sniper One‘A remarkable book’ Andrew Marr----‘Live. Fight. Survive,’ she said. So, he did . . .There are just two places Shaun Pinner has felt most at home: first, during his nine years in the British Army and, second, in Ukraine, where he settled after marrying. It was only natural then, that when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he was on the front line leading a section of marines.Outnumbered and outgunned, Pinner's troops staged a fighting retreat to Mariupol for that remarkable, defiant last stand against Putin’s war machine. But this was just the beginning of Shaun’s ordeal. When his troops were ambushed, Shaun was captured – and his war shifted from the battlefield to the interrogation room, when the real fight for survival began . . .---‘A remarkable story from the frontline. Extraordinary descriptions [of] what it's actually like to be in a trench fighting in the winter on the front line against the Russians’ ANDREW MARR‘An extraordinary real-life story’ ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS‘I was mesmerised. Unforgettable’ COLONEL RICHARD KEMP, CO-AUTHOR OF ATTACK STATE RED
Almost a Woman: A Memoir (A Merloyd Lawrence Book)
by Esmeralda SantiagoFollowing the enchanting story recounted in When I Was Puerto Rican of the author&’s emergence from the barrios of Brooklyn to the prestigious Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, Esmeralda Santiago delivers the tale of her young adulthood, where she continually strives to find a balance between becoming American and staying Puerto Rican. While translating for her mother Mami at the welfare office in the morning, starring as Cleopatra at New York&’s prestigious Performing Arts High School in the afternoons, and dancing salsa all night, she begins to defy her mother&’s protective rules, only to find that independence brings new dangers and dilemmas.
The Turkish Lover: A Memoir (A Merloyd Lawrence Book)
by Esmeralda SantiagoEnthralled admirers of Esmeralda Santiago's memoirs of her childhood have yearned to read more. Now, in The Turkish Lover, Esmeralda finally breaks out of the monumental struggle with her powerful mother, only to elope into the spell of an exotic love affair. At the heart of the story is Esmeralda's relationship with "the Turk," a passion that gradually becomes a prison out of which she must emerge to become herself. The expansive humanity, earthy humor, and psychological courage that made Esmeralda's first two books so successful are on full display again in The Turkish Lover.
Sea Stories from Springbok
by Gavin RussellForty former sea-goes, of all descriptions, live in a unique little country estate in Surrey. Their memories, from as early as 1957, have become the inspiration for this collection of varied, entertaining, and salty tales. Engineers, seamen, officers, fishermen, and yachtsmen (serving on general cargo and container ships, tankers, luxury yachts, trawlers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers) who have travelled the world in all its weathers, have given us some priceless accounts of their adventures. From tragedy to bullets flying, from hilarious to horrific and with loneliness and comradeship, it will keep you guessing and turning the pages. Stories include - paying not to have to buy the chief's daughter; emergency four hundred feet down in a diving bell; watching your thumb go off in a crane strop; losing power in a force ten storm (with your trawls down); bleeding on the floor of the Taverna; caught with your live-in girlfriend by the skipper; surviving the sinking ferry - and so much more! How did such a collection of seafarers come together in this unlikely place? It all began at the end of the First World War when a shipping magnate and a seamen's union boss got together to take care of the many injured Merchant Navy casualties. They organised a huge fund-raising occasion in London, which provided enough funds to buy a nursing home in Kent that did essential work for years - until the Second World War. In 1947, with the help of a magnificent contribution from the South African government (given in gratitude for our Merchant Navy keeping them supplied during the war) and the generosity of the RMT Union, they were provided with a new home in Surrey; 'Springbok' where they, and all arrivals since, have been given a home and supported ever since. The Merchant Navy has had to survive drastic changes over the years, moving from general cargo to container ships and then tankers. Each step meant that serious adjustments had to be made by all involved. When containers took over, the turnaround times in port meant there was no longer a week or more for unloading and no longer times for friendly relationships in port! Working in tankers meant crews were so remote at the distant unloading points that they often did not get ashore at all. Then, the introduction of 'Flags-of-convenience' provided much more competition from around the world for our countrymen - conditions changed again. Inevitably ships moved in and out of war situations, often supplying the combatants. Do not simply imagine lone cargo carriers ploughing the distant waters, the Royal Navy was always busy keeping seaways safe while there are so many other reasons for being on (or in) the oceans; including 'for the sheer pleasure of it'. We have got them all living here on the Estate. Through all the changes, our seafarers managed fascinating careers wherever they were around the world's oceans. Compensations came and went, and relationships too, but they always shared their work and experience to make life more liveable. It is all in this book of gripping yarns!
Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare
by Will Tosh'Engrossing, enlightening and hugely entertaining'SARAH WATERS, author of Fingersmith'Brilliant - so vivid and so sharp, fantastically clever and consistently fascinating'KATHERINE RUNDELL, author of Super-InfiniteWas Shakespeare gay? The answer is both simpler and more complex than you might think . . .Shakespeare's work was profoundly influenced by the queer culture of his time - much of it totally integrated into mainstream society. From a relentless schooling in Latin and Greek homoeroticism, to a less formal education on the streets and in smoky taverns, from the gender-bending of the early comedies to the astonishingly queer literary scene that nurtured Shakespeare's sonnets, this is a story of artistic development and of personal crisis.Straight Acting is a surprising portrait of Shakespeare's queer lives - his own and those in his plays and poems. It is a journey back in time and through Shakespeare's England, revealing a culture that both endorsed and supressed same-sex desire. It is a call to stop making Shakespeare act straight and to recognise how queerness powerfully shaped the life and career of the world's most famous playwright.'Magisterial and saucy . . . This fresh account kickstarts the queer canon of English literature: Shakespeare won't go back in the closet again'EMMA SMITH, author of This Is Shakespeare
Looked After: A Childhood in Care
by Ashley John-Baptiste**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW** 'This is a book that everyone must read. No matter how you grew up it's for you: it'll make you rethink your own childhood and your relationships with everyone you know. It's funny, moving and of course it's often sad. But mainly it's a beautiful and fascinating and enlightening portrait of the care system, a world that is barely understood by many of us. It is also a proper page turner: the twists and turns and set-backs of his childhood are as gripping as they are shocking. I genuinely couldn't put it down.This story is more urgent and relevant now than ever.' - Xand van Tulleken 'Ashley John-Baptiste joins a high class of writing by upstanding respectful and honourable citizens and professionals, professors and actors, lawyers, doctors, artists and authors, all who happen to have had a life in care. We have every right to tell our story as much as anyone else. Welcome, Ashley.' - Lemn Sissay'An inspiring story of triumph over adversity.' - Fatima Whitbread'Ashley has done the country a great service in shining a light on the inhumane - and at times brutal - way that society supports this most vulnerable group of children. Every politician should read this book and commit to fixing the system.' - Sharon WhiteAshley John-Baptiste grew up in the British care system, living with five different families, without ever being truly part of a family.It wasn't easy, or straightforward, and Ashley's ever-changing living situation affected every single part of his life - from his education to his sense of identity to his friendships and his hobbies. And yet, throughout everything his childhood in care threw at him, Ashley remained resilient and found a way to take advantage of the opportunities that came his way.Now Ashley feels able to tell us - vividly and movingly - how, when it felt like the world was turning its back on him, he refused to be an outsider in his own home and set about establishing a new and positive life for himself.Looked After is a memoir written from the heart that pulls no punches but demonstrates that given encouragement and love - and, sometimes, a second chance - a care-experienced boy can become a successful broadcaster, a loving husband and a proud father.
