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I Denti di Dio: L'Ultimo Italiano: una Saga in Tre Parti (L'ultimo italiano: una saga in tre parti #1)
by Anthony DelstrettoLibro Uno di "L’Ultimo Italiano: una Saga in Tre Parti" Amore, gelosia, omicidio, vendetta, tutti ait tempi del colera. Quindi i briganti attaccano! I DENTI DI DIO (1882-1886) Il ventiquattrenne Carlo Como va a pescare un giorno all’alba sull’ampio fiume vicino al suo villaggio dell’Italia settentrionale. Quella mattina Carlo tira su una preda ben differente: tre grandi pietre bianche conosciute come “i Denti di Dio”. Le pietre pregiate, molto apprezzate dai ceramisti locali, gli permetteranno di sposare la sua amata, Tonia Vacci, un’operaia nel tetro setificio della cittadina. Ma la scoperta di Carlo dà luogo a una catena di eventi fatali che influenzeranno se stesso e la sua famiglia per i decenni a venire. Il fratello di Tonia, Ettore, è determinato ad avanzare nella vita con i propri meriti e lascia Castrubello. Con un socio irruento fonda un’impresa di costruzioni e si dirige a sud per realizzare la Strada Reale attraverso le montagne della Campania. Ettore ben presto si trova a dover rispettare una scadenza impossibile e combattere una banda di briganti tagliagole condotta dal leggendario Corsicano, che giura di fermare con la violenza lo sfrontato intruso che mette in pericolo il suo covo di montagna. I DENTI DI DIO è l primo volume de “L’Ultimo Italiano: una Saga in Tre Parti” un racconto avvincente che inizia nell’Italia del 1882 e copre più di sessant’anni di tumulto sociale e politico. Tre generazioni delle famiglie Como e Vacci si trovano a fronteggiare proprietari terrieri rapaci, epidemie mortali, guerre tormentose, pericolosa emigrazione e brutalità fascista durante gli ultimi turbolenti sessantatré anni del Regno d’Italia. E in tutto questo tempo, mentre i personaggi cercano di mantenere l’equilibrio fra la dedizione all’amore, alla lealtà e onore e le esigenze implacabili della sopravvivenza fisica, il Fato è sempre in agguato per intervenire repentiname
I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
by Michela WrongScarred by decades of conflict and occupation, the craggy African nation of Eritrea has weathered the world's longest-running guerrilla war. The dogged determination that secured victory against Ethiopia, its giant neighbor, is woven into the national psyche, the product of cynical foreign interventions. Fascist Italy wanted Eritrea as the springboard for a new, racially pure Roman empire; Britain sold off its industry for scrap; the United States needed a base for its state-of-the-art spy station; and the Soviet Union used it as a pawn in a proxy war.In I Didn't Do It for You, Michela Wrong reveals the breathtaking abuses this tiny nation has suffered and, with a sharp eye for detail and a taste for the incongruous, tells the story of colonialism itself and how international power politics can play havoc with a country's destiny.
I Didn't Get Where I Am Today
by David NobbsAs a small boy David Nobbs survived the Second World War unscathed, until his bedroom ceiling fell on him when the last bomb to be dropped on Britain by the Germans landed near his home. It was the nearest he came to the war, but National Service would later make him one of Britain's most reluctant soldiers. It was an unforgettable and often unpleasant experience.As a struggling writer, David was catapulted into the thrilling world of satire at the BBC when he rang THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS with a joke and got through to David Frost, who sent a taxi for the joke. He never looked back. His greatness as a modern comic writer was confirmed by the publication of THE FALL AND RISE OF REGINALD PERRIN, which he adapted into the immensely successful television series that has entered the fabric of British cultural life, through phrases, images and brilliant humour. A mesmerising, beautifully told tale of life in writing and comedy, I DIDN'T GET WHERE I AM TODAY is the hilarious, poignant and very personal story of David Nobbs' life, which also describes some of the most famous comedians of the last century and captures a golden age of British television.
I dieci grandi generali della storia: uomini che conquistarono imperi e rivoluzionarono la guerra
by Michael Rank Paola VitaleIl ritratto dei dieci grandi condottieri che hanno fatto la storia: da Alessandro Magno al generale Lee, passando per Annibale, Cesare, Napoleone e altri, in una appassionante e documentata panoramica sulle loro imprese. E soprattutto, queste grandi figure hanno ancora qualcosa da dirci?
