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Books > Fiction > True stories > Endurance & survival
Praise for Luke and Ryan Hart's memoir: 'A powerful, searing
account from incredible brothers and an important contribution to
our understanding of domestic abuse' Victoria Derbyshire '... a
courageous account of domestic abuse and the devasting impact it
has on families' Jeremy Corbyn MP 'Relevant and inspiring' Chris
Green, White Ribbon UK On 19 July 2016, Claire and Charlotte Hart
were murdered, in broad daylight, by the family's father. He shot
his wife and daughter with a sawn-off shotgun before committing
suicide. REMEMBERED FOREVER is the shocking story of what led to
this terrible crime. Luke and Ryan Hart, the family's two surviving
sons, lived under the terror of coercive control. Their father
believed that his family members were simply possessions, never
referring to them by their names ... just as Woman, Boy, Girl.
Written by the boys, but laced with the voices of Claire and
Charlotte, this gripping and moving account brings deeper
understanding to the shocking crime of domestic abuse and homicide.
Luke and Ryan Hart have become spokespeople for the victims who are
so often silenced but must never be forgotten.
More tales of a country fireman, from the author of ALL FIRED UP.
Perfect for fans of HEARTBEAT or the brand new TV series ALL
CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL. It's the early 1980s and rookie fireman
Malcolm Castle is set to take on the biggest challenge of his life.
After three years bouncing around in the back of the country
fire-engine, he's about to start driving it! At just 22-years-old -
less than half the age of many of his colleagues - he's set to
thunder through the narrow streets of one of England's most
beautiful medieval towns and speed out across the glorious
Shropshire countryside. But while his responsibilities are changing
fast, almost everything else in Malcolm's life stays the same.
Despite facing his fair share of car accidents, house and farm
fires, he still seems to spend an awful lot of time answering a
string of unlikely and unexpected emergency calls. He rescues
shortsighted dogs from frozen lakes, newborn lambs from flooded
golf-courses, a pair of angry cows from a busy dual carriageway -
and even a hot-footed hamster from a burning cage. Backed up by a
heartwarming cast of fellow firemen, Malcolm's enthusiasm for his
job and his life are as infectious as ever. So whether it is cats
up trees or trees on cars, follow Malcolm as he takes to the wheel
for another crazy year in the country fire brigade. Told with the
same gentle humour as his first book, ALL FIRED UP, and full of
even more extraordinary real-life anecdotes, Shropshire's
longest-serving fireman is back - a little older, a little wiser,
and even more convinced he has the best job in the world.
Robin Sheppard had always seemed liked a lucky guy! Proud father of
two sons: Sam the eldest (the musical/wordy one) and Charlie (the
artistic/sporty one). Still good friends with his first wife
Georgina and partnered by the effervescent and indomitable Suzanne
when his hitherto contented life took a different turn. He had
bounded through 50 years of an unfettered existence. A universe
largely comprising five star hotels set in manicured gardens, with
fine wines and outrageous flower arrangements, separating
well-heeled customers in which the `anticipation of need' was
paramount. After growing up in Bath he had become an hotelier who
delighted in operating some of the very best of Britain's hotels,
winning hotel of the year prizes along the way, before founding
with some like-minded chums, their own specialist hotel operating
group. Ending up in London he presided over an empire of a dozen or
so glamorous hotels which featured architecture of the grade one
variety, decadent decor, period fixtures in Capability parkland
surroundings, and food of the highest standard. His was an
untroubled workplace. Taking time out along the way to invent the
truly iconic, deep blue, skittle shaped, Ty-Nant mineral water and
then a niche adult soft drinks business. He became an entrepreneur
without even knowing it and a role model for many a novice hotel
student along the way. Then things changed.
Born a bastard to a teenage mother in the slums of 1950s Dublin,
Martha has to be a fighter from the very start. As her mother moves
from man to man, and more children follow, they live hand-to-mouth
in squalid, freezing tenements, clothed in rags and forced to beg
for food. But just when it seems things can't get any worse, her
mother meets Jackser. Despite her trials, Martha is a child with an
irrepressible spirit and a wit beyond her years. She tells the
story of her early life without an ounce of self-pity and manages
to recreate a lost era in which the shadow of the Catholic Church
loomed large and if you didn't work, you didn't eat. Martha never
stops believing she is worth more than the hand she has been dealt,
and her remarkable voice will remain with you long after you've
finished the last line.
