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Books > Fiction > True stories > General
Let Me Go is the powerful new memoir from foster carer and Sunday
Times bestselling author Casey Watson. Harley is a troubled
13-year-old girl who wants to end her own life and there's only one
woman who can find out why. When Harley is sectioned after
attempting suicide, she ends up in Casey's care under a 28-day care
order. But before Casey can even get her back to the safety of her
home, Harley hurls herself out of the moving car. Harley has a
family - a widowed mother and older sister Milly. But Milly has
left home and her mum, who has addiction issues, feels unable to
cope. Despite the dysfunctional family, Casey suspects there is
more to Harley's distress and after weeks of gentle coaching, a
sudden breakthrough sheds light on the disturbing truth - Milly and
her mum are not the only people in Harley's life. There is a man, a
very dangerous man indeed.
'Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to
notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally
indefensible' In equal measure famous and infamous, Janet Malcolm's
book charts the true story of a lawsuit between Jeffrey MacDonald,
a convicted murderer, and Joe McGinniss, the author of a book about
the crime. Lauded as one of the Modern Libraries "100 Best Works of
Nonfiction", The Journalist and the Murderer is in equal measure
fascinating and controversial, a contemporary classic of reportage.
'A moving true story that will pull at the heartstrings' - Woman
& Home The first book in the Paws of Fame series, which follows
movie animal trainer Julie Tottman as she rescues, nurtures and
transforms animals in need of a second chance into film stars.
Pickles the Yorkshire Terrier has just had her litter of puppies
taken away from her - who knows how many litters she's delivered
and watched the same thing happen to. She's been left behind in an
overcrowded, noisy and dirty barn. She's very weak and her body is
burning all over from a painful skin condition. This has been her
life for six years and it will likely never change. Or will it?
Julie is a young animal trainer for the movies and is looking for a
Yorkshire Terrier for a new film she's working on with Colin Firth
and Amanda Bynes. By chance, she hears of a puppy farm that has
been raided by the authorities - the dogs were kept in appalling
conditions and among them was a poor Yorkshire Terrier called
Pickles. Julie doesn't know whether Pickles will be the right dog
for the film, but she doesn't care: Pickles needs a safe home with
love and care and Julie can give it. Will Pickles recover from the
traumas of her past? Can she be the movie star Julie is looking
for? And will Julie be able to make it in the world of movie animal
trainers? Will You Take Me Home? is the moving true story of one
woman and her dog. The second book in the Paws of Fame story -
Rescue Me, about the abandoned Mastiff who went on to play Fang in
Harry Potter - is available now
The true story of an ordinary policeman who served in the South
African Police Force at the height of apartheid. With graphic
scenes of violence and sex, it exposes the realities of being in
the police force in the seventies and eighties when brutality was
commonplace and men didn't cry. Johan Marais was also a witness to
and participant in several incidences of police corruption and
brutality. He developed a serious drinking problem and suffered
from post-traumatic stress disorder, but it took a suicide attempt
before he would admit that he had a problem. He consulted a doctor
who recommended that he should write down his incredible life
story. The result is Time Bomb. Not for the faint-hearted, this is
story that needs to be told.
Peter Christensen describes working for the parks service
maintaining trails and warden patrol stations in national parks.
It's a job that involves patrolling remote wilderness on horseback,
and long days in the saddle give way to wry contemplations on human
nature and the beauty of the natural world. While working in the
backcountry, Christensen found himself insulated not only from the
intrusions of highway noise but also from the stress of modern
life. As a result, his thoughtful stories about life in the
mountains of Alberta are often poignant, sometimes tragic, but
always a great read.
At a time of political polarization and economic turmoil, Americans
yearn for superlative leadership. Few have demonstrated leadership
better than Captain Sully Sullenberger, a man who embodies the core
values that are the heart of America: responsibility, optimism,
integrity, loyalty, and compassion. In this follow-up to his "New
York Times" bestselling memoir "Highest Duty", Sully engages nearly
a dozen distinguished Americans to explore the nature of
leadership, what it means, what it takes, and how it can be
fostered and developed in all of our lives. Key questions that are
addressed in this book include: Where do the best leaders come
from? How do the most successful and creative truly lead, motivate,
and inspire? Sullenberger talks to men and women from diverse
fields, including medicine, education, sports, public service,
finance, and the military, all who embody the truest sense of moral
courage and leadership by personal example. Among those included
are: Tony La Russa, the legendary baseball manager; Eugene Kranz,
the NASA Flight Director during the historic Gemini and Apollo
programs; Michelle Rhee, founder of the New Teacher Project; former
Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm; Jim Sinegal, co-founder and
CEO, Costco; Major Tammy Duckworth, former Assistant Secretary with
the Department of Veterans Affairs; and former Labor Secretary
Robert Reich. This is an inspirational journey that asks us to
consider the fundamental question: What is the nature of
leadership? "Making a Difference" challenges us with lessons each
of us can apply to our own lives.
