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Few outside the security services have heard of 14 Company. As deadly as the SAS yet more secret, the Operators…
of 14 Company are Britains most effective weapon against international terrorism. For every bomb that goes off 14 Company prevent twelve. The selection process is the most physically, intellectually and emotionally demanding anywhere in the world. Trained to operate under cover, Operators have at their disposal an arsenal of techniques and weapons unmatched by any other UK government or military agency. This is the true story of one Operator and of some of the most hair-raising military operations ever conducted on the streets of Britain.Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson III (The Years of Lyndon Johnson #3)
By Robert A. Caro. 1980
The most riveting political biography of our time, Robert A. Caro's life of Lyndon B. Johnson, continues. Master of the…
Senate takes Johnson's story through one of its most remarkable periods: his twelve years, from 1949 through 1960, in the United States Senate. Once the most august and revered body in politics, by the time Johnson arrived the Senate had become a parody of itself and an obstacle that for decades had blocked desperately needed liberal legislation. Caro shows how Johnson's brilliance, charm, and ruthlessness enabled him to become the youngest and most powerful Majority Leader in history and how he used his incomparable legislative genius--seducing both Northern liberals and Southern conservatives--to pass the first Civil Rights legislation since Reconstruction. Brilliantly weaving rich detail into a gripping narrative, Caro gives us both a galvanizing portrait of Johnson himself and a definitive and revelatory study of the workings of legislative power. Winner of the National Book Award Winner of the Pulitzer PrizeFirst Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents
By Gary Ginsberg. 2021
In the bestselling tradition of The Presidents Club and Presidential Courage, White House history as told through the stories of…
the best friends and closest confidants of American presidents. Here are the riveting histories of myriad presidential friendships, among them: Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed: They shared a bed for four years during which Speed saved his friend from a crippling depression. Two decades later the friends worked together to save the Union. Harry Truman and Eddie Jacobson: When Truman wavered on whether to recognize the state of Israel in 1948, his lifelong friend and former business partner intervened at just the right moment with just the right words to steer the president’s decision. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Daisy Suckley: Unassuming and overlooked during her lifetime, Daisy Suckley was in reality FDR’s most trusted, constant confidant, the respite for a lonely and overworked President navigating the Great Depression and World War II John Kennedy and David Ormsby-Gore: They met as young men in pre-war London and began a conversation over the meaning of leadership. A generation later the Cuban Missile Crisis would put their ideas to test as Ormsby-Gore became the president’s unofficial, but most valued foreign policy advisor. These and other friendships—including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Franklin Pierce and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Bill Clinton and Vernon Jordan—populate this fresh and provocative exploration of a series of seminal presidential friendships. Publishing history teems with books by and about Presidents, First Ladies, First Pets, and even First Chefs. Now former Clinton aide Gary Ginsberg breaks new literary ground on Pennsylvania Avenue and provides fresh insights into the lives of the men who held the most powerful political office in the world by looking at the friends on whom they relied. First Friends is an engaging, serendipitous look into the lives of Commanders-in-Chief and how their presidencies were shaped by those they held most dear. A New York Times Best SellerYou Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington
By Alexis Coe. 2020
Alexis Coe takes a closer look at our first--and finds he is not quite the man we rememberYoung George Washington…
