Other books that might interest you

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  Ends of War - The Unfinished...

  Caroline E. Janney

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  The Army of Northern Virginia's chaotic dispersal began even before Lee and Grant met at Appomattox Court House. As the Confederates had pushed west at a relentless pace for nearly a week, thousands of wounded and exhausted men fell out of the ranks. When word spread that Lee planned to surrender, most remaining troops stacked their arms and accepted paroles allowing them to return home, even as they lamented the loss of their country and cause. But others broke south and west, hoping to continue the fight. Fearing a guerrilla war, Grant extended the generous Appomattox terms to every rebel who would surrender himself. Provost marshals fanned out across Virginia and beyond, seeking nearly 18,000 of Lee's men who had yet to surrender. But the shock of Lincoln's assassination led Northern authorities to see threats of new rebellion in every rail depot and harbor where Confederates gathered for transport, even among those already paroled. While Federal troops struggled to keep order and sustain a fragile peace, their newly surrendered adversaries seethed with anger and confusion at the sight of Union troops occupying their towns and former slaves celebrating freedom. Caroline E. Janney reveals that Lee's surrender was less an ending than the start of an interregnum marked by military and political uncertainty, legal and logistical confusion, and continued outbursts of violence.

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  French Cinema - A Very Short...

  Dudley Andrew

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  It is often claimed that the French invented cinema. Dominating the production and distribution of cinema until WWI, when they were supplanted by Hollywood, the French cinema industry encompassed all genres, from popular entertainment to avant-garde practice. 
   
   
   
  This Very Short Introduction opens up French cinema through focusing on some of its most notable works, using the lens of the New Wave decade (1958-1968) that changed cinema worldwide. Exploring the entire French cinematic oeuvre, Dudley Andrew teases out distinguishing themes, tendencies, and lineages, to bring what is most crucial about French Cinema into alignment. He discusses how style has shaped the look of female stars and film form alike, analyzing the "made up" aesthetic of many films, and the paradoxical penchant for French cinema to cruelly unmask surface beauty in quests for authenticity. Discussing how French cinema as a whole pits strong-willed characters against auteurs with high-minded ideas of film art, funded by French cinema's close rapport to literature, painting, and music, Dudley considers how the New Wave emerged from these struggles, becoming an emblem of ambition for cinema that persists today. He goes on to show how the values promulgated by the New Wave directors brought the three decades that preceded it into focus, and explores the deep resonance of those values today.

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  China's New Navy - The Evolution...

  Xiaobing Li

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  A survey of Chinese naval operational history, Li's book focuses on the major battles and important engagements of Chinese naval operations from 1949-2009. His findings elucidate the origin of and changes of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) by examining its adaptation, modernization, and setbacks in the past sixty years. Based upon newly available Chinese sources and personal interviews with retired generals, admirals, and PLA officers, the work offers Chinese perspective on the study of PLAN war fighting history. The untold operational stories of the Chinese captains, boatswains, sailors, gunners, and naval pilots provide a firsthand look at a naval officer and his crew during the Cold War and beyond. They also indicate important lessons learned by the naval leaders who faced the enemies during a period when the PLAN underwent a complex transformation. 
   
   
   
  China's New Navy explains how the Chinese Navy's operational experience brought about its reform. It concludes that some early experiences are still relevant to Beijing's leaders as they consider specific strategic and operational challenges. Li redefines and adapts such strategic Cold War concepts as nuclear deterrence and local warfare to be meaningful in today's strategic context, one in which PLAN is ready to open fire first in a defensive offense against the other sea powers like the US Navy.

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  The Chile Project - The Story of...

  Sebastian Edwards

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  In The Chile Project, Sebastian Edwards tells the story of how the neoliberal economic model came to an end in 2021, when Gabriel Boric was elected president, vowing that "If Chile was the cradle of neoliberalism, it will also be its grave." More than a story about one Latin American country, The Chile Project is a behind-the-scenes history of the spread and consequences of the free-market thinking that dominated economic policymaking around the world in the second half of the twentieth century—but is now on the retreat. 
   
   
   
  In 1955, the United States State Department launched the "Chile Project" to train Chilean economists at the University of Chicago. After General Augusto Pinochet overthrew socialist president Salvador Allende in 1973, Chile's "Chicago Boys" implemented the purest neoliberal model for the next seventeen years, undertaking a package of privatization and deregulation, creating a modern capitalist economy, and sparking talk of a "Chilean miracle." But under the veneer of success, a profound dissatisfaction with the inequalities caused by neoliberalism was growing. In 2019, protests erupted throughout the country, and in 2022 Boric began his presidency with a clear mandate: to end neoliberalismo. 
   
   
   
  The Chile Project provides an important new perspective on the history of neoliberalism and its global decline today.

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  Australia - A History of the...

  Lillian Brooks

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  Australia is a land of remarkable geological history, shaped over millions of years by natural forces. Its distinctive landscapes, vast deserts, tropical rainforests, and rugged mountain ranges offer a glimpse into the ancient past of the continent. The story of Australia's land begins long before human habitation, when it was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. 
  Approximately 300 million years ago, Gondwana began to break apart, and Australia, once connected to Antarctica, began its slow drift northward. Over millions of years, Australia became isolated, allowing unique plants and animals to evolve in this distant, isolated environment. This geological isolation contributed to the development of Australia’s unique biodiversity, with species found nowhere else on Earth. The landscape was sculpted by forces such as tectonic shifts, volcanic activity, and erosion, leading to the creation of natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef, the outback, and the Blue Mountains. 
  When the first humans arrived on the continent, around 65,000 years ago, Australia’s land was already a place of immense natural beauty and complexity. The Aboriginal peoples, the continent’s first inhabitants, established deep and enduring connections to the land. For Indigenous Australians, the land is not just a physical space but a living, spiritual entity that is central to their cultural identity. This profound connection is expressed through stories, rituals, and a deep understanding of the natural world.

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  Show Up Positive

  Rita Ernst

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  Remember your excitement when you accepted the job offer or started your business? Do you recall when teamwork and camaraderie made your day more fulfilling? If you are ready to get back to that work-life you loved, Positivity Influencer Rita Ernst advocates you stop waiting and generate it yourself.Since 2020, Rita Ernst has leveraged her expertise in organizational psychology to craft solutions for business owners and staff members that break through the hostility while restoring pride, teamwork, and profits. Through her ground-breaking training and lessons, when reveals how to intentionally cultivate positive thoughts and behaviors instead of automatically reacting from the trappings of a depleting cycle of frustration and discontent. In Show Up Positive, Rita gives you a peek at her behind-the-scenes playbook that has made her successful and a sought-after coach. In addition, she is offering you her exclusive Show Up Positive acts to inspire and motivate your success while taking back your happiness at work. In her candid yet supportive style, Rita emphasizes grasping reality with all of its flaws and disappointment and choosing not to let those imperfections define the possibilities. She reminds business owners, executives, and team members that you have the power and freedom to create what you want and emboldens you to say yes to yourself.

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