Service Alert
Website maintenance April 24 10pm ET
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 121 - 140 of 15730 items
By Tony Benn. 1988
'The detail of these diaries, and their comprehensive candour, offer unprecedented insights into the personal behaviour of many senior Labour…
politicians... The most readable political diary of the period' Harold Lever, SpectatorTony Benn's second volume of diaries, which spans the years 1968-72, is a unique record of British politics as observed both from the heart of the Cabinet and the Labour Party.George Brown's spectacular resignation and Cecil King's plot to overthrow Wilson are just two of the events which dominate the opening chapter, and introduce the last years of Labour's increasingly demoralised government.And for the first time in a political diary, Labour's experience of Opposition after the unexpected and shattering defeat of 1970 is revealed. Here, too, are recorded the bitter arguments over the Common Market, in which Tony Benn emerged as the principal advocate of a referendum on Britain's entry - and which foreshadowed the Labour/SDP schism of 1981. The result is a fascinating and invaluable document of the times.'A fascinating insider's account' Ben Pimlott, StandardBy Evelyn Prentis. 1978
'We were quickly learning to live with war. We became very proficient at moving the patients who could walk quickly…
to the shelters when the sirens went. We were equally proficient at talking those who couldn't walk into believing that they would be safe where they were. Some believed us, others didn't.'Surprising Matron as well as herself, Evelyn Prentis managed to pass her Finals and become a staff-nurse. Encouraged, she took the brave leap of moving from Nottingham to London - brave not least because war was about to break. Not only did the nurses have to cope with stray bombs and influxes of patients from as far away Dunkirk, but there were also RAF men stationed nearby - which caused considerable entertainment and disappointment, and a good number of marriages ...But despite all the disruption to the hospital routine, Evelyn's warm and compelling account of a nurse in action, shows a nurse's life would always revolve around the comforting discomfort of porridge and rissoles, bandages and bedpans.By Evelyn Prentis. 1980
'Matron smiled. It was the smile that one woman gives to another and not the chilly facial movement from Matrons…
of old. "Do you think you would be able to work 9 to 3.30?" For a moment I couldn't think at all. There seemed something not quite right in being paid for so little labour.'At the end of the Second World War, as husbands came back to Civvy Street their wives had the luxury of staying at home with the children. For a short while at least. Soon Evelyn realised she had to find part-time work to make ends meet, and to her astonishment she was offered part-time hours at her old hospital.The day-to-day job hadn't changed much, but she was now a nurse and mother. Whooping cough and measles could still kill a small child, and the early '50s polio epidemic left the whole country in shock.But the nurses worked hard, moaned incessantly about their aching feet and yet found things to laugh at, just as they did from the start of their training. If old soldiers never die, then neither do nurses.By Daniel Levin. 2017
'Brilliant observations on the anthropology of power. You will laugh aloud and you won't put it down' Daniel KahnemanIn this…
eye-opening exploration of the human weaknesses for power, Daniel Levin takes us on a hilarious journey through the absurd world of our global elites, drawing unforgettable sketches of some of the puppets who stand guard, and the jugglers and conjurers employed within. Most spectacular of all, however, are the astonishing contortions performed by those closest to the top in order to maintain the illusion of integrity, decency, and public service. Based on the author's first hand experiences of dealing with governments and political institutions around the world, Nothing but a Circus offers a rare glimpse of the conversations that happen behind closed doors, observing the appalling lengths that people go to in order to justify their unscrupulous choices, from Dubai to Luanda, Moscow to Beijing, and at the heart of the UN and the US government.By Suzanne Portnoy. 2008
Middle-aged single mother and entertainment publicist Suzanne Portnoy leads a double life. Monday to Friday, she's a professional executive devoted…
to her two adolescent boys. But at weekends she spends her kid-free hours having sex, with a different man each time. Or multiple men.Picking up where her first book, The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker: An Erotic Memoir, left off, this memoir finds Suzanne both confronting the consequences, and enjoying the fruits, of her notoriety as the bestselling author of an erotic memoir. From a coked-up rock star to an uptight millionaire, to a hunky stripper, Suzanne attracts plenty of men wherever she goes, particularly once they learn her identity. But just when Suzanne grows reconciled to the possibility of never settling down, she meets a man who wants to be more than one of her 'friends.' While debating whether to unload her 'portfolio' of men for the potential one true lover, this most unconventional woman ponders the most conventional question: has she found the fabled Mr Right or will he prove to be just another in a long string of Mr Wrongs?By Julie Myerson. 2005
