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A Passionate Life
by Ita ButtroseAn appealing and lively autobiography by one of Australia's most distinguished journalists, A Passionate Life will strike a chord with working women everywhere. An updated edition, now including an epilogue. Kerry Packer described her as a &‘dedicated and brilliant journalist who has achieved greatness in her industry very early and so quickly&’ and &‘a jewel beyond price&’. Cold Chisel wrote a song about her. Rupert Murdoch was so impressed by her talents, he asked her to be the editor-in-chief of both the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs – and in doing so, become the first woman ever to edit a major Australian metropolitan newspaper. In her extraordinary career, spanning over fifty years, Ita Buttrose has been involved in every aspect of the media, from newspapers and magazines to television and radio. From her creation of a new type of women&’s magazine in Cleo and then ITA, to her appointment as the youngest-ever editor of The Australian Women&’s Weekly, a passionate love of journalism has driven her every step of the way. Refreshingly candid about the challenges she has faced as a professional woman, not only in her career but also in her love life and as a mother, A Passionate Life describes those groundbreaking years with Ita&’s trademark clarity, precision and wit.
A Passionate Life: W. H. H. Murray, from Preacher to Progressive (Excelsior Editions)
by Randall S. BeachFinalist for the 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the Biography CategoryOne hundred fifty years ago, the Adirondack Mountains were overrun. Thousands of middle-class urbanites from Boston and New York City abandoned the comfort of their homes and rushed into the unknown, northern wilderness, believing they would find great restorative and even curative powers. These would-be adventurers were informed by one man, William Henry Harrison Murray, a preacher from Boston. A Passionate Life is the first comprehensive biography of Murray, a man who has been described as the father of the American outdoor movement and the modern vacation. While he is best known for his promotion of the Adirondacks in the late nineteenth century, Murray was a complex character who was driven to promote his many passions. From the 1860s until his early twentieth-century death, Murray was a famous preacher, popular writer and lecturer, an equine enthusiast, patent owner, publisher, businessman, lumberman, temperance advocate, free lover, women's rights advocate and advocate for educational reform. In many ways, Murray's passions followed the progressive movements within nineteenth-century America and attempted to address questions still relevant to today's society.
A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune (Significations)
by Noliwe RooksAn intimate and searching account of the life and legacy of one of America&’s towering educators, a woman who dared to center the progress of Black women and girls in the larger struggle for political and social liberationWhen Mary McLeod Bethune died, tributes in newspapers around the country said the same thing: she should be on the Mount Rushmore of Black American achievement. Indeed, Bethune is the only Black American whose statue stands in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol, and yet for most, she remains a marble figure from the dim past. Now, seventy years later, Noliwe Rooks turns Bethune from stone to flesh, showing her to have been a visionary leader with lessons to still teach us as we continue on our journey toward a freer and more just nation.Any serious effort to understand how the Black civil rights generation found role models, vision, and inspiration during their midcentury struggle for political power must place Bethune at its heart. Her success was unlikely: the fifteenth of seventeen children and the first born into freedom, Bethune survived brutal poverty and caste subordination to become the first in her family to learn how to read and to attend college. She gave that same gift to others when in 1904, at age twenty-nine, Bethune welcomed her first class of five girls to the Daytona, Florida, school she had founded and which would become the university that bears her name to this day. Bethune saw education as an essential dimension of the larger struggle for freedom, vitally connected to the vote and to economic self-sufficiency, and she enlisted Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and many other powerful leaders in her cause.Rooks grew up in Florida, in Bethune&’s shadow: her grandmother trained to be a teacher at Bethune-Cookman University, and her family vacationed at the all-Black beach that Bethune helped found in one of her many community empowerment projects. The story of how Bethune succeeded in a state with some of the highest lynching rates in the country is, in Rooks&’s hands, a moving and astonishing example of the power of a mind and a vision that had few equals. Now, when the stakes of the long struggle for full Black equality in this country are particularly evident—and centered on the state of Florida—it is a gift to have this brilliant and lyrical reckoning with Bethune&’s journey from one of our own great educators and scholars of that same struggle.
A Passionate Pilgrim
by David M. RobertsonJames A. Pike, the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, was a man of many faces. To some he was an iconoclast, a man decades ahead of his time who modernized the Church and rendered it more progressive and open to inquiry. To others he was a heretic, who polarized and desecrated the Church. Always controversial and charismatic, he took America by storm in the 1960s with his best-selling books, and his weekly television talk show, Dean Pike, which won him a cover story in Time. A Passionate Pilgrim is an illuminating biography of Pike, and an examination of the tragedies, triumphs, and difficulties that shaped his spectacular rise to fame and his mysterious death in the Israeli desert.From the Trade Paperback edition.
