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In the Wars: An uplifting, life-enhancing autobiography, a poignant story of the power of resilience
By Dr Waheed Arian. 2022
AS HEARD ON DESERT ISLAND DISCSAS SEEN ON THE CHANGEMAKERS, a Paramount+ docuseries profiling activists fighting for changeA WATERSTONES PAPERBACK…
OF THE YEAR'A riveting story of loss, exile, and rebirth.' KHALED HOSSEINI, author of The Kite Runner'One of the most incredible life stories you will ever hear.' JAMES O'BRIEN'A remarkable story. I thought this book was brilliant.' NAGA MUNCHETTY__________Born in war-torn Afghanistan, Waheed Arian's first memories are of bombs. His first-hand experience of the power of medicine inspired him to dedicate his life to healing others. But how does a boy with nothing hope to become a doctor?Fleeing the conflict with his family, he spent much of his childhood in refugee camps in Pakistan, living sometimes ten to a room without basic sanitation or access to education. Waheed largely taught himself, from textbooks bought from street-sellers, and learned English from the BBC World Service.Smuggled to the UK at fifteen with just a hundred dollars in his pocket, he found a job in a shop. He was advised to set his sights on becoming a taxi driver. But the boy from Kabul had bigger ambitions.Working through PTSD and anxiety, he studied all hours to achieve his vocation. He was accepted to read medicine at Cambridge University, Imperial College and Harvard, and went on to become a doctor in the NHS, currently in A&E.But he wanted to do more. In 2015 he founded Arian Teleheal, a pioneering global charity that connects doctors in war zones and low-resource countries with their counterparts in the US, UK, Europe and Australia. Together, learning from each other, they save and change lives - the lives of millions of people just like Waheed.For readers of Educated and War Doctor, this is the extraordinary memoir of a boy who recognized the power of education and dreamed about helping others. It is a tale of courage, ambition and unwavering resilience in the face of all the challenges that life can throw in your way.__________WINNER OF:UNESCO's Global Hero AwardWho Cares Wins Best Doctor AwardThe Times's Man of the Year AwardHooked: Confessions of a London Call Girl
By Clare Gee. 2010
In Hooked, reformed addict Clare Gee draws on her own experiences of cocaine addiction, alcoholism and prostitution in telling the…
sensational story of a woman living on the edge.Emotionally scarred by having never known her mother, Katie escapes to London and immerses herself in a seedy world of drugs, drink and sex, chasing happiness in the pubs and clubs, and snorting cocaine in private members' bars with her rich punters.Finding herself in a cycle of prostitution and unable to break free, she turns to drug smuggling and becomes embroiled in a bigamous marriage in an attempt to secure some emotional stability. From this dark emotional pit, Katie starts her painful journey back to 'wellness' and attempts to rid herself of her addictions for good.Hooked is a graphic tale of how life as a prostitute really is and what can happen when we search for happiness outside of ourselves. It is a poignant reminder that things can always get better, as long as we remember that when it's time to leave the party, it's time.In the Shadow of Papillon: Seven Years of Hell in Venezuela's Prison System
By Frank Kane, John Tilsley. 2006
Following the collapse of his business and the loss of his home, Frank Kane made a catastrophic decision. In desperation,…
he agreed to smuggle cocaine out of Venezuela. Almost inevitably, he and his girlfriend, Sam, were caught.The price they paid was a ten-year sentence in the hell of the overcrowded Venezuelan prison system, notorious for corruption and abuse, and rife with weapons and gangs. At one point, Frank was held in the remote El Dorado prison, better known for being the one-time home of Henri Charrière, or Papillon. He witnessed countless murders as gang leaders fought for power, and he had to become as ruthless as his fellow inmates in order to survive. In an attempt to dull the reality of the horrendous conditions, he succumbed to drugs.After enduring years of systematic beatings by the guards and attempts on his life by inmates, Frank suffered more than one breakdown. He lost over four stone and was riddled with disease, but somehow he found the strength within himself to survive and was eventually released in 2004 after serving over seven years of his sentence. During the long walk back from hell, Frank decided to tell his story.Home From War: How Love Conquered the Horrors of a Soldier's Afghan Nightmare
By Marnie Summerfield Smith, Martyn Compton, Michelle Compton. 2011
Lance Corporal Martyn Compton's life was changed beyond recognition when he was blown up in a Taliban ambush that killed…
