In fascinating detail, Ivan Solotaroff introduces us to the men who carry out executions. Although the emphasis is on the personal lives of these men and of those they have to put to death, The Last Face You'll Ever See also addresses some of the deeper issues of the death penalty and connects the veiled, elusive figure of the executioner to the vast majority of Americans who, since 1977, have claimed to support executions. Why do we do it? Or, more exactly, why do we want to?

The Last Face You'll Ever See is not about the polarizing issues of the death penalty -- it is a firsthand report about the culture of executions: the executioners, the death-row inmates, and everyone involved in the act. An engrossing, unsettling, and provocative book, this work will forever affect anyone who reads it.

This new study of Charlotte Bronte's life proves Hanaf Nisar to be a sincere devotee of the celebrated author. Her very personal portrayal will take you to the heart of Charlotte's sad and afflicted life, as well as to the greatness and inspiration of her work. Read the captivating history of the Brontes, then enter into the poetic realm with Hanaf Nisar's inspired verse as it captures the turmoil and emotion of Charlotte's world.

Guided by a visionary widow named Julia Tuttle, the city of Miami truly came into being in 1896 and has not stopped growing. Halfway through the last century, the apparent domination of land, population, and business by whites and--for decades--repressed African Americans became tested and balanced by the victims of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Beyond that, hundreds of thousands of others from Spanish-speaking lands came to create what truly is an international metropolis. The chapters of Miami's existence are delineated by those legendary locals who came earliest; those who were the pioneers; those who established businesses that endured; those who were the builders and visionaries; those who served in politics; those who came from other places; those who created, built, and extended educational and arts opportunities; and those who embraced the placid environment and natural beauty of the "Magic City."

Since 1626, Salem has had a rich history. Time has seen this small city that was founded by Puritans adapt and push forward. It has been the capital of the colony; the site of the witchcraft trials of 1692; a thriving seaport; home to Revolutionary War privateers and soldiers; an East India Seaport that opened trade with China; an industrial center; and a tourist destination. Each age has produced people of influence. They walked the city's lanes, wharves, and streets as they pursued their dreams--people such as Roger Conant, Salem's Puritan founder; Anne Bradstreet, the first American poetess; Judge Sewell, the remorseful witchcraft judge; Elias Derby, the first American millionaire; Samuel McIntyre, the architect who changed the face of Salem; Nathaniel Hawthorne, a great American author; and Frank Benson, the noted impressionist painter. Ordinary people were and are legends, such as Caroline Emmerton, a philanthropist who sought to save Salem's heritage; David Goss, a historian and activist for Salem's past; Pep Cornacchio, an extraordinary civic volunteer; and Joan Boudreau, a preservationist restaurateur; as well as countless others. Legendary Locals of Salem celebrates the eclectic and noteworthy figures that have shaped and continue to shape the community.

In the hundred years between the Battle of Waterloo and the start of the Great War, Britain fought in just one European conflict - the Crimean War of 1854-56. Towards the end of the war Queen Victoria signed the Royal Warrant instigating the award of the Victoria Cross, made retrospective to the start of the campaign. A VC medal bears the proclamation 'For Valour', and, on Waterloo Day 1855, John Joseph Sims of the 34th Cumberland Regiment displayed his gallantry during the first assault on the Great Redan. At the inaugural investiture of the award in Hyde Park, he was one of the youngest to have a VC pinned on his chest by the Queen. This is the story of the boy from Bloomsbury who joined the 34th and went to war. The author is an engineer living in Surrey.

At twenty-one, Kathy Valentine was at the Whisky in Los Angeles when she met a guitarist from a fledgling band called the Go-Go s?and the band needed a bassist. The Go-Go s became the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play instruments themselves, write their own songs, and have a number one album. Their debut, Beauty & The Beat, spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and featured the hit songs We Got the Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed . The record s success brought the pressures of a relentless workload and schedule culminating in a wild, hazy, substance-fuelled tour that took the band from the club circuit to arenas, where fans, promoters, and crew were more than ready to keep the party going. For Valentine, the band s success was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream?but that s only part of her story. All I Ever Wanted traces the path that took her from her childhood in Texas?where she all but raised herself?to the height of rock n roll stardom, devastation after the collapse of the band that had come to define her, and the quest to regain her sense of self after its end. Valentine also speaks candidly about the lasting effects of parental betrayal, abortion, rape, and her struggles with drugs and alcohol?and the music that saved her every step of the way. Populated with vivid portraits of Valentine s interactions during the 1980s with musicians and actors from The Police and Rod Stewart to John Belushi and Rob Lowe, All I Ever Wanted is a deeply personal reflection on a life spent in music.

In this, the first volume of her autobiographical trilogy, Trisha reveals the heart-rending difficulties and dilemmas of growing up in a domineering and dysfunctional family, ridiculed, exploited and violently abused by vindictive, bullying siblings. Pat (her then name) finds it a struggle simply to survive, let alone make any sense of her life. Discovering, in her teens, an uncanny gift for clairvoyance further unsettles her, and those around her. Desperate to break free from the torments of her past and escape the negative cycle of her existence, she leaves home. Striving to build her confidence and create an independent life of her own. But neither the past, nor her family, will let her alone. Will she ever find the strength, acceptance and happiness - not to mention love in the shape of Mr Right - for which she so ardently yearns? Will 'Pat' ever throw off the shackles of her former self to become the confident, successful and fulfilled 'Trisha'?

The definitive biography of Chuck Berry, legendary performer and inventor of rock and roll.