A Passionate Prodigality: Fragments of Autobiography
by Guy ChapmanThis classic WWI memoir by a decorated infantryman and historian presents a vivid account of life in the trenches on the Western Front. During World War One, Major Guy Chapman, OBE MC, served in the Royal Fusiliers and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery. Joining soon after war was declared, Chapman was stationed in France and fought in the Battle of Arras. When Chapman&’s memoir, A Passionate Prodigality, was first published in 1933 it was hailed as one of the finest English works to have come out of the Great War. Today it reads with a graphic immediacy, not merely in the descriptions of the shock and carnage of war, but in its evocation of the men who fought—&“certain soldiers who have now become a small quantity of Christian dust.&”
A Past in Hiding: Memory and Survival in Nazi Germany
by Mark RosemanA heart-stopping survivor story and brilliant historical investigation that offers unprecedented insight into daily life in the Third Reich and the Holocaust and the powers and pitfalls of memory.At the outbreak of World War II, Marianne Strauss, the sheltered daughter of well-to-do German Jews, was an ordinary girl, concerned with studies, friends, and romance. Almost overnight she was transformed into a woman of spirit and defiance, a fighter who, when the Gestapo came for her family, seized the moment and went underground. On the run for two years, Marianne traveled across Nazi Germany without papers, aided by a remarkable resistance organization, previously unknown and unsung. Drawing on an astonishing cache of documents as well as interviews on three continents, historian Mark Roseman reconstructs Marianne's odyssey and reveals aspects of life in the Third Reich long hidden from view. As Roseman excavates the past, he also puts forward a new and sympathetic interpretation of the troubling discrepancies between fact and recollection that so often cloud survivors' accounts.A detective story, a love story, a story of great courage and survival under the harshest conditions, A Past in Hiding is also a poignant investigation into the nature of memory, authenticity, and truth.
A Path Through the Sea: One Woman's Journey from Depression to Wholeness
by Lillian V. GrissenIn this frank, instructive, and heartening personal story, Lillian Grissen tells about the severe depression that she herself experienced. Her pain - mental, emotional, and physical pain - was excruciating, and at first she felt hopelessly trapped in it. But with the help of a gifted Christian psychiatrist, Grissen began to stop blaming herself and to confront the core of her problem - her relationship as a child with her mother. Over a period of five long years - also with her husband's support, her pastor's compassionate counsel, and the right combination of therapy and medication, and God's gracious strength - Grissen gradually climbed out of the pit of her depression. A profound yet simple book about a complex condition: clinical depression. Only one who has experienced the pain of the darkness of depression and the joy of the light of recovery could have had the courage to trace the arduous journey. - Katie Funk Wiebe, author of Bless Me Too, My Father
A Path to the World: Becoming You
by Anna Quindlen Pat Conroy Molly Ivins William Sloane Coffin Mario Cuomo Gary Soto Joseph Bruchac Scott Pitoniak Timothy Egan Ralph Fletcher Alexandra Stoddard Emily Lisker George Washington Alan Ehrenhalt Jeremy Lee Michael J Sandel Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos Jacinto Jesús Cardona Shadi Feddin Valerie Gribben Alexandre Hollan Geeta Kothari Yuyi Li Kamaal Majeed Madge McKeithen Nawal Nasrallah Raquel Sentíes David E. Skaggs KellyNoel Waldorf Ying Ying YuA chorus of essays from a variety of voices, backgrounds, and experiences, exploring what it means to be human and true to yourself.What does it mean to be yourself? To be born here or somewhere else? To be from one family instead of another? What does it mean to be human? Collected by Lori Carlson-Hijuelos, A Path to the World showcases essays by a vast variety of luminaries—from Gary Soto to Nawal Nasrallah to Ying Ying Yu, from chefs to artists to teens to philosophers to politicians (keep your eyes peeled for a surprise appearance by George Washington)—all of which speak to the common thread of humanity, the desire to be your truest self, and to belong.Contributors include: Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos, Joseph Bruchac, Jacinto Jesús Cardona, William Sloane Coffin, Pat Conroy, Mario Cuomo, Timothy Egan, Alan Ehrenhalt, Shadi Feddin, Ralph Fletcher, Valerie Gribben, Alexandre Hollan, Molly Ivins, Geeta Kothari, Jeremy Lee, Yuyi Li, Emily Lisker, Kamaal Majeed, Madge McKeithen, Nawal Nasrallah, Scott Pitoniak, Anna Quindlen, Michael J. Sandel, Raquel Sentíes, David E. Skaggs, Gary Soto, Alexandra Stoddard, KellyNoel Waldorf, George Washington, and Ying Ying Yu.
