| Last Hope Island: Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war by Lynne OlsonDuring the first few months of World War II, Britain became the operations centre for several continental governments in exile. Their ability to exchange information and coordinate efforts with each other, British officials, and Free French champion Charles de Gaulle enhanced the Allies' strategies against the Axis powers. This well-researched history reads like a spy thriller, chronicling mishaps and triumphs in terms of the individuals involved. |
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| Enduring Vietnam: An American generation and its war by James WrightDrawing on written sources and interviews with veterans and families of personnel who died, Enduring Vietnam evokes the war, the politics that swirled around it, its unpopularity on the home front, and -- poignantly -- the experiences of those most involved. This powerful reminder of the conflict's grim legacy will be especially compelling to members of the Baby Boom generation. |
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Hell no: The forgotten power of the Vietnam peace movement
by Tom Hayden
This movement was a watershed in our history, yet today it is in danger of being forgotten, condemned by its critics for everything from cowardice to stab-in-the-back betrayal. In this indispensable essay, Tom Hayden, a principal anti-Vietnam War organiser, calls to account elites who want to forget the Vietnam peace movement and excoriates those who trivialise its impact, engage in caricature of protesters and question their patriotism. In so doing, he seeks both a reckoning and a healing of national memory.
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The Russian revolution: A new history
by Sean McMeekin
Between 1900 and 1920, Russia underwent a complete and irreversible transformation: by the end of these two decades, a new regime was in place, the economy had collapsed, and over 20 million Russians had died during the revolution and what followed. Still, Bolshevik power remained intact due to a remarkable combination of military prowess, violent terror tactics, and the failures of their opposition. And as McMeekin shows, Russia's revolutionaries were aided at nearly every step by countries like Germany and Sweden who sought to benefit-politically and economically-from the chaotic changes overtaking the country.
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Bad News : Last journalists in a dictatorship
by Anjan Sundaram
Bad News is the extraordinary account of the battle for free speech in modern-day Rwanda. Following not only those journalists who stayed, despite fearing torture or even death from a ruthless government, but also those reporting from exile, it is the story of papers being shut down, of lies told to please foreign delegates, of the unshakeable loyalty that can be bred by terror, of history being retold, of constant surveillance, of corrupted elections and of great courage. It tells the true narrative of Rwandan society today and, in the face of powerful forces, of the fight to make explosions heard.
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Weird War Two
by Peter Taylor
Welcome to Weird War Two, a catalogue of the weird, the wonderful and the downright eccentric, from deep within IWM's Second World War archives. From wacky inventions to elusive secret agents, from bizarre propaganda posters to the dummy acting as a decoy for a daring escape, from inflatable tanks to painted cows, this is proof that, as ever, the truth is stranger than fiction.
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Pale rider: The Spanish flu of 1918 and how it changed the world
by Laura Spinney
With a death toll between fifty and one hundred million people across the globe, the Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. Nevertheless, it exists in our memory as a mere footnote to World War I. In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of this overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain, and from South Africa to Odessa. Through the point of view of those who lived through it, she shows how the flu was shaped by the interaction of the virus with the humans it encountered and how this devastating natural experiment put both the vulnerability and the ingenuity of mankind to the test.
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Inside Pakistan: The most dangerous country in the world
by Hasnain Kazim
Pakistan, a land with a long and storied history, is experiencing a tumultuous present. As its population expands to surpass two hundred million, its infrastructure is faltering and rampant unemployment and power outages have become the norm. The military controls much of the nation, and at the same time as the public educational system has found itself lacking needed resources, a brand of conservative and radical Islam has developed that is now a prominent political force. And yet the hope and resilience of the Pakistanis remain as strong as ever, promising the possibility of a calmer tomorrow.
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| The Nixon defense: What he knew and when he knew it by John W. DeanIn June 1972, burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, DC. As evidence emerged that the burglary was connected to the White House, Watergate came to symbolise the unravelling of Richard Nixon's presidency. In this historic page-turner, former White House Counsel John Dean chronicles the slow-motion disaster that ended with Nixon's unprecedented resignation from the presidency in 1974. |
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| Falling upwards: How we took to the air by Richard HolmesThe launch of the Montgolfier brothers' balloon in the French Alps on June 4, 1783, marked the beginning of human flight. Tracing the subsequent history of ballooning enthusiasts, author Richard Holmes introduces aerial pioneers whose motives range from scientific discovery to military applications to exploration -- and even poetry. If aeronautics fascinates you, take flight with the engaging prose of Falling Upwards. |
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| The dead and those about to die: D-Day by John C. McManusFeaturing the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division (nicknamed the Big Red One), The Dead and Those About to Die vividly details the June 6, 1944 assault on German strongholds on Normandy's coast. Drawing on personal testimony and official records, military historian John McManus provides a gripping soldier's-eye view that reveals how close the invasion came to failing and highlights the heroic sacrifices that won the day. |
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