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Live. Fight. Survive.: An ex-British soldier’s account of courage, resistance and defiance fighting for Ukraine against Russia
by Shaun PinnerREAD FORMER BRITISH ARMY SOLDIER SHAUN PINNER’S EXTRADORDINARY FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINEFor fans of Bravo Two Zero, Touching the Void, and No Way Out‘A hell of a story’ Sgt Dan Mills, Sniper One‘A remarkable book’ Andrew Marr----‘Live. Fight. Survive,’ she said. So, he did . . .There are just two places Shaun Pinner has felt most at home: first, during his nine years in the British Army and, second, in Ukraine, where he settled after marrying. It was only natural then, that when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he was on the front line leading a section of marines.Outnumbered and outgunned, Pinner's troops staged a fighting retreat to Mariupol for that remarkable, defiant last stand against Putin’s war machine. But this was just the beginning of Shaun’s ordeal. When his troops were ambushed, Shaun was captured – and his war shifted from the battlefield to the interrogation room, when the real fight for survival began . . .---‘A remarkable story from the frontline. Extraordinary descriptions [of] what it's actually like to be in a trench fighting in the winter on the front line against the Russians’ ANDREW MARR‘An extraordinary real-life story’ ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS‘I was mesmerised. Unforgettable’ COLONEL RICHARD KEMP, CO-AUTHOR OF ATTACK STATE RED
Lived Institutions as History of Experience (Palgrave Studies in the History of Experience)
by Johanna Annola Hanna Lindberg Pirjo MarkkolaThis open access book focuses on institutions that were produced and formed by the emerging welfare state. How were institutions experienced by the people who interacted with them? How did institutions as sites of experience shape and structure people’s everyday lives? Histories of institutions have mainly focused on the structures and power relations produced by institutional settings. Likewise, despite an extensive historiography of the welfare state, reflections on individuals’ experiences of welfare are few. By using ‘lived institutions’ as its conceptual frame, this edited collection merges the fields of institutional studies, the history of the welfare state – and the novel and vibrant field of the history of experience.
Lived Moments: Phenomenology, Neorealism, and the New Wave
by Glen W. NortonFrom the everyday concerns of Umberto D to the spiritual traces of Ma nuit chez Maud, revelatory moments are intrinsic to the fabric of cinematic modernism. Lived Moments conceptualizes the path from Italian Neorealism to the French New Wave as a trajectory unique in its expressions of the indeterminacy and contingency of daily life.Drawing on film theory and criticism as well as the history of phenomenological thought, Glen Norton offers illustrative readings of cinematic scenes exemplifying this modernist evolution in canonical films by Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Jean-Luc Godard, and Eric Rohmer. Norton describes how these filmmakers structure their characters’ lifeworlds via moments grounded by chance and multiplicity, each having the potential to lift the opaque veil of inwardness. Experienced in their immediacy, these moments offer the viewer glimpses of a character’s potential individuation. As such, they embody the difficult, private, and perhaps even incommunicable choices made in the midst of self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-definition.Lived Moments deepens our understanding of the history of cinematic modernism, throwing new light on the canonical movements of Neorealism and the New Wave while also demonstrating the importance of lived moments for cinema more broadly. The book stands as a model of how film analysis and film philosophy can be symbiotic rather than separate ways of thinking about cinematic experience.
Lived Nation as the History of Experiences and Emotions in Finland, 1800-2000 (Palgrave Studies in the History of Experience)
by Tanja Vahtikari Ville Kivimäki Sami SuodenjokiThis open access book uses Finland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as an empirical case in order to study the emergence, shaping and renewal of a nation through histories of experience and emotions. It revolves around the following questions: What kinds of experiences have engendered national mobilization and feelings of national belonging? How have political and societal conflicts turned into new communities of experience and emotion? What kinds of experiences have been integrated into, or excluded from, the national context in different instances? How have people internalized or contested the nation as a context for their personal, family and minority-group experiences? In what ways has the nation entered and affected people’s intimate spheres of life? How have “national” experiences been transmitted to children in the renewal of the nation? This edited collection points to the histories of experience and emotions as a novel way of studying nations and nationalism. Building on current debates in nationalism studies, it offers a theoretical framework for analyzing the historical construction of “lived nations,” and introduces a number of new methodological approaches to understand the experiences of the nation, extending from the investigation of personal reminiscences and music records to the study of dreams and children’s drawings.
