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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Historical, political & military
"Lady Pamela Hicks's joyously entertaining new memoir, arguably the
poshest book that ever has or will be written" ("Newsweek"), is a
privileged glimpse into the lives and loves of some of the
twentieth century's leading figures.
Pamela Mountbatten entered a remarkable family when she was born in
Madrid at the very end of the "Roaring Twenties." Daughter of the
glamorous heiress Edwina Ashley and Lord Louis Mountbatten, Pamela
spent much of her early life with her sister, nannies, and
servants--not to mention a menagerie of animals that included, at
different times, a honey bear, chameleons, a bush baby, and a
mongoose. Her parents' vast social circle included royalty, film
stars, celebrities, and politicians. Noel Coward invited Pamela to
watch him film, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. dropped in for tea.
However when war broke out Pamela and her sister were sent to New
York to live with Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, while the prime
minister appointed her father to be the last Viceroy of India. Amid
the turmoil, Pamela came of age, meeting the student leaders who
had been released from jail, working in the canteen for Allied
forces and in a clinic outside Delhi. She also developed a close
bond with Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
"If you are addicted to "Downton Abbey," chances are that you will
relish "Daughter of Empire," a British aristocrat's memoir of her
childhood and coming of age...She is also a keen observer of a way
of life now vanished, except on PBS" ("The Wall Street Journal").
"Not many people remain who can tell stories like Lady Pamela
Hicks" ("Vanity Fair").
Fully revised and updated, in a biography the Sunday Times described as 'a fitting epitaph to an extraordinary career', Martin Meredith details the life of Nelson Mandela, one of the most admired political figures of the twentieth century.
It was his leadership and moral courage above all that helped to deliver a peaceful end to apartheid in South Africa after years of racial division and violence and to establish a fledgling democracy there.
Now Meredith has revisited and significantly updated his biography to incorporate the reaction to his death, as well as giving perspective and hindsight on the man and his legacy and to examine how far his hopes for the new South Africa have been realised.
From challenging expectations as a bright and restless child of the
Windrush generation to making history as the first elected Black female
MP in the UK, Diane Abbott has seen it all.
A Woman Like Me takes readers through Diane’s incredible journey,
painting a vivid picture of growing up in 1960s North London with her
working-class Jamaican parents, before entering the hallowed halls of
Cambridge University to study history. Ever since the day she first
walked through the House of Commons as the first Black woman MP, she
has been a fearless and vocal champion for the causes that have made
Britain what it is today, whether it’s increasing access to education
for Black children and speaking out against the Iraq war or advocating
tirelessly for refugees and immigrants.
A unique figure in British public life, Diane has often had nothing but
the courage of her convictions to carry her through incredibly hostile
environments, from torrential abuse in the mainstream media and on
social media, to being shunned by the political establishment,
including by her own party. Written with frankness and wry humour, A
Woman Like Me is an inspirational account that celebrates how one woman
succeeded against massive odds and built an extraordinary legacy.
THE MITFORD GIRLS tells the true story behind the gaiety and frivolity of the six Mitford daughters – and the facts are as sensational as any novel: Nancy, whose bright social existence masked an obsessional doomed love which soured her success; Pam, a countrywoman married to one of the best brains in Europe; Diana, an iconic beauty, who was already married when at 22 she fell in love with Oswald Moseley, the leader of the British fascists; Unity, who romantically in love with Hitler, became a member of his inner circle before shooting herself in the temple when WWII was declared; Jessica, the family rebel, who declared herself a communist in the schoolroom and the youngest sister, Debo, who became the Duchess of Devonshire.This is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary family, containing much new material, based on exclusive access to Mitford archives.
Die derde deel van die reeks Imperiale somer word aan Johannesburg in die onmiddellike nasleep van die Anglo-Boereoorlog gewy, waarby alle dele van die destydse gemeenskap aandag geniet, met inbegrip van die swart stadsinwoners en die ontwikkeling van ’n eie stadskultuur onder hulle en die mynwerkers.
Anekdotes en klein kameebeskrywings maak van Babilon ’n interessante leeservaring.
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