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Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege
by Gwendolyn M. Parker“A striking memoir of a gifted black woman’s lonely, difficult, and unsatisfying climb to the heights of American power and prestige.” —Kirkus ReviewsParker’s compelling memoir offers a revealing glimpse inside corporate America through the eyes of a black woman “intruder.” From a nurturing childhood in a middle-class black community, Parker rose in the ranks on Wall Street only to discover that racism and sexism still prevail at the top. Full of both outrage and regret, Trespassing is frank and unflinching but leavened with humor and compassion. “An important, keenly observed work that should be read by everyone who is interested in a good story, as well as by those intrigued by the gripping personal drama that comes from extending token access to a few black professionals and calling that phenomenon—integration” (Lani Guinier, author of The Tyranny of Meritocracy).“The stings and isolation of a career at the top . . . engagingly written and fluidly paced.” —The New York Times“An important voice in Black women’s emerging tapestry of words.” —Jill Nelson, author of Volunteer Slavery“Searching and painfully revealing, depicting each moment with searing clarity . . . Parker shows what it means to be invisible and erased.” —Time“Graceful . . . funny, moving and insightful.” —Newsday
Mermaids and Ikons: A Greek Summer
by Gwendolyn MacEwenAward-winning poet and novelist Gwendolyn MacEwen explores her strongly personal responses to the landscape, culture, and people of Greece in this exquisitely written travel diary, which was originally published in 1978.Originally published in 1978, beloved poet and novelist Gwendolyn MacEwen’s first work of nonfiction explores her strongly personal responses to a complex civilization. Partly written during a trip to Greece in 1971, MacEwen moves from the urban tumult of Athens to the radiant simplicity of an island in the Aegean. In this intimate and exquisitely written travel diary, she evokes the very spirit of Greece — the exuberance of the people, the sun-drenched landscape, and the shaping power of ancient traditions and myths in modern Mediterranean life.
Slavery and African Ethnicities in the Americas: Restoring the Links
by Gwendolyn Midlo HallDrawing on a wide range of materials in four languages as well as on a lifetime of study of slave groups in the New World, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall explores the persistence of African ethnic identities among the enslaved over four hundred years of the Atlantic slave trade. Hall traces the linguistic, economic, and cultural ties shared by large numbers of enslaved Africans, showing that despite the fragmentation of the diaspora, many ethnic groups retained enough cohesion to communicate and to transmit elements of their shared culture.
Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress (Sexual Cultures)
by Gwendolyn Mink Judy Tzu-Chun WuA biography of the Hawaiian legislator who was the first woman of color and first Asian American woman in the U.S. Congress, and the champion of Title IX. Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. Fierce and Fearless is the first biography of this remarkable woman, who first won election to Congress in 1964 and went on to serve in the House for twenty-four years, her final term ending with her death in 2002. Mink was an advocate for girls and women, best known for her work shepherding and defending Title IX, the legislation that changed the face of education in America, making it possible for girls and women to participate in school sports, and in education more broadly, at the same level as boys and men. In Fierce and Fearless, Mink&’s life is wonderfully chronicled by eminent historian Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and Gwendolyn Mink, Patsy&’s daughter, a noted political science scholar and first-hand witness to the many political struggles that her mother had to overcome. Featuring family anecdotes, vignettes, and photographs, this book offers new insight into who Mink was, and the progressive principles that fueled her mission. Wu and Mink provide readers with an up-close understanding of her life as a third-generation Japanese American from Hawaii―from her childhood on Maui to her decades-long career in the House, working with noted legislators like Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, and Nancy Pelosi. They follow the evolution of her politics, including her advocacy for race, gender, and class equality and her work to promote peace and environmental justice.Fierce and Fearless provides vivid details of how Patsy Takemoto Mink changed the future of American politics. Celebrating the life and legacy of a woman, activist, and politician ahead of her time, this book illuminates the life of a trailblazing icon who made history. &“Every girl in Little League, every woman playing college sports, and every parent―including Michelle and myself―who watches their daughter on a field or in the classroom is forever grateful to the late Patsy Takemoto Mink.&”―President Barack Obama, on posthumously awarding Mink the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 2023 Mary Nickliss Prize in U.S. Women&’s and/or Gender History Winner
Finding the Game: Three Years, Twenty-Five Countries, and the Search for Pickup Soccer
by Gwendolyn OxenhamAcross two dozen countries—from back alleys to remote beaches to the roofs of skyscrapers—an eye-opening journey into the heart of soccerEvery country has a different term for it: In the United States it's "pickup." In Trinidad it's "taking a sweat." In Brazil it's "pelada" (literally "naked"). It's the other side of soccer, those spontaneous matches played away from the bright lights and manicured fields—the game for anyone, anywhere.At sixteen, Gwendolyn Oxenham was the youngest Division I athlete in NCAA history, a starter and leading goal-scorer for Duke. At twenty, she graduated, the women's professional soccer league folded, and her career was over. In Finding the Game, Oxenham, along with her boyfriend and two friends, chases the part of the game that outlasts a career. They bribe their way into a Bolivian prison, bet shillings on a game with moonshine brewers in Kenya, play with women in hijab on a court in Tehran—and discover what the world looks like when you wander down side streets, holding on to a ball.An entertaining, heartfelt look at the soul of a sport and a thrilling travel narrative, this book is proof that on the field and in life, some things need no translation.
