Other books that might interest you

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  The Tree of the Doves - Ceremony...

  Christopher Merrill

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  “A unique travelogue” that “explores the nature of terror, its place in the post-9/11 world and how it unites and galvanizes those in the throes of it” (Kirkus Reviews). 
   
  Using several ageless questions—“Where do we come from? Where are we going? What shall we do?”—as his point of departure, journalist and award-winning poet Christopher Merrill explores the related issues of terror, modernity, tradition, and epochal transformation. In three extended essays, Merrill observes the performance of a banned ritual in the Malaysian province of Kelatan; traces Saint-John Perse’s epic voyage from Beijing to Ulan Bator in 1921 and relates it to the China of today; and embarks on a trip across the Levant in 2007 in the wake of the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
   
  Merrill asserts that it is in this trinity of human actions—ceremony, expedition, war: all devised to keep terror at bay—that history is formed, and that the technological, political, environmental, and social changes we are witnessing now presage the end of one order and the creation of another. 
   
  “Merrill is a ‘writer’s writer’: he spins sentences made of gold.” —Publishers Weekly

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  Finding Samuel Lowe - China...

  Paula Williams Madison

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  Thanks to her spiteful, jealous Jamaican mother, Nell Vera Lowe was cut off from her Chinese father, Samuel, when she was just a baby, after he announced that he was taking a Chinese bride. By the time Nell was old enough to travel to her father's shop in St. Anne's Bay, he'd taken his family back to China, never learning what became of his eldest daughter. Bereft, Nell left Jamaica for New York to start a new life. But her Asian features set her apart from her Harlem neighbors and even her own children-a difference that contributed to her feeling of loneliness and loss, which she instilled in her only daughter, Paula.Years later, with a successful corporate career behind her and the arrival of her only grandchild raising questions about family and legacy, Paula decided to search for Samuel Lowe's descendants in China. With the support of her brothers and the help of encouraging strangers, Paula eventually pieced together the full story of her grandfather's life, following his story from China to Jamaica and back and connecting with 300 surprised relatives who were overjoyed to meet her.

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  Unbreakable

  Jelena Dokic

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  This is a story of Jelena Dokic's survival. How she survived as a refugee, twice. How she survived on the tennis court to become world No. 4. But, most importantly, how she survived her father, Damir Dokic, the tennis dad from hell. From war-torn Yugoslavia to Sydney to Wimbledon, she narrates her hellish ascent to becoming one of the best tennis players in the women’s game, the abuse she endured at the hands of her father and her heart-breaking fall from the top. Jelena never told anyone the full truth of what she went through until now, and her unbreakable spirit will inspire you.

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  Sleeping under the bridge

  Melissa Baker

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  To the passer-by, Mel seemed like an ordinary teenager growing up in a middle-class suburban family in Sydney, Australia; but to those who wanted to get to know her, they could see she was hiding from the truth. 
  Mel had encountered more than most had experienced in a lifetime before she had reached 17. She yearned for freedom, yet what prevailed were threats, abuse and being trapped in an underworld of shame. With all her might, she tried not to give in to the loneliness that stalked her and the fear that plagued her, whilst sleeping under the bridge. Can she reveal her secrets before it’s too late? 
  This gripping brave true story speaks into adults from all walks of life from children that have gone through sexual, physical and emotional abuse and how that affected their internal rhythm. Nothing could hold Mel together other than her determination to search for the true meaning of life itself.

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  Tarnished Victory - Finishing...

  William Marvel

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  A “full and insightful” account of the Civil War’s final year from the award-winning author of Lee’s Last Retreat (Publishers Weekly). Beginning with the Virginia and Atlanta campaigns of May 1864 and closing with the final surrender of Confederate forces in June 1865, Tarnished Victory follows the course of the Civil War’s final year. As the death toll rises with each bloody battle, the home front is devastated and the nation suffers incredible losses on both sides of the political divide.   Victory in the North required great sacrifice, and here, “first-rate scholar,” William Marvel considers what that sacrifice was worth in the aftermath of 1865, as Abraham Lincoln’s political heirs failed to carry through on the occupation of the South, resulting in a tarnished victory (Booklist).   Just as he did in Mr. Lincoln Goes to War, Lincoln’s Darkest Year, and The Great Task Remaining, the prize-winning historian has drawn on personal letters, newspaper articles of the time, and official documents and records to create an illuminating work of revisionist history that ultimately considers the true cost of Lincoln’s war.

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  Pyramid of Lies - The Prime...

  Duncan Mavin

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  An epic true story of ambition, greed and hubris that nearly brought down the British government.'The British version of Bad Blood . . . [but] better' – The Sunday Times'Terrific' – The Observer, Book of the WeekIn March 2021, an obscure financial technology company called Greensill Capital collapsed, going into administration. As it unravelled, a multibillion-dollar scandal emerged that would shake the very foundations of the British political system, drawing in swiss bankers, global CEOs, and world leaders, including former British Prime Minister, David Cameron. At the centre was an Australian financier named Lex Greensill.Pyramid of Lies charts the meteoric rise and spectacular downfall of Greensill and his company. He had a simple idea – democratising supply chain finance – and disrupted a trillion dollar industry in the process. But a staid business model concealed dubious practices as Greensill made increasingly risky loans to fraudulent companies using other people’s money.Financial journalist Duncan Mavin, who has reported on the scandal for over three years, tells the incredible story of how a former sugar-cane farmer would go on to put tens of thousands of jobs at risk and gain unfettered access to the inner workings of the British government. With a globe-circling narrative full of scandal and intrigue, Pyramid of Lies reveals how the grubby world of shadow banking really operates.‘Forensic and riveting’ – The New Statesman‘Meticulously researched’ – The Daily Telegraph

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