Best known as the groundbreaking artist behind classics like "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene," "You Never Can Tell" and "Roll Over Beethoven," Chuck Berry was a man of wild contradictions, whose motives and motivations were often shrouded in mystery. After all, how did a teenage delinquent come to write so many songs that transformed American culture? And, once he achieved fame and recognition, why did he put his career in danger with a lifetime's worth of reckless personal behaviour? Throughout his life, Berry refused to shed light on either the mastery or the missteps, leaving the complexity that encapsulated his life and underscored his music largely unexplored--until now.

In Chuck Berry, biographer RJ Smith crafts a comprehensive portrait of one of the great American entertainers, guitarists, and lyricists of the 20th century, bringing Chuck Berry to life in vivid detail. Based on interviews, archival research, legal documents, and a deep understanding of Berry's St. Louis (his birthplace, and the place where he died in March 2017), Smith sheds new light on a man few have ever really understood. By placing his life within the context of the American culture he made and eventually withdrew from, we understand how Berry became such a groundbreaking figure in music, erasing racial boundaries, crafting subtle political commentary, and paying a great price for his success. While celebrating his accomplishments, the book also does not shy away from troubling aspects of his public and private life, asking profound questions about how and why we separate the art from the artist.

Berry declined to call himself an artist, shrugging that he was good at what he did. But the man's achievement was the rarest kind, the kind that had social and political resonance, the kind that made America want to get up and dance. At long last, Chuck Berry brings the man and the music together.

Born in the Isle of Man of Irish/Welsh parentage, Noel Stuart nursed no other ambition than to work with animals. His lifelong passion for all creatures and his interest in complementary medicine for humans and non-humans alike combined to culminate in his eventual choice of career as a veterinary surgeon. Noel's work both as a vet and his second career as a writer is a rich tapestry of down-to-earth practice alongside a sense of healing power beyond science. This is balanced by a great sense of humour running a sparkling thread through all that he writes. Noel has studied such unusually diverse directions as dowsing and the effect of ley lines on cattle. He can claim distinction as being one of the earliest vets of his generation to treat fish and once had the dubious experience of counting an alligator as one of his patients! Noel now enjoys an active semi-retirement in Cornwall. He turns his hand enthusiastically to a wide range of endeavours from 'lollipop man' to school governor and Rotarian. He may be found working with the local writers' group, or travelling the world and being a guru to his many grandchildren.

General Sir Gordon MacMillan's five children decided to write this life of their father to learn more about what he had done, and so allow their children and grandchildren to draw inspiration from the great man from whom they are descended. Fascinating details came to light about his bravery in the First World War, his successes in command in the Second World War, his good fortune in surviving three assassination attempts during the last years of the British Mandate in Palestine, and his disagreement with Churchill over the handling of delicate issues in Gibraltar. But this is not just a tale of a soldier and his military exploits, and of his subsequent engagement in civilian and Clan activities in Scotland. It is a story that is placed in the broader family setting within which his children feel fortunate to have been brought up.

In 1985 Jennifer and Ian Hartley left their home, bought a caravan and moved to Cambridgeshire to witness against the sighting of Cruise missiles at RAF Molesworth. This memoir recounts their day to day life living in this unusual place and the dialogue they had with MPs, the military, police, peace campaigners, the local community and the church.

This book, The Seanachie of Motorcycling, is a collection of tales from a master story teller, Harry Lindsay of Dublin. Described in his youth by his headmaster as the boy with oil in his veins", Harry grew up with motorcycles, becoming a trials and road racer, a grass track champion, holder of the Irish land speed record, racing team leader, an importer and retailer of motorcycles, a restorer of antique bikes and an historian along the way. Many of his stories bring to life the characters and heroes that were the racing world from the thirties through the turn of the last century. They offer a rare glimpse of life behind the scenes and more than one tale is told with a twinkle in his eye. This, then, is an Irishman's view of the world as it was. Pour a pint of Guinness, put your feet up and be prepared to enjoy the Seanachie's tales and learn and laugh with him. Seanachie (pronounced sha-nah-key): Irish for master story teller in the great tradition of orally passing folklore and history on down through the generations.

Jeremy Scanlon was born and educated in Massachusetts. Now he lives in this cottage illustrated on the back cover beside the canal. His wife, Dorothy Priest, was born in the cottage, daughter of the carpenter who built the canal's lock gates. Their hotel narrowboat carried paying guests over 60,000 miles along the lovely inland waterways of England and Wales. Here mine hosts enjoy a rare moment of tranquility in 'Unicorn's' saloon.

This book, The Seanachie of Motorcycling, is a collection of tales from a master story teller, Harry Lindsay of Dublin. Described in his youth by his headmaster as the boy with oil in his veins", Harry grew up with motorcycles, becoming a trials and road racer, a grass track champion, holder of the Irish land speed record, racing team leader, an importer and retailer of motorcycles, a restorer of antique bikes and an historian along the way. Many of his stories bring to life the characters and heroes that were the racing world from the thirties through the turn of the last century. They offer a rare glimpse of life behind the scenes and more than one tale is told with a twinkle in his eye. This, then, is an Irishman's view of the world as it was. Pour a pint of Guinness, put your feet up and be prepared to enjoy the Seanachie's tales and learn and laugh with him. Seanachie pronounced sha-nah-key: Irish for master story teller in the great tradition of orally passing folklore and history on down through the generations.

Born in the ancient fishing village of Rosehearty on the Moray Firth coast in 1949, David Littlejohn Beveridge went to sea in June 1966 as a deck apprentice with T & J Brocklebank. In 1978 he joined the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland later the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, achieving command in 1987. 'Water Under the Keel' is his autobiography.