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It's no secret that psychedelic drugs have the ability to cast light on the miraculous reality hidden within our psyche.…
Almost immediately after the discovery of LSD less than a hundred years ago, psychedelics began to play a crucial role in the quest to understand the link between mind and matter. With an uncanny ability to reveal the mind's remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness, LSD and MDMA (better known as Ecstasy) have proven extraordinarily effective in treating anxiety disorders such as PTSD--yet the drugs remain illegal for millions of people who might benefit from them. Anchoring Tom Shroder's Acid Test are the stories of Rick Doblin, the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), who has been fighting government prohibition of psychedelics for more than thirty years; Michael Mithoefer, a former emergency room physician, now a psychiatrist at the forefront of psychedelic therapy research; and his patient Nicholas Blackston, a former Marine who has suffered unfathomable mental anguish from the effects of brutal combat experiences in Iraq. All three men are passionate, relatable people; each flawed, each resilient, and each eccentric, yet very familiar and very human. Acid Test covers the first heady years of experimentation in the fifties and sixties, through the backlash of the seventies and eighties, when the drug subculture exploded and uncontrolled use of street psychedelics led to a PR nightmare that created the drug stereotypes of the present day. Meticulously researched and astoundingly informative, this is at once a personal story of intertwining lives against an epic backdrop, and a compelling argument for the unprecedented healing properties of drugs that have for decades been characterized as dangerous, illicit substances.The Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower
By Stephen E. Ambrose. 1970
In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander's leadership…
during World War II. Ambrose brings Eisenhower's experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general's skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe, and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world. Ambrose, then the Associate Editor of the General's official papers, analyzes Eisenhower's difficult military decisions and his often complicated relationships with powerful personalities like Churchill, de Gaulle, Roosevelt, and Patton. This is the definitive account of Eisenhower's evolution as a military leader--from its dramatic beginnings through his time at the top post of Allied command.Death in the A Shau Valley: L Company LRRPs in Vietnam, 1969-70
By Larry Chambers. 1998
The enemy had a single purpose kill me and my teammates Larry Chambers was still…
new to Vietnam in early 1969 when the LRRPs of the 101st Airborne Division became L Company 75th Rangers But his unit s mission stayed the same act as the eyes and ears of the 101st deep in the dreaded A Shau Valley--where the NVA ruled Relentless thick fog frequently made fighter bombers useless in the A Shau and the enemy had furnished the nearby mountaintops with antiaircraft machine guns to protect the massive trail network that snaked through it So outgunned outmanned and unsupported the teams of L Company executed hundreds of courageous missions Now in this powerful personal record Larry Chambers recaptures the experience of the war s most brutal on-the-job training where the slightest noise or smallest error could bring sudden--and certain--deathIncludes the First World War Illustrations Pack - 73 battle plans and diagrams and 198 photos Lieutenant-Colonel Rowland Feilding began…
his military career as a front line soldier in World War I and a leader of men preferring to volunteer for a dangerous duty rather than order a subordinate to do so in his place With a narrative broken only by the months he spent recuperating from wounds Feilding was blessed with an extraordinary luck his survival was a mystery even to his comrades Vivid yet unexaggerated in its depiction of life at the front Feilding s letters to his wife Edith Stapleton-Bretherton are driven by his thoughts emotions and experiences of the war and of home Written with the events still fresh in his mind--and often while still on the battlefield or in the trenches-- these letters form one of the most compelling accounts of the Western Front during the First World War Compelling reading -Print ed“A good read both to aviators in general and to the Lightning fraternity in particular” (Royal Air Force Historical Society).…