P.E. You either loved it or hated it, looked forward to it or dreaded it, but we've all been forced…
to do it. Sometimes a note could get you out of it, but the following week there you'd be again, writhing on a cold and dusty gym floor in your underwear. Skinny, timid, knock-kneed Julie Myerson was 'not a games person', according to her teachers. In this touching, funny and occasionally devastating exploration of her childhood, she now asks the question: why not?'An extraordinary story of transformation and inner strength' - KATIE PIPER'Well worth reading: a tale of real heroism and obstacles…
overcome' - THE MAIL ON SUNDAY'Truly remarkable and so helpful' - FEARNE COTTON'Finding self-acceptance hasn't always been easy. I was abandoned at birth with a facial difference, and as I got older, I began to hate my face and the world I lived in.Gradually, through trial and error, random moments with strangers, and some tragic haircuts, I've found self-love and happiness.This book is the story of how I found my way out of difficult times, and how you can do the same.'Jono Lancaster was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome - a condition that affects facial appearence - and at only two weeks old, he found himself in foster care. In his remarkable story, Jono shares the highs and lows of his journey and how he turned his differences into his greatest strengths.Inspirational, empowering and moving - this is an extraordinary memoir with a powerful message: you are strong enough to become your own hero. (Cape optional.)By Laura Belbin. 2022
Shame, shame we know your nameDo we own it? Being a woman that is. Do we fuck! We live in…
fear of how we look, what we eat, how we age and what we do. Wow, it's 2022 and we're still churning out that same old shit. I've been told as you get older you care less. Fucking great. I can't wait to be menopausal with skunk-like grey track lines in my hair, saggier tits, and miserable as shit. I don't know about you, but I'd quite like to have that experience - the no-fucks-experience that is - now, before that all happens. To have the confidence to believe in who I am. It's a push we all have to make - whether it be in our confidence over our bodies, who we are as people, or what goes on inside our mind - and we all have to work at it. It's baby steps. So let's take it back to those tiny steps, because all mountains that are climbed don't happen without practice, perseverance, self-belief and a fuck ton of work.By Coleen Nolan. 2014
No Regrets is Coleen Nolan's gripping new memoir about love and heartbreak.As a member of the Nolan sisters, Coleen Nolan…
was born into the spotlight and has stayed there ever since. She has now become one of the nation's favourite TV presenters and is used to newspapers and magazines claiming to have the inside story of her private life. In No Regrets Coleen finally reveals the truth of what really happened during the last few rollercoaster years, truly the worst of her life.Whilst it's certainly been a traumatic time for the whole family, Coleen is a survivor. First and foremost, she is a mum and is determined to hold her family together.The Nolans finally put aside their infamous feud to rally round their beloved sister Bernie, who tragically lost her fight with cancer on the 4th of July last year, aged just 52. In this memoir, Coleen movingly describes her struggle to deal with the emotional scars that come from losing someone so close and the effect it has had on her own life.Coleen also reveals the secret that she has been hiding from prying eyes: her second marriage and 'happy ever after' with musician Ray Fensome was pushed to breaking point by a series of rows and separations. Here, for the first time, Coleen reveals how she has battled to save her marriage and to stop her family being torn apart.In this incredibly candid memoir, Coleen writes with raw honesty about her family troubles, her career highs and lows, and her struggle with her body image. In recent years, Coleen has found herself in both a plastic surgeon's office looking at a £20,000 bill to 'fix her face' and at a breast cancer clinic asking for the removal of her healthy breasts to avoid becoming the fourth sister in the family to be struck down by cancer.Wonderfully warm and moving, and brilliantly funny and honest, No Regrets will take you from laughter to tears and back again as you share in Coleen's very personal journey.By Sophie Morgan. 2013
Sophie Morgan bares all in her controversial sequel to Diary of a Submissive, No Ordinary Love Story.Sophie Morgan is a…
submissive. An ordinary, successful young woman who in private surrenders her body and mind to a dominant man. Some of these relationships have been loving, others casual, one just cruel. But what happens when she meets the dominant man of her dreams? When they move in together? When life, love and play collide?In Adam, Sophie has found a man to respect and cherish her, as well as a lover who'll take her to the very limits of pain and pleasure. But how do you decide whose cooking dinner when later one of you will be whipping the other? Can you be curled up together watching TV one night and the next indulging in a serious punishment session?In this follow-up to the number-one bestseller, The Diary of a Submissive, Sophie tells us what she did next, how she struggled to combine an ordinary relationship with her sexual needs. It's a controversial, honest and erotic story of trying to find her kinkily romantic happy-ever-after. No Ordinary Love Story is Sophie Morgan's real-life Fifty Shades of Grey.Sophie Morgan is the author number-one best-selling The Diary of a Submissive, and is a journalist in her thirties.By Marian Hughes. 2014
