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Walking through Fire: The Later Years of Nawal El Saadawi, In Her Own Words
by Nawal El SaadawiIn Walking through Fire, Nawal El Saadawi, author of Woman at Point Zero and one of the Arab world's greatest writers, tells the story of the later years of a life which shaped an iconic voice in global feminism. Covering her life in Nasser's then Sadat's and Mubarak's Egypt, we learn about Saadawi's experience of marriage and motherhood, and we travel with her into exile after her life was threatened by religious extremists. Filled with warmth as well as critical reflection, this book reveals the later years of a remarkable life dedicated to the fight for justice and equality.
A Daughter of Isis: The Early Life of Nawal El Saadawi, In Her Own Words
by Nawal El SaadawiIn A Daughter of Isis, Nawal El Saadawi, author of Woman at Point Zero and one of the Arab world's greatest writers, tells the story of the formative years which shaped an iconic voice in global feminism. In poignant and moving prose we learn about her relationships with her family, her traumatic experience of female genital mutilation at seven years old and escaping suitors at ten and her journey from the rural Egyptian village of her birth to metropolitan Cairo to study medicine. Filled with warmth as well as critical reflection, this book reveals the early years of a remarkable life dedicated to the fight for justice and equality.
A Daughter of Isis: The Early Life of Nawal El Saadawi, In Her Own Words
by Nawal El SaadawiIn A Daughter of Isis, Nawal El Saadawi, author of Woman at Point Zero and one of the Arab world's greatest writers, tells the story of the formative years which shaped an iconic voice in global feminism. In poignant and moving prose we learn about her relationships with her family, her traumatic experience of female genital mutilation at seven years old and escaping suitors at ten and her journey from the rural Egyptian village of her birth to metropolitan Cairo to study medicine. Filled with warmth as well as critical reflection, this book reveals the early years of a remarkable life dedicated to the fight for justice and equality.
Isaac Newton: And the Scientific Revolution (Oxford Portraits in Science)
by Gale E. ChristiansonIn 1665, when an epidemic of the plague forced Cambridge University to close, Isaac Newton, then a young, undistinguished scholar, returned to his childhood home in rural England. Away from his colleagues and professors, Newton embarked on one of the greatest intellectual odysseys in the history of science: he began to formulate the law of universal gravitation, developed the calculus, and made revolutionary discoveries about the nature of light. After his return to Cambridge, Newton's genius was quickly recognized and his reputation forever established. This biography also allows us to see the personal side of Newton, whose life away from science was equally fascinating. Quarrelsome, quirky, and not above using his position to silence critics and further his own career, he was an authentic genius with all too human faults.
Clement Attlee: The Man Who Made Modern Britain
by John BewThroughout the first half of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill's wartime heroics and larger-than-life personality propelled him to the center of the world stage. To most, he remains Great Britain's greatest Prime Minister, his fame and charisma overshadowing those who followed in his footsteps. Yet while he presided over his country's finest hour, he was not its most consequential leader. In this definitive new biography, John Bew reveals how that designation belongs to Clement Attlee, Churchill's successor, who launched a new era of political, economic, and social reform that would forever change Great Britain. Bew's thorough and keen examination of Attlee, the former leader of the Labour Party, illuminates how his progressive beliefs shaped his influential domestic and international policy. Alternatively criticized for being "too socialist" or "not radical enough," Attlee's quiet tenacity was intrinsic to the success of his party and highly pertinent to British identity overall. In 1948, he established the National Health Service as part of his "British New Deal"-a comprehensive, universal system of insurance, welfare, and family allowances to be enjoyed by all British citizens. Attlee also initiated key advancements in international relations by supporting the development of both the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and by granting independence to India, Burma, and Ceylon. More controversially, he sanctioned the building of Britain's nuclear deterrent in response to the rise of the Soviet Union and the threat of atomic bombs. Clement Attlee: The Man Who Made Modern Britain explores his tenure in the years after the war, as he presided over a radical new government in an age of austerity and imperial decline. Bew mines contemporary memoirs, diaries, and press excerpts to present readers with an illuminating and intimate look into Attlee's life and career. Attentive to both the man and the political landscape, this comprehensive biography provides new insight into the soul of a leader who transformed his country and by extension the vast empire over which it once ruled.