It’s Not Banter, It’s Racism: What Cricket’s Dirty Secret Reveals About Our Society
by Azeem RafiqTHE STORY OF ONE MAN WHO CHANGED THE FACE OF CRICKET FOREVER.'Azeem's first legacy - a legacy carved at great personal expense - was to expose how cricket works. His second gift may be to expose how this country works, too.' Jonathan LiewWhen Azeem Rafiq was a young boy playing cricket near his home in Pakistan, he could never have foreseen that this sport would change his life forever. He fell in love with the game quickly and it wasn't long before the white flannels and green grass felt like home to him. When he moved to England, he became the youngest man to captain a Yorkshire side and the first person of Asian descent to do so. His talent was undeniable, and doors were opening for him.But there was something Azeem was bottling up and it was about to explode out of him and shake the whole cricket world, and wider society, out of their slumber. It's Not Banter, It's Racism is the never before-told truth behind the racism accusations that shocked a nation, from the moment Azeem spoke up to the resulting events that have altered his world entirely. With heartbreaking honesty, Azeem reveals why he will always use his voice in a society that would prefer him to be voiceless.'Azeem has stood up to the world, spoken back against evil. He has had victories. He has failed. He extends charity to others and he says no: no to racism. Because we must be better than our worst.' Stan Grant'Azeem's dream was to help England win the Ashes. That wasn't to be. But maybe, one day we'll reflect that his legacy to the game is far greater than winning any amount of Test series.' George Dobell'A principled whistleblower who stood up for what was right, Azeem has changed cricket forever.' Jennifer Robinson'Honest, open and powerful.' Baroness Warsi
These Foolish Things: A Memoir
by Dylan JonesFew people can say they have shaped the cultural landscape of the last four decades while crossing paths with some of the most extraordinary personalities on the planet. But then, of course, Dylan Jones isn't just anyone.These Foolish Things captivatingly charts Dylan's life: from his peripatetic childhood and late adolescence in 1970s London - a city then alive with possibility - to his award-winning tenure at what would become one of the most dynamic magazines of its era, GQ. It details how he came to be in that hot seat: a journey through the Swinging London slipstreams of punk and new romanticism, and through i-D, The Face and Arena, which created the platform on which GQ was based, with Dylan as a common denominator.Littered with a gold-star cast of characters - including a who's who of celebrity from David Bowie and Bryan Ferry to Alastair Campbell and Prince Charles, via Samuel L. Jackson, Piers Morgan and Rihanna - this memoir reflects on how GQ became an established style and how Dylan sought to stir up music, politics and fashion.Witty, perceptive and deliciously entertaining, but by turns bravely vulnerable, These Foolish Things is a memoir like no other: a dazzling retelling of the start of the twenty-first century from one of the world's most fascinating media giants.
MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love and F*ckery
by Paloma Faith***THE INSTANT NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER***'The most raw, funny and liberating look at what it is to be a woman.' – FEARNE COTTON‘Paloma is a storyteller like no other. Empowering and healing – a whole generation of women are about to feel SEEN!’ – GIOVANNA FLETCHER 'The most raw, funny and liberating look at what it is to be a woman.' – FEARNE COTTON‘Paloma is a storyteller like no other. Empowering and healing – a whole generation of women are about to feel SEEN!’ – GIOVANNA FLETCHER 'The most raw, funny and liberating look at what it is to be a woman.' – FEARNE COTTON‘Paloma is a storyteller like no other. Empowering and healing – a whole generation of women are about to feel SEEN!’ – GIOVANNA FLETCHER 'Gritty, funny, poetic and freeing.' – ANNA MATHUR, Psychotherapist and bestselling author'A tremendous book, both entertaining and important' – The i newspaperCan women have it all? What does it mean to be a woman and a mother in the modern age?In this passionate, funny and fierce polemic, Paloma Faith delves deep into theissues that face women today, from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battlingthrough the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth.Infused with Paloma's characteristic humour, and raw honesty about thechallenges of IVF and the early years of motherhood, this book is a beautifulcelebration of women's work and the invisible load women carry. Moving from questions around identity and how motherhood impacts on that, to what it evenmeans to be a 'good mother', how we need to embrace messiness,imperfection and the bitter sweet pleasures of being 'selfish' and puttingourselves first.Paloma invites us into her own coming of age and relationship with her mum, toexplore how our bonds with our children evolve into adulthood. We see aglimpse of the complexities and joys of Paloma's experience of jugglingromantic love, heartbreak and dating with the demands of motherhood.
