The Sword and the Pen - Six decades on the political frontier

Allister Sparks

Synopsis

Allister Sparks joined his first newspaper at age 17 and was pitched headlong into the vortex of South Africa's stormy politi. His autobiography, The Sword and the Pen: Six decades on the political frontier, is the story of how as a journalist he watched and chronicled and participated in his country's unfolding drama for over half a century, covering events from the premiership of DF Malan to the presidency of Jacob Zuma, and witnessing at close range the rise and fall of apartheid and the rise and crisis of the new South Africa.
In trenchant prose, Sparks has written a remarkable account of both a life lived to its fullest capacity as well as the surrounding narrative of South Africa from the birth of apartheid, the rise of political opposition, the dawn of democracy, right through to the crisis being experienced today.
'Anyone who tries to understand what is happening in South Africa today without first digesting Allister Sparks' lucid, sensitive and comprehensive exploration of the country's multi-faceted mind, does so at his own peril.' - André Brink, on The Mind of South Africa
'His special strength is a writing talent which combines precise reportage with shrewd analysis and unusual stamina …' - The Observer, on Tomorrow is Another Country

Disponible depuis: 29/02/2016.

Longueur d'impression: 300 pages.

D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

My Last Eight Thousand Days - An...

Lee Gutkind

As founding editor of Creative Nonfiction and architect of the genre, Lee Gutkind played a crucial role in establishing literary, narrative nonfiction in the marketplace and in the academy. A longstanding advocate of New Journalism, he has reported on a wide range of issues—robots and artificial intelligence, mental illness, organ transplants, veterinarians and animals, baseball, motorcycle enthusiasts—and explored them all with his unique voice and approach.In My Last Eight Thousand Days, Gutkind turns his notepad and tape recorder inward, using his skills as an immersion journalist to perform a deep dive on himself. Here, he offers a memoir of his life as a journalist, editor, husband, father, and Pittsburgh native, not only recounting his many triumphs, but also exposing his missteps and challenges. The overarching concern that frames these brave, often confessional stories, is his obsession and fascination with aging: how aging provoked anxieties and unearthed long-rooted tensions, and how he came to accept, even enjoy, his mental and physical decline. Gutkind documents the realities of aging with the characteristically blunt, melancholic wit and authenticity that drive the quiet force of all his work.

Voir livre

The Great Hollenberg Saga

Heinz Niederste-Hollenberg

It’s the story where it all started: A homestead for generations, with 1000 years of life and struggles to survive, as well as moments of happiness. It’s a resurrection of the past projected upon history. Thus, this Saga is the most comprehensive genealogical data gathering of the 1000 years of Hollenbergs on both sides of the Atlantic and an amazing discovery: How this ancestral trunk, over centuries, has given us a multitude of branches and buds, of leaves and blossoms – strong and beautiful – all the way to the survival of our times.

Voir livre

Maritime Strike - The Untold...

John Kingwell

Leadership under pressure: the personal account of the commander of the Royal Naval Task Group deployed to Libya in 2011.In April 2011, the newly created Royal Navy Response Force Task Group deployed to the Mediterranean to provide a range of military options in response to the Arab Spring. For the next six months the group planned and prepared for a range of potential operations including noncombatant evacuations from Libya, Yemen and Syria, maritime interdiction operations off the Libyan coast, and amphibious landings.  On 3 June the group began launching attack helicopter strikes into Libya and in the nights that followed planned 47 and executed 22 strikes destroying a range of targets including: 54 vehicles, 2 rigid hull boats, 2 BM 21 rocket launchers, 4 main battle tanks, 1 zsu antiaircraft vehicle and 3 command and control nodes. The operation saw the first operational use of Apaches from the sea and the first embarkation of US Army combat search and rescue teams and Blackhawk helicopters in an RN warship.  This is a personal account by the Group’s Commander, which brings to life the challenges of command – including authorizing strikes and mitigating risk to UK aircrew – in a complex and challenging environment. It reveals how closely the RN Group worked with its French counterpart, the support provided by the United States, together with the complexity of working alongside NATO and of simultaneously dealing with a range of UK authorities.  This is a story of leadership under pressure and the remarkable professionalism of all involved and the bravery of Army aircrew. It was modern defense and joinery at its best – British Army and USAF helicopters operating from RN ships, supported by Fleet Air Arm aircraft and fixed wing jets as part of a largely air campaign.

