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Promotions > Loot Warehouse Clearance Sale > Books > Biography
Bulelwa Mabasa was born into a ‘matchbox’ family home in Meadowlands, Soweto, at the height of apartheid. In My Land Obsession, she shares her colourful Christian upbringing, framed by the lived experiences of her grandparents, who endured land dispossession in the form of the Group Areas Act and the migrant labour system. Bulelwa’s world was irrevocably altered when she encountered the disparities of life in a white-dominated school. Her ongoing interest in land justice informed her choice to study law at Wits, with the land question becoming central in her postgraduate studies. When Bulelwa joined the practice of law in the early 2000s as an attorney, she felt a strong need to build on her curiosity around land reform, moving on to form and lead a practice centred on land reform at Werksmans Attorneys. She describes the role played by her mentors and the professional and personal challenges she faced. My Land Obsession sets out notable legal cases Bulelwa has led and lessons that may be drawn from them, as well as detailing her contributions to national policy on land reform and her views on how the land question must be inhabited and owned by all South Africans.
An entertaining, unconventional family memoir from the daughter of one of the most prolific early sperm donors AKA 'Donor 150'. For most of her life, Chrysta Bilton was one member of a small, if dysfunctional, family of four. There was her sister, Kaitlyn, her hedonistic, glamorous, gay mum Debra, and Jeffrey, who Debra hand-picked, in an LA hairdressers, to be the father of her children. During Chrysta's unstable childhood, Debra struggled to keep the family afloat and Jeffrey wandered in and out of their lives. Then, in her twenties, Chrysta discovered that her father had secretly donated his sperm over 500 times - and that she had at least 35 other siblings. A Normal Family is a captivating coming-of-age memoir about Chrysta's reckoning with the secrets both parents had carefully kept from her. Heartfelt, warm and funny, it's a story of embracing the family we have, in all the forms we find it.
Lala plays with her diamond ring, mesmerized as always by the distant world it conjures for her and the jewel's extraordinary trajectory from Tsarist Russia to twenty-first-century England. An unexpected invitation has arrived and, at last, she will be able to visit Lentvaris, her paternal grandmother's ancestral home, a splendid East European estate where princely art collections, spectacular jewellery, extravagant balls and performing dwarves, coexisted with philanthropy on a grand scale and a deep sense of noblesse oblige. The First World War irrevocably altered the family's privileged lives, Lala's great-uncle was forced to flee with the last of the Romanov dynasty and her great-grandfather auctioned off his art treasures. The Second World War lost Lentvaris for ever. Lala's grandfather died in a Soviet gulag. Her grandmother, aunt and father survived harsh imprisonment and afterwards crossed continents eventually finding precarious stability living as emigres in South America. This is an epic story of dramatic escapes, concealed treasures, a lost paradise, but especially of the courage, strength and resilience shown by the female side of Lala's family, and of the power of love, humour and hope.
Both history and memoir, The Flight tells the story of Richard W. "Dick" Bridges's heroic service in World War II. Bridges survived a German attack on his plane, the Fascinatin' Witch, by parachuting out of the exploding B-24. He escaped detection in Austria, became the first American prisoner of war in Hungary, was sent to Yugoslavia, escaped from his POW camp there, was sheltered by the Partisans one step ahead of the Germans, and was finally airlifted to safety in Italy by the British. Bridges's story, which seems almost too astonishing to be true, went untold until after his death in 2003, when his son, Tyler Bridges, pieced it together. The younger Bridges's odyssey in search of his father's wartime experiences connected him with the families of other crew members aboard the Fascinatin' Witch and led him to retrace his father's footsteps through Austria, Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia. With his findings, Bridges has woven a story not only about World War II and the bravery of this unique group of soldiers, but also about fathers and sons, what can get lost in the gulf between generations, and how patience and understanding can bridge that gap.
Too Black to Wear White is the compelling story of Krom Hendricks, the first black South African sporting hero. Co-authors Jonty Winch and Richard Parry explore the colonial roots of racism in cricket and the nefarious role Cecil Rhodes played in the origins of segregation when he barred Krom Hendricks from the South African tour to England in 1894. Hendricks's long struggle for recognition exposed a cruel system. It is a compelling human drama. Hendricks played for the South African 'Malay' team against English professionals in 1892. He was, they said, the best fast bowler in the world. He struck fear into the white establishment and targeted elite South African batsmen who feared his express pace and the prospect of humiliation at the hands of a 'coloured' player. Denied the chance to play Test cricket against Lord Hawke's side, his courage, perseverance and passion for cricket never diminished over several decades; and at the age of 60 he led representative 'coloured' teams in fundraisers during the First World War.
