Other books that might interest you

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  Moonless Night - The Second...

  B A 'Jimmy' James

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  “James is the sort of person they write legends about. A participant in the mass escape that was the basis for the movie The Great Escape.” —AudioFile 
   
  From the moment he was shot down to the final whistle, Jimmy James’ one aim as a POW of the Germans was to escape. Moonless Night describes his experiences and those of his fellow prisoners in the most gripping and thrilling manner. The author made more than twelve escape attempts including his participation in The Great Escape, where fifty of the seventy-six escapees were executed in cold blood on Hitler’s orders. 
   
  On re-capture, James was sent to the infamous Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp where, undeterred, he tunneled out. That was not the end of his remarkable story. 
   
  Moonless Night has strong claim to be the finest escape story of the Second World War. 
   
  “An amazing story.” —The Sunday Express

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  Plato - A Very Short Introduction

  Julia Annas

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  This lively and accessible introduction to Plato focuses on the philosophy and argument of his writings, drawing the listener into Plato's way of doing philosophy, and the general themes of his thinking. It looks at Plato as a thinker grappling with philosophical problems in a variety of ways, rather than a philosopher with a fully worked-out system. It includes a brief account of Plato's life and the various interpretations that have been drawn from the sparse remains of information. It stresses the importance of the founding of the Academy and the conception of philosophy as a subject. Julia Annas discusses Plato's style of writing: his use of the dialogue form, his use of what we today call fiction, and his philosophical transformation of myths. She also looks at his discussions of love and philosophy, his attitude to women, and to homosexual love, explores Plato's claim that virtue is sufficient for happiness, and touches on his arguments for the immortality of the soul and his ideas about the nature of the universe.

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  Don't Suck Don't Die - Giving Up...

  Kristin Hersh

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  “Not only one of the best books of the year, it’s one of the most beautiful rock memoirs ever written . . . Her portrayal of Chesnutt is perfectly done.” —NPR 
   
  “Friend, asshole, angel, mutant,” singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt “came along and made us gross and broken people seem . . . I dunno, cooler, I guess.” A quadriplegic who could play only simple chords on his guitar, Chesnutt recorded seventeen critically acclaimed albums before his death in 2009, including About to Choke, North Star Deserter, and At the Cut. In 2006, NPR placed him in the top five of the ten best living songwriters, along with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen. Chesnutt’s songs have also been covered by many prominent artists, including Madonna, the Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Sparklehorse, Fugazi, and Neutral Milk Hotel. 
   
  Kristin Hersh toured with Chesnutt for nearly a decade and they became close friends, bonding over a love of songwriting and mutual struggles with mental health. In Don’t Suck, Don’t Die, she describes many seemingly small moments they shared, their free-ranging conversations, and his tragic death. More memoir than biography, Hersh’s book plumbs the sources of Chesnutt’s pain and creativity more deeply than any conventional account of his life and recordings ever could. Chesnutt was difficult to understand and frequently difficult to be with, but, as Hersh reveals him, he was also wickedly funny and painfully perceptive. This intimate memoir is essential reading for anyone interested in the music or the artist. 
   
  “The music made by the late Vic Chesnutt was evocative, haunting and often heartbreaking. Kristin Hersh’s book about the singer-songwriter shares all of these qualities.” —Rolling Stone

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  Montaigne

  Stefan Zweig

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  "The others form the human being, I depict him; and here I present an individual who is quite poorly formed and whom I would certainly make largely differently if I had to reshape him. But now that's the way he is." This phrase from the famous essays of Michel de Montaigne outlines the character of the author and his work. Montaigne wrote his essays not from a position of certainty but an from awareness of his inadequacy. He thus reveals a level of critical self-reflection that, before his time, was rarely put on paper. Stefan Zweig dedicated a character study to this Michel de Montaigne, this French nobleman and freethinker among the religious dogmatists and political quarrels of the 16th century. With 'Montaigne' in 1942, Stefan Zweig laid the capstone of his essayistic biographical work, although it remained a fragment. The audiobook is based on the English translation from Vanessa Walsh from 2021.

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  American Shield - The Immigrant...

  Susan Shapiro, Aquilino Gonell

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  Set against the extraordinary events of January 6, 2021, Aquilino Gonell’s inspirational memoir is rooted in the joys and struggles of the immigrant experience that have long defined the American experimentAquilino Gonell came to the United States from the Dominican Republic as a young boy. Although he spoke no English, he dedicated himself to his adopted land, striving for the American dream. Determined to be a success story, he joined the army to pay for college. He saw action in Iraq and returned home with PTSD. Believing in the promise of our government, he focused on healing himself and supporting his family. His hard work paid off when he landed a coveted position with the United States Capitol Police and rose to the rank of sergeant.January 6, 2021, changed everything. When insurrectionists stormed the Capitol, Gonell bravely faced down the mob attempting to thwart the peaceful transfer of power. The brutal injuries he sustained that day would end his career in law enforcement. But when some of the very people he put his life on the line to protect downplayed or denied the truth of that day, he chose to speak out against the injustice done to him and the country. Chronicling what it means to live a life of conviction, one that adheres to the best ideas of our democracy, American Shield is a bold testament to the power of truth, justice, and accountability from a highly decorated officer and immigrant who exemplifies the greatest aspirations of a grateful nation.

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  A Song for Bridget - The prequel...

  Phyllis Whitsell

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  The unforgettable true story behind Sunday Times best-selling memoir Finding Tipperary Mary.A brutal and touching account of the life of Bridget ’Tipperary Mary’ Larkin. She faced poverty, bereavement, cruelty and abandonment many times over — yet never lost the heart to pursue true love. Returning to rural Ireland in 1938 and a young girl full of hope and expectation, A Song for Bridget recounts a series of tragic events that eventually bring her to Manchester and Birmingham — and a desperate daily struggle to survive. Bridget’s haunting story, told in the words of her daughter, is a perfect example of both the fragility and resilience of the human spirit.

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