Other books that might interest you

• 

  The Horse Dealer's Daughter -...

  D H Lawrence

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  David Herbert Lawrence was born on the 11th September 1885 in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, a coal mining town where the reality of a harsh life was only useful as experiences for future literary works. 
   
  He was educated at Beauvale Board School and became the first local boy to receive a scholarship to attend Nottingham High School. After 3 years he became a junior clerk in Haywood’s surgical appliances factory. He was also attempting a literary career which, in the short term, led to a teacher training position in Eastwood and later a teaching qualification from University College, Nottingham.  
   
  Lawrence’s first efforts were poems, short stories and a draft of ‘The White Peacock’. Moving to London and a teaching position in Croydon his writing attracted the attention of Ford Madox Ford, editor of The English Review, and he commissioned him to write ‘Odour of Chrysanthemums’.  
   
  Wanting to write full-time he now began work on what would become ‘Sons and Lovers.   
   
  In 1912 he met the older and married mother-of-three Frieda Weekley. They eloped to Germany and here Lawrence could see for himself the growing tensions with France.  So keen was his interest that he was arrested and accused of being a British spy.  
   
  In early 1914 Frieda obtained her divorce and they returned to Britain to be married just days before the outbreak of war. Owing to her German parentage, and his own public dislike of militarism and violence, the couple were treated with contempt and suspicion throughout the war years.  
   
  Despite this he continued to write but his reputation in England was so tarnished and, mirrored by his own disdain for the country, he and Frieda left England in November 1919, first for Europe and then America via Ceylon and Australia. 
   
  They bought a ranch in Taos, New Mexico and visited Mexico several times. The third visit in March 1925 caused a near fatal attack of malaria. To convalesce they moved to Florence. Here he continued work on ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ which for many years would cause controversy. A renewed interest in oil painting resulted in an exhibition in 1929 which was raided by the police and several works were confiscated.  
   
  D H Lawrence died of complications arising from a bout of tuberculosis on the 2nd of March 1930 in Vence, France.  He was 44. 
   
  In ‘The Horse Dealers daughter’ a young woman begins a relationship with a young doctor and a friend of her brothers.  What should be straight forward is intimately investigated by Lawrence’s foraging pen.

  Show book

• 

  Southbound - Essays on Identity...

  Anjali Enjeti

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A move at age ten from a Detroit suburb to Chattanooga in 1984 thrusts Anjali Enjeti into what feels like a new world replete with Confederate flags, Bible verses, and whiteness. It is here that she learns how to get her bearings as a mixed-race brown girl in the Deep South and begins to understand how identity can inspire, inform, and shape a commitment to activism. Her own evolution is a bumpy one, and along the way Enjeti, racially targeted as a child, must wrestle with her own complicity in white supremacy and bigotry as an adult. 
   
   
   
  The twenty essays of her debut collection, Southbound, tackle white feminism at a national feminist organization, the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the South, voter suppression, gun violence and the gun sense movement, the whitewashing of southern literature, the 1982 racialized killing of Vincent Chin, social media's role in political accountability, evangelical Christianity's marriage to extremism, and the rise of nationalism worldwide. 
   
   
   
  In our current era of great political strife, this timely collection by Enjeti, a journalist and organizer, paves the way for a path forward, one where identity drives coalition-building and social change.

  Show book

• 

  Great Train Robber The: My...

  Chris Pickard

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  What is it that fascinates so many people about Ronnie Biggs and makes him a household name sixty years on from the crime that made his name? Is it the man or the myth that makes Ron a latter-day Robin Hood, and the odd man out who is best remembered from a gang of sixteen who held up a mail train in August 1963?This book covers Ron's entire life including the Great Train Robbery, his conviction and subsequent escape from HMP Wandsworth. Ron tells how he managed to outrun and outthink the posse of law enforcement officers and the media that chased him around the world as one of its most wanted men. From his time in Australia, to his discovery and arrest in Brazil in 1974, it is all included here. It covers the two attempts to kidnap him, and his son Mike's rise to stardom.For the first time Ron tells exactly what has happened to him since the early 1990s to today, including his strokes, his attempted suicide, the death of his partner and friends, the extradition attempts, the Rio carnival tribute, his decision to come back to the UK, and his much publicised return in 2001 after 13,068 days on the run. It also covers his death in 2013 and the legacy he leaves behind.This is not only Ronald Biggs' autobiography; it is also the most complete biography of one of the most famous names in British life of the last 50 years. A brand new 10,000-word timeline covers not only the life and times of Ronald Biggs, but includes the most detailed timeline and facts ever published about the events surrounding the Great Train Robbery itself.This book will stand the test of time as the most complete telling of the life and times of the man who is Ronald Arthur Biggs, and his part in the Great Train Robbery.

  Show book

• 

  Beyond Babylon Resilience in...