Courageous women change history and remould our culture. For centuries, rebel ladies have been punching up, fighting for freedoms and equality, challenging the world order. Today, the next generation continue the fight, boldly marching, banners flying, into a brighter future. And yet, women's contributions are routinely marginalised, squeezed aside by the usual cast of pale, male and stale characters. Determined to redress the balance, veteran journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown sets lesser-known names alongside the most famous, celebrating fifty daring, courageous, indomitable women. There's Anne Lister, the lesbian landowner; Sophia Singh, the forgotten suffragette; detective superintendent Shabnam Chaudhri, the first Asian/Muslim to hold that role in the Met; and Harriet Wistrich, the superlative human rights lawyer. There's Reni Eddo-Lodge, Caroline Criado Perez, Shazia Mirza; the list goes on. Featuring interviews with the women themselves, this refreshing compendium of fearless ladies is a fortifying tonic, reviving the stories of women lost to history and cheering on those who will lead the way to a more equal tomorrow.
An uncannily brilliant evocation of the falconer's art and a moving story of a man's discovery of how to be a father. 'I was moved to tears by Ben Crane's beautiful memoir, Blood Ties. Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in his 40s, he recounts his struggles to reconnect with the son he thought he had lost' Good Housekeeping. 'A powerful story [...] of the ties that bind us, both to nature and our own families' TLS. This is a book about a man's relationship with hawks, and his self-education as a falconer, and about his discovery that despite his Asperger's Syndrome, which hampers his normal social interactions, he can forge a loving bond with the young son he thought he had lost. He rediscovers his full humanity through his commitment to the training of falcons and his love of the natural world. Ben Crane writes with uncanny accuracy and lyrical precision about the intricacies of birds' behaviour and their instincts. He has a ruthless eye for the minute details of natural processes – of plumage, the patterns of flight, of killing, death and decay. He's as clear-eyed about himself and his detachment from ordinary human society as he is about the flight of peregrines and goshawks. Here is nature writing at its very best, interwoven with an affecting human story and an account of how a man mastered the ancient craft of falconry.
'Funny, candid, mischievous . . . and unapologetic' - Telegraph Stormy Daniels is a world-famous, award-winning adult film star and director - and a proud woman who dared to take on the President of the United States. In Full Disclosure, Stormy tells the unvarnished truth about her extraordinary life. She describes her tough childhood in Louisiana and how she became a stripper while at high school (and still graduated with honours). She gives hilarious and eye-opening insights into the adult film business, where she found success on her own terms - with the help of her triple-D breasts, Thunder and Lightening, a lot of hard work, confidence and business savvy. She also details her relationship with Donald Trump, and the attempts to silence her when he ran for office. He wasn't the first man to discover Stormy is no pushover. Stormy is witty, warm, and impassioned by turns. As you read her hugely entertaining book, you'll be rooting for her every step of the way.
Collection of 5 short stories - The Little Princess, No Place for Nathan, Daddy's Boy, The Wild Child and Scarlett's Secret - previously available as individual e-shorts. A collection of inspiring and moving real life short stories from foster carer and New York Times bestselling author Casey Watson. Darby, whose parents keep her locked in her bedroom, and who arrives pale and terrified one Christmas Eve. Nathan, who lives with his cruel, violent father, and no longer knows who he is. Paulie, just five, who's been rejected by his mother, and accused of a sickening crime. Connor, who, at only eight years of age, is delivered to the Watsons in a secure prison van. Scarlett, who, along with her twin sister, Jade, carries the weight of a devastating secret.
In his New York Times bestselling memoir, A Work in Progress, Connor Franta shared his journey from small-town Midwestern boy to full-fledged Internet sensation. Exploring his past with humor and astounding insight, Connor reminded his fans of why they first fell in love with him on YouTube-and revealed to newcomers how he relates to his millions of dedicated followers. Now, two years later, Connor is ready to bring to light a side of himself he's rarely shown on or off camera. In this diary-like look at his life since A Work In Progress, Connor talks about his battles with clinical depression, social anxiety, self-love, and acceptance; his desire to maintain an authentic self in a world that values shares and likes over true connections; his struggles with love and loss; and his renewed efforts to be in the moment-with others and himself. Told through short essays, letters to his past and future selves, poetry, and original photography, Note to Self is a raw, in-the-moment look at the fascinating interior life of a young creator turning inward in order to move forward.
Even during his lifetime, Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1917-1994) stood as an exemplar of rabbinic leadership, a gadol renowned for his wisdom and courage, responsibility and dedication. The young boy from Poland who grew up tilling the land of newfound Israeli villages, enlisted in the Jewish underground, and fought in the War of Independence, rose to become the first chief rabbi of the IDF and, later, the State of Israel. Drawing on his exceptional Torah knowledge, Rabbi Goren confronted the halakhic challenges of sovereignty, molding the character of the Jewish military and state. Based on a first-person account recorded in the final years of his life, With Might And Strength tells the story of a legendary chief rabbi and halakhic decisor, a leader who left his indelible imprint on twentieth-century halakha and the modern State of Israel.