Voir livre

The Bag Lady Papers - The...

Alexandra Penney

Throughout her life, Alexandra Penney's worst fear was becoming a bag lady. Even as she worked several jobs while raising a son as a single mother, wrote a multimillion-dollar bestselling advice book, and became editor in chief of Self magazine, she was haunted by the image of herself alone, bankrupt, and living on the street. She even went to therapy in an attempt to alleviate the nagging in her mind that told her that all she had worked for could crumble. And then, one day, that's exactly what happened. Alexandra Penney had taken a friend's advice and invested nearly everything she had ever earned with Bernie Madoff. So one day she was successful and wealthy; the next she had almost nothing. Suddenly, at an age when many Americans retire, Penney saw her worst nightmares coming true. Entertaining and inspiring, The Bag Lady Papers chronicles Penney's struggle to cope with the devastating financial and emotional fallout of being cheated out of her life savings, and traces her journey back to sanity and security. Her outraged blogs about the Madoff scandal in The Daily Beast and her commentary on CNN have generated millions of hits and earned her a loyal following. How do you pick yourself up after your worst nightmare comes true? Penney shows us how.

Voir livre

Raven's Mantle - Fighting the...

Raven Harrison

The radio personality and political candidate chronicles her journey on the road to becoming the Conservative Warrior. Raven Harrison is a firebrand with an incredible military, business, and academic pedigree. As a scholar who left for college at age sixteen and the daughter of two retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonels, she recounts her awe-inspiring journey through communism, the Cold War, racism, and modern-day politics in a powerful story.Raven’s Mantle is the striking firsthand account of her rise through some of the most pivotal moments in modern history. Raven details growing up in war zones, having a parent in the Pentagon on 9/11, and being injured in the 2017 Las Vegas Massacre. Raven’s journey culminated in a life-changing event which catapulted her to the forefront of the fight for the soul of this nation and inspired her to run for Congress in her home state of Texas. Raven, a Native American black woman, was raised by fighters who instilled in her that “Freedom is never free.” Now, she’s taking on the ills of society for a better America. Raised by patriots. Called by God. Deterred by nothing. Raven Harrison is the Conservative Warrior!“Today [Harrison] is fast becoming one of the most respected conservative voices in America. Whether through her regular appearances on FOX News, radio stations across the country, her podcast, her speaking engagements, her social media outreach that touches millions or this book . . . Raven is someone who says what she means, does what she says and gets things done. I am proud to call her my friend, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.” —Sid Miller, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture and Former Member of the Texas House of Representatives

Voir livre

Roberto Mancini - A Footballing...

Luca Caioli

When Manchester City's owners appointed Roberto Mancini in late 2009, the message was clear: this was the man who would overtake the Blues' illustrious neighbours and restore the club to the pinnacle of English football.

The former Italy playmaker swiftly repaid their faith, following up an FA Cup triumph in his first full season with the Premier League title – won in the most heartstopping fashion imaginable – to continue a success story that had taken him from early stardom in Bologna to back-to-back league titles as Inter Milan manager.

Now, renowned Italian sports writer Luca Caioli gives the full inside story of Mancini's rollercoaster life in football – from his early days as a firebrand centre forward, through glory days with Sampdoria and Lazio, to his emergence as a charismatic, if controversial, pitch-side leader.

Featuring insights from those who know him best – including family members, former teammates and managers, as well as an exclusive interview with Mancini himself, it provides a unique and revealing portrait of the man behind the Blue revolution.

Voir livre