  Jason Jansson

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Preface 
  Welcome to the vibrant, unpredictable world of Slab City California—a place where trials and transformation intersect amidst the desert ruins. In the season of 2024, I embarked on a journey to this otherworldly post-apocalyptic landscape, seeking refuge from the constraints of modern society and discovering profound lessons in resilience and human connection. 
  My experiences in Slab City were nothing short of transformative. What began as a quest for escape evolved into a profound exploration of self-discovery and communal living. Here, amidst the remnants of a forgotten military base, I encountered a community unlike any other—a gathering of souls navigating their own purgatories, seeking solace and renewal in the desert expanse. 
  As you delve into the pages of this book, you'll join me on a journey of personal evolution and collective wisdom. From the vibrant art installations of East Jesus to the camaraderie of the Oasis Club, each encounter in Slab City left an indelible mark on my spirit. The Slabbers I met—resilient, resourceful, and irreverently creative—taught me invaluable lessons about living authentically and embracing the unexpected. 
  Through the trials and tribulations of Slab City, I discovered that true transformation begins with the courage to embrace the unknown and the willingness to connect deeply with others. This book is a testament to the enduring spirit of humanity, a celebration of unconventional living, and a reminder that amidst desolation, hope and community flourish. 
  Join me as we uncover the secrets of Slab City, where the mundane fades away and the extraordinary emerges. May this journey inspire you to seek your own path of authenticity and resilience, wherever your adventures may lead. 
  Let the metamorphosis begin. Jason

  Show book

• 

  The Woman Who Would Be King -...

  Debrah Miceli, Greg Oliver

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Through four decades of entertaining, in the wrestling ring and on the monster truck circuit, Debrah “Madusa” Miceli never could sit still. But her desire to learn, grow, and inspire legions of followers masked deep secrets … Her upbringing was a lie from the start, and the dark truths of her childhood, revealed here for the first time, are the earliest examples of Debrah’s determination to persevere.
  		 
  Professional wrestling may have been an odd choice for a nursing student, but Madusa went all-in, toughening up in Japan before conquering WWE as Alundra Blayze. She held the WWE Women’s belt … until being fired. In the rival WCW, Madusa infamously tossed the WWE belt in the garbage on live TV.
  		 
  Then, in 1999, Madusa changed lanes and revolutionized the monster truck world. At meet-and-greets, girls in pink “Queen of Carnage” t-shirts would wait alongside ogling fanboys. By 2004, she was the world champion in a sport dominated by men.
  		 
  Only one thing has eluded her: motherhood.
  		 
  This is the spellbinding story of how one woman survived child abuse, financial disaster, death-defying injuries, heartbreak, and chaos to emerge triumphant.

  Show book

• 

  Exploring My Limits

  Dwayne Fields

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Exploring My Limits is a W. F. Howes Audio Original, written and recorded by Dwayne Fields: adventurer, explorer, presenter and the first black British person to reach the magnetic north pole. 
   
  As a young child in wild Jamaica, Dwayne Fields loved both nature and wildlife. Yet after moving to the UK at the age of six, his formative years were in the concrete jungle of inner-city London, where he became a victim of both knife and gun crime. In 2010, following a life-threatening incident, Dwayne made the decision to change his path, and his life, forever. 
   
  Dwayne set himself the challenge of becoming the first black British person to reach the magnetic North Pole. Upon doing so he was invited to Buckingham Palace, joining other polar explorers and adventurers at a reception to mark the centenary of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. 
   
  His drive to engage and enthuse a new generation with our natural spaces, the climate challenges we face, and adventure, have led to Dwayne working on a variety of projects with household names such as Will Smith, Bear Grylls, Ellie Simons and Tim Peak. He is dedicated to inspiring young, underprivileged people to explore the ‘great outdoors’ – and in doing so push past society’s expectations of them and smash their own self-imposed boundaries. 
  In a series of frank and insightful conversations – with people ranging from fellow mould-breakers to world-famous explorers – Dwayne questions where those limits are, why they are in place, and what we can do to break them down in order to improve and change lives. 
   
  Dwayne speaks to: 
  •	Adebayo Akinfenwa – a professional footballer told he was ‘the wrong size’ to ever make it 
  •	Ben Fogle – the renowned explorer talks about the importance of being out in nature 
  •	Maya-Rose Craig (aka Birdgirl) – the British-Bangladeshi ornithologist and author talks about her VME initiative Black2Nature and growing up not seeing ‘faces like mine’ 
  Plus more people he has encountered in his journey to inspire underprivileged youth to transform their lives. 
   
  About the author 
  Dwayne Fields is an acclaimed explorer and the UK’s Chief Scout. Amongst other accolades, Dwayne’s TV series Endurance: Race to the Pole with Ben Fogle was nominated in the 2024 BAFTA awards, and Dwayne has been awarded the City of London’s highest honour, ‘The Freedom of the City of London’ by the Lord Mayor for his work with young people.

  Show book