According to a recent international study, the Lightning is the fifth most popular military aircraft of all time. With over twenty individual stories from former Lightning pilots, this book relates the highs and lows, the dramas and the demands of those who operated this iconic aircraft until its sharp end. Tales include the recollections of an aerobatic display pilot, an implausible yet true account of telepathic communication, and an extraordinary episode in which a Lightning pilot on an exchange program with the French Air Force became embroiled in a mid-air collision. An unverified, but likely genuine, world record is also revealed in one of the chapters. In addition to the original photographs that accompany the text, the renowned aviation artist Chris Stone, a former Lightning pilot himself, has provided a unique sketch as well as copies of some of his paintings, offering a look at this amazing aircraft that will appeal to the general reader as well as the enthusiast.Masculinity, Militarism and Eighteenth-Century Culture, 1689–1815
By Banister Julia. 2018
This book investigates the figure of the military man in the long eighteenth century in order to explore how ideas…
about militarism served as vehicles for conceptualizations of masculinity. Bringing together representations of military men and accounts of court martial proceedings, this book examines eighteenth-century arguments about masculinity and those that appealed to the 'naturally' sexed body and construed masculinity as social construction and performance. Julia Banister's discussion draws on a range of printed materials, including canonical literary and philosophical texts by David Hume, Adam Smith, Horace Walpole and Jane Austen, and texts relating to the naval trials of, amongst others, Admiral John Byng. By mapping eighteenth-century ideas about militarism, including professionalism and heroism, alongside broader cultural concerns with politeness, sensibility, the Gothic past and celebrity, Julia Banister reveals how ideas about masculinity and militarism were shaped by and within eighteenth-century culture. Provides a multifaceted discussion of the ideas surrounding the figure of the military man in the long eighteenth century. Investigates ideas of masculinity through case studies of five court-martials of such men as Admiral John Byng. Draws on the work of a range of writers from Hume to Austen as well as other less often studied printed sources.Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq
By Michael Anthony. 2009
From the Introduction:"Look around," the drill sergeant said. "In a few years, or even a few months, several of you…
will be dead. Some of you will be severely wounded or so badly mutilated that your own mother can't stand the sight of you. And for the real unlucky ones, you will come home so emotionally disfigured that you wish you had died over there." It was Week 7 of Basic Training . . . 18 years old and I was preparing myself to die. They say the Army makes a man out of you - but for 18-year-old SPC Michael Anthony, that fabled rite of passage proved a very dark journey. After soliciting his parents’ approval to enlist at only 17, Anthony began his journey with an unshakeable faith in the military born of his family's long tradition of service. But when thrust into a medical unit of misfits as lost as he was, SPC Anthony not only witnessed the unspeakable horror of war—but the undeniable misconduct of the military—firsthand. Everything he ever believed in dissolved, forcing Anthony to rethink his loyalties, and ultimately risk his career—and his freedom—to challenge the military he had so firmly believed in. This searing memoir chronicles the iconic experiences that changed one young soldier forever. A seasoned veteran before the age of twenty-one, he faced the truth about the war - and himself - in this shocking and unprecedented eyewitness account.The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son
By Pat Conroy. 2013
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and…
more. Pat Conroy's great success as a writer has always been intimately linked with the exploration of his family history. As the oldest of seven children who were dragged from military base to military base across the South, Pat bore witness to the often cruel and violent behavior of his father, Marine Corps fighter pilot Donald Patrick Conroy. While the publication of The Great Santini brought Pat much acclaim, the rift it caused brought even more attention, fracturing an already battered family. But as Pat tenderly chronicles here, even the oldest of wounds can heal. In the final years of Don Conroy's life, the Santini unexpectedly refocused his ire to defend his son's honor. The Death of Santini is a heart-wrenching act of reckoning whose ultimate conclusion is that love can soften even the meanest of men, lending significance to the oft-quoted line from Pat's novel The Prince of Tides: "In families there are no crimes beyond forgiveness." Praise for The Death of Santini "A brilliant storyteller, a master of sarcasm, and a hallucinatory stylist whose obsession with the impress of the past on the present binds him to Southern literary tradition."