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Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk
By Amy S. Greenberg. 2019
The acclaimed author of A Wicked War now gives us the little known story of Sarah Polk: remarkably influential First…
Lady, and brilliant master of the art of high politics--a crucial but unrecognized figure in the history of American feminism. At the same time as the Woman's Rights convention was taking place at Seneca Falls in 1848, First Lady Sarah Childress Polk was wielding influence unprecedented for a woman. Yet, while history remembers the women of the convention, it has all but forgotten Sarah Polk. Now, Amy Greenberg brings her story into vivid focus. We see her father raising her on the frontier to discuss politics and business as an equal with men. We see her use savvy and charm to help her brilliant but unlikeable husband ascend to the White House. And we see her exercising truly extraordinary power as First Lady: quietly manipulating elected officials, shaping foreign policy, directing a campaign in support of America's expansionist war against Mexico. Greenberg makes clear that though the Polk marriage was a partnership of equals, Sarah firmly opposed the feminist movement's demands for then-far-reaching equality. A riveting biography--and a revelation of Sarah Polk's complicated but essential part in American feminism.The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King's Mother
By Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, Michael Jones. 2012
Number one New York Times best-selling author Philippa Gregory joins two eminent historians to explore the real-life characters behind her…
Wars of the Roses novels. Gregory and her team describe the extraordinary lives of the heroines of her Cousins' War series: Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford; Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV; and Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India
By Shashi Tharoor. 2018
In the eighteenth century, India's share of the world economy was as large as Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries…
of British rule, it had decreased six-fold. Beyond conquest and deception, the Empire blew rebels from cannons, massacred unarmed protesters, entrenched institutionalized racism, and caused millions to die from starvation. British imperialism justified itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed, but Shashi Tharoor takes on and demolishes this position, demonstrating how every supposed imperial "gift"-from the railways to the rule of law-was designed in Britain's interests alone. He goes on to show how Britain's Industrial Revolution was founded on India's deindustrialization and the destruction of its textile industry. In this bold and incisive reassessment of colonialism, Tharoor exposes to devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's stained Indian legacy.The eternal city: a history of Rome
By Ferdinand Addis. 2020
Why does Rome continue to exert a hold on our imagination? How did the Caput Mundi come to play such…
a critical role in the development of Western civilization? Ferdinand Addis addresses these questions by tracing the history of the Eternal City told through the dramatic key moments in its history: the mythic founding of Rome in 753 BC, the murder of Caesar in 44 BC, the coronation of Charlemagne in AD 800, the reinvention of the imperial ideal, the painting of the Sistine chapel, the trial of Galileo, Mussolini's March on Rome of 1922, the release of Fellini's La Dolce Vita in 1960, and the Occupy riots of 2011. City of the Seven Hills, spiritual home of Catholic Christianity, city of the artistic imagination, enduring symbol of our common European heritage-Rome has inspired, charmed, and tempted empire-builders, dreamers, writers, and travelers across the twenty-seven centuries of its existence. Ferdinand Addis tells its rich story in a grand narrative style for a new generation of listenersBetween the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray "Scampy" Scapinello's Four Decades in the NHL
By Rob Simpson, Ray Scapinello. 2006
An insider's look at life on the linesTo hockey fans, Ray Scapinello's name and face are as recognizable as any…
star player or coach in the NHL. Scampy, as he is affectionately known has had a long and storied career as a linesman in the NHL. His 5-foot-7 frame and 163 pounds belie his ability and endurance on the ice. When Ray retired in 2004 after 33 years in the NHL, he had officiated in 2,500 regular season matches (never missing a game), 426 playoff games, and an astounding twenty Stanley Cup final series. His untouchable statistics make him a lock to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame as an official, but even they do not do justice to the respect he has earned from officials, players, coaches, and fans alike. On and off the ice, Scampy is considered one of hockey's great personalities, a consummate professional, a chronic practical joker, and a true ambassador of the sport.Between the Lines gives a rare glimpse inside the world of hockey from an unusual perspective — through the eyes of one of the game's greatest and best-loved officials. Scampy shares his tales of life both on and off the ice as an official, an inside look at what those players and coaches are really like, what they really say and do, and what the game looks like between the lines. Full of fun stories, perspective on how the game has changed and evolved, and stories and interviews about Scampy from players, coaches, and other officials, Between the Lines is a captivating memoir of a truly unique life in hockey.Les SS: un avertissement de l'histoire (Document)
