'IT TOOK ME LONGER TO FORGIVE MY DAD FOR NOT HELPING ME WHEN I WAS TORTURED, THAN TO FORGIVE THOSE SOLDIERS WHO TORTURED ME' Mirsad Solakovic survived a war in which some 300,000 people died, but was left with psychological damage. Mirsad lived through the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian civilians, until his family escaped to the UK. Following his experiences, he became difficult and untractable, and refused to speak English - until dedicated and sympathetic teachers at his school in Birmingham brought him back into contact with those around him. This thought-provoking account of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian tragedy paints a uniquely intimate portrait of survival, revealing pain that has never faded, yet has not crushed the human spirit. It is also an uplifting account of just how effective good teachers can be when faced with deeply troubled pupils.

Children of the Revolution is a book of converging worlds. In it you discover the very human weave of courage, perseverance and vision, woven with a delightful touch of humour and surprise. It also has the beguiling pattern of a journey unfolding. And as it unfolds, you learn. And you are inspired. Children of the Revolution, by Feroze Dada, is a story which begins with a chance meeting at a family gathering in Burma (Myanmar) with a freedom fighter from the Pa'O region in the northeast of the country, and which then takes you on to a monastery on the shores of beautiful Inle Lake in Shan State. There, at the Buddhist monastery of Phaya Taung, the head monk Phongyi is passionately caring for and teaching more than 600 orphaned and refugee children of the revolutionary wars. You discover that both the freedom fighter and the Buddhist monk are in their different ways forces of nature, or men of action, and while you learn about their lives, you also find the human goodness that shines in the darkness of war, and you witness the path of the dhamma in the world. You cannot fail to be encouraged by Phongyi's example to `go beyond one's imagination because there is no limit'. But at the same time, another story is unfolding, and that is the journey of self-discovery of Feroze Dada, who moves with his Burmese wife MuMu between his metropolitan western life and Taunggyi in the northeast of Burma, where her family live, and in doing so finds a new reality and purpose. Feroze is a man of action too, as you will discover. And he has written an inspirational story which is all the more powerful when you consider that his reasons for making the journey are literally a world away from what transpired. There are no accidents, the law of karma tells us, but we're not the sole cause of our experiences either.

Most of us never get to test ourselves in combat. As a UH-1 Helicopter pilot flying in the jungle highlands of South Vietnam, Warrant Officer Jim Crigler and the men he flew with were tested daily. Coming of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s was challenging for most young men of that era. Throw in drugs, free love, draft notices, the Vietnam War and a country deeply divided, and you have one of the most important books of this genre. This true story is a raw, bold, introspective autobiography where the author openly wrestles with his personal moral dilemma to find meaning and purpose in his life. He calls it his "Mission of Honor."

Totally gripping … fascinating, revelatory and surreal -- Simon Sebag Montefiore

How do you keep fighting in the face of unimaginable horror?

This is untold story of one of the greatest heroes of the Second World War.

In the Summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interred at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich.

His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre -- Auschwitz.

It was only after arriving at the camp that he started to discover the Nazi’s terrifying designs. Over the next two and half years, Witold forged an underground army that smuggled evidence of Nazi atrocities out of Auschwitz. His reports from the camp were to shape the Allies response to the Holocaust - yet his story was all but forgotten for decades.

This is the first major account of his amazing journey, drawing on exclusive family papers and recently declassified files as well as unpublished accounts from the camp’s fighters to show how he saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

The result is a enthralling story of resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances, and one man’s attempt to change the course of history.