The Invention of Angela Carter: A Biography
by Edmund GordonWidely acknowledged as one of the most important English writers of the last century, Angela Carter's work stands out for its bawdiness and linguistic zest, its hospitality to the fantastical and the absurd, and its extraordinary inventiveness and range. Her life was as vigorously modern and unconventional as anything in her fiction. This is the story of how Angela Carter invented herself - as a new kind of woman and a new kind of writer - and how she came to write such seductive and distinctive masterworks as The Bloody Chamber, Nights at the Circus, and Wise Children. Because its subject so powerfully embodied the spirit of the times, the book also provides a fresh perspective on Britain's social and cultural history in the second half of the twentieth century. It examines such topics as the 1960s counterculture, the social and imaginative conditions of the nuclear age, and the advent of second wave feminism. Author Edmund Gordon has followed in Angela Carter's footsteps - travelling to the places she lived in Britain, Japan, and the USA - to uncover a life rich in adventure and incident. With unrestricted access to her manuscripts, letters, and journals, and informed by interviews with Carter's friends and family, Gordon offers an unrivalled portrait of one of the twentieth century's most dazzlingly original writers. This sharply written narrative will be the definitive biography for years to come.
The Past Is Myself
by Christabel BielenbergOn 29 September 1934, at the German Embassy office in London, Christabel Bielenberg officially became a German citizen. Having met her German husband Peter two years prior, Christabel decided to renounce her British citizenship, planning to start married life with Peter in Berlin. Though Adolf Hitler had risen to power in 1933, Christabel and Peter were convinced the German people would see through the newly elected chancellor.But soon Christabel found herself living under the horrors of Nazi rule and Allied bombings as the war progressed. Closely associated with resistance circles, her husband was arrested after the failure of the plot against Hitler’s life on 20 July 1944, and she herself was interrogated by the Gestapo. Though she lived in constant fear for her and her family’s safety, Christabel survived the war with the help of other like-minded Germans who were against Hitler and the Third Reich.With various memorable encounters – from a simple-minded Nazi official who was also her odd-job gardener to the good-hearted Black Forest villagers who sheltered her till the liberation – Christabel shares not only the hardships and worry but also the humour and humanity she found during these dark days. The human dimension of her writing brings about an unforgettable portrait of an evil time.
Love Until Death: The twisted true story of killer conman Alexandre Despallières
by Chris Hutchins‘Who is Alex? Is he the gifted businessman whose interests have netted him billions of dollars, whose generosity and charm has beguiled the world’s elite? Or is he the cold-blooded killer accused by the French police of poisoning his lover? A ruthless but brilliant conman who made millions by creating a fictitious persona?’Alexandre Despallières bewitched everyone he met with his disarming good looks and killer charm. But this had tragic consequences for many he got close to, as he left a trail of suspicious deaths in his wake.Posing as a billionaire businessman dying of an inoperable brain tumour, Despallières seduced and married music industry legend Peter Ikin in 2008. Just one month later, Ikin died of a paracetamol overdose and Despallières was set to inherit his estate, worth millions, through a forged will.As investigations unfolded, other suspected victims emerged, including Despallières’s own parents. Others narrowly managed to escape a similar fate, such as a Hollywood heiress, who Despallières convinced to adopt him, and conned her out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.Despallières died in 2022, just before he was due to stand trial, leaving unanswered questions behind. In Love Until Death, Chris Hutchins untangles Despallières’s web of deceit, and gains the trust of Despallières himself, who reveals his version of events for the first time.
New Methods for Women: A Manifesto for Independence
by Sharmadean ReidNew Methods for Women believes:1. You already know what you want.2. But sometimes things can get in the way.3. You can design your life how you want.4. You just try a New Method.5. Until you reveal your true self.For too long, women have worked hard to fit into a pre-existing system that wasn’t built for them. Sharmadean Reid is on a mission to change that with this book, offering women New Methods to live by, to thrive, succeed and get what they want out of life.Outwardly, Sharmadean might appear to have had it all, a string of successful business ventures, an adorable son, a host of awards to her name, but, inwardly, she was crumbling and was in desperate need of a change. After trying every wellness practice, reading countless personal development books and eventually just doing ‘the work’, it wasn’t until the morning of her 39th birthday that Sharmadean woke in peace and contentment. Now she is here to share with women everywhere the methods that got her to that place.New Methods for Women is 49 powerful essays that offer new perspectives on life, work, self, friendships, parenthood, and relationships. Sharmadean interweaves the lessons she’s learnt, with a diverse range of thinkers, ideas and stories that have informed her approach. There are countless books that tell women how to navigate the system as it is, but what women really need is to change the system to empower and support them: this book gives you the tools to do just that.