By Guido Knopp. 2006
"Incarnation de la terreur, exécuteurs du génocide, les SS représentent comme nulle autre organisation toute la folie du IIIe Reich.…
Comment la petite garde rapprochée de Hitler s'est-elle muée en quelques années en Etat dans l'Etat totalitaire du Führer ? Qui étaient ses têtes pensantes ? Que sont devenus ses membres survivants après la guerre ? Guido Knopp se livre ici à un bilan sur l'histoire de la SS, du vivant des dernières victimes et des derniers bourreaux. Il s'appuie sur de nombreuses sources inédites et fait parler des témoins qui ne s'étaient jamais exprimés. Un outil indispensable pour une meilleure compréhension de la période la plus sombre du XXe siècle." -- 4e de couvSpeer et Hitler: l'architecte du diable
By Heinrich Breloer. 2006
"Albert Speer (1905-1981), architecte de génie, demeure aujourd'hui encore l'un des personnages les plus controversés de l'Allemagne nazie. Comment un…
homme aussi raffiné, issu d'un milieu de grands bourgeois libéraux, a-t-il pu s'accommoder de 1933 à 1945 de la dictature, au point d'en devenir l'un des suppôts les plus fervents, nommé ministre de l'Armement, puis de la Guerre en 1942? Comment expliquer l'étonnante fascination réciproque qui liait deux personnalités aussi dissemblables que Speer et Hitler? Et comment Speer a-t-il réussi à obtenir la clémence des juges de Nuremberg? Heinrich Breloer, qui a rencontré Speer peu avant sa mort, lève le voile sur ce personnage ambigu, qui a volontairement pris part au processus le plus meurtrier de l'Histoire, allant jusqu'à commanditer la déportation de familles juives, puisant sa main-d'oeuvre dans les camps de concentration. Soixante ans après le procès de Nuremberg, grâce aux témoignages inédits des enfants de Speer, aux interviews de ses anciens collaborateurs, ce document exceptionnel, fruit d'un travail d'investigation sans précédent, rétablit une vérité effrayante : celle d'un homme qui a vendu son âme au diable." -- 4e de couvRéédition 1953. Parmi les innombrables volumes consacrés à Jeanne d'Arc, en voici un dont l'importance vaut d'être soulignée. On sait…
qu'un procès de réhabilitation eut lieu vingt ans après la mort de Jeanne, brûlée vive comme hérétique. Ce livre en publie des extraits, et en particulier les témoignages de personnes qui connurent l'héroïne. Ces documents de première main, fort bien présentés par Régine Pernoud, valent bien des biographies. [SDMUne reine dans la tourmente: la vie mouvementée d'Elizabeth II d'Angleterre (Document)
By Nicholas Davies. 1995
Wallis Simpson: la scandaleuse duchesse de Windsor
By Charles Higham. 2005
L'histoire de Wallis Simpson et du futur Edouard VIII, qui abdiqua pour pouvoir l'épouser, a passionné le monde entier. [...]…
Cette biographie nous offre un portrait surprenant et parfois choquant de la formidable et talentueuse aventurière que fut Bessie Wallis Warfield née le 19 juin 1896 à Baltimore et morte le 24 avril 1986 à Paris. -- 4e de couvMa vie volée: 57 ans sans voir la France
By Renée Villancher. 2004
"Renée la Française" est bloquée en Russie depuis cinquante-sept ans. Son témoignage bouleversant vient briser le lourd silence qui a…
pesé sur sa vie. Née dans le Jura en 1927, Renée Villancher connaît une enfance difficile, puis la guerre, l'Occupation, les tickets de rationnement. L'horizon de Renée est incertain jusqu'à sa rencontre et son mariage avec Yvan, un jeune soldat russe. Au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, rêvant d'un avenir meilleur, elle le suit en Union soviétique. Elle n'a que dix-neuf ans lorsque, avec sa fille de quelques semaines, elle traverse une Europe dévastée. Un long voyage qui s'avère être un aller simple pour l'enfer. Mais quand elle se rend compte de son erreur, il est déjà trop tard : le rideau de fer s'est refermé derrière elle. Ce récit poignant retrace le parcours d'une femme, d'une mère, victime de l'amour et de l'Histoire. Renée Villancher évoque sa vie, simplement, sa soviétisation forcée, ses démêlés conjugaux et les ravages de la vodka, son travail au kolkhoze, sa lutte désespérée pour réaliser son rêve le plus cher: revoir, un jour, sa patrie. -- 4e de couv"L'Histoire me jugera, disait Churchill, et elle me donnera en grande partie raison, parce que je compte bien l'écrire." Homme…
d'Etat, héros national, mais aussi fin lettré et personnalité flamboyante, Winston Churchill, mort il y a 50 ans en janvier 1965, a marqué l'Histoire. Issu d'une lignée prestigieuse, député à vingt-six ans et ministre à trente et un, il devient en 1940 la figure de l'antinazisme. Par ces 50 histoires courtes et percutantes, Denis Lépée vous propose de découvrir les multiples facettes de ce personnage aussi complexe que passionnant, familier des coups d'éclats, mais pétri de doutes et de contradictions. Derrière l'image de l'original au cigare, amateur de bons mots et redoutable animal politique, se profile celle d'un homme au destin exceptionnel, dont l'esprit, la détermination et la témérité n'ont pas rencontré d'égal dans l'Histoire contemporaine.Journalist Aaron Shulman presents an absorbing and atmospheric historical narrative that takes us deeply into the circumstances surrounding the Spanish…