Lived Religion and Everyday Life in Early Modern Hagiographic Material (Palgrave Studies in the History of Experience)
by Jenni Kuuliala Rose-Marie Peake Päivi Räisänen-SchröderThis book discusses the ways in which early modern hagiographic sources can be used to study lived religion and everyday life from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. For several decades, saints’ lives, other spiritual biographies, miracle narratives, canonisation processes, iconography, and dramas, have been widely utilised in studies on medieval religious practices and social history. This fruitful material has however been overlooked in studies of the early modern period, despite the fact that it witnessed an unprecedented growth in the volume of hagiographic material. The contributors to this volume address this, and illuminate how early modern hagiographic material can be used for the study of topics such as religious life, the social history of medicine, survival strategies, domestic violence, and the religious experience of slaves.
Lived Religion and Gender in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe (Themes in Medieval and Early Modern History)
by Raisa Maria Toivo Sari Katajala-PeltomaaThis study is an exploration of lived religion and gender across the Reformation, from the 14th–18th centuries. Combining conceptual development with empirical history, the authors explore these two topics via themes of power, agency, work, family, sainthood and witchcraft. By advancing the theoretical category of ‘experience’, Lived Religion and Gender reveals multiple femininities and masculinities in the intersectional context of lived religion. The authors analyse specific case studies from both medieval and early modern sources, such as secular court records, to tell the stories of both individuals and large social groups. By exploring lived religion and gender on a range of social levels including the domestic sphere, public devotion and spirituality, this study explains how late medieval and early modern people performed both religion and gender in ways that were vastly different from what ideologists have prescribed. Lived Religion and Gender covers a wide geographical area in western Europe including Italy, Scandinavia and Finland, making this study an invaluable resource for scholars and students concerned with the history of religion, the history of gender, the history of the family, as well as medieval and early modern European history.
Lived Spaces in Late Antiquity
by Carlos Machado Rowan Munnery Rebecca SweetmanThis volume considers “lived space” as a scholarly approach to the past, showing how spatial approaches can present innovative views of the world of Late Antiquity, integrating social, economic and cultural developments and putting centre stage this fundamental dimension of social life.Bringing together an international group of scholars working on areas as diverse as Britain, the Iberian Peninsula, Jordan and the Horn of Africa, this book includes burgeoning fields of study such as lived spaces in the context of ships and seafaring during this period. Chapters investigate the history, function and use of different spaces in their own right and identify the social and historical logic presiding over continuity and/or change. They also explore the fluidity of lived space in both its physical and conceptual dimensions, analysing issues like agency and intentionality as well as meaning and social relations. Space is the fundamental dimension of social life, the arena where it unfolds and the stage where social values and hierarchies are represented; analysis of space allows us to understand history through different means of shaping, occupying and controlling space. Considering Late Antiquity through a spatial perspective offers a complex and stimulating picture of this pivotal period, and this volume provides avenues for the development of further research and discussion in this area.Lived Spaces in Late Antiquity is a fascinating resource for students and scholars interested in space and spatiality in the late antique world, as well as archaeology, classical studies and late antique studies more generally.
Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture
by Philip AuslanderLiveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture addresses what may be the single most important question facing all kinds of performance today. What is the status of live performance in a culture dominated by mass media and digital technologies? Since its first appearance, Philip Auslander’s groundbreaking book has helped to reconfigure a new area of study. Looking at specific instances of live performance such as theatre, music, sport, and courtroom testimony, Liveness offers penetrating insights into media culture, suggesting that media technology has encroached on live events to the point where many are hardly live at all. In this new edition, the author thoroughly updates his provocative argument to take into account the impact of the internet, and cultural, social, and legal developments. He also addresses the situation of live performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In tackling some of the last great shibboleths surrounding the high cultural status of the live event, this classic book will continue to shape opinion and to provoke lively debate on a crucial artistic dilemma: what is live performance and what can it mean to us now? This extensively revised, new edition of Liveness is an essential read for all students and scholars of performance-based courses.