A Pathfinder's War: An Extraordinary Tale of Surviving Over 100 Bomber Operations Against All Odds
by Sean Feast Ted StockerThe only RAF flight engineer to be awarded a Distinguished Service Order recounts his prolific WWII combat career in this engaging military memoir. Flight Lieutenant Ted Stocker lived a charmed life. Joining the Royal Air Force as a teenager, he trained as one of the famous Halton Aircraft Apprentices known as Trenchard&’s Brats. Stationed at RAF Boscombe Down, he flew prototype Stirling and Halifax bombers just as the Second World War broke out. Qualifying as one of the RAF&’s first flight engineers, he went on to join Bomber Command&’s elite Pathfinder Force. Stocker was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943 and eventually completed more than 100 bombing operations, often as a master bomber. Although his aircraft was frequently hit, and he survived a crash landing, Stocker was never wounded. His achievements were recognized with the only known Distinguished Service Order issued to a flight engineer. In this candid and fascinating memoir, co-written by acclaimed aviation historian Sean Feast, Stocker relates his incredible tale of singular courage and miraculous survival.
A Patriot After All: The Story of a Chicano Vietnam Vet
by Juan RamirezJuan Ramirez always believed he would die in Vietnam. As a teenager growing up in the San Francisco area in the early 1960s, Nam was there, just over the horizon, like the distant thump of artillery. His father and uncles had served in World War II, another uncle in Korea. Numerous cousins had enlisted. At nineteen, Ramirez decided to embrace the war. In 1968, the year of the Tet offensive, Ramirez joined the U.S. marines.Two bloody tours later, Ramirez survived, but at immense cost. Twice wounded, undesirably discharged, and plagued by survivor's guilt, Ramirez surveys the toll of Vietnam on flesh and spirit in this captivating memoir.Ramirez tells his story in a voice not often heard from the war, that of a Chicano soldier. By tracing his roots, and exploring the cultural pressures and social demons that weighed on his family and community, Ramirez offers an unflinching look at the fall and redemption of one Mexican American veteran.Ramirez has given us a rather unique and clear-eyed view inside the life and times and thoughts of a young Chicano who joins the marines and goes to Vietnam to find his destiny. . . . Fascinating reading.--Joseph L. Galloway, author of We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young.
A Patriot's Calling: My Life as an F-16 Fighter Pilot
by Lt Colonel RooneyA decorated fighter pilot and PGA professional tells the story of his life and service—to both his nation and others—in this remarkable memoir that is a stirring record of faith, patriotism, family, philanthropy, and golf.What does it mean to be a patriot? For Oklahoma native Dan Rooney, it is someone who not only puts his life on the line for country, but who opens his heart and mind and seeks to build a life that embodies the purest and most concentrated essence of himself. For many, Rooney is the model of a patriot: as an Air Force pilot who deployed to Iraq, serving three tours of duty; as a professional golfer who established a nonprofit foundation awarding thousands of scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled veterans; as the father of five daughters; as a man of faith, whose copilot, both in the skies and on the ground, has always been God. A Patriot’s Calling is his autobiographical journey through some of the most character-defining moments of his awe-inducing life and career. “On my third tour of duty in Iraq as F -16 fighter pilot, I felt a powerful calling from God to share the miraculous fusion of people and experiences uniquely placed along my journey. During my reflection, I began to understand how the forces of synchronicity had shaped my life. Synchronicity, or, as I like to call it, ‘chance with a purpose,’ is all around us. These encounters with God’s messengers are the sign-posts along the road of life guiding us toward our essence.” A Patriot’s Calling illuminates Rooney’s true essence—and offers guidance and inspiration for us all. A Patriot’s Calling includes 40 photos and 3 maps.
A Pawtobiography: My adventures on Gone Fishing
by Ted the DogTop 5 Sunday Times bestseller now in paperbark!Ted's sniff and tellIt’s hard to believe Ted was once a skinny, unwanted pup who was dumped outside an animal shelter, before he found fame and fortune alongside Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse on the hit BBC series Gone Fishing.In this exclusive exposé, Ted reveals what it’s like working alongside two national treasures and what really happens when the cameras stop rolling.With searing honesty, he gives his unique viewpoint on living in a dog's world and he speaks about how you – yes you – can make it a better place for everyone.This is his story, in his own words.Nearly all of it is true.
