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Books > Fiction > True stories
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(Paperback)
Graham Morgan Mbe
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R368
R345
Discovery Miles 3 450
Save R23 (6%)
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Graham Morgan has an MBE for services to mental health, and helped
to write the Scottish Mental Health (2003) Care and Treatment Act.
This is the Act under which he is now detained. Graham's story
addresses key issues around mental illness, a topic which is very
much in the public sphere at the moment. However, it addresses
mental illness from a perspective that is not heard frequently:
that of those whose illness is so severe that they are subject to
the Mental Health Act. Graham's is a positive story rooted in the
natural world that Graham values greatly, which shows that, even
with considerable barriers, people can work and lead responsible
and independent lives; albeit with support from friends and mental
health professionals. Graham does not gloss over or glamorise
mental illness, instead he tries to show, despite the devastating
impact mental illness can have both on those with the illness and
those that are close to them, that people can live full and
positive lives. A final chapter, bringing the reader up to date
some years after Graham has been detained again, shows him living a
fulfilling and productive life with his new family, coping with the
symptoms that he still struggles to accept are an illness, and
preparing to address the United Nations later in the year in his
new role working with the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.
Shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2021 'To
compare any book to a Sacks is unfair, but this one lives up to it
. . . I finished it feeling thrillingly unsettled, and wishing
there was more.' James McConnachie, Sunday Times 'A study of
diseases that we sometimes say are 'all in the mind', and an
explanation of how unfair that characterisation is.' Tom Whipple,
The Times Books of the Year In Sweden, refugee children fall asleep
for months and years at a time. In upstate New York, high school
students develop contagious seizures. In the US Embassy in Cuba,
employees complain of headaches and memory loss after hearing
strange noises in the night. These disparate cases are some of the
most remarkable diagnostic mysteries of the twenty-first century,
as both doctors and scientists have struggled to explain them
within the boundaries of medical science and - more crucially - to
treat them. What unites them is that they are all examples of a
particular type of psychosomatic illness: medical disorders that
are influenced as much by the idiosyncratic aspects of individual
cultures as they are by human biology. Inspired by a poignant
encounter with the sleeping refugee children of Sweden, Wellcome
Prize-winning neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan travels the world to
visit other communities who have also been subject to outbreaks of
so-called 'mystery' illnesses. From a derelict post-Soviet mining
town in Kazakhstan, to the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua via an oil
town in Texas, to the heart of the Maria Mountains in Colombia,
O'Sullivan hears remarkable stories from a fascinating array of
people, and attempts to unravel their complex meaning while asking
the question: who gets to define what is and what isn't an illness?
Reminiscent of the work of Oliver Sacks, Stephen Grosz and Henry
Marsh, The Sleeping Beauties is a moving and unforgettable
scientific investigation with a very human face.
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Liar
(Hardcover)
Rebecca Grayson
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R847
Discovery Miles 8 470
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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"Peter and I stared at each other, digesting the shocking news.
What was this misguided loose cannon of a prosecutor doing? Would
he really take the risk of ruining our lives without any evidence
of a crime? The answer was obviously yes.The thought of being
arrested! The very idea pierced my heart. My mind raced at hyper
speed. I had never committed a single criminal act. I was a wife, a
mother, and a hard-working professional in the field of real estate
development. After many years of faithful service, my bosses, Peter
Durkee and Jack Wood, made me an equity partner in Durkee
Development Group, a developer of golf course communities in
Naples. Now I was being accused of being a partner in crime, a
corrupt individual, an influence peddler, who had sought to bring
illegal pressure on government authorities with respect to a golf
course development called Colisseum Golf.My life had just spun
totally out of control."
In this story based on true events, author Nelson Rodriguez
explores the effects of an online game called Mobster on its
players. Rodriguez examines how people interact with others when
they are involved-or even obsessed-with online gaming, delving into
the relationships that are built through the game-sometimes with
others who live a completely different part of the world For Sam,
the game Mobster became an extremely personal and real experience;
he began acting out his crimes in real life, without giving any
thought to the law or the lines that he was crossing. To "win," he
did everything in his power, regardless of the consequence-making
bribes and intimidating anyone he perceived was in his way. But
would he take to ultimate step and actually kill someone? Mark was
committed to his job as a police officer, and so he never imagined
that one day he would have to engage in the very acts that he had
sworn to fight. It seemed that destiny had a different path for
him-a life he never imagined for himself. Despite their strong
personal relationships, once these players get caught up in the
game, all that matters to them is the game-and everything they
cared about before is in jeopardy.
During her career, Julie Grace worked for several political
icons, including Paul Simon, Alan Dixon, Joseph Kennedy, Walter
Mondale, and Jimmy Carter. In 1991, she accepted a job with "TIME"
magazine, where she specialized in social issues and was touted as
one of "TIME"'s best human drama reporters.
Although Julie appeared to have a solid career, her world began
to crumble when the stresses of her job became more than she could
handle. In order to cope, she turned to alcohol. Eventually her
addiction cost her the job. It was then that she sought help in an
alcohol rehabilitation program. There, she met George Thompson, and
they soon developed an extremely close relationship.
Unfortunately, the relationship was rocky and George physically
abused Julie on numerous occasions. Tragically, on May 20, 2003,
the abuse ended when Julie died three days after one of their
abusive encounters. George initially confessed to her murder but
when his case went to trial, he was convicted of involuntary
manslaughter rather than first degree homicide.