Pride of a Nation: A Celebration of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (An Official U.S. Soccer Book)
by Gwendolyn OxenhamThe first official history of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, celebrating nearly four decades of the team's athletic excellence and cultural impact and featuring 250 full-color photographsTelling the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's story in eye-popping photos and expert prose, Pride of a Nation is a lavish tribute to one of the most beloved teams in sports, revisiting their historic four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, as well as unforgettable players across the generations, such as Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario, Mallory Pugh, and more. Drawing from full access to U.S. Soccer's photo and print archives, this beautifully illustrated tribute includes: A foreword by Julie Foudy, two-time World Cup and Olympic ChampionOne-of-a-kind action shots and behind-the scenes photosOriginal essays by award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker Gwendolyn Oxenham exploring the evolution of the women&’s game and its world-changing impact on the culture at largeExclusive player polls ranking the best teams of each decade and the All-Time Best XIExcerpts of the best previously published writing and prize-winning reporting about the epic games and greatest players over the past forty yearsStats, records, illuminating trivia, and moreHonoring the fierce athleticism and unshakeable spirit of the charismatic pioneers who planted the U.S. women&’s soccer flag in 1985, and those who have made the rest of the world salute it ever since, this incisive and entertaining book will be a keepsake for soccer lovers everywhere.
Silent Scars of Healing Hands: Oral Histories of Japanese American Doctors in World War II Detention Camps (Michi Nishiura and Walter Weglyn Multicultural Publication Series)
by Naomi Hirahara Gwenn JensenOn February 19, 1942, by order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, all Nikkei (American born Japanese American citizens) were subject to an indiscriminate and mass incarceration that affected more than 110,000 people. Within weeks, Issei and Nisei doctors found themselves vaccinating long lines of people in anticipation of their imminent removal from homes and businesses. Cast into temporary detention, these same physicians struggled to open clinics and treat patients in facilities ill prepared for the onslaught of families, pregnant, women, elderly, and toddlers. This book is their story -- a collection of oral histories of Nisei physicians who directed health care behind barbed wires.
A Hunger for Learning: A Story about Booker T. Washington
by Gwenyth SwainAs a small child, Booker T. Washington longed to learn how to read and write, but slaves weren't allowed to go to school. When the Civil War ended, Booker was free. He persuaded teachers at the Hampton Institute to let him work at their school in exchange for classes. Booker did so well that Hampton's principal recommended him to start up a new school in Alabama. Brick by brick, Washington and his students built Tuskegee Institute, which became one of the nation's most respected colleges for black students. Dedicating his life to education, Booker T. Washington was one of the most important African American leaders of his time.
Civil Rights Pioneer: A Story about Mary Church Terrell
by Gwenyth SwainMary Church Terrell grew up after the Civil War with many opportunities. Although she received an excellent education and had a distinguished teaching career, Mary grew up African American in a segregated country. There were opportunities she did not have. Always determined, she joined the fight for equal rights. By lecturing, picketing, and writing she made her voice be heard and helped to end segregation.
Freedom Seeker: A Story About William Penn (A Creative Minds Biography)
by Gwenyth SwainThe son of a wealthy, repected admiral, William Penn did what was forbidden in seventeenth-century England--he openly practiced the Quaker religion. Penn dreamed of a place with freedom of religion. He asked for land in the New World and was given a colony called Pennsylvania. His success in establishing a new and just government there later became the blueprint for thirteen newly independent colonies.