In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women. Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice. Offering a child's perspective on life in the FLDS, Wall discusses her tumultuous youth, and detailing how Warren Jeffs's influence over the church twisted its already rigid beliefs in dangerous new directions. But even in those bleak times, Wall retained a sliver of hope that one day she would find a way out, and one snowy night that came in the form of a rugged stranger named Lamont Barlow. Their chance encounter set in motion a friendship and eventual romance that gave her the strength she needed to break free from her past and sever the chains of the church. In "Stolen Innocence", Wall delves into the difficult months on the outside that led her to come forward against him, working with prosecutors on one of the biggest criminal cases in Utah's history, so that other girls still inside the church might be spared her cruel fate. More than a tale of survival and freedom, "Stolen Innocence" is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.
In the tradition of "The Glass Castle," two sisters confront
schizophrenia in this poignant literary memoir about family and
mental illness. Through stunning prose and original art, "The
Memory Palace" captures the love between mother and daughter, the
complex meaning of truth, and family's capacity for forgiveness.
The stories of Naz Gool Ebrahim and District Six are intimately linked; in fact it is hard to imagine the one without the other. As the niece of Cissie Gool, Naz came from fighting stock. Strong women with strong voices ran in the family. So when the Apartheid Government declared 'the District', a slum in 1966 and announced plans to flatten it, Naz wasn’t about to lose all that she held dear without a fight. She became the voice of the voiceless, both in South Africa and in the USA and was nominated as ‘Woman of the Year’. Naz combined her radical political activism with her roles as devoted wife and mother to six children. Up until the end of her life in 2005, she worked tirelessly to oppose the evil of racial segregation. To her opponents, she was an indomitable adversary, but to her friends she was ‘Naz – Raz-a-ma-tazz’, a great lady who certainly knew how to tell a story and put on a good show.
Louise Erdrich's first major work of nonfiction, The Blue Jay's Dance, brilliantly and poignantly examines the joys and frustrations, the compromises and the insights, and the difficult struggles and profound emotional satisfactions the acclaimed author experienced in the course of one twelve-month period--from a winter pregnancy through a spring and summer of new motherhood to her return to writing in the fall. In exquisitely lyrical prose, Erdrich illuminates afresh the large and small events that every parent will recognize and appreciate.
Heart-rending meditation on people, stories and human history lost during the Second World War, from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Patrick Modiano 'Missing a young girl, Dora Bruder, 15, height 1.55m, oval-shaped face, grey-brown eyes, grey sports jacket, maroon pullover, navy blue skirt and hat, brown gym shoes. All information to M. and Mme Bruder, 41 Boulevard Ornano, Paris.' Patrick Modiano stumbles across this notice in a December 1941 issue of Paris Soir. The girl has vanished from the convent school which had taken her in during the Occupation, at a time of especially violent German reprisals. Moved by her fate, the author sets out to find all he can about her. He discovers her name in a list of Jews deported to Auschwitz in September 1942 and what further fragments he is able to uncover about the Bruder family become a meditation on the immense losses of the period - people lost, stories lost, human history lost. Modiano delivers a moving survey of a decade-long investigation that revived for him the sights, sounds and sorrowful rhythms of occupied Paris. And in seeking to exhume Dora Bruder's fate, he in turn faces his own family history. 'Absolutely magnificent' Le Monde
"...engaging, intelligent, and surprisingly suspenseful." -Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love The unforgettable New York Times best-selling journey of self-discovery and finding one's true calling in life Kathleen Flinn was a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder - until her boss eliminated her job. Instead of sulking, she took the opportunity to check out of the rat race for good - cashing in her savings, moving to Paris, and landing a spot at the venerable Le Cordon Blue cooking school. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry is the funny and inspiring account of her struggle in a stew of hot-tempered, chefs, competitive classmates, her own "wretchedly inadequate" French - and how she mastered the basics of French cuisine. Filled with rich, sensual details of her time in the kitchen - the ingredients, cooking techniques, wine, and more than two dozen recipes - and the vibrant sights and sounds of the markets, shops, and avenues of Paris, it is also a journey of self-discovery, transformation, and, ultimately, love.
I'm not that kind of boy," Jack angrily wrote to Lem after his friend made a sexual advance. But Jack didn't end the relationship. From the time John F. Kennedy and Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings met at Choate, until the President's assassination thirty years later, Jack and Lem remained best friends. Lem was a virtual fixture in the Kennedy family who even had his own room at the White House. Drawing on hundreds of letters and telegrams between the two, plus Lem Billings's oral history and interviews with family and friends like Ben Bradlee, Gore Vidal, and Ted Sorensen, award-winning Kennedy scholar David Pitts tells the story of an unusual friendship that endured despite an era of rampant homophobia. |
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