A Peace of My Mind: Exploring The Meaning of Peace One Story at a Time
by John NoltnerThis book is a collection of diverse experiences of people from many different parts of the world filled with revelations of courage,commitment, resilience and hope.
A Peaceful Conquest: Woodrow Wilson, Religion, and the New World Order
by Cara Lea BurnidgeA century after his presidency, Woodrow Wilson remains one of the most compelling and complicated figures ever to occupy the Oval Office. A political outsider, Wilson brought to the presidency a distinctive, strongly held worldview, built on powerful religious traditions that informed his idea of America and its place in the world. With A Peaceful Conquest, Cara Lea Burnidge presents the most detailed analysis yet of how Wilson's religious beliefs affected his vision of American foreign policy, with repercussions that lasted into the Cold War and beyond. Framing Wilson's intellectual development in relationship to the national religious landscape, and paying greater attention to the role of religion than in previous scholarship, Burnidge shows how Wilson's blend of Southern evangelicalism and social Christianity became a central part of how America saw itself in the world, influencing seemingly secular policy decisions in subtle, lasting ways. Ultimately, Burnidge makes a case for Wilson's religiosity as one of the key drivers of the emergence of the public conception of America's unique, indispensable role in international relations. As the presidential election cycle once again raises questions of America's place in the world, A Peaceful Conquest offers a fascinating excavation of its little-known roots.
A Peacemaker for Warring Nations: The Founding of the Iroquois League
by Joseph BruchacThe League of the Iroquois was a true representational democracy—so much so that the United States Constitution is said to have been modeled on some of its tenets. But how, perhaps a thousand years before the time of Columbus, did the Five Iroquois Nations (the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca) come to end the bitter eye-for-eye warfare among them? What brought them together in an alliance based on the Great Law of Peace? And how was it that a system of Clan Mothers was instituted in which women are seen as the center of the nation and still today choose the 50 royaners, or peace chiefs, who speak for their respective communities in meetings of the League? In A Peacemaker for Warring Nations, renowned Native author Joseph Bruchac draws from the teachings of both contemporary and past Iroquois tradition bearersin telling the inspiring story of how &“the Peacemaker,&” a divine messenger sent by the Creator, helped to bring reconciliation to warring nations. The book is beautifully and accurately illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden, a respected Mohawk artist whose work honors his deep indigenous roots.
A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean
by Tori Murden McClure“Unlike Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Tori Murden McClure’s true story of a woman and the sea and a boat named American Pearl is one of victory. . . . If you want to be inspired, read this book. You won’t stop till you’ve finished.” — Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's WifeIn this thrilling memoir by the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Tori McClure finds that what she is looking for lies not in a superhuman show of strength, but rather in embracing what it means to be human."In the end, I know I rowed across the Atlantic to find my heart, but in the beginning, I wasn't aware that it was missing."In June 1998, Tori McClure began rowing across the Atlantic Ocean solo in a twenty-three-foot plywood boat with no motor or sail. Within days she lost all communication with shore but decided to forge ahead -- not knowing that 1998 would turn out to be the worst hurricane season on record in the North Atlantic. When she was nearly killed by a series of violent storms, Tori was forced to signal for help and head home in what felt like disgrace. But then her life changed in unexpected ways. She was hired by Muhammad Ali, who told her she did not want to be known as the woman who "almost" rowed across the Atlantic. And at thirty-five, Tori fell in love.A Pearl in the Storm is Tori's enthralling story of high adventure—and of her personal quest to discover that embracing her own humanity was more important than superhuman feats.
A Pebble In The Throat: Growing Up Between Two Continents
by Aasmah Mir'I loved this book ... incredibly moving' Reverend Richard Coles'A treasure of a book' Fern Britton 'Full of beauty, wit and inner strength' Samira AhmedTwo generations, two places and two stories told in unison.A Pebble in the Throat is an eloquent and often heart-breaking memoir of Aasmah Mir's childhood growing up in 1970s Glasgow. From a vivacious child to a teenage loner, Aasmah candidly shares the highs and lows of growing up between two cultures - trying to fit in at school and retreating to the safe haven of a home inhabited by her precious but distant little brother and Helen, her family's Glaswegian guardian angel.Intricately woven into this coming-of-age story is that of Aasmah's mother, as we follow her own life as a young girl in 1950s Pakistan to 1960s Scotland and beyond. Both mother and daughter fight, are defeated and triumph in different battles in this sharp and moving story. A Pebble in the Throat is a remarkable memoir about family, identity and finding yourself where you are.