three of his colleagues. His survival was described as a 'miracle', as he suffered third-degree burns to 75 per cent of his body. He endured 15 operations and doctors used shark cartilage as a base for new skin on his face.But he did not have to face this gruelling ordeal alone. From the moment she heard of his near-fatal wounds, Martyn's fiancée Michelle Clifford found an inner strength to help them both face the future. During Martyn's treatment, Michelle kept a diary in which she revealed the innermost thoughts and emotions she wished she could relay to her wounded partner.Home From War gives a rare insight into the story behind the headlines when soldiers die or are injured. It is also the account of Martyn's battle for adequate compensation. This exploration of how one courageous man came to terms with losing his handsome young face cannot fail to inspire.When Helen was 20, she met Garry Newlove at a local disco. They married in 1986 and had three daughters.…
On 10 August 2007, Garry was brutally beaten by a gang of youths outside the family home in Warrington. He died two days later. It was an act of violence that shocked the nation and would have a profound impact on the lives of Helen and her children.After the ordeal of a ten-week trial and the murder conviction of three youths, Helen held a press conference, giving a speech that attracted national media attention and propelled her into the role of a campaigner for victims’ rights and against the lawlessness that blights so many of our towns and cities.In 2010, Helen was appointed a seat in the House of Lords among some of the most powerful and influential people in the country. Today, she is Baroness Newlove of Warrington, a tireless campaigner against antisocial behaviour and for the rights of victims and witnesses.In this engaging memoir, Helen recounts how her family was shattered by Garry’s murder and how good unexpectedly came out of evil. Her remarkable story is not one of politics and committees; it is about real people and the impact that crime has on us all.Hitler's Bastard: Through Hell and Back in Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia
By Eric Pleasants. 2003
Of all the extraordinary individual accounts that have come out of the Second World War and its aftermath, few can…
compare with that of Eric Pleasants, a member of the 'bastard' British wing of Hitler's SS - the British Free Corps. In this compelling autobiography, Pleasants writes of the bizarre and traumatic years he spent as a prisoner of the twentieth century's most notorious dictators. A life-long pacifist, Pleasants spent the early years of the war on occupied Jersey. He was imprisoned by the Nazis for petty crimes and the years that followed held a whirlwind of unexpected turns. He lived life on the run in occupied Paris, was captured and recruited into the British Free Corps of the Waffen SS, found love with a young German woman, witnessed the bombing of Dresden and attempted to escape from Soviet troops along the sewers of Berlin. When the war ended, Pleasants found himself on the Communist side of the Iron Curtain. By now a strong man in a travelling circus, he was arrested by the KGB on charges of espionage and sentenced to 25 years' slave labour in the notorious camps of Artic Russia. Only with Stalin's death in 1953 was Pleasants finally released from his unique kind of purgatory, after nearly half a lifetime of peripatetic nightmare. He died in 1998 at the age of 87. Hitler's Bastard remains a remarkable testimony to his imperishable will to survive.The Iron Duke: Bobby Windsor - The Life and Times of a Working-Class Rugby Hero
By Bobby Windsor, Peter Jackson. 2010
Lions legend Bobby Windsor has enjoyed triumphs beyond the dreams of most international players but has also suffered personal tragedy.…
His rugby career as the best hooker in the British Isles during the second golden era of Welsh rugby in the 1970s is a turbulent tale of blood and thunder on the pitch. There are riotous incidents off the pitch, including unscheduled fights with professional boxers, revelations about illegal payments during the so-called amateur era and what Windsor did to upset the Establishment and become blackballed by one of the most famous clubs in the world.Windsor's irrepressible sense of humour comes shining through on every page, except when he gives chapter and verse on the personal crisis that drove him to plan suicide.The Iron Duke is the no-holds-barred, warts-and-all story of a working-class Welsh folk hero who rose from humble beginnings to become a permanent member of the greatest Lions team in the history of rugby union.The Hurricane Girls: The inspirational true story of the women who dared to fly
By Jo Wheeler. 2018
Celebrating the lives of the magnificent women, the ATA girls, who courageously flew Spitfires, Tiger Moths, Lancaster Bombers and many…
other aircraft during World War Two.These extraordinary women, Mary Ellis, Jackie Moggridge and Pauline Gower are just a few of the remarkable stories inside . . . Since the invention of aeroplanes, women have taken to the skies. They have broken records, performed daredevil stunts and faced such sexism and prejudice that they were effectively barred from working as pilots.That changed in the Second World War. Led by firebrand Pauline Gower, an elite group of British women were selected as ferry pilots to fly for the Air Transport Auxiliary. They risked their lives flying munitions and equipment for the boys on the front line.Flying day and night without radio; dodging storms, barrage balloons and anti-aircraft fire; and with only a map, compass and their eyesight to guide them, they navigated the treacherous wartime skies.____________The Hurricane Girls is the thrilling, moving and inspirational story of the female air force who once ruled our skies.How You Can Save the Planet