--The Boston Globe "A painful, lyrical, addictive read that [Pat Conroy's] fans won't want to miss."--People "Conroy's conviction pulls you fleetly through the book, as does the potency of his bond with his family, no matter their sins."--The New York Times Book Review "Vital, large-hearted and often raucously funny."--The Washington Post "Conroy writes athletically and beautifully, slicing through painful memories like a point guard splitting the defense."--Minneapolis Star TribuneFrom the Trade Paperback edition.The inspiring story of a young American who volunteered to fight in the Israel Defense Forces, lost his arm in…
combat, and then returned to the battlefield.Combining refreshing candor with self-deprecating wit, this inspiring memoir will encourage readers to live up to their aspirations despite seemingly impossible odds.On January 8, 2009, Izzy Ezagui--an American who had enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at nineteen--lost his arm in a mortar attack on the border of the Gaza Strip. In this stirring and wryly humorous memoir, Izzy recounts his tortuous trek through rehabilitation to re-enlistment as a squad commander in the IDF. He became the world's only one-armed Special Forces sharpshooter.This isn't a typical war chronicle, full of macho bluster and the usual hero tropes. Izzy wrote this book with his fellow millennials in mind--not necessarily those with military ambitions, but everyone facing life's daily battles. His message is universal: if a self-described "nerd" and "one-armed basket case" like him can accomplish what he set his mind to, then anyone can become a hero in his or her own life.Growing up in a religious household in Miami, Izzy's early life was plagued by self-doubt, family drama, and (far too few) girl troubles. His search for direction eventually led him to that explosion on the Gaza border, changing his life forever.In the midst of disaster, Izzy discovered a deep well at his core, from which he could draw strength. Through his motivational speeches across the world, and now through this book, he encourages people to seek their own power, and to face whatever adversity life throws at them.Target Patton: The Plot To Assassinate General George S. Patton
By Robert K. Wilcox. 2008
The death of General George S. Patton is shrouded in mystery. While officially the result of an unfortunate car accident,…
the evidence points to a far more malevolent plot: murder. So says investigative and military journalist Robert K. Wilcox in his book: "Target: Patton: The Plot to Assassinate General George S. Patton." Written like a WWII spy thriller and meticulously researched, "Target: Patton" leads you through that fateful December day in 1945, revealing a chilling plan to assassinate General Patton. Backing up this shocking story with facts, photos, and eyewitness statements, Wilcox reveals long-hidden documents and accounts that explain how secrets Patton knew--and his strong anti-Soviet views--may have cost him his life.Coffin Corner Boys: One Bomber, Ten Men, and Their Harrowing Escape from Nazi-Occupied France
By Carole Engle Avriett, Capt. George W. Starks. 2018
A story of adventure, survival, loyalty, and brotherhood... Taking off from England on March 16, 1944, young Lt. George Starks…
and the nine-man crew of his Flying Fortress were assigned to the "coffin corner," the most exposed position in the bomber formation headed for Germany. They never got there. Shot down over Nazi-occupied France, the airmen bailed out one by one, scattered across the countryside. Miraculously, all ten survived, but as they discarded their parachutes in the farmland of Champagne, their wartime odyssey was only beginning. Alone, with a broken foot and a 20mm shell fragment in his thigh, twenty-year-old Starks set out on an incredible 300-mile trek to Switzerland, making his way with the help of ordinary men and women who often put themselves in great danger on his behalf. Six weeks later, on the verge of giving up, Starks found himself in the hands of a heroic member of the French Resistance—he calls him "the bravest man I've ever known"—who got him safely across the heavily guarded border. Similar ordeals awaited the other nine crewmen, who faced injury, betrayal, captivity, hunger, and depression. It was nothing short of miraculous that all ten came home at the end of the war. George Starks emerged from his ordeal with two passions—to stay in touch with his crew whatever the obstacles and to return to France to find and thank the brave souls to whom he owed his life. His enduring loyalty enabled