Search

'...a gripping first-hand account [of] front lines to besieged cities, from bombed-out basements to the homes and hospitality of the victims of war.'— Sunday PostWhen Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, millions of lives changed in an instant.Millions of people were suddenly on the move. In this great flow of people was a reporter from the north of Scotland. Jen Stout left Moscow abruptly, ending up on a border post in southeast Romania, from where she began to cover the human cost of Russian aggression. Her first-hand, vivid reporting brought the war home to readers in Scotland as she reported from front lines and cities across Ukraine. Stories from the night trains, birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers: stories from the ground, from a writer with a deep sense of empathy, always seeking to understand the bigger picture, the big questions of identity, history, hopes and fears in this war in Europe.Night Train to Odesa begins in Russia and continues to focus on people, relationships and individuals in Ukraine. It is the account of a young female reporter with no institutional backup or security. Both in language and themes, it is accessible and highly readable.

On his deathbed, Dr. Joanne Intrator's father poses two unsettling questions: “Are you tough enough? Do they know who you are?” Joanne soon realizes that these haunting questions relate to a center-city Berlin building at 16 Wallstrasse that the Nazis ripped away from her family in 1938. But a decade is to pass before she will fully come to grasp why her father threw down the gauntlet as he did. Repeatedly, Joanne's restitution quest brings her into confrontation with yet another of her profound fears surrounding Germany and the Holocaust. Having to call on reserves of strength she's unsure she possesses, the author leans into her professional command of psychiatry, often overcoming flabbergasting obstacles perniciously dumped in her path. The depth and lucidity of psychological insight threaded throughout Summons to Berlin makes it an attention-grabbing standout among books on like topics. As a reader, you'll come away delighted to know just who Dr. Joanne Intrator is. You'll also finish the book cheering for her, because in the end, she proves far more than tough enough to satisfy her father's unnerving final demands.

'Gasp-inducing'– Laura Kuenssberg'Jaw-dropping'– The House'A must-read'– Iain Dale'Fascinating'– Iain Duncan Smith ••• In the high-stakes world of politics, there are superb highs and terrible lows – and never more so than in the period since 2010. Few are better placed to give an insider's view of the turmoil than the Rt Hon. Dame Andrea Leadsom MP. From taking to the stage at Wembley as a key figure in the campaign to leave the European Union, through two leadership bids, Cabinet intrigue and squaring off against an increasingly erratic Speaker, Andrea's very personal account tracks the ups and downs of a life in politics and particularly the challenges for female MPs. In this updated edition, which sheds new light on the fraught leadership campaigns of 2022, Andrea argues that political careers don't always – as is so often claimed – end in failure, and explains how, like a game of snakes and ladders, politics is often about getting yourself into the right place at the right time.

An Instant New York Times Bestseller! From the beloved host of Good Morning America and New York Times bestselling author Robin Roberts, a guide to instilling hope and optimism into readers'lives, infusing their days with positivity and encouragement. Over the last 16 years as the esteemed anchor of Good Morning America, Robin Roberts has helped millions of people across the country greet each new morning, gracing our screens with heart and humility. She has sought to bring a bit of positivity into each day, even in the most trying of times. Now, she shares with readers the guidance she's received, her own hard-won wisdom, and eye-opening experiences that have helped her find the good in the world and usher in light—even on the darkest days. Drawing on advice and knowledge she gleaned from conversations with loved ones, spiritual practices, and life experiences, Robin offers a window into how she feeds her own mind, spirit, and soul and invites readers to do the same. With a deeply personal touch, she explains that just like any skill, optimism requires practice and demonstrates how we can shift our mindsets and give ourselves permission to let our best intentions take root and be true. Full of profound insight and the compassion to meet readers wherever they are on their journey, this contemplative and uplifting read is a breath of fresh air that will bring a dose of joy into your daily life.