By Hendrikus Van Hensbergen. 2021
*Foreword by Robert Macfarlane, bestselling author of The Lost Words.*If you're worried about climate change, this book is an essential…
and reassuring read.We often feel like we don't have the power to make real change.But our small changes can add up to something BIG. Packed with reassuring step by step actions and easy to follow DIY activities, How You Can Save The Planet is the perfect gift for young activists who want to make a difference.With simple explanations, practical tips and stories from children across the world, this guide is ideal for young people who are worried about climate change and want to help our planet!Crafted by Hendrikus van Hensbergen, whose work is featured on BBC Bitesize[JP2] , this inspiring read is perfect for children at KS2. 'Every young person in the country should be given this book' Sir Tim Smit, Founder of The Eden Project'It's enlightening, inspiring and empowering' Kate Humble, TV presenter'Wonderfully informative, fun and practical [. . .] A great source of inspiration' The Rich Brothers, TV presentersHow to Make a Dress: Adventures in the art of style
By Jenny Packham. 2021
‘From inspiration to sketch, pattern to fabric, the making of a dress has been the structure that has held me,…
and my passion to dress others is the momentum of my life.’ Jenny Packham is one of Britain’s leading designers and most in-demand couturiers, known for her exquisite dresses made for brides, celebrities and even royalty. In How to Make a Dress, she explores her creative journey in a brilliant meditation on life and style.Beginning with the search for creative inspiration and taking us into her studio then onto the red carpet and beyond, she asks the questions that have preoccupied us for centuries: What makes the perfect dress? What do our clothes mean to us? And why do we dress the way we do? Whether she is on the trail of Marilyn Monroe in LA, designing a bespoke piece for the red carpet or sketching for a new collection, Jenny documents her pursuit of the eternal truths of style. Decades in the making, How to Make a Dress is an unforgettable book for anyone who has ever loved a piece of clothing.How Could He Do It?
By Emma Charles. 2011
'In many ways we were an ordinary family: mum, dad, two kids, three dogs, one rabbit, two guinea pigs. I…
stayed at home, studying with the Open University, and dad worked, and the kids went to private schools. We lived in a rather nice semi in a rather nice area of Edinburgh, with a rather nice Volvo in the drive, and took rather nice holidays, wearing rather nice clothes. I loved Daniel deeply and I thought - no, I was sure - he loved me deeply, too. And we both loved our kids deeply (I thought). And that was as it should be. We had it made.In some ways we weren't a completely ordinary family. There was Daniel, for one; he worked for most of the time we were married as a ship's engineer, and so he was away from home for up to four months and then home on leave for up to two. And Tamsin, our fifteen-year-old daughter, had specific learning difficulties. But I'm pretty ordinary: an unlikely heroine. I am disabled because of back problems. I'm pretty fat - I've put on a lot of weight through lack of exercise and, yes, comfort-eating! Not the stuff of movies.But I never for a moment dreamt that my family was all that extraordinary - until that day when Tamsin broke down and told me that her father, my loving husband, had been sexually abusing her.'Harrier: How To Be a Fighter Pilot
By Paul Tremelling. 2022
Discover the exhilarating first-hand account of one man's white-knuckle life as a fighter pilot with the Royal Navy Sea Harriers'Searingly…
honest, keenly observed, well written and extremely funny' RAF NEWS'Puts you in the cockpit for carrier landings, missile firings and some of the most intense close air support stories imaginable' MIKE SUTTON____________Few have what it takes to be a fighter pilot. From the cockpit to the crew room, the pressure is relentless. One mistake is the difference between life and death. But in the air, you'll never feel more alive . . .Paul Tremelling knows this better than anyone. With nearly 20 years of experience, he puts you in the pilot's seat in this thrilling first-hand account of a life in combat.From saving the lives of heroes under fire in Afghanistan, to performing a night trap on a pitching aircraft carrier deck, this is life as you've never experienced it before.Strap in, it's time for take-off . . .____________'An outstanding first-hand account from inside the cockpit, told with flair and humour' JOHNNY MERCER MP, author of We Were Warriors'The storytelling wouldn't be out of place in a thriller. If you are going to take one book on holiday it has to be Harrier . . . it's a superb read. You won't be able to put it down' Aerospace'Mad, bad and dangerous to know . . . Tremelling lights the burners in an extraordinary memoir that leaves most military memoirs sitting behind in the hangar' JAMES BRABAZON, author of My Friend the Mercenary'This isn't a book for the faint-hearted. It is a book for anyone who appreciates insight into how a fighter pilot trains, trains more, thinks (fast), handles the aircraft and onboard tech . . . then fights' FLYER'Tremmers puts you in the cockpit for carrier landings, missile firings and some of the most intense close air support sorties imaginable. Insightful, laced with humour, and highly recommended' MIKE SUTTON, author of Typhoon'An inspiring, enlightening and thrilling insight into how modern aviators earn their pay. The stories from Afghanistan alone are justification enough to read this brilliant book. A masterpiece' PAUL BEAVER, author of Spitfire People 'A memoir that reads like a fast-paced thriller. Harrier launches straight onto the classics shelf of aviation literature' JOHN TEMPLETON SMITH, author of White LieHarold Nicolson
