Casa editrice: Kitabu
The everyday and the domestic events of the four sisters, Margaret, Josephine, Elizabeth and Amy happened during the year of absence of their father, in the army during the Civil War.
The author of The A-Z of London Murders investigates Jack the Ripper’s stalking grounds for even more crimes and killings in England’s capital. For centuries London’s East End has been associated with some of the worst elements of human depravity, where foul deeds and murder were commonplace; and in 1888 the area’s disrepute was added to by the horrific murders committed by Jack the Ripper. The East End was populated by people crammed together in close-knit communities. As the district grew from the ancient villages along the river, much of the village atmosphere and rivalry remained—along with some of the worst corruption and vilest slums to be found anywhere in the country. For instance the residents of Bethnal Green looked down their noses at those from Hoxton, barely half a mile away. During the 1930s, after the Depression, a government report estimated 60 percent of the children in Bethnal Green suffered from malnutrition and 85 percent of the housing was unsatisfactory. These were the times when the infamous Kray Twins were cutting their teeth. The East End’s claim to fame in the annals of crime in England is not without justification, as the pages of this book show.Mostra libro
"In Iraq we put our lives in each other's hands (and paws) day after day. We took care of each other no matter what. Rex and I have a bond that will last for the rest of our born days. If ever there was a Marine who lived up to Semper Fidelis, the motto of the Marine Corps, it's Rex."Deployed to Iraq's infamous Triangle of Death in 2004, Sergeant Mike Dowling and his military working dog Rex were part of the first Marine Corps military K9 teams sent to the front lines of combat since Vietnam. It was Rex's job to sniff out weapons caches, suicide bombers, and IEDs, the devastating explosives that wreaked havoc on troops and civilians alike. It was Mike's job to lead Rex into the heart of danger time and time again, always trusting Rex to bring them both back alive.Dowling had turned twenty-five and Rex three just after they arrived in Iraq. Neither of them had any idea what to expect, and no training could fully prepare them for this job. An animal lover since childhood, Dowling had fostered and trained dogs for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and he was determined to serve in the military's K9 unit after joining the Marines. On their first patrols in Iraq, Rex suffered a seemingly incurable fear of explosions and gunfire, but with Mike at the other end of his leash, Rex gained the courage to perform his duty.Filled with harrowing tales of knife-edge bomb-detection work, including an extraordinary baptism by fire, Sergeant Rex is a heart-pounding account of how an unbreakable human-canine bond helped Mike and Rex to stay focused on their mission and save countless lives. Dowling takes us into the searing 130-degree heat, the choking dust, and the ever-present threat of violent attack that seemed to permeate Iraq's streets. We experience Dowling's visceral fear of walking down an IED-laden alley where dismemberment or death can come with any footstep, only his trusted partner, Rex, by his side.Loyalty is one of the hallmarks of any good Marine, and nowhere is that quality more evident than in this astonishing account of Mike Dowling and Rex's wartime experiences. A moving story of how a man and a dog developed complete trust in each other in the face of terrible adversity, Sergeant Rex is an unforgettable tale of sacrifice, courage, and love.Mostra libro
Recent research has revealed that the richest person of all time lived in the 14th century in West Africa and went by many names, including Kankan Musa Keita, Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara, Conqueror of Ghanata and the Lion of Mali II, but today he is usually referred to as Mansa Musa. Adjusting his wealth to modern values, he was worth about an estimated $400 billion as the Sultan of ancient Mali, which controlled the trade routes across the Sahara Desert. About 6,000 years ago, the ancient Sahara was a tropical jungle with lush grasslands and substantial rivers until it moved north of the Equator as a result of tectonic plate movements. The seismic activity changed the location of land and the composition of the atmosphere. The African Humid Period seems to have ended relatively quickly, taking a couple of thousand years before being replaced by a much drier climate, and this started a process of desertification that forced many animals and human inhabitants to the outer edges of the immense desert. There would have been passages through the area that vanished as the harsh climate inexorably clawed at the mountains and hills, turning them into the sand that obliterated all traces of their ever having been there. By about 600 BCE, the terrain and habitat had become much less hospitable, so much so that it was no longer possible to use horses and oxen to carry commodities. As a result, trading became difficult and sporadic and slowly disappeared. This all changed when camels were introduced to the Sahara, initially via Roman invaders and then with the Berber traders from Arabia moving across North Africa in search of gold and salt. As they reached the southern Sahel, they encountered the old established trading system and routes of the Garamantes, the people who handled the trade in and out of the Sahara from West Africa. The combination of the use of camels with the already re-established West African trade routes brought about rapid economic progress that resulted in the area supplying more than half the world’s gold for more than 1,000 years, beginning around 400 CE. Of course, this timing coincided with the rise of global trade routes such as the Silk Road and the beginning of Europe’s Age of Discovery. By the 12th century, it was believed that far to the east, beyond the lands controlled by the Muslim armies, lived a powerful Christian king named Prester John in the land of India. While he was a king, he was also a priest (“Prester” means Priest and was supposedly the only title he took). His kingdom was believed to be grand and contained many wonders. Marco Polo looked for Prester John, and the Crusaders wanted to reach out to Prester John. Portugal’s Henry the Navigator sent his ships out with explicit instructions of what they should do if they met Prester John, and on his historic voyages, Columbus carried two books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, both of which have long passages on Prester John. The belief in the existence of fabled African kingdoms and kings ensured that real African kings were also shrouded in lore, and few would become as legendary as Mansa Musa. Mansa Mansa Musa and Timbuktu: The History of the West African Emperor and Medieval Africa’s Most Fabled City looks at one of the most famous rulers of the Middle Ages and the development of the city. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about Mansa Musa and Timbuktu like never before.Mostra libro
‘I couldn’t put it down’ —Sofie Laguna This is a true story… A young man heads off on a journey to find out if magic still exists in the world, to know its wonder, and to see if it might save him when his own life is unexpectedly at stake. Instead of retreating after being deported from Mexico, or beaten up in Guatemala, he travels to the Caribbean where he meets a Rastafarian Don Juan who teaches him about the ‘natural mystic;’ a magical tradition that had travelled to the Caribbean centuries earlier with the slavery trade. Fate further propels his travels through the Americas and Europe to locate the source of this esoteric knowledge in Mother Africa, where his emerging mastery of mysticism is tested by the Sahara desert. He is imprisoned in Nigeria, and tortured, and then sold as a slave. Magic is the story of an incredible journey, both physical and spiritual, that reverberates with literary voice and authenticity: the uniqueness of lived adventure and of a passionate heart and vision. Upon closing the last page of this book, we ache for the innocence to lose our way and travel deeper, to rediscover the savage but delicious nature of the miraculous in our own lives. View the YouTube clip of the author, Jan Golembiewski talk about the inspiration for Magic here ‘They try and say glory to God in the highest. I say it’s about glory to God in the lowest. If you can’t find God in the lowest, you’re wasting your time — and that’s where our protagonist finds his Magic — in prison cells, and as a slave in forgotten parts of Africa, in slums of New Orleans, and mosquito-ridden coastlines in the Caribbean. This is an engrossing tale of a year down the path less travelled. Warm, funny and intensely human, Magic is an inspiring, deeply-felt and painfully honest coming-of age adventure. It’s a story of a perilous spiritual search that transcends religion, and an authentic adventure. An impressive debut.' — Father Bob MaguireMostra libro
A fascinating look at the O.J. Simpson murder trial from one of the original jurors.On June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were violently murdered, leading to the arrest and trial of former NFL player, O.J. Simpson. The “ Trial of the Century” soon turned into a spectacle on both sides of the aisle— and in the jury box itself! In this personal account by a juror who was dismissed before the trial ended, Michael Knox provides a unique look— as both insider and outsider— of this volatile case that divided a country. Knox offers a number of revelations: the oppressive and demeaning life of sequestration; the racial divisions on the panel, although they were grossly exaggerated; and his own reasons why he leaned towards a guilty verdict prior to his dismissal as a juror.Mostra libro
The English musician and member of the rock band The Who shares stories from his career in this New York Times–bestselling memoir. One of rock music’s most intelligent and literary performers, Pete Townshend—guitarist, songwriter, editor—tells his closest-held stories about the origins of the preeminent twentieth-century band The Who, his own career as an artist and performer, and his restless life in and out of the public eye in this candid autobiography, Who I Am. With eloquence, fierce intelligence, and brutal honesty, Townshend has written a deeply personal book that also stands as a primary source for popular music’s greatest epoch. Readers will be confronted by a man laying bare who he is, an artist who has asked for nearly sixty years: Who are you? Praise for Who I Am “Raw and unsparing...as intimate and as painful as a therapy session, while chronicling the history of the band as it took shape in the Mod scene in 1960s London and became the very embodiment of adolescent rebellion and loud, anarchic rock ‘n’ roll.” —Michiko Kakutani, New York Times “Intensely intimate . . . candid to the point of self-laceration . . . [Townshend’s] tone is less lofty than anyone would have expected, just as this book is more honest than any fan would have hoped.” —Rolling Stone (Four 1/2 Stars) “Unusually frank and moving . . . [Who I Am] isn’t one of those rock memoirs that puts the what before the why. His past is a puzzle Mr. Townshend is sweating to decipher.” —The Guardian (UK)Mostra libro