Discover “the stories America needs to hear” (Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Ret.)) with these moving and powerful recollections of war, told by the men and women who lived them.Walk in my Combat Boots is a powerful collection crafted from hundreds of original interviews by James Patterson, the world's #1 bestselling writer, and First Sergeant US Army (Ret.) Matt Eversmann, part of the Ranger unit portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down. These are the brutally honest stories usually only shared amongst comrades in arms. Here, in the voices of the men and women who've fought overseas from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, is a rare eye-opening look into what wearing the uniform, fighting in combat, losing friends and coming home is really like. Readers who next thank a military member for their service will finally have a true understanding of what that thanks is for.

Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month - November 2021 The'70s wasn't all glam rock and flares, punk and pogo-ing… In Painting the Beauty Queens Orange, the women who lived the decade reveal what it meant to push boundaries, claim your identity, and carve out your place amidst the winter of discontent, the scorching summer of'76 and the rise of Thatcherism. One young woman says a forced goodbye to her newborn baby. Another grasps new opportunities and sets sail on an LPG tanker with a crew of men. A third asserts her sexual identity. A fourth sets up a kitchen table business that launches an international brand. These stories of ambition and adventure, motherhood and marriage, are by turns heart-breaking, humorous, and honest.

A powerful portrait of the personal consequences of war as seen through the innocent eyes of children, from a Nobel Prize-winning writer.Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich delves into the traumatic memories of children who were separated from their parents during World War II--most of them never to be reunited--in this this young adult adaptation of her acclaimed nonfiction'masterpiece'(The Guardian), Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of WWII.The personal narratives told by those who were children during WWII and survived harrowing experiences, are astounding. So many children were separated from their loved ones in the midst of the terror and chaos. As a result, some grew up in orphanages or were raised by grandparents or extended family; others were taken in and cared for by strangers who risked punishment for such acts. Still others lived on their own or became underage soldiers. Forthright and riveting, these bravely told oral histories of survival reveal the heart-rending details of life during wartime while reminding us that resilience is possible, no matter the circumstances.

Editors Karen Racine and Graham Lloyd provide extensive insight into the Mina expedition during the revolution of Mexican independence as captured in the journal of James A. Brush. General Xavier Mina believed that the best way to overthrow tyranny in Spain was to fight for the independence of the American colonies. A Scottish officer who fought with the British army against Napoleon, Brush joined Mina in 1815 and set sail to Mexico thereafter. Available in English for the first time, this primary document detailing the experiences of the expedition provides a firsthand account of the personalities, the events, and the social world as it was, as well as descriptions of some of the major figures of Mexico's independence era. Racine and Lloyd contextualize Brush's journal with informative notes, annotations, and appendices that include letters, song lyrics, and decrees, giving readers a broader context for the events described. The result is a fascinating look into a significant episode of Mexico's War for Independence.

An inspiring collection of reflections on the daily beauties and bounties of human life that show us how we may see the joy in anything.In a world so often filled with distressing news and bewildering violence, being “human” often gets a bad rap. Rejoice in everyday reasons to smile, think positively, and enjoy the gift of life... In Glad To Be Human: Adventures in Optimism, award-winning writer Irene O'Garden reminds us of the radiance of human existence. From kitchens to gardens to busy city streets, all around, in your everyday life, you can find plenty of reasons to feel gratitude and hope, peace and joy.With this collection of essays, O'Garden explores a wide range of practical reasons to celebrate life?just look closely around you. In one essay, she describes the simple pleasure that comes from clearing clutter off a desk?in another, the thrill of visiting the Statue of Liberty. The book's grand finale is the Pushcart Prize-winning essay, “Glad To Be Human.”Through contemplation, meditation and with literary style, Glad To Be Human invites readers to view life through a positive lens. From small, daily activities to journeys overseas, O'Garden has a knack for finding beauty and meaning in all life's adventures?even in our deepest pain and suffering?helping all of us feel glad to be human.Perfect for readers of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Anne Lamott, or books like Risking the Rapids, The Book of Joy, The Book of Delights, and The Gratitude Diaries.Praise for Glad to Be Human“For many years now, the poet, playwright, and memoirist Irene O'Garden has been a hero to me. I think of her as a walking, writing, beam of light. It is my hope that with the release of ‘Glad to be Human'numberless others will come to know her gifts and, most of all, her captivating talent for wonder and marvel.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of City of Girls and Big Magic“A field guide to embracing the creativity and spontaneity that bring joy to the business of being human. With an artist's eye and a poet's soul, Irene O'Garden shines her light on the bliss that surrounds us. Each of her essays turns the eye toward love and possibility. I am changed by these now dog-eared pages, and I will return to them again and again for inspiration.” —Annabel Monaghan, author of The Digit Series, columnist for The Week and The Huffington Post