By Norman Rose. 2005
Harold Nicolson was a man of extraordinary gifts. A renowned politician, historian, biographer, diarist, novelist, lecturer, journalist, broadcaster and gardener,…
his position in society and politics allowed him an insight into the most dramatic events of British, indeed world, history.Nicolson's personal life was no less dramatic. Married to Vita Sackville-West, one of the most famous writers of her day, their marriage survived, even prospered, despite their both being practising homosexuals. Unashamedly elitist, bound together by their literary, social, and intellectual pursuits, moving in the refined circles of the Bloomsbury group they viewed life from the rarified peaks of aristocratic haughtiness. Few men could boast such gifts as Nicolson possessed, yet he ended his life plagued by self-doubt. 'I am attempting nothing; therefore I cannot fail,' he once acknowledged. What went wrong? It was a question that haunted Nicolson throughout his adult life. Relying on a wealth of archival material, Norman Rose brilliantly disentangles fact from fiction, setting Nicolson's story of perceived failure against the wider perspective of his times.Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now: My Difficult 80s
By Andrew Collins. 2004
'Higher education comes at exactly the right time: in the twilight of your teens, you're just starting to coagulate as…
a human being, to pull away from parental influence and find your own feet. What better than three years in which to explore the inner you, establish a feasible worldview, and maybe get on Blockbusters.'After an idyllic provincial 1970s childhood, the 1980s took Andrew Collins to London, art school and the classic student experience. Crimping his hair, casting aside his socks and sporting fingerless gloves, he became Andy Kollins: purveyor of awful poetry; disciple of moany music, and wannabe political activist. What follows is a universal tale of trainee hedonism, girl trouble, wasted grants and begging letters to parents. A synth-soundtracked rite of passage that's often painfully funny, it traces one teenager's metamorphosis from sheltered suburban innocent to semi-mature metropolitan male through the pretensions and confusions of trying to stand alone for the first time in your own kung fu pumps in a big bad city.Hard Knocks & Soft Spots
By Paddy Doherty. 2012
'I fight hard and love strong. I'm a traveller.'Paddy Doherty loves his life as an Irish traveller, but as a…
child he felt like an outsider. He was different to his siblings. On the rare occasions he went to school, he was bullied for being a gypsy boy. And beyond the gates of the camp he found nothing but hostility. Slowly, Paddy's hurt turned into anger and by the age of 11 he had started out on an illustrious career in bare-knuckle fighting. This earned him a position as one of the most well-respected (and feared) men in the travelling community. Yet while he won countless contests in the ring, the real battles he faced were very much outside.In this deeply honest autobiography, he tells of how he has loved and lost five children; plummeted to seven stone while battling depression, drink and drugs. He describes how it feels to be shot point-blank in the head and the lengths he'll go to to protect his people, as well as life since My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and Big Brother.Told with all the warmth and humour he is famed for, Paddy's rich and colourful story is one that will stay with you for a long time to come.The Hounding of David Oluwale
By Kester Aspden. 1978
'David Oluwale's story has a raw power...and Kester Aspden makes it relevant for the reader of today' Mishal HusainAn award-winning…
microhistory that examines the death of David Oluwale and institutionalised police racism in Britain.When, in May 1969, the body of David Oluwale was found in the River Aire near Leeds, few questions were asked about the circumstances of his death. Oluwale was homeless and had spent time in a psychiatric hospital, an immigrant from Nigeria who was trapped in a system that had failed him miserably.Eighteen months later a lengthy campaign of harassment by two Leeds policemen was uncovered - Oluwale became national news in Britain, and a symbol for its black community. This extraordinary book draws on original archival material only recently released to revisit one of the most chilling crimes in British history, and at the same time raises questions as relevant today as they were at the end of the sixties.Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2008'Aspden's painstaking research, empathetic approach and ability to weave together a vivid wider social critique show Oluwale was done a terrible disservice' MetroCrime detection has gone to the dogs and squirrels are being busted for espionage. If you've never wondered about the…