Scattered: The making and unmaking of a refugee
by Aamna Mohdin**A Guardian book to look out for in 2024**'An exceptional book: a meditation on family; an interrogation of movement and borders; a reflection on how someone can become separated from their own personal history; and an argument that it is never too late to reconnect with what was lost' SALLY HAYDEN'A compelling story from a gifted storyteller … In a moment where refugees are often talked about but rarely heard from, her voice breaks through' GARY YOUNGEA staggering investigation into the costs and consequences of displacement, from a young woman uniquely placed to explore the refugee experience and its aftershocksIn 2015, Aamna Mohdin travelled to Calais to report from the frontlines of the refugee crisis. When she returned to London, and discussed what she had seen with her parents, their response surprised her: didn't she remember being a refugee herself?Aamna was faced with a reality she had been outrunning for nearly two decades: that her parents had been refugees of the Somali civil war; and that her arrival in the UK aged seven had been preceded by an early childhood in a refugee camp, followed by years of displacement and desperation – as her family, sometimes together but often separated, fought for a place to call home.For the first time, Aamna's parents told her their story: of the lives they had built in the newly independent Somalia, and the shattering effects of civil war that followed. From London, she travelled to Somalia, a homecoming to a place that had never been home; before retracing her parents' flight to Kenya, and the Kakuma refugee camp – the site of a very present refugee crisis, now three decades in the making.Scattered is a staggering investigation into the costs and consequences of displacement, from a young woman uniquely placed to explore the refugee experience and its aftershocks. A powerful reportage, it is also an epic story of returns and reunions; and a joyful celebration of family and belonging.'The only way out of the crisis of exclusion sweeping across the Atlantic Ocean is storytelling … In so luminously recounting the story of her family Mohdin achieves an imaginative breakthrough that everyone should read' SAMUEL MOYN, Professor of Law and History at Yale University
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII's Most Dangerous Spy
by Sonia Purnell'A METICULOUS HISTORY THAT READS LIKE A THRILLER' BEN MACINTYRE, TEN BEST BOOKS TO READ ABOUT WORLD WAR II An astounding story of heroism, spycraft, resistance and personal triumph over shocking adversity. 'A rousing tale of derring-do' THE TIMES * 'Riveting' MICK HERRON * 'Superb' IRISH TIMES THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn September 1941, a young American woman strides up the steps of a hotel in Lyon, Vichy France. Her papers say she is a journalist. Her wooden leg is disguised by a determined gait and a distracting beauty. She is there to spark the resistance.By 1942 Virginia Hall was the Gestapo's most urgent target, having infiltrated Vichy command, trained civilians in guerrilla warfare and sprung soldiers from Nazi prison camps. The first woman to go undercover for British SOE, her intelligence changed the course of the war - but her fight was still not over. This is a spy history like no other, telling the story of the hunting accident that disabled her, the discrimination she fought and the secret life that helped her triumph over shocking adversity.'A cracking story about an extraordinarily brave woman' TELEGRAPH'Gripping ... superb ... a rounded portrait of a complicated, resourceful, determined and above all brave woman' IRISH TIMESWINNER of the PLUTARCH AWARD FOR BEST BIOGRAPHY
One Life: My Mother's Story
by Kate Grenville*NEW NOVEL RESTLESS DOLLY MAUNDER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024* FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AND WOMEN’S PRIZE-WINNING AUSTRALIAN NOVELIST Kate Grenville often takes inspiration for her fiction from her family history and this extraordinary memoir about the life of her own mother, Nance Russell, reveals why. Born to an unhappy marriage and into a deeply sexist society, Nance worked hard for everything she had, and while the world changed around her, she went on to university, opening businesses and raising a family. One Life is just as much a universal story as it is Nance’s. Beautifully captured by her daughter, it draws on the tales passed down by word of mouth, creating an evocative portrait of life in twentieth-century rural Australia and a deeply intimate and caring homage to a mother’s struggle.
Restless Dolly Maunder: Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024
by Kate GrenvilleSHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024 A DAILY MAIL NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023 LONGLISTED FOR BEST FICTION IN THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS AUSTRALIA 2024 Born into the sweat and drudgery of a New South Wales sheep farm at the end of the 19th century, Dolly Maunder is different to her siblings. She will not endure the small, servile existence of a wife. Dolly, bright, ambitious and stubborn, dreams of a different fate, of building something that she truly owns. She will do whatever it takes to be the woman she deserves to be. Even with a husband and children, Dolly pushes the boundaries of what is ‘proper’ and what a wife and mother ought to do, as war spreads across Europe and the rules are forever changed. But every life has its limits. What happens when Dolly’s wanderlust finally risks taking her too far?