“A valuable history [and] a stark warning to Washington policy and strategy makers.” —James Stejskal, former US Army Special Forces and CIA officer In 2002, Sam Faddis was named to head a CIA team that would enter Iraq to facilitate the deployment of follow-on conventional military forces numbering over 40,000 American soldiers. This force, built around the 4th Infantry Division, would, in partnership with Kurdish forces and with the assistance of Turkey, engage Saddam's army in the North as part of a coming invasion. Faddis expected to be on the ground in Iraq within weeks, the entire campaign likely to be over by summer. Over the course of the next year, virtually every aspect of that plan for the conduct of the war in northern Iraq fell apart. The 4th Infantry Division never arrived, nor did any other conventional forces in substantial number. The Turks not only refused to provide support, they worked overtime to prevent the United States from achieving success. And an Arab army that was to assist US forces fell apart before it ever made it to the field. Alone, hopelessly outnumbered, short on supplies, and threatened by Iraqi assassination teams and Islamic extremists, Faddis's team, working with Kurdish peshmerga, miraculously paved the way for a brilliant and largely bloodless victory in the North and the fall of Saddam's Iraq. That victory, handed over to Washington and the Department of Defense on a silver platter, was then squandered. The decisions that followed would lead to catastrophic consequences that continue to this day. This is the story of the brave and effective team of men and women who overcame massive odds to help end the nightmare of Saddam's rule. It is also the story of how incompetence, bureaucracy, and ignorance threw that success away and condemned Iraq and the surrounding region to chaos

Danielle and Christopher Jones were married for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. They just never imagined they would experience all of those things in their first few years of marriage!Unemployment. A car accident. A terrifying medical diagnosis. The loss of a loved one. The death of their 10-day-old son, Junior.Through it all, Danielle and Christopher held tightly to their faith, and to each other, taking each day and each step as it came and remaining committed not only to their marriage, but to turning their pain into a positive for other families.Founders of the Angel Baby Network, Danielle and Christopher share their story to provide hope and inspiration for married couples and parents facing their own highs and lows.

The arrival of the WWII B-17 bomber at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in January of 2009 initiated a great adventure for a group of warbird lovers from the nearby communities as they united to restore that B-17. The dream of the volunteers was to honor the WWII veterans of the Eighth Air Force—some of whom were literally their fathers—by restoring the B-17 to its original pristine condition. The group was challenged by the fact that the airplane had been in storage for more than two decades following a long working life, and was far from the gleaming symbol of power that it had been in 1945.

September 1914, and the whole of Europe was at war following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his beloved wife Sophie by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914. In France and Belgium, the British Expeditionary Force were struggling to hold back the German hoards as their casualties began to mount. Back in Britain the call went out for volunteers to join the ‘Pals'battalions which were springing up in the northern towns of England, and one of the first to volunteer was young Jack Smallshaw of Accrington. On 15th September 1914, Jack became an ‘Accrington Pal,'a member of a battalion of men who are remembered more than any other of the Pals battalions because of the appalling tragedy which befell them on the killing fields of the Somme. On that fateful day on 1st July 1916, the battalion attacked the fortified village of Serre and were virtually wiped out on the slopes in front of the village. Jack was one of the very few who survived. He continued to serve on the front throughout the remainder of 1916 and into 1917, where he took part in the battle at Oppy wood in May of that year. Shortly afterwards he was struck down by a second bout of trench fever and spent the rest of the year recovering in England. By February 1918 he was back in France serving on the front line, but Jack was never the same man. He was in the thick of the action again in March when the Germans launched their spring offensive against the allied lines. He weathered that too, and stuck it out to the bitter end. This then, is the story of a quite remarkable survivor of the ‘war to end all wars', whose diaries have lain unpublished, in the possession of his family, since 1919.