THE INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH DR ANTHONY
FAUCI, DAME SALLY DAVIES AND DR JIM DOWN For every doctor there is
that one patient, whose story touches them in a way they didn't
expect, changing their entire outlook on life. This inspiring and
deeply moving book is the story of those patients. Every weekend,
in Holland's most popular newspaper, de Volkskrant, renowned
science-journalist Ellen de Visser asks a different medical
professional to tell her about 'that one patient'; the patient who
changed everything for them. Every day, in every country, thousands
of patients share their stories with their doctors: stories they
may never have told anyone else; stories that are heartbreaking,
sometimes funny, and - just occasionally - unforgettable. To be
able to do their job to the best of their abilities, medical
experts use their 'professional empathy': they sympathize with
their patients but try to keep themselves at a distance. But there
is always that one patient who, for whatever reason, bridges this
distance and often unwittingly, has a lasting impact on their
doctor's life. There's the dying patient whose decision to donate
their organs would save the lives of five different people,
bringing incredible comfort to the family they left behind. Or the
little girl who showed clear evidence of having been beaten by an
adult, but who remained too loyal to her step-father to say a word.
There's the little boy, diagnosed with life-threatening malaria in
a Sudanese refugee camp, whose astonishing survival against the
odds still inspires their doctor each time they stand by the bed of
a child who looks unlikely to make it. And there's the cancer
patient whose love of cycling and unflagging optimism inspired his
oncologist in ways he could never have imagined. That One Patient
is brimming with intimate stories of connection and of the
unanticipated ways we can affect one other's lives. All of them
remind us of just how extraordinary humans can be, and of our
incredible capacity for bravery, strength and humour. Perfect for
fans of Lucinda Riley, Dominic Pimenta and Adam Kay!
**Formerly published as The Lost Boys** 'Remarkable. A powerful,
engrossing story of a journey into the heart of darkness and final
escape from it' Sunday Times In September, 1944, the SS march into
a remote Italian castle, arrest a mother and seize her two sons,
aged just two and three. If Hitler has his way she will never see
them again. For Fey Pirzio-Biroli is the daughter of Ulrich von
Hassell, executed days before after the failed assassination of the
Fuhrer. Mercilessly cast into the Nazi death machine, Fey must
cling to the hope that one day she will escape and rescue her lost
children . . . 'Riveting, important, reads like a terrifying
thriller' Daily Telegraph 'Heartbreaking. It started with a plot to
kill Hitler. It ended in one of the most astonishing and moving
stories of the war' Daily Mail 'Extraordinary. A rich, deep,
gripping read' Guardian 'As thrilling as any novel. Bailey has an
extraordinary talent for bringing history to life' Kate Atkinson
'I was the shadow child no one ever saw...' From the day she was
born until she escaped aged 30, Katy Morgan-Davies knew nothing but
a life in captivity. Her father was the deluded and cruel leader of
a cult based in South London who brainwashed those around him. Her
father's paranoia and his need to completely control others led to
Katy being imprisoned indoors and denied any kind of love or
friendship. From a young age, Katy's father subjected her to
violence and mental abuse. She was not permitted contact with
anyone outside the house and on the rare occasions she did have to
go out, she was always chaperoned. Katy never gave up hope of one
day breaking free from her father's cruel clutches and finally
found her freedom. This is her true story of endurance and
survival.
Rain is lashing down when Barby Keel is called out to an emergency
unfolding at the gates of her animal sanctuary, deep in the Sussex
countryside. A greyhound had been dumped under the cover of
darkness, and is at death's door. In the 37 years she has dedicated
her life to the welfare of animals, Barby has witnessed the horrors
that humans are capable of, but never has she seen anything as
barbaric as this poor dog's condition. Cigarette burns scar his
flank, and he is so malnourished that he struggles to stand, every
rib showing through his patchy fur. It's touch-and-go whether he
will survive the night. The dog, who Barby names Bailey, proves he
has a fighting spirit and, slowly but surely, begins the long road
to recovery. But Barby is facing her own battle with ill health -
one that threatens the future of the entire sanctuary... Will You
Love Me? is an emotional, joyful true story of the deepest bond
that exists between humans and animals, and shows how in rescuing
others, we can rescue ourselves.
THE PERFECT STOCKING FILLER for anyone who thinks they'd survive
the world's most hostile environments - or at least imagine they
could do. ----------------------------- First issued to British
airmen in the 1950s the beautifully illustrated Air Ministry
Survival Guide provides invaluable practical tips and instruction
on how to keep calm and carry on in any hostile environment.