him to do both. "The story of George Starks is one that brings to life the fighting spirit, heroism, and patriotism shown by the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII. This book is inspirational and a must-read for anyone interested in WWII history in general and the Mighty Eighth Air Force in particular." —HENRY SKIPPER, President and CEO of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force "Rarely do we read true stories about the fearsome, persevering, enduring, unselfish love of country displayed by Dr. George Starks. He doesn't like to be called a hero, but no other word can rightly portray him better. He is my hero and after reading this book, he will be yours too." —BRENDA ELMGREN, former chief administrative of cer of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force "...readers will catch a glimpse into rst-hand accounts of what very young men did in serving our country at a time when the world was at war—and how brave people abroad responded to their mission. You will be inspired and engrossed at every turn of the page of this remarkable book." —BILL FREDERICK, former Mayor of OrlandoGettysburg Rebels: Five Native Sons Who Came Home to Fight as Confederate Soldiers
By Tom Mcmillan. 2017
Gettysburg Rebels is the gripping true story of five young men who grew up in Gettysburg, moved south to Virginia…
in the 1850s, joined the Confederate army - and returned "home" as foreign invaders for the great battle in July 1863. Drawing on rarely-seen documents and family histories, as well as military service records and contemporary accounts, Tom McMillan delves into the backgrounds of Wesley Culp, Henry Wentz and the three Hoffman brothers in a riveting tale of Civil War drama and intrigue.Muskets and Applejack: Spirits, Soldiers, and the Civil War
By Mark Will-Weber. 2017
"I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send…
a barrel of it to my other generals."- President Abraham Lincoln, when confronted about General Ulysses Grant's excessive drinking.Blood, gunfire, and whiskey: they are the three things that defined Civil War battlefields. In this fascinating, booze-drenched history of the war that almost tore America apart, historian Mark Will-Weber (author of Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt) weaves together lighthearted stories of drunken generals and out-of-control soldiers with the gritty reality of battlefields where whiskey was the only medicine-and sometimes the only food.Muskets and Applejack paints a full, complex picture of the surprisingly large role alcohol played in the Civil War: how it helped heal physical and emotional wounds, form friendships, and cause strife. Interspersed between stories from the battlefield are authentic recipes of soldiers' favorite drinks-from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.The Last Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II
By Don Brown, Capt. Jerry Yellin. 2017
*On the Publisher's Weekly bestseller list!*The New York Post calls The Last Fighter Pilot a "must-read" book. From April to…
August of 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin and a small group of fellow fighter pilots flew dangerous bombing and strafe missions out of Iwo Jima over Japan. Even days after America dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, the pilots continued to fly. Though Japan had suffered unimaginable devastation, the emperor still refused to surrender. Bestselling author Don Brown (Treason) sits down with Yelllin, now ninety-three years old, to tell the incredible true story of the final combat mission of World War II. Nine days after Hiroshima, on the morning of August 14th, Yellin and his wingman 1st Lieutenant Phillip Schlamberg took off from Iwo Jima to bomb Tokyo. By the time Yellin returned to Iwo Jima, the war was officially over—but his young friend Schlamberg would never get to hear the news. The Last Fighter Pilot is a harrowing first-person account of war from one of America's last living World War II veterans.LeMay: The Life and Wars of General Curtis LeMay
By Warren Kozak. 2009
Kozak’s biography of U.S. Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay (1906–1990) won’t convert those utterly convinced that he was a…
bomb-happy maniac. The more open-minded, however, will find in it a broader perspective on this controversial officer than we have had elsewhere. His outstanding competence as leader and organizer of strategic airpower in World War II and during the cold war is convincingly presented; so are his limitations in the Pentagon and his poor judgment in being George Wallace’s running mate in 1968.A família que foi à guerra
By Gordon Smith, Leandro Mabillot. 2016
"A família que foi à guerra" é um retrocesso aos prematuros anos de 1900, durante o período de guerra. A…