The authors, both experienced field workers in the region, spent
their honeymoon collecting 14 narratives of ordinary people who
survived multiple invasions and civil violence, only to endure a
medieval theocracy that stepped into the resulting vacuum of
governance. While edicts that denied basic human rights were
imposed and enforced, these people
This giant collection includes a huge range of 20th-century
first-hand accounts of hauntings, such as the American troops who
repeatedly saw the ghosts of a dead platoon of men while on patrol
in Vietnam; and the witnessed haunting of a house near Tintagel in
Cornwall that led actress Kate Winslet to pull out of buying the
property. It covers the full spectrum of credible hauntings, from
poltergeists (the noisy, dangerous and frightening spirits that are
usually associated with pubescent girls, like the Bell Witch), to
phantoms (like the Afrits of Saudi Arabia) and seduction spirits
(such as the Lorelei, which have lured German men to death). Also
included are the notes of the most famous ghost hunters of the
twentieth century such as Hans Holzer, Susy Smith (USA); Harry
Price, Jenny Randles (UK); Joyce Zwarycz (Australia), Eric
Rosenthal (South Africa), and Hwee Tan (Japan). Plus essays by such
names as Robert Graves, Edgar Cayce, and M. R. James outlining
their own - often extraordinary - conclusions as to just what
ghosts might be; along with a full bibliography and list of useful
resources. Praise for MBO Haunted House Stories: 'A first rate list
of contributors ... Hair raising!' Time Out 'All we need say is buy
it.' Starlog
Bringing to life the fabulous, colorful panorama of New Orleans in the first flush of the jazz era, this book tells the story of Buddy Bolden, the first of the great trumpet players--some say the originator of jazz--who was, in any case, the genius, the guiding spirit, and the king of that time and place.
In this fictionalized meditation, Bolden, an unrecorded father of Jazz, remains throughout a tantalizingly ungraspable phantom, the central mysteries of his life, his art, and his madness remaining felt but never quite pinned down. Ondaatje's prose is at times startlingly lyrical, and as he chases Bolden through documents and scenes, the novel partakes of the very best sort of modern detective novel--one where the enigma is never resolved, but allowed to manifest in its fullness. Though more 'experimental' in form than either The English Patient or In the Skin of a Lion, it is a fitting addition to the renowned Ondaatje oeuvre.
Carey, Beth, and Pam, have good luck in their friendships and
careers, but terrible luck in relationships. Which makes it more
difficult to get what they truly desire: children. And time is
running out. Carey is the first to abandon the traditional path to
motherhood. She decides to go it alone, and buys eight vials of
sperm from the perfect donor. Maybe it's newfound confidence from
taking control of her destiny. Maybe it's sheer coincidence. But on
the day the vials arrive, she meets a man online. They fall in
love. And she gets pregnant the old fashioned way. Carey passes the
vials to Beth, who has just recovered from a wrenching divorce. But
before she can use the vials, Beth meets a man on an ice-climbing
trip. She too falls in love. And gets pregnant. So she gives the
vials to Pam. Pam will never stop searching for the love of her
life, but she's ready to be a single mother. Then the magic strikes
again. Is it lucky sperm? Or shared hope, determination, and
resilience that pave the way to these happy endings? Despite soured
relationships and crushing losses, three women become three
families, revelling in the shared joys of love, friendship, and
never giving up.
Most people understand that what an emergency is and only call out
the police, fire brigade or ambulance when they really need to.
However, there is a weird minority who will dial 911 if they lose
their keys, if their phone isn't working, if they need a lift home
from a party or even if they have become hopelessly trapped in
their own duvet! This hilarious collection of true stories brings
together some of the world's most ridiculous emergency calls,
including: - The woman who called the police because MacDonalds was
out of Chicken Mcnuggets. - The priest who dialed 999 because
WHSmiths at Manchester Airporte wouldn't let him use their toilet -
The boy who called an ambulance because his poodle was looking sad.
- The man whose watch read the same time for three hours who called
the police to report that...wait for it...time was standing still -
Then there was the man who had taken too much viagra...