Whether you're lost in the desert, arctic, jungle, or adrift on the
open ocean, you'll be better off armed with sensible advice on how
to: - Build a structurally sound igloo - Pull faces to prevent
frostbite (and when to expect bits to fall off should you fail) -
Fashion a mask to prevent snowblindness - Make a hat out of seat
cushions - Behave in the event of meeting hostile locals - Stay
safe from poisonous reptiles and insects - Use a 'fire thong' -
Punch man-eating sharks (which are cowards)
Torn from her South African tribe by Dutch settlers, sold as a
slave, trapped in a world of debauchery and trickery, humiliated
whilst living in early 19th century London and Paris, Sarah
Bartmann clings desperately to her beliefs, and to the memories of
her native land. Exile Child is more than just her story. It is a
tale of hope, of courage beyond human endurance, of the power of
the human spirit, of a young woman who refuses to give in to the
alien world into which she has been so violently thrust. Exile
Child is a historically correct and compassionate portrayal of one
of South Africa's most tragic heroines This story gives an insight
into the hopes and dreams of this Sarah Bartmann, who through past
centuries has come to symbolise both the dispossession of Africans
and the reinstatement of women's dignity. This flesh and blood
portrayal of Sarah Bartmann is in direct contrast to the caricature
presented as "The Hottentot Venus," that has been characterised by
Western society for many centuries and this book follows Sarah's
final journey back to her homeland in 2002.
'When people gave up on Wylie, Wylie refused to give up on people.'
For a street dog born in the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan, to be
crowned top dog at Scruffts, a competition for rescued crossbreeds
held during Crufts, the largest dog show on earth, is nothing short
of a miracle. But for Wylie, the gentle, cropped eared ball of fur,
miracles seemed to happen quite regularly. Beaten and abused while
being used as a bait dog, Wylie suffered terrible injuries that
needed urgent treatment. Rescued close to death, with hacked off
ears and a severed tail, he was attended to by soldiers who feared
he would not last the night. Astonishingly he did, only to return
days later with new injuries. However a lifeline came when he was
handed over to animal welfare Charity Nowzad and flown to Britain
in the hope of finding a new life. But would anyone take a chance
on a seemingly nervous and undomesticated stray? Luckily for Wylie
his biggest adventure yet was about to begin... This is the
incredible and heart-warming story, full of tragedy and triumph, of
a dog who never gave up hope.
Snow Bodies is a memoir of a young woman's life on the streets of
Calgary and Vancouver in the early 1970s, in the vein of Evelyn
Lau's Runaway. Diary of a Street Kid. From her own harrowing
experience Elizabeth Hudson graphically renders the deadly
underbelly of society and her decent into the abyss of drug
addiction and prostitution. In unembellished prose, without fear,
shame or explanation, and without imposing hindsight or societal
values onto her narrative, Hudson takes the reader with her on a
terrifying journey to the bottom. Snow Bodies is a heart-breaking
reminder of the horrors occurring daily on Canada's city streets.
At 16, Martha collapses on the streets, suffering from starvation
and exposure. She has reached rock bottom, but after Martha is
taken to hospital, Lady Luck smiles kindly on her and she is given
the opportunity to get off the streets for ever. Before long,
Martha is on the way to leading the normal life she has so long
dreamt of. She makes friends, begins to put the misery of her past
behind her and even experiences her first taste of love. For her,
love is a powerful feeling. She has never experienced real
affection before and is now plunged into the complex world of love
between a man and a woman. The intense emotion consumes her, for
this is a forbidden love that can never be requited. After all,
Ralph Fitzgerald is a priest, and he will never break his vow of
chastity. This love brings heartbreaking consequences and changes
the direction of Martha's life for ever . . .
A ground-breaking collection of stories, poems and articles about
Nepal covering the length and breadth of this enchanting nation and
its people. 'If you want a book in English that tells you about
Nepalese thinking, and gives a taste of the country's contemporary
literature, you could hardly do better than House of Snow' Daily
Telegraph 'One of the finest books I have read this year' Nudge
Books 'A well-curated sliver of works that highlight the richness
and variety of Nepal's literary contribution' Kathmandu Post In
2015, Sagarmatha frowned. Tectonic plates moved. A deadly
earthquake devastated Nepal. In the wake of disaster, House of Snow
brings together over 50 excerpts of fiction and non-fiction
celebrating the breathtaking landscapes and rich cultural heritage
of this fascinating country. Here are explorers and mountaineers,
poets and political journalists, national treasures and
international celebrities. Featuring a diverse cast of writers such
as Michael Palin and Jon Krakauer, Lakshmiprasad Devko?a and Lil
Bahadur Chettri - all hand-picked by well-known authors and
scholars of Nepali literature including Samrat Upadhyay, Michael
Hutt, Isabella Tree and Thomas Bell. House of Snow is the biggest,
most comprehensive and most beautiful collection of writing about
Nepal in print.
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