Civil War through the lives, loves, and poetry of the Paneros, Spain's most compelling and eccentric family, whose lives intersected memorably with many of the most storied figures in the art, literature, and politics of the time-a searing tale of love and hatred, art and ambition, and freedom and oppressionBreaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League
By C. F. Payne, Angie Bullaro. 2020
The inspiring true story of Manon Rhéaume, the first and only woman to play a game in the National Hockey…
League, featuring an afterward from Manon herself.“One day, a woman will play in the National Hockey League. If no one prevents her,” said a twelve-year-old Manon Rhéaume. Manon always dreamed of playing hockey. So, when the team her father coached needed a goalie, five-year-old Manon begged for the chance to play. She didn’t care that she’d be the only girl in the entire league or that hockey was considered a “boys’ sport” in her hometown of Lac-Beauport, Quebec, Canada. All she cared about was the game. After her father gave her that first chance to play, she embarked on a spectacular, groundbreaking career in hockey. At every level of competition, Manon was faced with naysayers, but she continued to play, earning her place on prestigious teams and ultimately becoming the first woman to play a game in the NHL. Including an afterword written by Manon herself, Breaking the Ice is the true story of one girl’s courage, determination, and love for the sport.Putin's people: How the kgb took back russia and then took on the west
By Catherine Belton. 2020
"This riveting, immaculately researched book is arguably the best single volume written about Putin, the people around him and perhaps…
even about contemporary Russia itself in the past three decades." —Peter Frankopan, Financial Times Interference in American elections. The sponsorship of extremist politics in Europe. War in Ukraine. In recent years, Vladimir Putin's Russia has waged a concerted campaign to expand its influence and undermine Western institutions. But how and why did all this come about, and who has orchestrated it? In Putin's People , the investigative journalist and former Moscow correspondent Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and the small group of KGB men surrounding him rose to power and looted their country. Delving deep into the workings of Putin's Kremlin, Belton accesses key inside players to reveal how Putin replaced the freewheeling tycoons of the Yeltsin era with a new generation of loyal oligarchs, who in turn subverted Russia's economy and legal system and extended the Kremlin's reach into the United States and Europe. The result is a chilling and revelatory exposé of the KGB's revanche—a story that begins in the murk of the Soviet collapse, when networks of operatives were able to siphon billions of dollars out of state enterprises and move their spoils into the West. Putin and his allies subsequently completed the agenda, reasserting Russian power while taking control of the economy for themselves, suppressing independent voices, and launching covert influence operations abroad. Ranging from Moscow and London to Switzerland and Brooklyn's Brighton Beach—and assembling a colorful cast of characters to match— Putin's People is the definitive account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray, with stark consequences for its inhabitants and, increasingly, the world. A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux1945: The year that made modern canada
By Ken Cuthbertson. 2020
It was a watershed year for Canada and the world. 1945 set Canada on a bold course into the future.…
A huge sense of relief marked the end of hostilities. Yet there was also fear and uncertainty about the perilous new world that was unfolding in the wake of the American decision to use the atomic bomb to bring the war in the Pacific to a dramatic halt. On the eve of WWII, the Dominion of Canada was a sleepy backwater still struggling to escape the despair of the Great Depression. But the war changed everything. After six long years of conflict, sacrifice and soul-searching, the country emerged onto the world stage as a modern, confident and truly independent nation no longer under the colonial sway of Great Britain. Ken Cuthbertson has written a highly readable narrative that commemorates the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of WWII and chronicles the events and personalities of a critical year that reshaped Canada. 1945: The Year That Made Modern Canada showcases the stories of people—some celebrated, some ordinary—who left their mark on the nation and helped create the Canada of today. The author profiles an eclectic group of Canadians, including eccentric prime minister Mackenzie King, iconic hockey superstar Rocket Richard, business tycoon E. P. Taylor, Soviet defector Igor Gouzenko, the bandits of the Polka Dot Gang, crusading MP Agnes Macphail, and authors Gabrielle Roy and Hugh MacLennan, among many others. The book also covers topics like the Halifax riots, war brides, the birth of Canada's beloved social safety net, and the remarkable events that sparked the Cold War. 1945 is the unforgettable story of our nation at the moment of its modern birthAgent sonya: Moscow's most daring wartime spy
