Dragons & Butterflies - Sentenced to Die Choosing to Live

Shani Krebs

Beschreibung

Shani Krebs didn't fall in with a bad crowd - he was the bad crowd. Born to Hungarian refugees in Johannesburg, South Africa, Shani had a tough childhood. During his national service he started dabbling in drugs and it wasn't long before he was supplying the Johannesburg party scene with marijuana, LSD, mandrax and cocaine. It was a wild life, filled with girlfriends, narrow escapes and drug binges. His closest friend was his pistol. Then, in 1994 at the birth of South Africa's democracy, Shani flew to Thailand where he was arrested for heroin trafficking and, after a trial, was sentenced to death. He was 34. Shani's sentence was commuted to 100 years, and thus begun the greatest challenge of his life. The first hurdle was to survive in one of the toughest prisons imaginable: the random violence, the appalling diet, and the filth and diseases. Shani not only survived, he eventually rose to command significant respect within the prison system. The second was to stay off drugs after years of addiction. The third was nurturing a long-neglected spiritual side, which he found through his art and exploring his Jewish faith. But what gave him most focus was, in collaboration with his sister Joan, trying to find some way either to be transferred to a South African prison or have his sentence shortened. He failed in the former but, after serving 18 years - the longest-serving Westerner in a Thai prison - he stepped off a plane at OR Tambo in 2012. South Africa was a changed country, and Shani was a changed man. After adjusting to life on the outside, he is now a talented artist and public speaker, rallying against drug abuse in schools. Dragons & Butterflies tells the remarkable story of a man who reached absolute rock bottom but had the fortitude to rise up again.

Verfügbar seit: 25.04.2014.

Drucklänge: 300 Seiten.

Weitere Bücher, die Sie mögen werden

Conversations with Isaiah Berlin

Ramin Jahanbegloo

An illuminating and witty dialogue with one of the greatest intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Ramin Jahanbegloo's interview with Isaiah Berlin grew into a series of five conversations which offer an intimate view of Berlin and his ideas. They include discussions on pluralism and liberty as well as the thinkers and writers who influenced Berlin. This revised edition provided an excellent introduction to Berlin's thought. Ramin Jahanbegloo is an Iranian philosopher, who has taught in Europe and North America. In 2006 he was imprisoned for several months in Iran. He is currently teaching Political Philosophy at Toronto University. 'Though like Our Lord and Socrates he does not publish much, he thinks and says a great deal and has had an enormous influence on our times'. Maurice Bowra 'Berlin never talks down to the interviewer. Conversations here means the minds of the interviewed and interviewer meet on equal terms in language that is transparently clear, informed, witty and entertaining'. Stephen Spender 'He is wise without seeming pompous, witty without seeming trivial, affectionate without seeming sentimental'. Michael Ignatieff 'Isaiah Berlin... has for fifty years in this talkative and quarrelsome city (Oxford) been something special, admired by all and disliked by no-one... a benevolent super-don'. John Bayley http://berlin.wolf.ox.ac.uk/

Zum Buch

Martin McGuinness: - The Man I Knew

Jude Collins

In
Martin McGuinness, The Man I Knew, Jude Collins offers the reader a range of perspectives on a man who helped shape Ireland's recent history. Those who knew Martin McGuinness during his life talk frankly about him, what he did and said, what sort of man he was. Eileen Paisley speaks of the influence she believes her husband, Ian, had on him; former Assistant Chief Constable Peter Sheridan recounts how the Derry IRA targeted him as a Catholic RUC policeman; peace talks chairman Senator George Mitchell comments on the role he played in talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement; and Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams remembers the man who for so many years was his closest colleague. Other contributors include; Ulster Unionist MLA Michael McGimpsey, prominent Irish-American Niall O'Dowd, peace talks chairman Senator George Mitchell, 54th Comptroller of the State of New York Thomas P. Di Napoli and Presbyterian minister David Lattimer.

Zum Buch

Pieces of My Heart - A Life

Robert J. Wagner, Scott Eyman

The Hollywood icon tells about his rise to Hollywood stardom among legends like Cary Grant and Barbara Stanwyck and his troubled marriage, divorce, and remarriage to starlet Natalie Wood.In the revelation-filled memoir from one of Hollywood’s most talented actors, readers have a candid and deeply personal look at the life and career of Robert Wagner. Wagner’s long career began in the Hollywood of the 1950s, when studios were dominant and even the love lives of actors were dictated by what benefited the studio. His memoirs will chronicle in a very personal way his rise to stardom, his decline, and his resurrection. Wagner will talk candidly about his famous relationship with Natalie Wood and the circumstances surrounding her tragic death. His friendships and stories include major Hollywood personalities in the last half of the 20th century.When his family moved to Los Angeles, a young Wagner held a variety of jobs (including one as a caddy for Clark Gable) while pursuing his goal, but it was while dining with his parents at a restaurant in Beverly Hills that he was &#8220discovered&#8221 by a talent scout.Known as much for his on-screen abilities as his off-screen personal heartbreak, Wagner will discuss for the first time his complicated and ultimately tragic relationship with Hollywood sweetheart Natalie Wood. It was implied that Wagner played a role in Natalie Wood’s tragic drowning off the coast of Catalina Island in 1981 and Wagner, for the first time ever, will set the record straight.With at least two dozen photos to illustrate his real Hollywood-style tell-all, this will be the extremely candid autobiography of Robert Wagner.

Zum Buch

All in a Doctor's Day A...

Peter Sykes

A collection of short medical stories about medical misadventures in the daily life of medical professionals.

Zum Buch

You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams - My...

Alan Cumming

A beloved actor and famous man-on-the-scene, Alan Cumming takes the reader on a wild journey of pithy and cheeky fun, presenting his real-life stories of debauchery during late night Hollywood parties, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and hilarious yet poignant memories of his life, family, and friends. If you were to put David Sedaris and Glenn O'Brien in a blender and add a dash of New York and Hollywood gossip, you would wind up with Alan Cumming. Described by Time magazine as "one of the most fun people in show business," Cumming is a genuine triple-threat as a successful stage, television, and film star whose real-life vivacity, sophisticated wit, and charm tend to match that of his onstage personalities. In his third book, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams, he has composed a collection of true-life adventures-or rather, misadventures-that is sure to make the reader laugh out loud. This volume recounts the hysterical and sometimes embarrassing encounters that only Cumming could experience, from awkwardly entertaining Elizabeth Taylor at Carrie Fisher's birthday party to being on a movie set with Helen Mirren and being mocked for wearing Croc sandals to making a friend's day by chasing down Oprah at a glitzy gala for a prized photograph with her. These forty-five stories are humorous novellas, each featuring memorable photographs-many simply snapshots taken by Cumming-that document or illustrate the tale told.

Zum Buch

In Her Room - How Music Helped...

James Cook

When James Cook's daughter was nearly one, he began to suspect that she wasn't simply a 'late bloomer', as he and his wife were telling friends and family. Emily was strongly taken by images and patterns around the house, had a marked response to music, but never pointed at anything, and hadn't crawled yet. At the age of two-and-a-half, after months of invasive tests, Emily was finally diagnosed with severe autism, and everything changed.Forced to embark on a fraught journey from denial to acceptance, James  discovered the multi-faceted link between music and autism, and how singing and playing guitar for Emily could provide a unique form of communication. In Her Room is an extraordinary and heartbreaking story of a father's attempts to connect with his daughter, and how music can help bridge the divide.

Zum Buch