was raised by a struggling single mother, demanded military promotions, caused an international incident, and never backed down--even when his dysentery got so bad he had to ride with a cushion on his saddle. But after he married Martha, everything changed. Washington became the kind of man who named his dog Sweetlips and hated to leave home. He took up arms against the British only when there was no other way, though he lost more battles than he won. After an unlikely victory in the Revolutionary War cast him as the nation's hero, he was desperate to retire, but the founders pressured him into the presidency--twice. When he retired years later, no one talked him out of it. He left the highest office heartbroken over the partisan nightmare his backstabbing cabinet had created. Back on his plantation, the man who fought for liberty must confront his greatest hypocrisy--what to do with the men, women, and children he owns--before he succumbs to death. With irresistible style and warm humor, You Never Forget Your First combines rigorous research and lively storytelling that will have readers--including those who thought presidential biographies were just for dads--inhaling every page. A New York Times BestsellerChuck Yeager: World War II Fighter Pilot (American War Heroes)
By Don Keith. 2022
Bold, brash, and brimming with courage, Chuck Yeager burst onto the scene as an instant superstar in 1947 when he…
became the first to fly an airplane faster than the speed of sound. Yet before his days as America&’s most famous test pilot, Yeager was a young fighter ace in the US Army Air Forces, flying a P-51 Mustang over Nazi-occupied Europe. His story is the stuff of legend. Soon after downing his first enemy fighter, Yeager too was shot down, surviving thanks to the help of the French resistance and his own skills as a bomb maker—and earned a Bronze Star for saving the life of a fellow American. Against regulation, and only with the approval of General Eisenhower himself, Yeager returned to duty as a fighter pilot. Fiercely protecting Allied bombers, he shot down eleven enemy planes, including a rare Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, and completed more than sixty missions. In Chuck Yeager, acclaimed author Don Keith tells the true story of the American icon during the war in which he first proved he had the right stuff.Who Can Hold the Sea: The U.S. Navy in the Cold War 1945-1960
By James D. Hornfischer. 2022
A close-up, action-filled narrative about the crucial role the U.S. Navy played in the early years of the Cold War,…
from the New York Times bestselling author of The Fleet at Flood Tide&“James D. Hornfischer, the dean of American naval historians, has written a book of dizzying sweep and uncommon ambition.&”—Hampton Sides, author of Ghost SoldiersThis landmark account of the U.S. Navy in the Cold War, Who Can Hold the Sea combines narrative history with scenes of stirring adventure on—and under—the high seas. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the victorious Navy sends its sailors home and decommissions most of its warships. But this peaceful interlude is short-lived, as Stalin, America&’s former ally, makes aggressive moves in Europe and the Far East. Winston Churchill crystallizes the growing Communist threat by declaring the existence of &“the Iron Curtain,&” and the Truman Doctrine is set up to contain Communism by establishing U.S. military bases throughout the world.Set against this background of increasing Cold War hostility, Who Can Hold the Sea paints the dramatic rise of the Navy&’s crucial postwar role in a series of exciting episodes that include the controversial tests of the A-bombs that were dropped on warships at Bikini Island; the invention of sonar and the developing science of undersea warfare; the Navy&’s leading part in key battles of the Korean War; the dramatic sinking of the submarine USS Cochino in the Norwegian Sea; the invention of the nuclear submarine and the dangerous, first-ever cruise of the USS Nautilus under the North Pole; and the growth of the modern Navy with technological breakthroughs such as massive aircraft carriers, and cruisers fitted with surface-to-air missiles.As in all of Hornfischer&’s works, the events unfold in riveting detail. The story of the Cold War at sea is ultimately the story of America&’s victorious contest to protect the free world.Peter the Great: His Life And World (Great Lives Ser.)