Four years of bloodshed in mid-1980s Northern Ireland, in the words of British soldiers who experienced it firsthand. Includes photos. Proceeding month-by-month from 1984 through 1987, this historical project provides a deep and detailed portrait of the British military experience in a period of frequent and unpredictable violence as the Provisional IRA grew in financial and logistical strength. As British Security Forces worked to contain the chaos, the Republican terror group fully embraced Danny Morrison's mantra— “The Armalite and the ballot box”—as they moved toward a realization that the British military could not be beaten, but that they could at least sit down with them from a position of strength. The goal was to keep up the pressure and force the British government to the bargaining table. But as the Provisionals and Loyalists fought, talked, and then fought again, a further 356 people died. Through oral histories, witness accounts, photos, and commentary, this book covers every major incident of the period, from the ambush of off-duty UDR soldier Robert Elliott to the bombing of Enniskillen. It also looks at the continued interference of the United States and the vast contribution of its citizens through NORAID, which ensured the killing and violence would continue. Lamenting brutality and the targeting of innocents regardless of the perpetrator's sympathies, veteran Ken Wharton, who has chronicled the Troubles extensively, reminds us of the universal threat, and horrifying toll, of terrorist tactics.

By and about the greatest celebrities of frontier America, these are the stories of their adventures told in their own words through excerpts from autobiographies, articles they wrote, newspaper interviews, private journals, personal letters, and court testimony. These glimpses into the worlds of these legendary figures as they describe their own personal experiences, impressions, what life in the frontier West was like, reveal the roles they played in notable events in American history.

Iraq in 2009 was a strange netherworld, not quite war but not yet peace. The country teetered on the threshold of great change with the impending national elections and the promised withdrawal of all US combat forces. These changes would usher in either an era of irreversible stability or a return to the sectarian carnage that nearly destroyed Iraq in 2006. It was during this period of uncertainty that Task Force Patriot arrived to take over as the last US combat force to occupy Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. In this gripping first-hand account of the final months of combat operations, author Pat Proctor brings his unique, insider perspective to reveal the circumstances that put this battalion in a position to turn the tide of the Iraq war.Despite resistance from insurgents, intransigent Iraqi politicians, and, occasionally, the US interagency team, this artillery-turned-infantry battalion found itself in a position to not only improve conditions in its area, but solve the last unsettled problem of the Iraq war, the sectarian divide. Task Force Patriot, through the confluence of lucky circumstances and innovative thinking, had stumbled upon a unique approach—a combination of hardball politics, economic investment, and a nuanced application of force—that could potentially end Sunni separatism in Iraq. This book tells the untold story of this critical period during the second national elections, which, eight months later, was only beginning to yield a government. More importantly, however, this book tells the story of the last crucial days of the Iraq War.

Describes Johnson's 33 years in the military, including P-47 Thunderbolt missions in WWII, 13 months in a German POW camp, and his eventual command of the 8th Air Force.

Confessions of a Name Dropper is an insider's account of some of the most significant men and moments in American history. Veterans will be especially drawn to Nichols'revealing look at the heroic exploits of the 10th Armored Tiger''Division...from their''days of white hell''to the nights in''bloody Bastogne''and beyond. Nichols also writes of his contact with notable figures like General Patton, Roy Rogers, Jimmy Durante, Jackie Robinson, and Vice-President Ted Agnew. Contents include a special tribute to the work of organizations like the American Red Cross, the Kentucky Hotel-Motel Association, and the Kentucky Heart Association.''

Dabbs writes the stories of the service generation during WWII. Many of the men in this book were in columns he wrote for the Dade County Sentinel in Trenton, Georgia.

This is the legacy of the FIGHTING JUNGLEERS in World War II Pacific theater. Detailed battle accounts from beach landings at New Guinea to the Philippines. Vivid photos.