Sojourner Truth
by Gwenyth SwainDescribes the life of Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist who was herself a former slave.
The Road to Seneca Falls: A Story about Elizabeth Cady Stanton
by Gwenyth SwainA biography of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the organizers of the country's first women's rights convention, which took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848.
In My Father's Footsteps: With the 53rd Welsh Division from Normandy to Hamburg
by Gwilym DaviesIn 1944-45, Capt. G.H. Davies served with the hard-fighting 53rd Welsh Division. He was an artillery officer in command of a battery of 25-pdr field guns and saw action from Normandy to the final surrender of Nazi Germany. Capt. Davies was present at the Normandy battles, the fierce fighting for s'Hertogenbosch and the Battle of Arnhem.During the course of the war, Capt. Davies kept a diary and also snatched a few photographs on his treasured camera. When the opportunity arose Capt. Davies liberated a camera from a fallen SS officer and, after the war, had the film developed. The film contained graphic images of the war from the German side of the line.Seventy years on from the events, the wartime diary, the photographs of the guns and the photographs taken by the dead SS officer were the inspiration for the son of Capt. Davies, television producer and writer Gwilym Davies, to undertake an emotional return to the battlefields, which his father had described in his diary.The result of that pilgrimage is an important new book which builds upon the wartime diary and the photographs to produce a powerful record of one man's war service with the guns of the 53rd Welsh Division. The book also contrasts the experience of Capt. Davies with those of the Germans on the other side of the line. Gwilym Davies is himself an accomplished photographer and his photographs of the 70th anniversary celebrations and the memorials provide a poignant counterpoint to the events of 1944.
Energy and Conflict: The Life and Times of Edward Teller
by Stanley Blumberg Gwinn OwensHere is the first biography of Edward Teller, based on exclusive access to the man and the archives. This is the life story of perhaps the most controverisal and certainly one of the greatest nuclear physicists of the twentieth century. widely known as the father of the hydrogen bomb, Teller was a genius among giants in the scientific community, his career coterminus with the nuclear age. His controversy with Robert Oppenheimer, here updated, constitutes one of the dramatic high points of the Cold War, in which Teller has been an absolutely crucial figure.
The Northern Horizons of Guy Blanchet: Intrepid Surveyor, 1884-1966
by Gwyneth HoyleThe working life of the distinguished surveyor Guy Blanchet reflects the story of northern Canada in the first half of the twentieth century. Beginning his career in the boreal forests of Alberta and Saskatchewan, using pack horses and dog teams, Blanchet went north to map large areas of the Barrens by canoe, and soon became caught up in pioneer northern aviation. His story encompasses the Great Depression and the Second World War, which in turn led to his work finding the routes for oil pipelines. His life was rich in contacts with First Nations people, and his friendships included most of the well-known northern travellers of the time. While Blanchet did not seek adventure, adventure often found him and he had many narrow escapes. While Blanchet published a number of articles about his experiences, this is the first time his fascinating life story has been told in book form.
Joanna Russ (Modern Masters of Science Fiction #42)
by Gwyneth JonesExperimental, strange, and unabashedly feminist, Joanna Russ's groundbreaking science fiction grew out of a belief that the genre was ideal for expressing radical thought. Her essays and criticism, meanwhile, helped shape the field and still exercise a powerful influence in both SF and feminist literary studies.Award-winning author and critic Gwyneth Jones offers a new appraisal of Russ's work and ideas. After years working in male-dominated SF, Russ emerged in the late 1960s with Alyx, the uber-capable can-do heroine at the heart of Picnic on Paradise and other popular stories and books. Soon, Russ's fearless embrace of gender politics and life as an out lesbian made her a target for male outrage while feminist classics like The Female Man and The Two of Them took SF in innovative new directions. Jones also delves into Russ's longtime work as a critic of figures as diverse as Lovecraft and Cather, her foundational place in feminist fandom, important essays like "Amor Vincit Foeminam," and her career in academia.