The remarkable story of Endal, voted 'Dog of the Millennium', and
how, through his remarkable skills, companionship and unstinting
devotion, he gave Allen Parton a reason to live again. Allen Parton
was seriously injured while serving in the Gulf War. He lost the
use of both of his legs, plus all memories of his children and much
of his marriage. He was left unable to walk, talk or write -
isolated in his own world. After five years of intensive therapy
and rehab, he was still angry, bitter and unable to talk. Until a
chance encounter with a Labrador puppy - Endal - who had failed his
training as an assistance dog on health grounds. They 'adopted'
each other, and Endal became Allen's reason to communicate with the
outside world, to come to terms with his injuries, and to want to
live again. Not content with learning over 200 commands to help
Allen complete everyday tasks like getting dressed and going out to
the shops in his wheelchair, Endal gave Allen the ability to start
living again, and to become a husband and father again in his own
special way. This is the incredible story of Allen, his wife
Sandra, and his family. And, of course, Endal.
This epic saga of brotherhood and rivalry, of loyalty and
treachery, of victory and death forms part of the indelible core of
classical Chinese culture and continues to fascinate modern-day
readers. In 220 EC, the 400-year-old rule of the mighty Han dynasty
came to an end and three kingdoms contested for control of China.
Liu Pei, the legitimate heir to the Han throne, elects to fight for
his birthright and enlists the aid of his sworn brothers, the
impulsive giant Chang Fei and the invincible knight Kuan Yu. The
brave band faces a formidable array of enemies, foremost among them
the treacherous and bloodthirsty Ts'ao Ts'ao. The bold struggle of
the three heroes seems doomed until the reclusive wizard Chuko
Liang offers his counsel, and the tide begins to turn. Romance of
the Three Kingdoms is China's oldest novel and the first of a great
tradition of historical fiction. Believed to have been compiled by
the play-wright Lo Kuan-chung in the late fourteenth century, it is
indebted to the great San-kuo chi (Chronicles of the Three
Kingdoms) completed by the historian Ch'en Shou just before his
death in 297 CE. The novel first appeared in print in 1522. This
edition, translated in the mid-1920s by C. H. Brewitt-Taylor, is
based on a shortened and simplified version which appeared in the
1670s. An Introduction to this reprint by Robert E. Hegel,
Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Washington
University, provides an insightful commentary on the historical
background to the novel, its literary origins and its main
characters.
'Morgan provides a vivid recreation of that dreadful day combined with an equally evocative picture of nineteenth-century life ... Thrilling' Publishing News On Thursday, 8 May 1902, the citizens of Saint-Pierre, Martinique, huddled together in their cathedral as the sky turned black: Mont Pelée, the volcano, had suddenly come alive. Within minutes the beautiful city had been destroyed along with its 30,000 inhabitants. The only apparent survivor was Ludger Sylbaris, a labourer who became a minor celebrity as he toured America recounting the horrors of the explosion. Fire Mountain is the thrilling story of that fateful day, the complex political events that played a part in the tragedy and a fascinating history of the island itself.
Film-maker Stephen Walker wanted to make a documentary about the Cannes Film Festival. He needed to find four young, untried, untested, obsessive and possibly unhinged directors whom he could follow in their quest for fame and glory. Over six months, he met hundreds of film-makers from all over the world. Some were clearly talented. A few seemed certifiably insane. What united them was a passion for making movies and an inhuman determination to make their mark — whatever the cost.
King of Cannes is a riotously funny account of those six months, a rollercoster ride through the nether regions of the movie business which culminates at Cannes, the most important — and the most glamorous — film festival in the world.
Click here to read a good, long extract.
A David and Goliath battle for truth A specialist in GM foods and
pesticides, the biologist Gilles-Eric Seralini has studied their
toxicity and effects on people's health for many years. In
September 2012, for the first time in a major scientific journal
(Food and Chemical Toxicology), he published a study showing the
effect on the liver and kidneys of two of Monsanto's flagship
products: Roundup weedkiller and the GM foods created to absorb it.
Images from the study of tumor-ridden rats fed with GM foods and
Roundup went viral. The study was a PR disaster for Monsanto. The
multinational soon bounced back and did everything in its power to
cover up the study-leaning on the publishers to retract the
findings. Monsanto began a series of smear campaigns to discredit
Seralini and fellow researchers and intimidate their supporters,
while pumping out their own collection of fake research findings
and testimonies. These practices were met with huge suspicion, but
there was no concrete evidence until, in 2017, Monsanto was ordered
to publish tens of thousands of confidential documents in a
class-action lawsuit presented by thousands of individuals
afflicted with serious illnesses from their use of Roundup. The
"Monsanto Papers" that were produced subsequently proved the
company's cynical attempts at a cover-up as well as its fraudulent
practices. Gilles-Eric Seralini and Jerome Douzelet delved into the
documents and discovered how, in the pursuit of its own short term
economic interests, Monsanto used sophisticated methods of deceit
to bypass legislation devised to protect millions of people.