By Ben Macintyre. 2020
The &“master storyteller&” ( San Francisco Chronicle ) behind the New York Times bestseller The Spy and the Traitor uncovers…
the true story behind the Cold War&’s most intrepid female spy. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Foreign Affairs • Kirkus Reviews • Library Journal In 1942, in a quiet village in the leafy English Cotswolds, a thin, elegant woman lived in a small cottage with her three children and her husband, who worked as a machinist nearby. Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her. They didn&’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn&’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe. Behind the facade of her picturesque life, Burton was a dedicated Communist, a Soviet colonel, and a veteran agent, gathering the scientific secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the bomb. This true-life spy story is a masterpiece about the woman code-named &“Sonya.&” Over the course of her career, she was hunted by the Chinese, the Japanese, the Nazis, MI5, MI6, and the FBI—and she evaded them all. Her story reflects the great ideological clash of the twentieth century—between Communism, Fascism, and Western democracy—and casts new light on the spy battles and shifting allegiances of our own times. With unparalleled access to Sonya&’s diaries and correspondence and never-before-seen information on her clandestine activities, Ben Macintyre has conjured a page-turning history of a legendary secret agent, a woman who influenced the course of the Cold War and helped plunge the world into a decades-long standoff between nuclear superpowersBurke's law: A life in hockey
By Brian Burke. 2020
The gruffest man in hockey opens up about the challenges, the feuds, and the tragedies he's fought through. Brian Burke…
is one of the biggest hockey personalities—no, personalities full-stop—in the media landscape. His brashness makes him a magnet for attention, and he does nothing to shy away from it. Most famous for advocating "pugnacity, truculence, testosterone, and belligerence" during his tenure at the helm of the Maple Leafs, Burke has lived and breathed hockey his whole life. He has been a player, an agent, a league executive, a scout, a Stanley Cup-winning GM, an Olympic GM, and a media analyst. He has worked with Pat Quinn, Gary Bettman, and an array of future Hall of Fame players. No one knows the game better, and no one commands more attention when they open up about it. But there is more to Brian Burke than hockey. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and an accomplished businessman with hard-earned lessons that comefrom highly scrutinized decisions made at the helm of multi-million-dollar companies. And despite his brusque persona on camera and in the boardroom, he is nevertheless a father with a story to tell. He lost his youngest son in a car accident, and has had to grapple with that grief, even in the glare of the spotlight. Many Canadians and hockey fans knew Brendan Burke's name already, because his father had became one of the country's most outspoken gay-rights advocates when Brendan came out in 2009. From someone whose grandmother told him never to start a fight, but never to run from one either, Burke's Law is an unforgettable account of old beefs and old friendships, scores settled and differences forgiven, and many lessons learned the hard wayBetween two fires: Truth, ambition, and compromise in putin's russia
By Joshua Yaffa. 2020
From a leading journalist in Moscow and correspondent for The New Yorker, a groundbreaking portrait of modern Russia and the…
inner struggles of the people who sustain Vladimir Putin's rule In this rich and novelistic tour of contemporary Russia, Joshua Yaffa introduces readers to some of the country's most remarkable figures—from politicians and entrepreneurs to artists and historians—who have built their careers and constructed their identities in the shadow of the Putin system. Torn between their own ambitions and the omnipresent demands of the state, each walks their own path of compromise. Some muster cunning and cynicism to extract all manner of benefits and privileges from those in power. Others, finding themselves less adept, are left broken or demoralized. What binds them together is the tangled web of dilemmas and contradictions they face. Between Two Fires chronicles the lives of a number of strivers who understand that their dreams are best—or only—realized through varying degrees of cooperation with the Russian government. With sensitivity and depth, Yaffa profiles the director of the country's main television channel, an Orthodox priest at war with the church hierarchy, a Chechen humanitarian who turns a blind eye to persecutions, and many others. The result is an intimate and probing portrait of a nation that is much discussed yet little understood. By showing how citizens shape their lives around the demands of a capricious and oftentimes repressive state—as much by choice as under threat of force— Yaffa offers urgent lessons about the true nature of modern authoritarianismThe Europeans: three lives and the making of a cosmopolitan culture
By Orlando Figes. 2020