No Cake, No Jam is the heart-warming true story of a little girl’s London childhood during the Blitz, and of…
how she rose above adversity through sheer guts and strength of character.Marian Hughes was born in the same year as her father committed suicide. She spent most of her early childhood with her elder sisters and brother in Spurgeon’s Orphanage in South London. There she learned to love extravagant hymns and to receive regular beatings.Suddenly, when Marian was ten, her mother appeared. All four children were swept up by their mother to live in a damp and filthy flat off Baker Street. There began a life of moonlight flits, camping and squats. Marian’s mother forgot to feed her children, and paid no attention to school or the bombing. Marian soon turned to begging and stealing to help the family get by.Marian’s brother and elder sisters left home as soon as they could, but Marian remained to support her deranged and frequently violent mother, evading Care and Protection Orders and often running away. Then the day finally came when Marian had to sign the papers to have her mother committed. From that moment, 14-year-old Marian had to find out if she was strong enough to live for herself ...Throughout all the twists and turns of her childhood, Marian never lost her spirit and never faltered in her loyalty. Full of vigour, truth, humour and curiosity, No Cake, No Jam is a passionate celebration of a life and love.By Jonathan Powell. 2010
The New Machiavelli is a gripping account of life inside 'the bunker' of Number 10. In his twenty-first century reworking…
of Niccolo Machiavelli's influential masterpiece, The Prince, Jonathan Powell - Tony Blair's Chief of Staff from 1994 - 2007 - recounts the inside story of that period, drawing on his own unpublished diaries. Taking the lessons of Machiavelli derived from his experience as an official in fifteenth-century Florence, Powell shows how these lessons can still apply today. Illustrating each of Machiavelli's maxims with a description of events that occurred during Tony Blair's time as Prime Minister, The New Machiavelli is designed to be The Prince for modern times.By Peter Kilby. 2013
The heartbreaking but inspiring true story of a childhood of abuse, and finding a way out of the darkness. Peter…
was just a toddler when his mother tragically died after trying to abort a child they simply couldn't support. When his father swiftly replaced her with his mistress, Peter made the mistake of calling her 'Mummy'. Dragged outside, trampled on and shouted at, Peter never made that mistake again. Peter tried time and time again to flee the terrible abuse that dominated his childhood; his hands held against burning stoves, being thrown from a window and even his small feet nailed to the floorboards to prevent his running away. In Never Call Me Mummy Again, the devastating yet profoundly moving and uplifting memoir, Peter Kilby tells of how he finally escaped the stepmother from hell and started again.By Frederick Douglass. 2016
Frederick Douglass was a key figure in helping to secure the abolition of slavery in America – discover his Narrative.…
A masterpiece … [Douglass] was not only self-educated, with a love of language which should still be an inspiration; he was also self-created’ New York Times Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. After his escape in 1838 he became an ardent abolitionist, and his autobiography was an instant bestseller upon publication in 1845. In it he describes with harrowing honesty his life as a slave – the cruelty he suffered at the hands of plantation owners; his struggles to educate himself in a world where slaves are deliberately kept ignorant; and ultimately, his fight for his right to freedom. A passionately written, intelligent and highly emotive indictment of slavery, his principle preoccupation was that slavery could be eradicated only through education. This text was key in helping to secure its eventual abolition.By Stuart Maconie. 2020
'He is as funny as Bryson and as wise as Orwell' ObserverIt was the spirit of our finest hour, the…
backbone of our post-war greatness, and it promoted some of the boldest and most brilliant schemes this isle has ever produced: it was the Welfare State, and it made you and I. But now it's under threat, and we need to save it.In this timely and provocative book, Stuart Maconie tells Britain’s Welfare State story through his own history of growing up as a northern working class boy. What was so bad about properly funded hospitals, decent working conditions and affordable houses? And what was so wrong about student grants, free eye tests and council houses? And where did it all go so wrong? Stuart looks toward Britain’s future, making an emotional case for believing in more than profit and loss; and championing a just, fairer society.By Paul Mullin. 2023