Seralini and Douzelet discovered how Monsanto managed to provide
phony assessments to conceal the poisons its products contain, thus
deceiving the public authorities and the scientific and medical
communities.
Christmas is a time for joyful anticipation and celebration. Does
any creature manifest these attitudes better than a dog? Their
wagging tails and goofy smiles seem made for the season. Add in
breakable decorations, extra sweets in the house, and maybe a
little bit of snow and you've got a recipe for fun, laughter, and
togetherness. And that's just what you get with The Dog Who Came to
Christmas. This collection of true, feel-good holiday stories
celebrates the gift of dogs. It's the perfect companion for those
magical Christmas evenings in front of the fireplace with your
favorite canine companion. It also makes a heartfelt gift for
dog-loving friends. Contributors include Lauraine Snelling, Melody
Carlson, Amy Shojai, and many more.
"After years of battling uncontrollable addiction, I have achieved
the supposedly impossible: complete freedom from craving." Dr.
Olivier Ameisen was a brilliant cardiologist on the staff at one of
America’s top teaching hospitals and running his own successful
practice when he developed a profound addiction to alcohol. He
broke bones with no memory of falling; he nearly lost his kidneys;
he almost died from massive seizures during acute withdrawal. He
gave up his flourishing practice and, fearing for his life,
immersed himself in Alcoholics Anonymous, rehab, therapy, and a
variety of medications. Nothing worked. So he did the only
thing he could: he took his treatment into his own hands. Searching
for a cure for his deadly disease, he happened upon baclofen, a
muscle relaxant that had been used safely for years as a treatment
for various types of muscle spasticity, but had more recently shown
promising results in studies with laboratory animals addicted to a
wide variety of substances. Dr. Ameisen prescribed himself the drug
and experimented with increasingly higher dosages until he finally
reached a level high enough to leave him free of "any "craving for
alcohol. That was more than five years ago. Alcoholism claims
three hundred lives per day in the United States alone; one in four
U.S. deaths is attributable to alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
Baclofen, as prescribed under a doctor’s care, could possibly free
many addicts from tragic and debilitating illness. But as long as
the medical and research establishments continue to ignore a cure
for one of the most deadly diseases in the world, we won’t be able
to understand baclofen’s full addiction-treatment
potential. "The End of My Addiction "is both a memoir of Dr.
Ameisen’s own struggle and a groundbreaking call to action—an
urgent plea for research that can rescue millions from the scourge
of addiction and spare their loved ones the collateral damage of
the disease.
"Policing is a uniquely dangerous, harrowing and challenging
profession where officers are expected to do far more than prevent
and detect crime. To be a police officer is also to be a social
worker, marriage guidance counsellor, mental health worker and
medic." Offering incredible true stories from the front line of
policing, The Coppers Lot is a compelling insight into what it
takes to be a police officer in Britain in the 21st century. The
extraordinary experiences recounted include: The heroic officer who
continued to put his life in grave danger as he pursued marauding
terrorists wearing suicide vests, while they indiscriminatingly
stabbed members of the public. The undercover officer who targeted
organised crime groups and drug dealers. The courageous officer who
regularly tackled knife crime head on, saving several lives. The
intense feeling of elation when an officer discovered key evidence
to convict a murdering paedophile. The officer who, trapped alone
and disarmed with a violent man, persevered despite being in fear
of her life as her radio was thrown away leaving no means of
summoning help. Taking readers on a ride along with the exceptional
men and women who have sacrificed so much whilst protecting and
serving their communities, these officers reveal, often in their
own words, just how much policing has changed from the traditional
notion of the bobby on the beat.
It will make you laugh and it will make you cry: Felix The Railway
Cat is the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling, extraordinary tale of a
close-knit community and its amazing bond with a very special cat.
'The global sensation' Daily Telegraph ________ When Felix arrived
at Yorkshire's Huddersfield Train Station as an eight-week-old
kitten, no one knew just how important this little ball of fluff
would become. Although she has a vital job to do as 'Senior Pest
Controller', Felix is much more than just an employee of
TransPennine Express. Felix changes lives in surprising ways. She
is always ready to leap into action and save the day: from bringing
a boy with autism out of his shell to providing comfort to a
runaway child shivering on the platform one night. So when tragedy
hits the team at Huddersfield, it is only Felix who can pull them
back together. But a chance friendship with a commuter that she
waits for her on the platform every morning finally gives Felix the
recognition she deserves, catapulting her to international stardom
. . . Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to
Prostate Cancer UK (registered charity 1005541, SC039332).
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