William L. Dawson (American Composers)
by Gwynne Kuhner BrownWilliam L. Dawson is recognized for his genre-defining choral spirituals and for his Negro Folk Symphony, a masterpiece enjoying a twenty-first-century renaissance. Gwynne Kuhner Brown’s engaging and tirelessly researched biography reintroduces a musical leader whose legacy is more important today than ever. Born in 1899, Dawson studied at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He worked as a church, jazz, and orchestral musician in Kansas City and Chicago in the 1920s while continuing his education as a composer. He then joined the Tuskegee faculty, where for 25 years he led the Tuskegee Institute Choir to national prominence through performances of spirituals at the opening of Radio City Music Hall, on radio and television, and at the White House. The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski premiered Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony in 1934. Engaging and long overdue, William L. Dawson celebrates a pioneering Black composer whose contributions to African American music, history, and education inspire performers and audiences to this day.
Elizabeth: An intimate portrait from the writer who knew her and her family for over fifty years
by Gyles BrandrethTHE NO 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW FEATURING EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL ABOUT CHARLES III's CORONATION WITH ADDED PHOTOGRAPHSA personal account of the life and character of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, from the writer who knew her family best'Compelling . . . Fascinating' DAILY MAIL'The writer who got closest to the human truth about our long-serving senior royals' THE TIMES'The book overflows with nuggets of insider knowledge' TELEGRAPHPaints a unique picture of the remarkable woman who reigned for seven decades. Fascinating insights' HELLO!__________Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was twenty.Over the next fifty years he met her many times, both at public and at private events. Through his friendship with the Duke of Edinburgh, he was given privileged access to Elizabeth II.He kept a record of all those encounters, and his conversations with the Queen over the years, his meetings with her family and friends, and his observations of her at close quarters are what make this very personal account of her extraordinary life uniquely fascinating.From her childhood in the 1920s to the era of Harry and Meghan in the 2020s, from her war years at Windsor Castle to her death at Balmoral, this is both a record of a tumultuous century of royal history and a truly intimate portrait of a remarkable woman.Enjoy this special edition now featuring an exclusive postscript about King Charles III's Coronation with photographs.__________Praise for Gyles Brandreth's bestselling royal writing:'Beautifully written book. I have read many other books about Philip but this is the best' DAILY EXPRESS'Brilliant, totally inspiring . . . It's a joy to read a book that comes from a perspective of fondness' KIRSTIE ALLSOPP, THE TIMES'As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat' TELEGRAPH'So readable and refreshing even after the millions of words that have been written about Prince Philip in the past couple of weeks' THE TIMES'Brilliant . . . There is so much in this book you won't find anywhere else' LORRAINE
John Gielgud: An Actor's Life
by Gyles Brandreth‘A sense of delight permeates Gyles Brandreth’s John Gielgud: An Actor’s Life … Brandreth combines neat reportage, deft evocation and lovely tales about a man he knew and relished.’ – The Times‘A delightful memoir which tells you all you need to know and collects all the anecdotes.’ – Daily MailJohn Gielgud was born in April 1904. When he died in May 2000, he was honoured as ‘the giant of twentieth-century theatre’. In this updated, acclaimed biography, Gyles Brandreth draws from over thirty years of conversations with Gielgud to tell the extraordinary story of a unique actor, film star, director and raconteur.In 1921 Gielgud made his first appearance at the Old Vic in London and through the next eight decades he dominated his profession – initially as a classical actor, later in plays by Harold Pinter and Alan Bennett. In his twenties he had appeared in silent movies; more than half a century later, he emerged as a Hollywood star, winning his first Oscar at the age of seventy-eight.With wonderful anecdotes, and contributions from Kenneth Branagh, Alec Guinness, Paul Scofield, Donald Sinden, Judi Dench and Peter Hall, John Gielgud: An Actor’s Life is a compelling, humorous and moving account of a remarkable man.