By Robert K. Massie. 1980
Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great. He…
brought Russia from the darkness of its own Middle Ages into the Enlightenment and transformed it into the power that has its legacy in the Russia of our own century. Pulitzer Prize WinnerBarack Obama: An American Story
By Ariele Gentiles, Bob Carlton. 2008
You’ve read about historical U.S. figures in school textbooks. Maybe you’ve even seen a mini-series or movie about some of…
the leaders of America’s past. But right now you’re living in the midst of history in the making. You are watching a man with an unlikely story become one of the most important people in American politics today. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve heard him speak, or even whether or not you agree with his politics. The life of Barack Obama is an inspirational story for anyone who has ever felt abandoned, alone, different, or who has wanted to do great things and make a difference in the world. Learn about the life-shaping experiences Barack Obama faced as he: • was raised by a single mom and his grandparents • rose to the top of his class at Harvard law • accepted a faith that gives his life deeper meaning • left a lucrative career in law to work in public service In 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out about the state of our country and its leadership, saying, “We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.” Barack Obama was only six-years-old when that speech took place, and forty years later he stood in the place where Abraham Lincoln once stood, and announced he was running for President because of what Dr. King called the “fierce urgency of now.” He recognized a country once again in turmoil and a nation looking for something different—something better. As you read about the life of Barack Obama you’ll be encouraged, inspired, and challenged to look at the world around you and see how you can take your own improbable journey to change it.Fate is the Hunter: A Pilot's Memoir
By Ernest K. Gann. 1986
The copper-bottomed classic from a memorable and courageous pilot.FATE IS THE HUNTER is a fascinating and thrilling account of some…
of the more memorable experiences Ernest K Gann had in the air. He's flown in both peace and war and come close to death many times. Here he reveals the characters he's known and the dramas he's experienced, portraying fate (or death) as a hunter constantly in pursuit of pilots. This is a fabulous account of both the history of aviation and one man's life in the air.The Family Jewels: The CIA, Secrecy, and Presidential Power
By John Prados. 2013
In December 1974, a front-page story in the New York Times revealed the explosive details of illegal domestic spying by…
the Central Intelligence Agency. This included political surveillance, eavesdropping, detention, and interrogation. The revelation of illegal activities over many years shocked the American public and led to investigations of the CIA by a presidential commission and committees in both houses of Congress, which found evidence of more abuse, even CIA plans for assassinations. Investigators and the public soon discovered that the CIA abuses were described in a top-secret document agency insiders dubbed the "Family Jewels. " That document became ground zero for a political firestorm that lasted more than a year. The "Family Jewels" debacle ultimately brought about greater congressional oversight of the CIA, but excesses such as those uncovered in the 1970s continue to come to light. The Family Jewels probes the deepest secrets of the CIA and its attempts to avoid scrutiny. John Prados recounts the secret operations that constituted "Jewels" and investigators' pursuit of the truth, plus the strenuous efforts-by the agency, the executive branch, and even presidents-to evade accountability. Prados reveals how Vice President Richard Cheney played a leading role in intelligence abuses and demonstrates that every type of "Jewel" has been replicated since, especially during the post-9/11 war on terror. The Family Jewels masterfully illuminates why these abuses are endemic to spying, shows that proper relationships are vital to control of intelligence, and advocates a system for handling "Family Jewels" crises in a democratic society.A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland
By Troy Senik. 2022
A long-overdue biography of Grover Cleveland—the honest, principled, and plain-spoken president whose country has largely overlooked him.Featuring a wealth of…
in-depth research and newly uncovered details, A Man of Iron explores the remarkable life and extraordinary career of Grover Cleveland—one of America&’s most unusual presidents and the only one to serve two non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland&’s political career—a dizzying journey that saw him rise from obscure lawyer to president of the United States in just three years—was marked by contradictions. A politician of uncharacteristic honesty and principle, he was nevertheless dogged by secrets from his personal life. A believer in limited government, he pushed presidential power to its limits to combat a crippling depression, suppress labor unrest, and resist the forces of American imperialism. A headstrong executive who alienated Congress, political bosses, and even his own party, his stubbornness nevertheless became the key to his political appeal. The most successful Democratic politician of his era, he came to be remembered most fondly by Republicans. A fascinating look at a unique man presiding over a transformational era, A Man of Iron is a compelling and vivid biography joining the ranks of presidential classics such as David McCullough&’s John Adams, Ron Chernow&’s Grant, and Amity Shlaes&’s Coolidge.A "2020 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People" SelectionA vibrantly illustrated and compelling collection of profiles about…
women and men who revolutionized politics, policy, commerce and activism.You likely know that Barack Obama was the first African American president of the United States. And you maybe you know that Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. But you might not know that Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa. Or that Schuyler Bailar is the first openly transgender NCAA Division 1 swimmer.Who Did It First? 50 Politicians, Activists, and Entrepreneurs Who Revolutionized the World brings together all of these trailblazers into one stunning package. With both well-known figures and lesser-known heroes, this book is a celebration of the inspiring innovators who braved uncharted waters to pave the path for future generations.Perfect for fans of Little Leaders, Women in Science, and Rad Women Worldwide, Who Did It First? makes a wonderful gift for any occasion and is a must-have for every young reader’s library.Featuring Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Indira Gandhi, Melinda Gates, Janet Mock, LeBron James, Madam C.J. Walker, Thomas Gallaudet, and many others.Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing
By Leda Schubert. 2017
Listen.There was nobody like Pete Seeger.Wherever he went, he got people singing. With his head thrown backand his Adam’s apple…
bouncing,picking his long-necked banjoor strumming his twelve-string guitar,Pete sang old songs,new songs,new words to old songs,and songs he made up.In this gorgeously written and illustrated tribute to legendary musician and activist Pete Seeger, author Leda Schubert highlights major musical events in Mr. Seeger's life as well important moments of his fight against social injustice. From singing sold-out concerts to courageously standing against the McCarthy-era finger-pointing, Pete Seeger's life is celebrated in this bold book for young readers with gorgeous illustrations by Raúl Colón.A Neal Porter BookThis title has Common Core connections.Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg (Who Did It First?)