The memoir from Wrexham super striker, Paul Mullin - as seen in Welcome to Wrexham, a Disney+ documentary series by…
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.In July 2021, shortly after being named League Two's Player of the Season and Golden Boot, Paul Mullin sent shockwaves through the EFL by taking a downwards move to National League team, Wrexham AFC. Since then, 'Super Paul Mullin' has helped transform the Wrexham team, scoring goal after goal, helping secure promotion, and capturing the imaginations of football fans across the world in the process.Here for the first time, Mullin tells his own story: his roots in Liverpool, the highs and lows of English football's promotion race, lessons learnt from his young son's Autism diagnosis, and what happens when Hollywood comes knocking at your door.By Leslie Thomas. 1993
Leslie Thomas's odyssey is a vivid, personal account of the most fascinating islands at the furthest reaches of the globe:…
to islands as distant and diverse as Saint-Pierre et Miquelon off Newfoundland and Great Barrier Island off New Zealand, and to places more familiar by name, including Nantucket, Fair Isle, Tahiti, and Capri, this journey voyages to the world's smaller places.Descriptive, evocative and liberally sprinkled with anecdotes, the book weaves together a tapestry of impressions. Beachcombing for local legends, geography, colonial history and maritime lore, Thomas's search for the mystique of these islands gives the reader a unique insight into an extraordinary and beautiful world of islands.'My World of Islands reads as a paean to a past age... a reminder that the entire world has not yet been reduced to Frejus or Marbella' Times Literary SupplementBy Tom Daley. 2013
DIVE INTO THE REMARKABLE FIRST OFFICIAL MEMOIR OF OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST TOM DALEY AND DISCOVER WHERE IT ALL BEGAN'I laughed,…
I cried, I loved it! Probably the most inspirational book I have ever read' 5***** Reader Review'You feel like you're there with Tom through the highs and lows of his life' 5***** Reader Review_______In 2012, at the age of eighteen, Tom Daley had the whole country behind him as he won bronze at the Olympic Games in London.A double Commonwealth gold medal winner, he was already one of the sport's most exciting athletes.But behind his rise to sporting stardom, there is also a heartbreaking and inspiring story of a young man coping with the death of his father whilst under the glare of the world's media spotlight.In this, Tom's first official memoir, he writes honestly and openly about the pressures, challenges and fascinating experiences of being a world-class Olympian. From his day-to-day schedule, to his hobbies and family life, to sharing his hopes and dreams in the build-up to the London Olympics, this book offers a unique chance to get close to Tom.You already know him as the legendary Olympic athlete. Now, get the know the man behind the medals.By Steven Gerrard. 2015
Get ready for the Euros by journeying through the iconic and searingly honest story of one of the country's best…
ever footballers'A truly world class career . . . This is a must read' 5***** READER REVIEW'An astonishing tale of commitment, loyalty and determination' 5***** READER REVIEW'A heart on sleeve account of success and failure' 5***** READER REVIEW________In My Story, legendary Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard tells the story of the highs and lows of a twenty-year career at the top of English and world football As the only player ever to have scored in a FA cup final, a league cup final, a UEFA cup final and a champion's league final, Steven Gerrard is an inspiration to fans and footballers alike. After joining his beloved Liverpool at the age of eight, he spent the next 28 years, and over 700 games, devoted to this one club. His loyalty ensures he will be remembered not only as one of the all-time Anfield greats but one of England's finest footballers. In My Story, Gerrard dissects his full playing career. He examines the defining games such as the 2005 Champion's League Final when he inspired 'The Miracle of Istanbul' as Liverpool came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to become champions of Europe. He talks about his 114 caps for England, including World Cup and European Championship campaigns, asking what went right - and wrong. He writes candidly of those he's played with and competed against, from Luis Suárez to Jose Mourinho, his experiences under Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson. He also has an incredible and rare personal story, telling us of the extraordinary ups and downs of staying loyal to one club for your entire career. Explosive and searingly honest, Steven Gerrard's My Story is the last word from an era-defining player.By Douglas Galbraith. 2012
What do you do when your wife abducts your children? This was the question facing Douglas Galbraith when, in 2003,…
he returned home to Scotland from a few days' work in London. The house was silent, empty and locked; his four and six-year-old sons' pyjamas lay on the bedroom floor. And on the doormat, confirmation from the Post Office of a forwarding address - in Japan. He has not seen them since.This book goes to the very heart of relations between parents and children, men and women, and between races and nations - to the heart of what it is to be alive.