Forty great South Africans celebrate their mothers and grandmothers. Leaders from the worlds of politics, business, music, sport, education and literature pay homage to the women who have influenced and inspired them to lead exceptional lives. Mac Maharaj remembers how his mother served everyone with unfailing courtesy and recognition of their dignity. Desmond Tutu hopes he can resemble his mother spiritually and emulate her generosity and kindness, while Pam Golding shares her mom’s good advice: ‘Keep dancing and you’ll stay out of trouble!’ Who was it that raised the likes of Sibongile Khumalo or Antjie Krog to extraordinary achievement? Or Nelson Mandela, Lukas Radebe, JM Coetzee, Helen Suzman, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Miriam Makeba, Elana Meyer, Ahmed Kathrada and many more? Much of the answer lies in these heart-warming tributes.

Hier is 'n versameling gewaagde reddings vol drama en gevaar, ter viering van die NSRI se 50ste herdenking. Die stories, wat alles dek van brandende skepe tot haai-aanvalle, van sinkende vistreilers tot hallusinerende vissermanne, gaan oor die mens se konstante stryd teen sommige van die gevaarlikste vaarwaters op aarde. Dit sluit die storie in wat tot die stigting van die NSRI gelei het.

Leila grew up on a farm and lived an ordinary life with her parents and siblings in the Philippines. When her mother was diagnosed with bone cancer and diabetes, she stopped going to school and looked after her mother. When she was 14, she made a terrible mistake and had to run away from home. Her mother died and she was buried without Leila seeing her body. But her mother visited Leila in a dream and asked her to take care of her four brothers and not to get married until they were old enough to look after themselves. Little did she know, after completing the task her mother gave her, she would get married to someone from abroad and go to live in England. Leila's book will take you on a journey of her life and the many stormy seas she survived. Her book will open your eyes to events you may never have seen before in your life, which may have contributed to your sufferings. You will discover how crucial it is to balance important life values, which Leila calls the 5 Fs. These are: Faith; Family; Finance; Fitness; and Friends. Leila's book demonstrates that when you have too much of one value dominating your life and very little of the others, you will feel empty. You will only have balance in your life and feel at peace and in a place of love, when you live your true life purpose aligned with these five values.

Leisel Jones is rightly regarded as one of the greatest breaststrokers ever. At just fifteen, she won two silver medals at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000; she went on to win gold at Athens and Beijing, and at London 2012 became the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympics. For the first time, Leisel candidly describes what it's like to be thrust into the limelight so young. She reveals the constant pressure she was under - from coaches, from the media and from herself - to be perfect. Despite the highs of her swimming stardom, she suffered depression, and at one time planned to take her own life. In London, criticised in the media for her weight, and appalled by the bulling and dysfunction in the Australian swim team, Leisel nevertheless handled herself with great composure. She has emerged with maturity and good humour, having finally learnt how to be herself and live with confidence. Body Lengths is the inspiring story of an Australian sporting hero, told with humour, optimism and style.

"Eat Pray Love" meets "The Secret". What if your "superpower" was to create the life of your dreams? Who would you have to be? What would you have to do? Would you have to travel far and wide to discover whom you truly are within? In Book 3, Diamond Revealed, Smita gets powerful lessons on how to go beyond the struggles of life, to find herself, to succeed big time and thrive. She finds the key to opening up to true love and to see whom she has to be for her soul partner to show up in her space. She discovers how to allow life to be easy, effortless and joyful.At the end of Book 2,Web of Karma, Smita was diagnosed with a fatal disease and doctors refused to operate. How does she get out of this desperate situation?In her quest for healing, her inner voice leads her to the islands of Hawaii where she has mind-blowing mystical encounters that free her to live into a fabulous future which seemed impossible before.Back in London, sudden tragic events bring long overdue completion with loved ones. It is only then that she can finally meet the love of her life, unleashing an explosion of desire and passion.