By Rob Sanders. 2020
Get to know Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a first-of-his-kind candidate running for a one-of-a-kind office, in Rob Sanders' inspiring picture book…
biography, featuring illustrations by Levi Hastings.When Pete Buttigieg announced he was running for president, he became the first openly gay candidate to run for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination and the first millennial ever to pursue the office. But before the nation knew him as “Mayor Pete,” he was a boy growing up in a Rust Belt town, a kid who dreamed of being an astronaut, and a high schooler who wondered about a life of public service. Without a doubt, no one could have imagined who Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg, the boy who lived in a two-story house on College Street, would become. Through victories and defeats, and the changes that the seasons bring, the young boy from South Bend grew into a man devoted to helping others. Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg celebrates the life of an American who dared to be the first and who imagined a better world for everyone.A Who Did It First? BookAgent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal
By Ben Macintyre. 2007
For readers of World War II history, espionage, fans of John le Carré and Alan Furst, and of Ben Macintyre's…
more recent books. Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. In 1941, after training as German spy in occupied France, Chapman was parachuted into Britain with a revolver, a wireless, and a cyanide pill, with orders from the Abwehr to blow up an airplane factory. Instead, he contacted M15, the British Secret service, and for the next four years, Chapman worked as a double agent, a lone British spy at the heart of the German Secret Service. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began. Based on recently declassified files, Agent Zigzag tells Chapman's full story for the first time. It's a gripping tale of loyalty, love, treachery, espionage, and the thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope
By Jeffrey Zaslow, Mark Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords. 2011
From one of the most admired and beloved couples in recent American history, an extraordinarily moving story of public service,…
risk-taking, romance--and the journey toward recovery. This book delivers hope and redemption in the face of the tragic shooting, and introduces two unforgettable heroes.AS INDIVIDUALS, CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, showed Americans how optimism, an adventurous spirit, and a call to service can help change the world. As a couple, they became a national example of the healing power to be found in deeply shared love and courage. Their arrival in the world spotlight came under the worst of circumstances. On January 8, 2011, while meeting with her constituents in Tucson, Arizona, Gabby was the victim of an assassination attempt that left six people dead and thirteen wounded. Gabby was shot in the head; doctors called her survival "miraculous." As the nation grieved and sought to understand the attack, Gabby remained in private, focused on her against-all-odds recovery. Mark spent every possible moment by her side, as he also prepared for his final mission as commander of space shuttle Endeavour. Now, as Gabby's health continues to improve, the couple is sharing their remarkable untold story. Intimate, inspiring, and unforgettably moving, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope provides an unflinching look at the overwhelming challenges of brain injury, the painstaking process of learning to communicate again, and the responsibilities that fall to a loving spouse who wants the best possible treatment for his wife. Told in Mark's voice and from Gabby's heart, the book also chronicles the lives that brought these two extraordinary people together--their humor, their ambitions, their sense of duty, their long-distance marriage, and their desire for family. Gabby and Mark made a pledge to tell their account as honestly as possible, and they have done so in riveting detail. Both Gabby and Mark have lived large public lives, but this book takes readers behind many closed doors--from the flight deck of the space shuttle to the cloakrooms of Congress to the hospital wards where Gabby struggled to reclaim herself with the help of formidable medical teams and devoted family and friends. Questions are answered with unvarnished candor. How do Gabby and Mark feel about the angry political discourse that was swirling in America at the time of the shooting, and that remains prevalent today? How do they see government living up to the highest possible ideals? And how do they understand and mourn the loss of the people who did not survive that day? Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope is a reminder of the power of true grit, the patience needed to overcome unimaginable obstacles, and the transcendence of love. In the story of Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly, we all can see the best in ourselves. As Mark and Gabby's friends have said: "The two of them are America as we dream it can be."We the People and the President: An Infographic Look at the American Presidency
