Other books that might interest you

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  Fighters in the Blood - The...

  Black' Robertson

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  A retired RAF air marshal looks back on his career and the career of his World War II pilot father in this military memoir. 
   
  As this fascinating memoir unfolds, moving backwards and forwards through time, two parallel stories emerge: one of a Second World War Spitfire ace whose flying career comes to a premature end when he’s shot down and loses an eye, the other of his progeny, a second-generation fighter pilot who eventually reaches the rank of air marshal. 
   
  The narrative is unique in its use of two separate and distinct voices. The author’s own reminiscences are interwoven with those his father recorded more than thirty years ago, embellished by extracts from some 300 of his wartime letters. Intensely personal and revealing, controversial too at times, this account is above all about people, not least those with whom the author flew while serving with the USAF—a tour marked by tragedy; that said, they proved altogether more friendly than the P-38 pilots who twice attacked his father in North Africa! A daughter with dual citizenship subsequently helped him sustain his links with the US, both while serving and afterwards in business. 
   
  The irony is that the son spent a lifetime training for the ultimate examination—one that, despite strictly limited preparation, his father passed with flying colors. To “Black” Robertson’s eternal regret he was never able to put his own training to the test. His father, “Robbie,” was awarded the DFC and retired as a flight lieutenant after five years or so. He himself served for nearly thirty-six years, earned a Queen’s Commendation, an OBE and CBE and served as an ADC to HM The Queen. But after reaching almost the top of the RAF tree, in one important sense he retired unfulfilled; his mettle was never tested under fire. 
   
  Anyone interested to know more about flying, about the RAF, about leadership, about character even, need look no further than this beautifully crafted, immensely readable account. 
   
  Praise for Fighters in the Blood 
   
  “Offers an insightful look into the professional development of an RAF airman from Cranwell cadet to Air Marshal, the evolution of the Royal Air Force itself from the early jet era of Hunters through the demanding days of NATO versus the Warsaw Pack and the defence of British interests (e.g. the Falklands) with the Phantom, and then on into the post-Cold War world where the need to strengthen RAF airpower is challenged by drawdowns, budgetary stringencies, and often misguided Mandarins driving questionable defence policy. I was struck by how beautifully the author integrated his father into the story . . . it is at once very moving and very effective, and, once again, works to integrate the RAF "then" with the RAF of the 1960s-1990s. The photographs are wonderful.  This book is a real winner.”” —Dr. Richard P. Hallion, Aerospace Historian

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  Italy is My Boyfriend - A Memoir

  Annette Joseph

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  Would wonderful beaches, great sunsets, wild friends, endless cocktails, and fabulous food be enough to keep this relationship together?Annette Joseph's years in Italy revealed this truth: Italy, in all its multifaceted, glorious history and culture has to be experienced in full. Over almost three decades, Italy has fed, entertained, confused, excited, lured, promised, lied, satisfied, occasionally disappointed, and utterly enchanted her. She's left, but can't stay away—she'll always return. Always. Just like a beloved partner . . .Italy Is My Boyfriend will take you through the journey of finding love, life, and a sense of home. While often times a lonely, challenging place, never once did the love for this special place waiver. See how one very determined lady finds her dream place in the Tuscan sun.

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  White Girl - A Story of School...

  Clara Silverstein

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  One woman’s memoir of coming of age while being bused to largely black schools after a Virginia legal battle forced integration in the 1970s. This poignant account recalls firsthand the upheaval surrounding court-ordered busing in the early 1970s to achieve school integration. As a white student sent to predominantly black schools in Richmond, Virginia, Clara Silverstein tells a story that pulls us into the forefront of this great social experiment. At school, she dealt daily with the unintended, unforeseen consequences of busing as she also negotiated the typical passions and concerns of young adulthood—all with little direction from her elders, who seemed just as bewildered by the changes around them. Inspired by her parents’ ideals, Silverstein remained in the public schools despite the emotional stakes. Her achingly honest story, woven with historical details, confronts us with powerful questions about race and the use of our schools to engineer social change. “At once a vivid description of a controversial social experiment, an intimate chronicle of a girl’s turbulent journey through adolescence, and a loving tribute to a visionary father who died too young.”—James S. Hirsch, author of Two Souls Indivisible “In White Girl, Clara Silverstein has written an honest, balanced, and deeply personal memoir. With lively prose she describes what it felt like to be perceived as “the enemy” and explains all the inherent contradictions in her own coming of age.”—Robert Pratt, author of We Shall Not Be Moved: The Desegregation of the University of Georgia “It’s easy to feel Silverstein’s anguish, but her message is that positive social change is possible.”—Library Journal

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  Collection of Sand - Essays

  Italo Calvino

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  "Just like every collection, this one is a diary as well: a diary of travels, of course, but also of feelings, states of mind, moods.... The fascination of a collection lies just as much in what it reveals as in what it conceals of the secret urge that led to its creation." (Collection of Sand) 
  Italo Calvino's unbounded curiosity and masterly imagination are displayed in peak form in Collection of Sand, the last of his works published during his lifetime. Here he applies his graceful intellect to the delights of the visual world in essays on subjects ranging from cuneiform and antique maps to Mexican temples and Japanese gardens. 
  Never before translated into English, Collection of Sand is an incisive and often surprising meditation on observation and knowledge, the difference between the world as we perceive it and the world as it is.

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  Mat Memories - My Wild Life in...

  John "Alexander" Arezzi, Greg...

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  John Arezzi was a lifelong Mets fan who dreamed of a job in baseball. In 1981, he took a job with the Mets Class A team in North Carolina. But Arezzi had another love: professional wrestling. He ran a fan club for the villainous "Classy" Freddie Blassie as a teenager, then progressed to wrestling photographer, and finally even stepped into the ring himself as John Anthony. Eventually he escaped to pursue a new life in altogether different world: country music. After adopting a new name, John Alexander, his many accomplishments include discovering both Patty Loveless and (decades later) Kelsea Ballerini. But wrestling is tough to shake . . .In the 1990s, Arezzi hosted the pioneering radio talk show Pro Wrestling Spotlight. He also ran the first major conventions, assembling a wrestling who's who to meet with fans. He promoted shows, both at home and abroad, and was a key figure behind importing lucha libre into America.Mat Memories is Arezzi's chance to hold the mic, and he holds nothing back—he names names and tells the untold behind-the-scenes stories: from the ring, the stage, and the diamond.

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  Tango Juliet Foxtrot - How did...

  Iain Donnelly

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  In thirty years on the front line of British policing, there is very little that Iain Donnelly didn't do: from being a uniformed constable on the beat in London to running counter-terrorism and surveillance operations, combatting child sexual exploitation and overseeing the investigation of the most serious crimes. During that time, he saw the job change irrevocably, to the point where the public no longer knows what to expect from the police and the police service no longer knows what to expect of itself.
  Tango Juliet Foxtrot – police code for 'the job's fucked' – reveals how constant political meddling and a hostile media narrative have had a devastating impact on the morale of police officers and their ability to protect the public. With the organisation cut by 20,000 officers and 23,000 police staff, only 7 per cent of reported crime now results in a charge – compared with around 20 per cent ten years ago.
  By turns fascinating and funny, poignant and uplifting, this compelling account paints a vivid picture of what life is really like for those tasked with keeping us safe – and, crucially, explores what needs to change to secure the future of British policing.

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