Cecily: An epic feminist retelling of the War of the Roses
by Annie Garthwaite'A startling heroine' SARAH MOSS, author of Summerwater 'A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock'Wolf Hall for the 2020s' MANDA SCOTT, author of Boudica 'Absorbing' TIMES __________________________________ 1431 is a dangerous time for a woman to be defiant. England has been fighting France for 100 years. At home, power-hungry men within a corrupt government manipulate a weak king - and name Cecily's husband, York's loyal duke, an enemy. As the king's grasp on sanity weakens, plots to destroy York take root... It will take all of Cecily's courage and cunning to save her family. But when the will to survive becomes ambition for a crown, will she risk treason to secure it? Inside closed bedchambers and upon bloody battlefields, CECILY portrays war as women fight it.TO CONTINUE CECILY'S STORY, PRE-ORDER THE KING'S MOTHER - OUT 11th JULY. __________________________________ ACCLAIM FOR CECILY - AN EPIC FEMINIST RETELLING OF THE WAR OF THE ROSES 'Has the new Hilary Mantel arrived?' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Masterful and majestic; England's unspoken history told by one brilliant woman through the life of another. This important novel blazes on every page from its brutal first scene to its glittering final act' CHRIS CLEAVE, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven 'Entirely absorbing and utterly compelling. Fifteenth century England leaps from the page, with all its political turmoil and bloodshed. I loved it' CAROLINE LEA, author of The Glass Women 'Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses - what a feat' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock 'Masterfully written and wholly immersive, with characters that live and breathe. Cecily is a tour de force. I loved every sentence' JOANNE BURN, author of The Hemlock Cure 'Annie Garthwaite writes about the past with the sort of intimacy, immediacy and empathy that can only come from graft and craft' TOBY CLEMENTS, author of Kingmaker 'BLOODY GREAT. So modern, so political, it could almost be set in Downing Street' KATE SAWYER, author of The Stranding'Shines a light into a dark corner of our history and reclaims the voice and story of a powerful and forgotten woman' LIZ HYDER, author of The Gifts'An extraordinary achievement . . .I could touch and breathe Cecily's world as if I was walking in her shadow' CAROL MCGRATH, author of The Silken Rose 'Impeccably researched, written with style and shot through with energy, heart and power. A perfectly paced tale of intrigue, influence and victory wrenched from defeat. Cecily has been overlooked for centuries. Not anymore' A J WEST, author of The Spirit Engineer
Dancing with Georges Perec: Embodying Oulipo (ISSN)
by Leslie SatinThis book explores the relationship of the life and work of the remarkable Parisian-Jewish writer Georges Perec (1936–1983) to dance."Dancing" addresses art-making parallels and their personal and sociocultural contexts, including Perec’s childhood loss of his parents in the Holocaust and its repercussions in the significance of the body, everydayness, space, and attention permeating his work. This book, emerging from the author Leslie Satin’s perspective as a dancer and scholar, links Perec’s concerns with those of dance and demonstrates that Perec’s work has implications for dance and how we think about it. Moreover, it is framed as a performative autobiographical enactment of the author's relationship to Perec, periodically linking their written, danced, and imagined lives.This exploration will be of great interest to dancers, dance scholars, and dance students interested in contemporary experimental dance and contemporary dance.
Dancing with Georges Perec: Embodying Oulipo (ISSN)
by Leslie SatinThis book explores the relationship of the life and work of the remarkable Parisian-Jewish writer Georges Perec (1936–1983) to dance."Dancing" addresses art-making parallels and their personal and sociocultural contexts, including Perec’s childhood loss of his parents in the Holocaust and its repercussions in the significance of the body, everydayness, space, and attention permeating his work. This book, emerging from the author Leslie Satin’s perspective as a dancer and scholar, links Perec’s concerns with those of dance and demonstrates that Perec’s work has implications for dance and how we think about it. Moreover, it is framed as a performative autobiographical enactment of the author's relationship to Perec, periodically linking their written, danced, and imagined lives.This exploration will be of great interest to dancers, dance scholars, and dance students interested in contemporary experimental dance and contemporary dance.
Return to My Native Land (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Aimé Césaire'The undisputed masterpiece of négritude and a poetic milestone of anti-colonialism' Guardian'We shall speak. We shall sing. We shall shout.'This blazing autobiographical poem by the founder of the négritude movement became a rallying cry for decolonisation when it appeared in 1939. Following one man's return from Europe to his homeland of Martinique, it is a reckoning with the trauma of slavery and exploitation, and a triumphant anthem for Black identity, one which reclaims and remakes language itself.'Nothing less than the greatest lyrical monument of this time' André Breton'A Césaire poem explodes and whirls about itself like a rocket, suns burst forth whirling and exploding' Jean-Paul Sartre'The most influential Francophone Caribbean writer of his generation' IndependentTranslated by John Berger and Anna Bostock