Into a Star
by Puk QvortrupIntimate and devastating, a luminous debut novel about untimely grief and the resilience of the human heart, inspired by the author's own experiences'Three in the bed. One not yet born, another dead, and I'm alive.'Puk is 26 years old, preparing for the birth of her second child, when her husband has a heart attack while out running. She leaves their toddler with a friend and dashes to the hospital, where Lasse lies unresponsive in a coma. He dies a few hours later.Into a Star follows Puk and her young family in the first year after this tragedy, which has shattered the ordinary life she imagined for them. As the days turn to weeks and months, Puk's second son is born, her sister moves in, her relationship with her in-laws fractures and evolves. She reckons daily with her memories of Lasse: how they met and fell in love, their adventures, their dreams for the future. And she navigates the miraculous, brutal, overwhelming days of early parenthood alone.Into a Star is a luminous meditation on loss and renewal. With remarkable dignity, candour and attention to human detail, Puk Qvortrup invites us into the hardest moments of her life. And she reveals, amid the devastation, a powerful, life-affirming thread of hope.
Virginia Woolf And Vanessa Bell: A Very Close Conspiracy (Tom Thorne Novels #309)
by Jane DunnA moving and important book on the relationship between two remarkable sisters who jointly created the Bloomsbury Group'An outstanding work... one of the best books on Virginia Woolf to date' Literary Review'Dunn's unlayering of this complex relationship is subtle and far-reaching' Sunday Times'An investigation into the dynamics of friendship and sibling rivalry, maternal solicitude and mutual need' New York Times'A revealing pleasure' IndependentThis is the story of a deep and close relationship between two sisters - Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. The influence they exerted over each others lives, their competitiveness, the fierce love they had for each other and also their intense rivalry is explored here with subtlety and compassion. The thoughts, motives and actions of these two remarkably artistic women who jointly created the Bloomsbury Group is revealed with all its intricacies in this moving biography.
My Left Foot: The Life That Inspired My Left Foot
by Christy BrownChristy Brown was born a victim of cerebral palsy. But the hapless, lolling baby concealed the brilliantly imaginative and sensitive mind of a writer who would take his place among the giants of Irish literature. This is Christy Brown's own story. He recounts his childhood struggle to learn to read, write, paint and finally type, with the toe of his left foot. In this manner he wrote his bestseller Down all the Days.
Unruly: The Number One Bestseller ‘Horrible Histories for grownups’ The Times
by David MitchellTHE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA funny book about a serious subject, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how we got here - and who is to blame.'Clever, amusing, gloriously bizarre and razor sharp. Mitchell – a funny man and skilled historian – tells stories that are interesting and fun. Here is Horrible Histories for grownups’ GERARD DEGROOT, THE TIMES 'Just fantastic. Delightfully contrary and hilariously cantankerous. Very, very funny’ JESSE ARMSTRONG, CREATOR OF SUCCESSION AND PEEP SHOW'Clever, funny. Makes you think quite differently about history’ DAN SNOW, HISTORIAN AND BROADCASTER ---- Think you know your kings and queens? Think again. Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), Unruly tells the founding story of post-Roman England up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut. How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history – and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.*The Times Number One Bestseller October 2023* ----‘An enjoyable, rollicking read, definitely not a conventional history book’ THE TIMES‘Chatty, irreverent and liberally sprinkled with gags and opinions. Horrible Histories with added swearing’ GUARDIAN 'Mitchell clearly knows his history, with a book that owes as much to Monty Python as it does to Simon Schama' ANDREW MARR, BROADCASTER 'Who knew a history of England's rulers could be this hilarious?' i 'I can’t recommend this book enough. Very funny and interesting, it is above all a proper work of history' CHARLIE HIGSON
Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars (Books That Changed The World Ser.)
by Sonia FaleiroSonia Faleiro was a reporter in search of a story when she met Leela, a beautiful and charismatic bar dancer with a story to tell. Leela introduced Sonia to the underworld of Bombay's dance bars: a world of glamorous women, of fierce love, sex and violence, of customers and gangsters, of police, prostitutes and pimps. When an ambitious political politician cashed in on a tide of false morality and had Bombay's dance bars wiped out, Leela's proud independence faced its greatest test. In a city where almost everyone is certain that someone, somewhere, is worse off than them, she fights to survive, and to win. Beautiful Thing is a vivid and intimate portrait of one reporter's journey into the dark, pulsating and ultimately damaged soul of Bombay.