Liverpool Angels: A completely gripping saga of love and bravery during WWI
by Lyn AndrewsBravery and fortitude are essential for two young nurses to survive the Great War... Lyn Andrews' saga, Liverpool Angels, is a haunting and unforgettable tale of nursing in the battlefields of the First World War. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Maureen Lee.Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Mae Strickland is only a few days old when her mother suddenly dies. Her aunt Maggie brings Mae up together with her own children, Eddie and Alice, and the girls become like sisters. In spite of Mae's unhappy start, life feels full of promise.Then, as the First World War looms, everything changes. While the local men - including young Eddie - leave to fight, Mae and Alice train as field nurses. As they travel to the front line in the wake of family tragedy, nothing can prepare them for the hardship that lies ahead.Yet there is solace to be found amid the wreckage of the war, and for both, romance is on the horizon. But it will take great courage for Mae and Alice to follow their hearts. Can love win out in the end? What Amazon readers are saying about Liverpool Angels: 'As in all of Lyn Andrews' books that I've read, she has a great talent for weaving emotion into her writing. You feel connected to her characters, and get really invested in their lives and their struggles''The research that Lyn has put into this book is wonderful, it has so much detail and depth as if she has experienced this first hand. You can really get deep into the story and feel as if you are experiencing it with Alice and Mae''Well written, believable and emotive'
Liverpool Angels: A completely gripping saga of love and bravery during WWI
by Lyn AndrewsLyn Andrews' tale of nursing in the field during World War I is haunting and unforgettable. If you enjoy the novels of Kate Thompson and Donna Douglas, you'll love LIVERPOOL ANGELS. Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Mae Strickland is only a few days old when her mother suddenly dies. Her aunt Maggie brings Mae up together with her own children, Eddie and Alice, and the girls become like sisters. In spite of Mae's unhappy start, life feels full of promise.Then, as the First World War looms, everything changes. While the local men - including young Eddie - leave to fight, Mae and Alice train as field nurses. As they travel to the front line in the wake of family tragedy, nothing can prepare them for the hardship that lies ahead.Yet there is solace to be found amid the wreckage of the war, and for both, romance is on the horizon. But it will take great courage for Mae and Alice to follow their hearts. Can love win out in the end?(P)2013 Headline Digital
Liverpool Daughter: A heart-warming wartime story from the Sunday times bestselling author (The Liverpool Sisters #1)
by Katie FlynnTHE FIRST NOVEL IN A HEART-WARMING NEW SERIES BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, KATIE FLYNN______________________________'Home is where the heart is, and my heart belongs to Liverpool. We would not dream of leavin' our beloved cit . .'August 1940: As the Luftwaffe swarm over Liverpool, Shane Quinn decides to move his family back to the safety of Ireland. But his only child, the beautiful Dana, would rather stay and serve her country than flee to a foreign land.Determined to make it on her own, she joins the WAAF with newfound pals Patty and Lucy. There is plenty of excitement to be had on a RAF station, and even a chance or two at love.But the stark reality of war begins to take its toll and the three girls soon discover they need their friendship more than ever. And when shocking news arrives from Ireland, Dana will realise the true importance of family.______________________________Praise for Katie Flynn:'If you pick up a Katie Flynn book it's going to be a wrench to put it down again' Holyhead and Anglesey Mail'Packed with romance and poignancy' Woman'One of the best Liverpool writers' Liverpool Echo'Heart-warming' Take a Break
Liverpool Gems: Twin sisters chase their dreams…
by Anne BakerWhile in pursuit of independence and love, a young woman finds her family needs her more than ever. Liverpool Gems is a dramatic and warm-hearted Liverpool saga from Anne Baker, which is sure to appeal to fans of Katie Flynn and Lyn Andrews.It is 1935 and as Carrie Courtney watches her twin sister, Connie, marry the man of her dreams, Carrie longs to find a love of her own. Having lost their mother at an early age, the girls were brought up by their maiden aunts and, with Connie leaving home, Carrie is desperate to spread her wings.Using her skills as a bookkeeper, Carrie gets an exciting new job but her stunning beauty soon attracts the wrong kind of attention. And romance is the last thing on her mind when her beloved father finds himself caught up in an illegal jewellery business that threatens to destroy them all... What readers are saying about Liverpool Gems: 'Quite a page turner like most of Anne's books, she keeps the reader gripped from the first page, excellent writing''Anne Baker never fails to please her fans, loved this and highly recommend'