new direction of 'intelligence-led policing' in our society, now is the time to start. It was a chance encounter with a police sniffer-dog that drew criminal lawyer Amber Marks into the hidden world of the science of smell and its law-enforcement applications. Soon she stumbled into a wonderland of contemporary surveillance, where the spying skills of bees, dolphins and a myriad other critters were being harnessed to build a 'secure world' of bio-intelligence. From the businesses, scientists and military departments developing new smell-based surveillance technologies, to good old-fashioned police dogs, Amber discovered a secret world of security forces, where animals and scent are as important as intelligence agents and CCTV.Part polemical exploration of our burgeoning surveillance society, part humorous memoir, this intriguing book will capture your imagination and get you wondering: just who stands to benefit from all this 'security'?The Glossy Years: Magazines, Museums and Selective Memoirs
By Nicholas Coleridge. 2001
'The most entertaining book of the year' Sunday Times _____________________________________________________Diana touched your elbow, your arm, covered your hand with hers.…
It was alluring. And she was disarmingly confiding."Can I ask you something? Nicholas, please be frank..."Over his thirty-year career at Condé Nast, Nicholas Coleridge has witnessed it all. From the anxieties of the Princess of Wales to the blazing fury of Mohamed Al-Fayed, his story is also the story of the people who populate the glamorous world of glossy magazines. With relish and astonishing candour, he offers the inside scoop on Tina Brown and Anna Wintour, David Bowie and Philip Green, Kate Moss and Beyonce; on Margaret Thatcher's clothes legacy, and a surreal weekend away with Bob Geldof and William Hague. Cara Delevingne, media tycoons, Prime Ministers, Princes, Mayors and Maharajas - all cross his path.His career in magazines straddles the glossies throughout their glorious zenith - from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to the digital iterations of the 21st century. Having cut his teeth on Tatler, and as Editor-in-Chief of Harpers & Queen, he became the Mr Big of glossy publishing for three decades.Packed with surprising and often hilarious anecdotes, The Glossy Years also provides perceptive insight into the changing and treacherous worlds of fashion, journalism, museums and a whole sweep of British society. This is a rich, honest, witty and very personal memoir of a life splendidly lived.__________________________________________________________'An entertaining whirlwind' Evening Standard'Gentle, jolly . . . Blissfully funny' Sunday Telegraph'An irresistible read, hilarious, honest and insightful. I adored it' Tina Brown'Sparkling' Spectator'Forthright, witty and gossipy . . . a passion for glossy magazines shines through this effervescent memoir' Sunday ExpressHead Over Heels in the Dales
By Gervase Phinn. 2002
Join Gervase Phinn in the classroom where he faces his greatest challenge: keeping a straight face as teachers and children…
alike conspire to have him laughing out loud . . .'So funny, it will echo things that happen in your own life' 5***** Reader Review'A wonderful, entertaining and enjoyable read. The humour is infectious' 5***** Reader Review______ 'Could you tell me how to spell "sex" please?' Gervase Phinn thinks he's heard just about everything in his two years as a school inspector, but a surprising enquiry from an angelic six-year-old reminds him never to take children for granted. This year Gervase has lots of important things on his mind - his impending marriage to Christine Bentley (the prettiest headteacher for miles around), finding somewhere idyllic to live in the Yorkshire Dales, and the chance of a promotion.All of which generate their fair share of excitement, aided and abetted as usual by his colleagues in the office.Funny, uplifting and joyful, Head over Heels in the Dales is the third in Gervase Phinn's much-loved series.______'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staff-rooms' Daily Telegraph'A natural storyteller' Yorkshire PostHandstands In The Dark: A True Story of Growing Up and Survival
By Janey Godley. 2020
Brought up amid near-Dickensian squalour in the tough East End of Glasgow and sexually abused by her uncle, Janey married…
into a Glasgow criminal family as a teenager, then found herself having to cope with the murder of her mother, violence, religious sectarianism, abject poverty and a frightening family of in-laws.First-hand, Janey saw the gangland violence and met extraordinary characters within an enclosed and seldom-revealed Glasgow underworld - from the grim and far-from-Swinging 60s, to the discos of the 70s, to the tidal wave of heroin addiction which swept through and engulfed Glasgow's East End during the 1980s.This evocative, intimate and moving portrayal of a woman forced to fight every day for her family's future will strike a chord with anyone who has ever struggled against adversity.