A Peculiar Treasure
by Edna FerberPulitzer Prize winner Edna Ferber's stunning first autobiography, in which she recounts her small-town Midwestern childhood and rise to literary fame, all amidst the backdrop of America around the turn of the 20th century.A modest girl growing up one of the only Jewish children in her Midwestern town, Edna Ferber started overcoming the odds at a young age. Pursuing work at the local newspaper as an innocent 17-year-old, she was assigned the night court shift, reporting on drugs and violence, and gradually finding her own voice in standing up to what she witnessed. As she continued to pursue writing, she recalls the various ways in which she found inspiration, leading her to publish her first books and later, So Big, which won a Pulitzer Prize and catapulted her to fame. Ferber's incredible experiences all occur during a time of pre-WWII rising anti-Semitism and the gaining power of Hitler in Europe, and the various historical and political tensions of the time color the fascinating events of her life.
A Peer Among Princes: The Life of Thomas Graham, Victor of Barrosa, Hero of the Peninsular War
by Philip GrantThis authoritative biography chronicles the life and achievements of the Victorian era politician and hero of the Napoleonic Wars. Sir Thomas Graham, Lord Lynedoch, is best known for his exceptional military career during the Napoleonic Wars. In the struggle for the Iberian Peninsula, he won a major victory at the Battle of Barrosa, conducted the siege of San Sebastian, and acted as the Duke of Wellington&’s second in command. But Graham was much more than a soldier. An innovative Scottish landowner, politician, sportsman, and traveler, he was a remarkable man of his age. In A Peer Among Princes, Philip Grant does justice to his life and reputation. Lord Lynedoch only took up his military career in 1792 when he was outraged by the violation of his wife&’s coffin by French revolutionaries. Determined to fight them, he raised his own regiment and soon establishing himself as an outstanding leader and field commander. He saw action at Toulon, made a daring escape from the siege of Mantua, served in Malta and Egypt and with Sir John Moore during the Corunna campaign. With quotes from Graham&’s vivid letters and diaries, Grant weaves an absorbing and detailed narrative of his long and varied life.
A Penny Dip
by Meg HutchinsonOne of five sisters, Margaret Rose Astbury grew up in Wednesbury during the first half of the twentieth century. Despite the constant struggle to make ends meet, and the hardship and worry of wartime, life in the Black Country was not all doom and gloom. In the crowded terraced houses and teeming communal yards, there was love and laughter aplenty.Meg was no angel, and was often up to her armpits in mischief. But she knew she could rely on her sisters to stick up for her and her mom and dad were too soft-hearted to punish any of their beloved daughters.With all the humour and narrative skill that have made her novels bestsellers, Meg Hutchinson paints a loving portrait of family life in a more innocent age.
A Penny Dip
by Meg HutchinsonOne of five sisters, Margaret Rose Astbury grew up in Wednesbury during the first half of the twentieth century. Despite the constant struggle to make ends meet, and the hardship and worry of wartime, life in the Black Country was not all doom and gloom. In the crowded terraced houses and teeming communal yards, there was love and laughter aplenty.Meg was no angel, and was often up to her armpits in mischief. But she knew she could rely on her sisters to stick up for her and her mom and dad were too soft-hearted to punish any of their beloved daughters.With all the humour and narrative skill that have made her novels bestsellers, Meg Hutchinson paints a loving portrait of family life in a more innocent age.
A Perfect Fit
by Karen Hunter Luther WrightFORMER NBA STAR LUTHER WRIGHT SHARES HIS HARROWING AND UPLIFTING JOURNEY OF FINDING GOD--AND HIMSELF--WHEN HE HAD NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE. Luther Wright had the life hoop dreams are made of. A first-round NBA draft pick for the Utah Jazz, he was a rookie on a team with basketball legends Karl Malone and John Stockton. He had money, women, cars, and a luxurious bachelor pad overlooking Salt Lake City. But within a year, ravaged by drugs and unable to cope with life as an NBA star, he was homeless, broke and addicted to crack cocaine. Wright never wanted to play basketball, yet standing more than seven feet tall even as a boy, he thought he had no choice. In this heartrending memoir, he writes candidly about the self-destructive spiral he found himself on after neglecting his passions to pursue the dreams of others. After years of living on the streets, he finally found a gift greater than anything his millions could have bought him--God. Today, Wright offers a simple message: believe in yourself, follow your dreams, and only then will you find your Perfect Fit.