Liverpool Lamplight: A thrilling saga of bitter rivalry and family ties
by Lyn AndrewsGeorgie Deegan will do anything for money. His sister will do anything for love... When Katie's bully of a brother takes over the family business, tough times lie ahead in Liverpool Lamplight - a powerful saga of the years before the Second World War, from bestselling author Lyn Andrews. Perfect for fans of Anne Baker, Cathy Sharp and Katie Flynn. Since they were kids in the backstreets of Liverpool, brother and sister Georgie and Katie Deegan have fought like cat and dog. Now Katie is at Moorehouse's lemonade factory, whilst Georgie has a good job at the B & A - and when he comes home he puts his feet up. Unlike Katie, who does her turn in their mother Molly's fish and game shop.Yet when their father dies suddenly, Georgie assumes the shop is his - and that his chance has come to rule the Deegan roost. Katie has other ideas, as does her strong-minded mother Molly.But, as World War II draws closer and Georgie's illegal money-making schemes gain momentum, neither Katie nor her mother has any idea what troubles lie in store for the women whose lives the ruthless Georgie Deegan is set to control at any cost... What readers are saying about Liverpool Lamplight: 'Fantastic, gripping story, couldn't put it down''Don't pick this book up to read unless you have nothing else to do because, believe me, you won't put it down until it's finished''One of Lyn Andrews' best'
Liverpool Lou: A moving saga of family, love and chasing dreams
by Lyn AndrewsWill she find the happiness she deserves? Lyn Andrews' Liverpool Lou is an engrossing Merseyside saga spanning two world wars, following a young woman as she sets out to make her own way in the world, despite her aunt's determination to control her. Perfect for fans of Anne Baker, Annie Murray and Maureen Lee. Babsey has always worked hard to provide for her family; she runs a greengrocers publicly and a money-lending business in private. Babsey makes sure that her family doesn't mix with the rougher people in the neighbourhood - she considers herself a cut above the local community. When her niece Louisa needs a home - her mother is dead, and her father at sea - Babsey does her duty and brings the girl into the household.But Louisa doesn't quite fit in with Babsey's plans. Although life under Aunt Babsey's roof is comfortable, Louisa is acutely aware of the desperate poverty around her. And, as she grows up into a thoughtful young woman, the harsh realities of love and betrayal, war and death, make her determined to find her own way.Louisa will eventually be made famous throughout her city - known for ever as Liverpool Lou. And she might just find love along the way... What readers are saying about Liverpool Lou: 'Brilliant story... Could not put it down. Had me in tears''Just what you would expect from Lyn Andrews. Full of lifelike characters and good background knowledge. Really enjoyed it''One of the best books I've read'
Liverpool Miss
by Helen ForresterHelen Forrester grew up poor, as the eldest of seven children, there was never enough to eat. But her severe malnutrition wasn't her only challenge, her parents' wanted her to stay home and mind her siblings, instead of getting a job and earning her keep.
Liverpool Pals: 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th Service Battalions, The King's Liverpool Regiment 1914-1919 (Pals Ser.)
by Graham MaddocksLiverpool Pals, is a record of duty, courage and endeavour of a group of men who, before war broke out in 1914, were the backbone of Liverpool's commerce. Fired with patriotism, over 4,000 of these businessmen volunteered in 1914 and were formed into the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th (Service) Battalions of the King's (Liverpool Regiment); they were the first of all the Pals battalions to be raised, and they were the last to be stood down. It is commonly held that the North of England's Pals battalions were wiped out on the 1st July, 1916, certainly this befell a number of units, but the Liverpool Pals took all their objectives on that day. From then on they fought all through the Somme Battle, The Battle of Arras and the muddy hell of Passchendaele in 1917, and the desperate defence against the German offensive of March 1918.