The Gulag Archipelago
by Aleksandr SolzhenitsynSolzhenitsyn spent eleven years in labour camps and in exile.This book is his masterwork, based on his own experiences as well as the testimony of some 200 survivors. A vast canvas of camps, prisons, transit centres and secret police, of informers and spies and interrogators but also of everyday heroism, it chronicles the story of those who dared to oppose Stalin, and for whom the key to survival lay not in hope but in despair. A thoroughly researched document and a feat of literary and imaginative power, this edition of The Gulag Archipelago was abridged into one volume at the request of the author.'Helped to bring down an empire. Its importance can hardly be exaggerated' Doris Lessing, Sunday Telegraph'Solzhenitsyn’s masterpiece...helped create the world we live in today' Anne ApplebaumWITH AN AFTERWORD BY JORDAN B. PETERSONTHE OFFICIALLY APPROVED ABRIDGEMENT OF THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO VOLUMES I, II & III
The Sister: The extraordinary story of Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful woman in North Korea
by Sung-Yoon Lee'Ground-breaking' – Daily Mail‘In explaining the rise to power of Kim Yo Jong, Lee displays his deep knowledge and understanding of North Korea’s extreme, ruthless and self-obsessed dynastic autocracy, the creators and rulers of a de-facto nuclear weapon state. Not a reassuring story’ – Sir John Scarlett, former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)Written by Dr Sung-Yoon Lee, a scholar and specialist on North Korea who has advised the US government, The Sister is a jaw-dropping account of the spectacular rise of Kim Yo Jong, de-facto deputy to her brother, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, and the most powerful woman in North Korea.In 2022, in a particularly fiery speech, Kim Yo Jong threatened to nuke South Korea, reminding the world of the dangers posed by her state. But how did the youngest daughter of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, his ‘sweet princess’, become the ruthless chief propagandist, internal administrator and foreign policymaker for her brother’s totalitarian regime?The Sister uncovers the truth about Kim Yo Jong, her close bond with Kim Jong Un and the lessons in manipulation they learned from their father. Lee also examines the iron grip the Kim dynasty has on their country, the grotesque deaths of family members deemed disloyal, and the signs that Kim Yo Jong has been positioned as her brother’s successor should he die while his own children are young.Readable and insightful, this book is an invaluable portrait of a woman who might yet hold the survival of her despotic dynasty in her hands.‘An incisive portrayal of North Korea’s "princess", Kim Yo Jong, but also a chilling portrait of a family dynasty that has oppressed and exploited North Korea for generation after generation’ – Max Boot, Washington Post columnist, author and senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Kammy: The Funny and Moving Autobiography by the Broadcasting Legend
by Chris KamaraTHE SMASH HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWinner of Autobiography of the Year at the 2024 Sports Book Awards‘Everyone loves Kammy . . . Full of humour and endless blunders’ – The Times'What a man, what a life, what a story and what a great read' – Paddy McGuinnessPresenter, commentator, (sometimes masked) singer, footballer, manager and campaigner, Kammy has done it all. His irrepressible enthusiasm – and a couple of legendary gaffes on Sky Sports – have seen him become broadcasting royalty.Now Kammy reveals all in this funny and moving autobiography. What happens when you double-cross José Mourinho? What's it like to play with Vinnie Jones? Who comes off better: Kammy or a rampaging gorilla? How did Kammy end up releasing his own top-ten record? What's the real story behind his infamous line, 'I don't know, Jeff!'?But, despite the crazy tales, it hasn't all been plain sailing. Kammy had a tough upbringing, faced racism during his playing career and has, in recent years, dealt with a rare brain condition – apraxia – that has affected his speech and saw him say goodbye to Sky Sports. Sharing the details of his battle against the condition, Kammy shows how he’s met every challenge with courage, determination and that trademark infectious smile.Packed with hilarious stories and featuring a cast of famous names, from Elton John to Channing Tatum, this is a book about friendship, courage and why it's always important to have a good laugh.'A talented (and daft) lad from the Boro who has entertained the nation for decades, on and off the pitch. So get the tissues ready – this book will make you laugh and cry in equal measure' – Steph McGovern
Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison
by Seth RogovoyHow did the most reluctant member of the Fab Four put his mark on all of their music? This book helps listeners hear how George Harrison shaped the sound of The Beatles and how he carried that sound forward into his solo career Within You Without You is a highly personal exploration of George Harrison's essential contributions to the Beatles and his solo work, as well as his significant role as a Western proponent of Indian music and beliefs. Through close examination of his guitar playing in the Fab Four and his songwriting both in and out of the Beatles, author Seth Rogovoy demystifies the enigma of this most reluctant of rock stars. Drawing upon the insights of the author--a rock critic and historian of over forty years standing--as well as those of expert observers including Beatles filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg and English rock singer-songwriters Robyn Hitchcock and John Wesley Harding, among others, this book extensively examines George Harrison's contributions to the musical world. Within You Without You will forever change the way readers hear the music of the Beatles and view Harrison's role in the group, as well as enhancing appreciation of Harrison as a cultural figure above and beyond his work as a musician.