história segue seis membros de uma família australiana enquanto decidem ir à guerra e lutá-la por diferentes razões. O livro reconta seus altos e baixos, lutas e triunfos. É, ao mesmo tempo, inspirador e desolador o que essas pessoas deixaram para trás (famílias e filhos) e quais as dificuldades encararam durante suas jornadas. A história encobre suas jornadas pela guerra na Europa e explora algumas de suas complexas características e resume a vida dos três que retornaram. Também realça a angústia da mãe o qual filho foi perdido nos campos de batalha de Fromelles e cujo corpo ainda não foi identificado cem anos depois. Seis membros da família foram à guerra. Apenas três retornaram!A Warrior's Faith
By Robert W. Vera. 2015
An exhilarating story of a young Navy SEAL whose relentless faith transformed his life and inspired everyone who knew his…
courageous story.In A Warrior's Faith, Ryan Job's close friend, Robert Vera, recounts how the highly decorated Navy SEAL's unstoppable sense of humor, positive attitude, and fierce determination helped him survive after being shot in the face by an enemy sniper on a roof in Ramadi, Iraq. Though blinded, the irrepressible Job recovered from his wounds and began facing a new set of obstacles with his characteristic humor and resolve. He married the girl of his dreams, hunted elk, climbed Mt. Rainier, graduated college with honors, influenced countless people around him, and was looking forward to being a father--before his life was tragically cut short by a hospital medical error.Vera's raw, often funny, and heartfelt account of his friend's life offers readers a way to find hope in the middle of life's raging storms.Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography
By Craig L Symonds. 1992
"Riveting. . . . A thoughtful biography." --New York Times Book Review General Joseph E. Johnston was in command of…
Confederate forces at the South's first victory--Manassas in July 1861--and at its last--Bentonville in April 1965. Many of his contemporaries considered him the greatest southern field commander of the war; others ranked him second only to Robert E. Lee. But Johnston was an enigmatic man. His battlefield victories were never decisive. He failed to save Confederate forces under siege by Grant at Vicksburg, and he retreated into Georgia in the face of Sherman's march. His intense feud with Jefferson Davis ensured the collapse of the Confederacy's western campaign in 1864 and made Johnston the focus of a political schism within the government. Now in this rousing narrative of Johnston's dramatic career, Craig L. Symonds gives us the first rounded portrait of the general as a public and private man.African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918
By Robert Gaudi. 2017
The incredible true account of General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and his exploits in World War I Africa with the legendary…
"Schutztruppe." As World War I ravaged the European continent, a completely different theater of war was being contested in Africa. And from this very different kind of war, there emerged a very different kind of military leader...At the beginning of the twentieth century, the continent of Africa was a hotbed of international trade, colonialism, and political gamesmanship. So when World War I broke out, the European powers were forced to contend with each other not just in the bloody trenches—but in the treacherous jungle. And it was in that unforgiving land that General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck would make history.With the now legendary "Schutztruppe" (Defensive Force), von Lettow-Vorbeck and a small cadre of hardened German officers fought alongside their fanatically devoted native African allies as equals, creating the first truly integrated army of the modern ageThe Lion of Africa is the almost-forgotten true account of Wiemar Germany’s military escapades on the dark continent. A story of thousand-mile marches through the harshest landscapes; of German officers riding bicycles into battle through the bush; of battleships hidden in jungle rivers teeming with crocodiles; of improbable Zeppelin voyages; of desperate men living off hippo lard and facing dangers in both man and nature.But mostly it is the story of von Lettow-Vorbeck—the only undefeated German commmander in the field during World War I, and the last to surrender his arms in final defeat.Sir Guy Carleton: Lord Dorchester
By A. G. Bradley. 1966
This biography of Sir Guy Carleton was first published in the famous Makers of Canada series in 1907, and re-issued…
in 1926 with supplementary notes incorporating later research by A.L. Burt. When it first appeared it was reviewed by William Wood, who described it as "a really good book on one of the greatest makers of the Empire."