Liverpool Sisters: A heart-warming family saga of sorrow and hope
by Lyn AndrewsWith no mother to guide them, can Livvie and Amy find happiness? Two motherless girls, a young stepmother and a domineering father are woven into an unputdownable Merseyside saga set before the First World War. The perfect read for fans of Anne Baker, Catherine Cookson and Kitty Neale. 'Gutsy... a vivid picture of a hard-up, hard-working community... will keep the pages turning' - Daily Express Liverpool, 1907. Thanks to their father's success, sisters Livvie and Amy Goodwin are moving from their cramped home to a roomier house on the outskirts of Liverpool. But tragedy strikes when their adored mother dies in childbirth. The girls are still grieving when Thomas introduces their new stepmother - a woman just a few years older than Livvie.Thomas has plans for his daughters. He wants Livvie to marry a wealthy neighbour's son - not Frank Hadley, the kind and handsome factory manager she is attracted to. Their relationship is a dangerous enough secret, but Livvie's interest in the Suffragettes could drive Thomas to the edge. For the Goodwin girls, the happy future they once took for granted is far from certain...What readers are saying about Liverpool Sisters:'Another wonderful saga set in Liverpool''You feel like you're actually there in the era as she describes the places and characters so well''I absolutely loved it'
Liverpool Territorials in the Great War
by Paul KnightThe Territorial Force is the forgotten army of the First World War. Between the pre-war Regular Army, which attempted to stem the German advance in 1914, and the New Armies who took to the field with such disastrous consequences on the Somme in 1916, stood the Territorial Army. Liverpool's Territorials could be found on the Western Front before the famous Christmas truce of 1914, fighting in Gallipoli, and supporting the Canadians. Throughout 1916 and 1917, they succeeded and failed in some of the most brutal battles of the war. During the German 1918 Spring Offensive, Liverpool Territorials in the 55th (West Lancashire) Division halted the German advance, effectively ending Germany's final bid to win the war.Amazingly, the Territorials were never intended, trained, or equipped for overseas service; their role was to defend the UK mainland against invasion. Yet men across Liverpool's diverse communities volunteered for the Territorials in the thousands, forming the core of two divisions during the war.Formed in 1908, but building on the Volunteer tradition of the 1850s, the Territorials remain in Liverpool to this day. Renamed the Army Reserve, they are still training and volunteering for operations.Offering a fresh, integrated perspective on the Territorial Army during the First World War, this is the remarkable story of the Liverpool Territorials.
Liverpool in the Great War (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)
by Stephen McGrealAt the dawn of the twentieth century Liverpool had 8 miles of docks thronged with cargo ships loading or discharging goods. When Britain declared war on Germany in the summer of 1914, Liverpool's geographical position demanded it be one of the chief home bases for wartime operations. It was a challenge the city accepted with relish and went on to become one of the most significant home-front contributors to the Allied victory. Justifiable, the city cenotaph proudly declares 'out of the north parts came a great company and a mighty army', but there is a forgotten army of patriotic civilians whose endeavours played a key role in the Allied victory. Despite an acute shortage of skilled labour, Liverpool led the way in the construction of munition factories and developed the required skills to 'feed the guns'. Inititally, men who were too old for military service produced shells, but a local factory became the first in the country to introduce women shell-makers, and this initiative was replicated throughout the nation As the men made the transition from street to trench, Liverpool and district developed into a vast arsenal employing approximately 30,000 women and producing a million shells a month. Civilians were also actively involved in tending the wounded, fund-raising for hospital equipment and ambulances and the provisions of home comforts for those at the front. When the German submarine onslaught almost severed Britain's maritime trade routes food rationing was introduced. Damaged ships limped into Liverpool were ploughed up as the nation 'dug for victory'. The city was also a portal through which thousands of American troops passed; they stayed briefly at Springfield Park Rest Camp before entraining south. This is the fascinating but largely forgotten story of how Liverpool provided the sinews of war.
Liverpool to Great Salt Lake: The 1851 Journal of Missionary George D. Watt
by Ronald G. Watt LaJean Purcell CarruthGeorge Darling Watt was the first convert of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptized in the British Isles. He emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842. He returned to the British Isles in 1846 as a missionary, accompanied by his wife and young son. He remained there until 1851, when he led a group of emigrant converts to Salt Lake City, Utah. Watt recorded his journey from Liverpool to Chimney Rock in Pitman shorthand. Remarkably, his journal wasn&’t discovered until 2001—and is transcribed and appearing for the first time in this book. Watt&’s journal provides an important glimpse into the transatlantic nature of Latter-day Saint migration to Salt Lake City. In 1850 there were more Latter-day Saints in England than in the United States, but by 1890 more than eighty-five thousand converts had crossed the Atlantic and made their way to Salt Lake City. Watt&’s 1851 journal opens a window into those overseas, riverine, and overland journeys. His spirited accounts provide wide-ranging details about the births, marriages, deaths, Sunday sermons, interpersonal relations, weather, and food and water shortages of the journey, as well as the many logistical complexities.
Liverpool's Children in the Second World War
by Pamela RussellThis is the untold story of Liverpool's children in the Second World War. Whilst everyone is familiar with the tales of evacuees who were rushed out of the cities once the bombs started falling, many of us are unaware that many stayed behind, either by choice or necessity, as the city of their childhood disintegrated and burned around them. In the words of those who experienced the Liverpool Blitz first-hand, we hear of their adventures and misadventures, the fun and games and ever-present danger, and the humor and sorrow of those wartime years. This is an important and revealing look at the war as seen through the eyes of these children. This book not only explores the memories of a childhood ravaged by war, but also the formative effect this had on individuals' lives. It reflects the collective spirit of a city that refused to be crushed, even at the darkest hours of the Luftwaffe's bombing campaign. Ideal for anyone who lived through those times, or who is fascinated by experiences and the legacy of the wartime generation, this new title pays tribute to the war's forgotten children.
