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Armchair Travel December 2017
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The last girl : my story of captivity, and my fight against the Islamic State
by Nadia Murad
A human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee traces the harrowing and ultimately inspiring story of her captivity by the Islamic State, describing how militants massacred the people of her Iraqi farming village, killing most of her family members and forcing her into prostitution before she escaped and became an advocate for human rights.
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| L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David LebovitzIf you enjoy amusing stories about people buying homes in awesome places, L'Appart is for you. Love food? Even better! In his latest book, American expat chef and baker David Lebovitz chronicles his adventures buying and renovating a Paris apartment. Recipes, red tape horror stories, and renovation nightmares are all included, as are details about French idiosyncrasies, Parisian markets, adjusting to life abroad, and so much more. |
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The Sagrada Família : the astonishing story of Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece
by Gijs Van Hensbergen
The Sagrada Familia' explores the evolution of this remarkable building, working through the decades right up to the present day before looking beyond to the final stretch of its construction. It is at once a guidebook and a chronological history, and a moving and compelling study of man's aspiration towards the divine. Rich in detail, vast in scope, this is a revelatory and authoritative study of a building and its place in history and the genius that created it.
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| Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World by Noah StryckerNoah Strycker had a big 2015 goal: to travel the globe seeing as many bird species as possible (preferably over 5,000, which would break a world record). His delightful Birding without Borders chronicles his travels to over 40 countries on all seven continents, his encounters with interesting local birders and fellow travelers, how he came to love birds as a child, and the history and future of birding. This accessible book isn't just for the bird-obsessed, but for all fans of detail-rich, enlightening, and amusing journeys. |
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Dear world : a Syrian girl's story of war and plea for peace
by Bana Al Abed
A full-length account of the young Twitter activist's harrowing experiences in war-torn Siberia describes how her home was decimated by bombings and dwindling supplies before her family embarked on a perilous escape to Turkey. A first book.
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| Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom... by Blaine HardenWith North Korea so much in the news of late, people may wonder what life is like in this closed-off, authoritarian country. You can read the bestselling Escape from Camp 14 for a glimpse. Telling the dramatic story of Shin Dong-hyuk, who was born in one of North Korea's infamous political prisons and is one of the very few people to have escaped, the book describes brutal conditions, where affection is virtually nonexistent and torture, beatings, and starvation are routine. Follow Shin Dong-hyuk as he makes it to South Korea, China, and the U.S. and deals with culture shock. |
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| Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki KimThis gripping book reads a bit like a dystopian novel as it vividly depicts life in North Korea. Suki Kim, an award-winning author who was born in South Korea but has lived in the United States since she was a teen, took a job teaching English to the sons of North Korea's ruling class during what turned out to be the last six months of Kim Jong Il's reign. She watched every word she said, kept notes on a secret flash drive, and tried to connect with her students, young men who believed all the propaganda they'd been served and had little idea of what the rest of the world is like. Kim's well-written, thought-provoking examination of this closed-off land offers a rare look at the elite of the country. |
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| The Girl With Seven Names: Escape from North Korea by Hyeonseo Lee with David JohnBorn in North Korea near the border with China, Hyeonseo Lee had a relatively happy childhood (her family had enough money for food and some extras), but things changed when her father died. When she first secretly crossed the border at 17, she planned to return to her family -- however, when that proved impossible, she lived in China for years, taking new names for safety reasons, before finally making it to South Korea at 28. Later, she helped her family escape...but they faced many barriers. The presenter of a popular TED talk, Lee offers extraordinary insight into both North Korea and China in her compelling book. |
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Not forgotten : the true story of my imprisonment in North Korea
by Kenneth Bae
Driven by his passion to help the people of North Korea, Bae moves to neighboring China to lead guided tours into the secretive nation. Six years later, after eighteen successful excursions in and out of the country, Ken is suddenly stopped at the border: he inadvertently brought his hard drive, that reveals the true nature of his visits, to customs. He is arrested, brought to Pyongyang for further questioning, and sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor. His crime? Attempting to overthrow the North Korean government.
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In Order to Live : a North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom
by Yeonmi Park
A young North Korean defector and activist describes her father's imprisonment by the regime of Kim Jong-Il, her enslavement in China and her walk through the freezing Gobi Desert to freedom in South Korea, where she dedicated her life to human rights activism.
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