Karel Kuttelwascher may have had a German surname, but he was a Czech who became the scourge of the Luftwaffe bombers operating from France and the Low Countries in 1942. Flying with the RAF's legendary No. 1 Squadron, his destruction of fifteen aircraft in only three months earned him the DFC twice in a mere forty-two days, and made him the RAF's top night intruder ace. After his daring escape from German-occupied Czechoslovakia, he flew in the ferocious Battle of France and participated in the final weeks of the Battle of Britain as one of Churchill's 'Few'. During the early circus operations, he clocked up his first three kills before playing a part in the famous Channel Dash. However, it was in the lauded but lonely night intruder role that his individualistic skills came to the fore. Flying a long-range Hawker Hurricane IIC armed with 20-mm cannon, the man the wartime media dubbed the 'Czech Night Hawk' unleashed a reign of terror that included shooting down three Heinkel bombers in just four minutes.

'Eclectic collection of disaster at sea stories - brilliantly written - gripping and entertaining' Lindsay Eaton, goodreads.com 'ROB MUNDLE IS A MASTER OF THE MARITIME NARRATIVE' Sunday Age This bestselling maritime classic chronicles some of the most remarkable stories of survival and daring that the world's oceans have hosted over the past half century. There are the bizarre, unbelievable accounts of people who went missing and were given up for dead, like the five Mexican fishermen who went to sea for a three-day shark-fishing trip and then vanished, only for three of them to miraculously reappear, apparition-like, nine months later. And there are the incredible survival stories, such as Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, who spent 117 days adrift in a rubber dinghy in the Pacific after their yacht was sunk by a whale, and the extraordinary tales of people risking everything to break world records - such as Kay Cottee, the first woman to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world, and Ken Warby, the fastest man on water. Hell on High Seas is awash with amazing feats of daring - some verging on madness, others where death is eluded through sheer courage, determination and innovation ...or even divine intervention?

This handbook takes a holistic approach in dealing with the impact of emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and violence on the victim/survivor. Any 'stress' we suffer affects how we think, feel and act. Understanding the root cause of our stress will enable us to find solutions to our everyday challenges.The Children's Commissioner's Report 'Protecting Children From Harm' Nov 15 stated that "Only 1 in 8 children are known to have reported the abuse they suffered as a child". This means that 7 out of 8 children are growing up as adults whose lives will be negatively impacted in some way.This book will both educate and empower you to take back control of your mental and physical health and well-being through the 7 Pillars of the C.L.E.A.N.E.R(TM) Living Therapy Programme by Breaking the Cycle(TM) of what is holding you back and stuck in a rut. By taking small positive steps forwards, you can heal and recover from the impact of the abuse and violence you suffered.

On 13 November 1943, Jerzy Feliks Urman (known as Jerzyk) killed himself, thinking the Gestapo had arrived. He was eleven and a half. He and his family were in hiding in Drohobycz, during the German occupation of East Galicia, now western Ukraine. A year earlier the family had quit Stanislawow in the wake of brutal round-ups and deportations of Jews. The boy's parents, uncle, and grandmother survived the war. He kept a diary and jottings during the two months before he died. Anthony Rudolf, Jerzyk's second cousin once removed, published these texts in 1991 in a translation made from a family typescript of the original. The recent discovery of the diary of Sophie Urman, Jerzyk's mother, led Rudolf to commission a translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. She has also revised the earlier translation of Jerzyk's own diary after comparing the typescript and the original manuscript, which is now in Rudolf 's possession. The editor has written new introductions and made extensive annotations in an attempt to clarify complex and troubling issues.Drawing attention to specific remarks and episodes, he interprets the death of Jerzyk - the only child suicide in the extensive archive at Yad Vashem - not only as the tragic action of a child under pressure but also as a noble and heroic act. Likewise, the keeping of a diary, as with Anne Frank and other children in hiding, was a form of defiance, an example of what has come to be called spiritual or cultural resistance. The book also contains two more texts by Sophie, testimonies by Jerzyk's father and uncle, maps and family photographs. It ends with Rudolf 's account of the tragic death of Mark Rothstein, another second cousin. Mark was a few months younger than Jerzyk when he died in the East End of London on 27 March 1945, during the last day of the V2 bombing raids.