Odd Boy Out: The ‘hilarious, eye-popping, unforgettable’ Sunday Times bestseller 2021
by Gyles BrandrethThe compelling, witty and remarkably honest autobiography from beloved star of Just a Minute, QI, Have I Got News For You and Celebrity GoggleboxTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Hilarious, ribald, eye-popping, unforgettable, will make you laugh out loud' DAILY MAIL'Warm, witty, charming. A moving and very affectionate family history. An enthusiast for life' THE TIMES________Enter the world of Gyles Brandreth - broadcaster, actor, writer, former politician - as he takes us on an extraordinary journey into his past.From growing up in an apparently well-to-do but strapped-for-cash middle-class English family to his adventures in swinging London, Gyles encounters princes, presidents, pop stars and prime ministers, gets involved in everything from setting up Scrabble championships to examining Danish sex shops, and thrills us with countless tales of family, friends and acquaintances, both famous and infamous.Filled with incredible and sometimes shocking stories, Odd Boy Out is the story of Gyles Brandreth's fascinating life told with his unique wit and charm.________'Staggeringly brilliant, funny and touching, I loved it' JOANNA LUMLEY 'Light-hearted and dark events alike are described with his customary jaunty style, making them funny, moving an sometimes deeply shocking ' Sheila Hancock
Philip: The Final Portrait - THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Gyles Brandreth____________________________________________________________________________________ THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER 'It's bloody brilliant, totally inspiring ... it's a joy to read a book that comes from a perspective of fondness. There are whole pages I want to read to the kids and stick to the fridge.' - KIRSTIE ALLSOPP, THE TIMES 'As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat' - THE TELEGRAPH'Brandreth explores a temperament on the brink of anger and agitation with immense tact, even affection.' - THE SPECTATOR'This affectionate biography of Prince Philip is stuffed with entertaining anecdotes ... so readable and refreshing even after the millions of words that have been written about Prince Philip in the past couple of weeks.' - THE TIMES'Brilliant... there is so much in this book you won't find anywhere else.' - LORRAINE'A stately, respectful and joyful tribute. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew him for more than 40 years.' - EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS______________________________________________________________________________________This is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years. Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years. Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six. Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh's character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families - and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.
Philip: The Final Portrait - THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Gyles Brandreth______________________________________________________________________________________**THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER**'As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat' - THE TELEGRAPH'Brandreth explores a temperament on the brink of anger and agitation with immense tact, even affection.' - THE SPECTATOR'This affectionate biography of Prince Philip is stuffed with entertaining anecdotes ...so readable and refreshing even after the millions of words that have been written about Prince Philip in the past couple of weeks.' - THE TIMES'Brilliant... there is so much in this book you won't find anywhere else.' - LORRAINE'A stately, respectful and joyful tribute. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew him for more than 40 years.' -EDINBURGH EVENING NEWSThis is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years. Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years. Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six. Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh's character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families - and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.
Philip: The Final Portrait - THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Gyles BrandrethElizabeth, their marriage and their dynasty.This is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years. Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years. Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six. Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh's character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families - and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Something Sensational to Read in the Train: The Diary of a Lifetime
by Gyles BrandrethThis is a diary packed with famous names and extraordinary stories. It is also rich in incidental detail and wonderful observation, providing both a compelling record of five remarkable decades and a revealing, often hilarious and sometimes moving account of Gyles Brandreth's unusual life -- as a child living in London in the 'swinging' sixties, as a jumper-wearing TV presenter, as an MP and government whip, and as a royal biographer who has enjoyed unique access to the Queen and her family. Something Sensational to Read on the Train takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride from the era of Dixon of Dock Green to the age of The X Factor, from the end of the farthing to the arrival of the euro, from the Britain of Harold Macmillan and the Notting Hill race riots to the world of Barack Obama and Lewis Hamilton. With a cast list that runs from Richard Nixon and Richard Branson to Gordon Brown and David Cameron -- and includes princes, presidents and pop stars, as well as three archbishops and any number of actresses -- this is a book for anyone interested in contemporary history, politics and entertainment, royalty, gossip and life itself.
Something Sensational to Read in the Train: The Diary of a Lifetime
by Gyles BrandrethThis is a diary packed with famous names and extraordinary stories. It is also rich in incidental detail and wonderful observation, providing both a compelling record of five remarkable decades and a revealing, often hilarious and sometimes moving account of Gyles Brandreth's unusual life -- as a child living in London in the 'swinging' sixties, as a jumper-wearing TV presenter, as an MP and government whip, and as a royal biographer who has enjoyed unique access to the Queen and her family. Something Sensational to Read on the Train takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride from the era of Dixon of Dock Green to the age of The X Factor, from the end of the farthing to the arrival of the euro, from the Britain of Harold Macmillan and the Notting Hill race riots to the world of Barack Obama and Lewis Hamilton. With a cast list that runs from Richard Nixon and Richard Branson to Gordon Brown and David Cameron -- and includes princes, presidents and pop stars, as well as three archbishops and any number of actresses -- this is a book for anyone interested in contemporary history, politics and entertainment, royalty, gossip and life itself.