Liverpool: A Landscape History
by Martin GreaneyThe landscape has had a huge impact on the history of Liverpool and Merseyside. The ice age glaciers carved out the Rivers Mersey and Dee; the Sefton coast provided a perfect place for the earliest humans to hunt and gather food; and the Pool and the Mersey, and England’s position on the coast gave King John the perfect base from which to launch his Irish campaigns. This book explores the landscapes from these earliest times, and charts the changing city right through to the present day. It explains why Liverpool looks the way it does today, and how clues in the modern landscape reveal details of its long history. You’ll see how the landscape created Liverpool, and how in turn Liverpool recreated the landscape.
Liverpool: The Hurricane Port
by Andrew LeesScousers believe they live in a special place, one that has more in common with Salvador da Bahia, New Orleans or Gdansk than anywhere in England, and the city has always punched above its weight. In less than a hundred years, however, Liverpool's image has declined from a major mercantile player known as the Second City of the Empire to what some social commentators have described as a cultural backwater remembered largely as the place where the Beatles were born.In Liverpool: The Hurricane Port, Andrew Lees reveals how Liverpool's pre-eminence in the slave trade left an indelible scar on the psychogeography of the city. He also explores the roots of Liverpool's contrary nature, its rebelliousness and its hedonism, as well as some of the recent hurricanes that have battered the city, including the anger of Toxteth, the Hillsborough disaster and the murder of James Bulger. In this distinctly personal account, Lees defines the characteristics of this Celtic enclave, with her loudmouthed, big-hearted people who have created a city quite different from anywhere else in the world.
Liverpool: The Story of a Football Club in 101 Lives
by Anton RipponA history of the team as told through stories of 101 players and managers who guided it through lows and highs to success.Liverpool: The Story of a Football Club in 101 Lives tells the history of the Anfield club through the biographies of key individuals associated with the Merseysiders from their formation in the gas-lit days of Victorian Britain through to the present day.From John Houlding, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool who was the founder of the club in controversial circumstances, to their greatest manager Bill Shankly, and the great players who have worn the famous red shirt throughout its history, the in-depth stories of the characters— players and managers—here paint a fascinating picture of how the club—indeed, the game of football itself—has developed from workers playing for fun to today’s multi-million-pound business.“This wonderful book looks specifically at 101 men who have dominated the club and its successes and failures from the club’s formation through to the present day. No self-respecting Liverpool fan should be without this book!” —Books Monthly
Lives Between The Lines: A Journey in Search of the Lost Levant
by Michael VatikiotisThe story begins with a parting of the sands - the construction of the Suez Canal that united the Mediterranean with the Arabian Sea. It opened the door of opportunity for people living insecurely on the fringes of a turbulent Europe.The Middle East is understood today through the lens of unending conflict and violence. Lost in the litany of perpetual strife and struggle are the layers of culture and civilisation that accumulated over centuries, and which give the region its cosmopolitan identity. It was once a region known poetically as the Levant - a reference to the East, where the sun rose. Amid the the bewildering mix of races, religions and rivalries, was above all an affinity with the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.Today any mixing of this trinity of faiths is regarded as a recipe for hatred and prejudice. Yet it was not always this way. There was a time, in the last century, when Arabs and Jews rubbed shoulders in bazaars and teashops, worked and played together, intermarried and shared family histories. Michael Vatikiotis's parents and grandparents were a product of this forgotten pluralist tradition, which spanned almost a century from the mid-1800s to the end of the Second World War in 1945. The Ottoman empire, in a last gasp of reformist energy before it collapsed in the 1920s, granted people of many creeds and origins generous spaces to nestle into and thrive. The European colonial order that followed was to reveal deep divisions. Vatikiotis's family eventually found themselves caught between clashing faiths and contested identity. Their story is of people set adrift, who built new lives and prospered in holy lands, only to be caught up in conflict and tossed on the waves of a violent history.Lives Between the Lines brilliantly recreates a world where the Middle East was a place to go to, not flee from, and the subsequent start of a prolonged nightmare of suffering frmo which the region has yet to recover.