Becoming Faulkner: The Art and Life of William Faulkner
by Philip WeinsteinWilliam Faulkner was the greatest American novelist of the twentieth century, yet he lived a life marked by a pervasive sense of failure. Throughout his career, he remained haunted by his inability to master a series of personal and professional challenges: his less-than-heroic military career; the loss of his brother in an airplane crash; a disappointing stint as a Hollywood screenwriter; and a destructive bout with alcoholism. In this imaginative biography, Philip Weinstein--a leading authority on the great novelist--targets Faulkner's embattled sense of self as central to both his life and his work. Weinstein shows how Faulkner's troubled interactions with time, place, and history--with antebellum practices and racial division--take on their fullest meanings in his fiction. Exploring the resonance of his own unpreparedness, Faulkner invented a singular language that captured human consciousness under stress as never before. Becoming Faulkner joins Faulkner's life and art in a bold new way, giving readers a full vantage from which to better understand this twentieth-century literary genius. Weinstein shows how Faulkner's troubled interactions with time, place, and history--with antebellum practices and southern heritage--form a pattern that played out over the course of his entire life. At the same time, these incidents take on their fullest meanings in his fiction. It was in meditating on his failures, his own unreadiness, Weinstein argues, that Faulkner came up with his singular language, one that captured human consciousness under stress as never before. His fruitless striving catapulted American literature to a new level of sophistication. Narrating the events that comprised Faulkner's life, biographers have long struggled to depict his personal complexity, the paradoxes that shaped his decisions and dogged his relationships. But without a consideration of the writing as well, the troubles in the life fail to reveal their deeper resonance. By skillfully analyzing the work while tracing the events, Weinstein achieves a full portrait, revealing struggles that animate his life and shadows that complicate his work. Becoming Faulkner thus conjoins Faulkner's life and art in a bold new way, giving readers a full vantage from which to better understand this twentieth-century literary genius.
Operation Biting: The 1942 Parachute Assault to Capture Hitler’s Radar
by null Max HastingsTHE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER 'Reads like a thriller… I couldn't put Max Hastings's new book down' DAILY MAIL 'Hastings is a master of drama, a writer intimately familiar with the mind of the soldier' THE TIMES Operation Biting was one of the most thrilling British commando raids of World War II, and probably the most successful. In February 1942 RAF intelligence was baffled by a newly-identified radar network on the coast of Nazi-occupied Europe, codenamed Würzburg. The brilliant scientist Dr RV Jones proposed an assault to capture key components. The nearest accessible enemy set stood upon a steep cliff at Bruneval in Normandy. Winston Churchill enthused, as did Lord Louis Mountbatten, chief of Combined Operations. A company of the newly-formed Airborne Forces was committed to the operation, which took place on the night of 27/28 February. Amid heavy snow 120 men landed, some of whom were misdropped almost two miles from their objective. They nonetheless launched the assault, dismantled the German radar, and after three nail-biting hours in France and a fierce battle with Wehrmacht defenders, escaped in the nick of time by landing-craft across stormy seas to Portsmouth. Max Hastings recounts this cliffhanging tale in a wealth of previously unchronicled detail. He portrays its remarkable personalities: the ‘boffin’ RV Jones; the peacock Mountbatten; the troubled husband of Daphne Du Maurier, Gen. ’Boy’ Browning, who commanded the Airborne Division; ‘Colonel Remy’, the French secret agent whose men reconnoitered Bruneval at mortal risk; Major John Frost, who led the paras into action; Charlie Cox, the little RAF technician who stripped the Würzburg and became an unexpected hero; Wing-Commander Charles Pickard, a legendary bomber pilot who led the drop squadron. Seldom have so many fascinating personalities been brought together to fulfil a mission that became a front-page triumph in a season of British defeats. Recounted in Hastings’ familiar best-selling blend of top-down and bottom-up action detail, Operation Biting tells a story that has become almost forgotten yet deserves to rank among the epic tales of courage and daring that took place in the greatest conflict in history.