By Pj Creek, Jamie Creek. 2021
*A 2022 Notable Social Studies Trade Book*Perfect for reluctant readers, and anyone interested in American history, We the People and…
the President offers a glimpse into the intricacy of the American presidency for a foundation of knowledge for the youngest of readers. Ever wonder who the presidents really were?Ever wonder if our electoral system will evolve or remain the same?Who's your favorite president?This accessible, uniquely formatted picture book from PJ and Jamie Creek covers it all! Find out everything you want to know about the United States presidency--who the presidents were; how we vote; whose votes count the most--in this book completely comprised of infographics.Pocket Bios: Nelson Mandela (Pocket Bios)
By Al Berenger. 2015
A colorfully illustrated, pocket-size picture book biography of activist, philanthropist, and South African President Nelson Mandela.Nelson Mandela was a South…
African revolutionary, activist, politician, and philanthropist who opposed apartheid and served as the president of South Africa as the country's first black head of state and the first representative elected democratically. He devoted much of his time in office to dismantling apartheid law and battling institutionalized racism in South Africa. He is the recipient of more than 250 honors worldwide, including the Nobel Peace Prize.Pocket Bios are full of personality, introducing readers to fascinating figures from history with simple storytelling and cheerful illustrations. Titles include men and women from history, exploration, the sciences, the arts, the ancient world, and more.Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank
By Eric Orner. 2021
Eric Orner, the acclaimed cartoonist of one of the country’s most popular and longest-running gay comic strips, The Mostly Unfabulous…
Social Life of Ethan Green, presents his debut graphic novel—a dazzling, irreverent biography of the iconic and iconoclastic Barney Frank, one of the first gay and out congressmen and a front-line defender of civil rights.What are the odds that a disheveled, zaftig, closeted kid with the thickest of Jersey accents might wind up running Boston on behalf of a storied Irish Catholic political machine, drafting the nation’s first gay rights laws, reforming Wall Street after the Great Recession, and finding love, after a lifetime assuming that he couldn't and wouldn’t?In Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank, one of America’s first out members of Congress and a gay and civil rights crusader for an era is confirmed as a hero of our age. But more than a biography of an indispensable LGBTQ pioneer, this funny, beautifully rendered, warts-and-all graphic account reveals the down-and-dirty inner workings of Boston and DC politics.As Frank’s longtime staff counsel and press secretary, Eric Orner lends his first-hand perspective to this extraordinary work of history, paying tribute to the mighty striving of committed liberals to defend ordinary Americans from an assault on their shared society.Pocket Bios: John F. Kennedy (Pocket Bios)
By Al Berenger. 2018
A colorfully illustrated, pocket-size picture book biography about John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States.John F. Kennedy was…
an incredibly popular American politician who served as 35th President of the United States from 1961 to 1963, during the Cold War. As president, he most notably supported the African American Civil Rights Movement, authorized the Bay of Pigs invasion on the southern coast of Cuba, and dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis. His family was greatly admired around the world, and his tragic assassination in Dallas, Texas, had a lasting effect on the American psyche. About the Pocket Bios series:Pocket Bios are full of personality, introducing readers to fascinating figures from history with simple storytelling and cheerful illustrations. Titles include men and women from history, exploration, the sciences, the arts, the ancient world, and more. Looking for biographies about political figures? Don't miss the Pocket Bios for Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi.