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  The Life and Times of E R...

  E. R. Braithwaite

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  Three compelling memoirs from the author of the “moving and inspiring” international bestseller, To Sir, With Love (The New York Times).   E. R. Braithwaite wrote powerfully and poignantly about racial discrimination—both in his most famous novel, based on his own experience teaching in London’s East End, To Sir, With Love, which was made into a 1967 film starring Sidney Poitier—and in his candid nonfiction memoirs, three of which are collected here.  Honorary White: In 1973, after the South African government lifted a long-standing ban on To Sir, With Love, Braithwaite was granted the official status of “Honorary White” for the length of his six-week visit. As such, he was afforded some of the freedoms that South Africa’s black population was denied, yet was nonetheless still considered inferior by the white establishment. In this “vivid” memoir, Braithwaite honestly presents his struggle with what he witnesses in South Africa under apartheid (The New York Times).  Reluctant Neighbors: Sparked by the experience of sharing a train commute with a bigoted white neighbor, Braithwaite recounts a personal history of remarkable accomplishments in the face of racial intolerance and oppression, offering an unforgettable story of one man’s continuous struggle against injustice and his unwavering dedication to the pursuit of human dignity.  A Kind of Homecoming: In the early 1960s, the British Guianese author embarked on a pilgrimage to the West African countries of Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia, and across Sierra Leone just as the emerging nation was preparing to declare its independence. Braithwaite discovered a world vastly different from the staid, firmly established British society in which he had spent most of his life. The sights, sounds, and smells of West Africa vividly reawakened lost memories from his childhood. Entering the intimate circles of the local intelligentsia, he was able to view these newly evolving African societies from the inside, struck by their mixtures of passion and naïveté, their political obsessions and technological indifference. He discovered a world that fascinated, excited, and, in some cases, deeply troubled him—and in the process he discovered himself.

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  The Life of Mark Akenside - The...

  Barbara C. Morden

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  Mark Akenside (1721–1770) was a medical doctor and literary man whose influence on the history of ideas was profound.
  Born the son of a butcher in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1721 Mark Akenside was awarded a degree in medicine from Edinburgh and Leyden Universities. He settled in London in 1743 where he was successful both as a doctor and in medical research. Above all, he was the author of The Pleasures of Imagination1744, an epic length poem in blank verse which broke many conventions of the time, exploring ideas about human perception and the natural world.
  Akenside had a European reputation and became a national celebrity. He was a major influence on first- and second-generation Romantic poets such as Wordsworth, Keats, Coleridge, etc. He also made an impact on the development of landscape painting in the early 19th century through his influence on J.M.W. Turner.
  This book examines these issues, as well as the controversy and speculation about Akenside's relationship with his origins, his sexuality, and changing political affiliations in a period of economic crisis and great social change.

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  The true life of Pablo Escobar -...

  Astrid María Legarda Martínez

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  "Hello beautiful. I am Popeye."
  
  In 1998 I met Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez—alias "Popeye"—lieutenant to the Medellín Cartel's leader, Pablo Escobar Gaviria. Our first encounter was at the high security yard of the Modelo Prison in Bogotá, Colombia.
  
  I visited the prison frequently as a journalist for RCN TV. I was always conducting interviews and speaking to the inmates, uncovering news about what was really happening inside the prison. At that time, stories about confrontations between guerrilla and paramilitary factions were everyday news. You could often hear shots inside the prison as the different sides fought for control.
  
  I had always wanted to meet one of the members of the Medellín Cartel. I was curious to know who they were, what they looked like, and what these men, who belonged to the most powerful drug cartel that has ever existed in Colombia, were thinking. At the high security yard I was able to talk with two of them. The most notorious was Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez.
  
  "Hello beautiful. I am Popeye." The man who sat in front of me stared at me. His pale skin reflected the six years he had been in prison; in fact, it looked as if he had never once stepped outside. Popeye smiled at me with curiosity while his cold eyes examined me from head to toe. We were introduced by another inmate, Ángel Gaitán Mahecha, a man accused of paramilitarism and homicide.
  
  My first impression was surprise and curiosity; I also examined him from head to toe. He wasn't quite six feet tall. His slim body and the smile on his face almost put me at ease. I thought this man couldn't possibly frighten anyone, and yet I couldn't forget the number of homicides in which he had been involved. I wanted to see into the mind of the man who planned and participated in the most horrible homicides that the cartel had carried out in their war against the state.

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  Maynard Secrets of a Bacon Curer

  Maynard Davies

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  Fans of Maynard will be delighted to read his further adventures in bacon curing. The last of the traditionally-apprenticed bacon curers, the author regales and inspires his readers with tales of
  
  - visits from the health inspectors
  - his colourful customers and work colleagues
  - his tips on curing, smoking and selling
  - the burglaries, bungled deals and triumphs
  - his growing reputation in the field
  - travels to learn how to make parma ham and much more.This book is the same addictive concoction of humour, tragedy and plain common sense, told in Maynard's disarmingly frank manner.

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  My Secret Life Vol 1 Chapter 1

  Dominic Crawford Collins

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  My Secret Life, the gargantuan erotic autobiography of a wealthy Victorian English gentleman has been described as 'the strangest book ever written'. Comprising one-hundred-and-eighty-four chapters and over one million words, the epic confessional describes in eloquent and explicit detail the exploits of a man (who refers to himself simply as 'Walter'), whose life was devoted to the pursuit of erotic adventure and carnal pleasure.Now for the first time in the history of this infamous erotic masterpiece, film composer Dominic Crawford Collins is producing a fully scored narration of the complete unabridged text. More 'audiofilm' than audiobook, each chapter and scene has its own unique musical accompaniment, reflecting the author's changing emotional landscape and offering the listener a truly immersive erotic audio experience.

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  Still Hopeful - Lessons from a...

  Maude Barlow

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  “Canada’s best-known voice of dissent.” — CBC
  		 
  “It’s time we listened to the Maude Barlows of the world.” — CNN
  		 
  In this timely book, Barlow counters the prevailing atmosphere of pessimism that surrounds us and offers lessons of hope that she has learned from a lifetime of activism. She has been a linchpin in three major movements in her life: second-wave feminism, the battle against free trade and globalization, and the global fight for water justice. From each of these she draws her lessons of hope, emphasizing that effective activism is not really about the goal, rather it is about building a movement and finding like-minded people to carry the load with you. Barlow knows firsthand how hard fighting for change can be. But she also knows that change does happen and that hope is the essential ingredient.

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