Other books that might interest you

• 

  Parklands - A school built on love

  Chris Dyson

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  If anything can bind together nearly 400 pupils and 100 school staff in challenging circumstances, it's love. And love is in plentiful supply at Parklands.The pupils at Parklands Primary School, located on the Seacroft estate in Leeds, often face significant hardship. Children start at the school significantly behind their peers nationally, especially in terms of their language and literacy. Yet the school is famed for outstanding learning --both in terms of Ofsted judgement and, more importantly, in achieving amazing outcomes for its learners.In this inspiring book, head teacher Chris Dyson shares the story of how he has steered the school towards the seemingly impossible educational dream of high achievement, personalised support and complete inclusion. He explains how the school setting can be a place where there is love but also hope and relentless ambition for children, and reflects on the steps that he and his staff have put in place to make this a reality for Parklands' pupils. Chris delves into how this culture and climate of love drives behaviour and decision-making throughout the school - and, as a result, how this creates a safe, loving environment in which all of its learners can thrive. Chris also provides insights into how the leadership team goes about raising funds for the school, and how they choose to spend it on both curricular and extracurricular projects. And, furthermore, how the school broadens its pupils' experiences and cultural capital by means of residential trips, in-school productions, and sports and arts provision.An uplifting read for all teachers and school leaders.

  Show book

• 

  Commander in Chief -...

  Casey B. K. Dominguez

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The constitutional balance of war powers has shifted from Congress to the president over time. Today, presidents broadly define their constitutional authority as commander in chief. In the nineteenth century, however, Congress was the institution that claimed and defended expansive war powers authority. This discrepancy raises important questions: How, specifically, did Congress define the boundaries between presidential and congressional war powers in the early republic? Did that definition change? 
   
   
   
  Casey Dominguez's Commander in Chief systematically analyzes the authority that members of Congress ascribe to the president as commander in chief and the boundaries they put around that authority. 
   
   
   
  Dominguez shows that for more than a century members of Congress defined the commander in chief's authority narrowly. But in a wave of nationalism during the Spanish-American War, members of Congress began to argue that Congress owed deference to the commander in chief. They also tended to argue that a president of their own party should have broad war powers, while the powers of a president in the other party should be defined narrowly. Together, these two dynamics suggest that the conditions for presidentially dominated modern constitutional war powers were set at the turn of the twentieth century, far earlier than is often acknowledged.

  Show book

• 

  The Ming Dynasty - Maritime...

  Jun Liu

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The Ming Dynasty, one of China's most influential and enduring dynasties, emerged in the aftermath of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty’s decline. It was a period marked by great transformation, political consolidation, and cultural revival. The dynasty's establishment under Zhu Yuanzhang, later known as Emperor Hongwu, signified the restoration of Han Chinese rule and the reinforcement of Confucian governance. Through military conquest, administrative reforms, and strategic centralization of power, the Ming Dynasty laid the foundation for a strong and prosperous China. 
  The fall of the Yuan Dynasty was driven by internal corruption, economic mismanagement, and widespread discontent. Mongol rulers faced difficulties controlling the vast empire, and their reliance on foreign administrators alienated the native Chinese population. Heavy taxation and frequent natural disasters exacerbated social unrest, leading to a series of revolts across the country. Among these rebellions, the Red Turban Rebellion, a movement rooted in peasant uprisings and religious discontent, played a crucial role in undermining Yuan authority. It was within this turbulent period that Zhu Yuanzhang, a former Buddhist monk turned military leader, rose to prominence. His leadership and military strategies enabled him to unify rebel factions and ultimately overthrow the Mongols in 1368, marking the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. 
  Upon ascending the throne, Emperor Hongwu sought to consolidate power and rebuild a nation weakened by war and misrule. His first priority was to eliminate threats to his rule, which led to purges against those he suspected of disloyalty. To prevent a recurrence of Yuan-era administrative failures, he restructured the government, reducing the influence of court eunuchs and emphasizing Confucian ideals in governance. He also reinstated the civil service examination system, ensuring that officials were selected based on merit rather than birthright.

  Show book

• 

  Ten Myths About Israel

  Ilan Pappé

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The myths and reality behind the state of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from "the most eloquent writer on Palestinian history" (New Statesman) 
   
   
   
  The outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel. 
   
   
    
  The "ten myths"—repeated endlessly in the media, enforced by the military, and accepted without question by the world's governments—reinforce the regional status quo and include: Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour Declaration; the Jews were a people without a land; there is no difference between Zionism and Judaism; Zionism is not a colonial project of occupation; the Palestinians left their Homeland voluntarily in 1948; the June 1967 War was a war of 'No Choice'; Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East; the Oslo Mythologies; the Gaza Mythologies; and the Two-State Solution. 
   
   
   
  For students, activists, and anyone interested in better understanding the news, Ten Myths About Israel is another groundbreaking study of the Israel-Palestine conflict from the author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

  Show book

• 

  Occupied - Civilian Life During...

  Davis Truman

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Occupied: Civilian Life During World War II reveals the untold story of ordinary people living under extraordinary circumstances. Set in France during the Nazi occupation, this book brings to life the daily struggles, quiet acts of courage, and moral dilemmas faced by civilians caught between survival and resistance. 
  Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Occupied captures a world where scarcity shapes every meal, whispers replace open conversation, and even small choices carry weighty consequences. From families stretching rations and bartering for coal, to neighbors deciding whom they could trust, it paints an intimate portrait of life lived under constant watch. 
  This is not a history of generals and battlefields, but of kitchens, marketplaces, and hidden courtyards. It is the story of mothers and fathers, children and grandparents, whose endurance and humanity carried them through the darkest years of the twentieth century. 
  Occupied is both a moving testimony to resilience and an essential lens on the human cost of war, a reminder that behind every headline of conflict are countless lives forever altered by occupation.

  Show book

• 

  Ottoman Empire’s Most Important...

  Editors Charles River

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  In terms of geopolitics, perhaps the most seminal event of the Middle Ages was the successful Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453. The city had been an imperial capital as far back as the 4th century, when Constantine the Great shifted the power center of the Roman Empire there, effectively establishing two almost equally powerful halves of antiquity’s greatest empire. Constantinople would continue to serve as the capital of the Byzantine Empire even after the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century. Naturally, the Ottoman Empire would also use Constantinople as the capital of its empire after their conquest effectively ended the Byzantine Empire, and thanks to its strategic location, it has been a trading center for years and remains one today under the Turkish name of Istanbul.  
  The end of the Byzantine Empire had a profound effect not only on the Middle East but Europe as well. Constantinople had played a crucial part in the Crusades, and the fall of the Byzantines meant that the Ottomans now shared a border with Europe. Indeed, the Ottomans would clash with Russians, Austrians, Venetians, Polish, and more before collapsing as a result of World War I, when they were part of the Central powers.  
  In the wake of taking Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire would spend the next few centuries expanding its size, power, and influence, bumping up against Eastern Europe and becoming one of the world’s most important geopolitical players. It was a rise that would not truly start to wane until the 19th century. Preserving its mixed heritage, coming from both its geographic position rising above the ashes of the Byzantine Empire and the tradition inherited from the Muslim Conquests, the Ottoman Empire lasted more than six centuries.

  Show book