Ruth Grace, Julie's mother, was shocked. She blamed the Illinois
judicial system for miscarriage of justice. Now, with the help of
author Nancy Hoff man, she examines her daughter's case in detail.
Read the witnesses testimonies and judge for yourself-"Was Justice
Served?"
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF LYNCHING Published by the NAACP in 1919 to
promote awareness of lynching in the United States, this seminal
study provides information on the lynchings of 3,224
African-Americans between 1889 and 1918. With a new introduction by
noted slave historian, Paul Finkelman. "The book reprinted here is
one of the most comprehensive studies of lynching in U.S. history.
The NAACP data shows that most lynchings were not about interracial
sex-the great paranoia of the southern white Americans. Many blacks
were lynched because they had allegedly committed murders. However,
many of these "murderers" were never tried and the evidence against
them was speculative at best. But other blacks were lynched for no
apparent reason, or for some minor transgression of social and
racial rules-as understood by whites-such as 'inflammatory
language, ' 'insulting remarks to a white woman, ' 'being
disreputable, ' or just 'race prejudice.' This last cause-racial
prejudice-was indeed at the root of almost all lynchings of
African-Americans." -- Paul Finkelman, Introduction CONTENTS
Summation of the Facts Disclosed in Tables The Story of One Hundred
Lynchings Appendix I-Analyses of Number of Persons Lynched Appendix
II-Chronological List of Persons Lynched in United States 1889 to
1918, Inclusive, Arranged by State
It was Christmas 1942 when eleven young women boarded the troopship
Strathaird and braved the attentions of U-Boats in the deep
Atlantic. Borrowing a cricketing phrase, they called themselves the
First Eleven. But they were not the first to arrive at the Special
Operations Executive's secret North African base near Algiers.
Code-named Massingham, it was formed by SOE to spearhead subversion
and sabotage in what Winston Churchill called 'the soft underbelly'
of Europe. Massingham was hidden away at the Club des Pins, a
former luxury resort nestling among pines next to a Mediterranean
beach. By the time SOE had got to work, there was little luxury
left. Setting the Med Ablaze tells the true stories of the men and
women of Churchill's secret base. Its life was short. Less than two
years after its formation, its job was done. But Massingham played
a key role in the Allied offensive in the Mediterranean islands,
Italy and France. If you enjoy historical nonfiction, this book is
for you.
Jump aboard and travel along on this unsettling journey through
trials, convictions, incarcerations and finally that point of no
return. Partner with a desperate father as he decides to take
revenge on the person he holds responsible for a series of crimes
that tear his life apart.
Compare your actions to those of this man and see how they
affect you. What would you do? As I put this together I tried to
figure what I would do and I must admit I was shocked at my
reaction at times. Whatever your final decision I am sure you will
have as many questions at the end as you did in the beginning.
The strange situation that I found myself in was how willing I
was to accept this mans solution. I guess we all see things through
our own filter and in many cases we are able to justify even the
unsavory acts if they are couched in the right set of
circumstances.
Good reading.
Capital DJ Roman Kemp has achieved much success but he hasn't had
an easy ride. He's battled depression since the age of 15, once
contemplated suicide, and has bravely fought to smash the stigma
still surrounding medication and mental health. The lifelong
Arsenal supporter grafted his way to Capital's highly coveted
Breakfast slot - and pulled in record-beating listeners with his
cheeky sense of humour. Who else could convince Ed Sheeran to
tattoo Roman's leg on air, drive around London playing cab-roulette
with James Corden, get Craig David to freestyle rap, or rope Lewis
Capaldi into a life-drawing class? Then, in 2019, Roman won over
yet more fans coming third in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here,
with his uncanny impressions of everyone from Ant and Dec to his
mate Harry Styles. Here, for the first time, Roman's ready to
reveal the things that weren't captured on camera, and how his time
in the jungle changed his whole outlook on life. During the
pandemic Roman's life changed when his best friend - the producer
who'd nurtured his career every step of the way - tragically took
his own life. Amidst the shock, loss and confusion, Roman bravely
made a moving BBC3 documentary about the alarming rates of suicide
amongst young males. He's well aware he too, could have been a
statistic. In this page-turning book - peppered with hilarious and
surprising anecdotes from his youth - Roman also unflinchingly
tackles the taboo of suicide, in the hope that by talking about his
own struggles and sharing advice, he can help others. Roman shares
all the experiences that have shaped him, and why love, marriage
and having his own family one day are so important to his future
dreams.
History is filled with stories of the famous crashing to earth,
whether through an ill-judged statement, an overweening arrogance,
a lust for power or money, or simply a stroke of bad luck. Today,
more than ever, the world of the successful is littered with
'banana skins' lying in wait for the unwary, as film stars,
politicians, soldiers, scientists, business tycoons, royalty,
criminals, sports idols and others make that fatal decision, gaffe
or slip. It covers 220 fascinating entries. Packed in a gift size,
it is highly illustrated in colour. It is ideal travel and present
book. It tells the stories behind the stories. "The Hidden Secrets"
- this beautifully illustrated book charts the hidden secrets
behind some of the biggest 'banana skins' of all time - the
riveting stories of 200 figures who fell from grace - some for
ever, some for a while, some evoke sympathy, a great many do not.
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