A Perfect Fit: How Lena “Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion
by Mara RockliffDiscover how the Lane Bryant clothing brand changed the way we buy clothes forever by celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes in this inclusive picture book biography of a Lithuanian immigrant with a brilliant eye for fashion and business. With stunning artwork from Sibert medalist Juana Martinez-Neal.Lena came to America with nothing but a dream—and an exceptional ability to drape and snip and stitch. She never used a pattern or a tape measure, but every dress she sewed turned out to be a perfect fit.Then, one day, a customer presented her with a new challenge. Could she design a stylish, comfortable gown for a body shape that did not meet the current standards of fashion?Lena took the challenge. Under the company name Lane Bryant, she became famous for flattering and modish clothing designed for all different shapes and sizes. The world of fashion would never be the same.
A Perfect Hell: The True Story of the Black Devils, the Forefathers of the Special Forces
by John NadlerIt's 1942 and Hitler's armies stand astride Europe like a colossus. Germany is winning on every front. This is the story of how one of the world's first commando units, put together for the invasion of Norway, helped turn the tide in Italy.1942. When the British generals recommend an audacious plan to parachute a small elite commando unit into Norway in a bid to put Nazi Germany on the defensive, Winston Churchill is intrigued. But Britain, fighting for its life, can't spare the manpower to participate. So William Lyon MacKenzie King is contacted and asked to commit Canadian troops to the bold plan. King, determined to join Roosevelt and Churchill as an equal leader in the Allied war effort, agrees.One of the world's first commando units, the First Special Service Force, or FSSF, is assembled from hand-picked soldiers from Canadian and American regiments. Any troops sent into Norway will have to be rugged, self-sufficient, brave, and weather-hardened. Canada has such men in ample supply.The all-volunteer FSSF comprises outdoorsmen -- trappers, rangers, prospectors, miners, loggers. Assembled at an isolated base in Helena, Montana, and given only five months to train before the invasion, they are schooled in parachuting, mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, and cold-weather survival. They are taught how to handle explosives, how to operate nearly every field weapon in the American and German arsenals, and how to kill with their bare hands.After the Norway plan is scrapped, the FSSF is dispatched to Italy and given its first test -- to seize a key German mountain-top position which had repelled the brunt of the Allied armies for over a month. In a reprise of the audacity and careful planning that won Vimy Ridge for the Canadians in WWI, the FSSF takes the twin peaks Monte la Difensa and Monte la Remetanea by storming the supposedly unscalable rock face at the rear of the German position, and opens the way through the mountains.Later, the FSSF will hold one-quarter of the Anzio beachhead against a vastly superior German force for ninety-nine days; a force of only 1,200 commandos does the work of a full division of over 17,000 troops. Though badly outnumbered, the FSSF takes the fight to the Germans, sending nighttime patrols behind enemy lines and taking prisoners. It is here that they come to be known among the dispirited Germans as Schwartzer Teufel ("Black Devils") for their black camouflage face-paint and their terrifying tactic of appearing out of the darkness.John Nadler vividly captures the savagery of the Italian campaign, fought as it was at close quarters and with desperate resolve, and the deeply human experiences of the individual men called upon to fight it. Based on extensive archival research and interviews with veterans, A Perfect Hell is an important contribution to Canadian military history and an indispensable account of the lives and battlefield exploits of the men who turned the tide of the Second World War.
A Perfect Husband
by Aphrodite JonesAphrodite Jones is one of the chief practitioners of the true crime genre. --Baltimore SunMichael Peterson was a decorated war veteran and bestselling novelist, his wife Kathleen a high-powered executive and devoted mother. They seemed to be the perfect couple, living a dream life--until the tragic night Michael found Kathleen at the bottom of the stairs in a pool of blood. He claimed her death was an accident. The prosecution put him behind bars. Then in a stunning reversal, a judge gave him another chance to stand trial, while his children proclaimed his innocence. Aphrodite Jones draws on exclusive interviews and disturbing new evidence to update this classic real-life thriller of marriage, manipulation, and murder. "A classic true-crime page-turner." --M. William Phelps"A richly detailed and deeply researched tale of a greedy, sociopathic killer." --Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling author of Lost Girls"Prepare yourself for a journey into a meticulous criminal mind." --Corey Mitchell, author of Savage SonIncludes 16 Pages Of Dramatic Photos