I Died a Million Times: Gangster Noir in Midcentury America
by Robert MiklitschIn the 1950s, the gangster movie and film noir crisscrossed to create gangster noir. Robert Miklitsch takes readers into this fascinating subgenre of films focused on crime syndicates, crooked cops, and capers. With the Senate's organized crime hearings and the brighter-than-bright myth of the American Dream as a backdrop, Miklitsch examines the style and history, and the production and cultural politics, of classic pictures from The Big Heat and The Asphalt Jungle to lesser-known gems like 711 Ocean Drive and post-Fifties movies like Ocean’s Eleven. Miklitsch pays particular attention to trademark leitmotifs including the individual versus the collective, the family as a locus of dissension and rapport, the real-world roots of the heist picture, and the syndicate as an octopus with its tentacles deep into law enforcement, corporate America, and government. If the memes of gangster noir remain prototypically dark, the look of the films becomes lighter and flatter, reflecting the influence of television and the realization that, under the cover of respectability, crime had moved from the underworld into the mainstream of contemporary everyday life.
I Dittatori Più Spietati Della Storia
by Elena D'Ambrosio Michael RankIngrata, brutale, e breve. È così che il filosofo inglese Thomas Hobbes descrisse la vita degli esseri umani che si trovavano loro malgrado a vivere senza una forte autorità centrale. Tuttavia, Hobbes ammetterebbe probabilmente che vivere sotto un sovrano spietato potrebbe condurre alla stessa situazione. Ne fu lui stesso testimone, dato che visse solo un secolo dopo il sanguinoso regno di Enrico VIII, 150 anni dopo che i conquistadores spagnoli furono testimoni delle migliaia di sacrifici umani di Montezuma II, e quattro secoli dopo che Gengis Khan scorrazzò per tutta l'Eurasia, lasciando dietro di sé abbastanza morte e distruzione da spopolare importanti regioni del pianeta. Questo nuovo interessante libro dello storico Michael Rank analizza le vite e le epoche dei peggiori dittatori della storia. Potrai scoprire qualcosa dei loro regni e delle loro azioni. Tra gli altri: - l'Imperatore Nerone, l'assassinio dei membri della sua famiglia, i sospetti sull'incendio di Roma, le massicce persecuzioni delle minoranze religiose che portarono molti dei primi Cristiani a credere che lui fosse l'Anticristo; - Erode il Grande, gli stermini di massa, l'uccisione dei suoi famigliari e persino l'infanticidio perpetrati per mantenere il potere; - Gengis Khan e le sue conquiste militari, in cui uccise decine di milioni di persone e ne spinse molte di più a fuggire dalle loro terre, provocando una riforestazione massiccia delle terre abbandonate e un crollo dei livelli di anidride carbonica, e determinando così un raffreddamento del pianeta generato dall'uomo; - Vlad l'Impalatore (conosciuto anche come Vlad Dracul, omonimo del vampiro) e il suo uso dell'impalamento su oltre 20.000 vittime, con un tale orrore da fare indietreggiare un esercito superiore, testimone di tale scempio. Questi e altri sei leader della storia antica, medievale e moderna sono raccontati in questo libro. Leggi come si
I Do and I Don't: A History of Marriage in the Movies
by Jeanine BasingerFrom one of our leading film historians and interpreters: a brilliantly researched, irresistibly witty, delightfully illustrated examination of "the marriage movie"; what it is (or isn't) and what it has to tell us about the movies--and ourselves.As long as there have been feature movies there have been marriage movies, and yet Hollywood has always been cautious about how to label them--perhaps because, unlike any other genre of film, the marriage movie resonates directly with the experience of almost every adult coming to see it. Here is "happily ever after"--except when things aren't happy, and when "ever after" is abruptly terminated by divorce, tragedy . . . or even murder. With her large-hearted understanding of how movies--and audiences--work, Jeanine Basinger traces the many ways Hollywood has tussled with this tricky subject, explicating the relationships of countless marriages from Blondie and Dagwood to the heartrending couple in the Iranian A Separation, from Tracy and Hepburn to Laurel and Hardy (a marriage if ever there was one) to Coach and his wife in Friday Night Lights. A treasure trove of insight and sympathy, illustrated with scores of wonderfully telling movie stills, posters, and ads.
I Do, I Do, I Do
by Maggie OsborneA rich, proper spinster aching for a man's touch, Juliette March is an easy target for the seductive Jean Jacques Villette. When he disappears with her inheritance after their wedding, Juliette sets out to find the scoundrel. She never expects to meet Clara Klaus, who ran a boardinghouse until Jean Jacques swept her off her feet, then swept himself out of town.While following the trail of their no-good husband, Clara and Juliette run into Zoe Wilder, another victim of the debonair Jean Jacques. Now Juliette's ready to put a bullet in his cheating heart. When these three vengeful ladies embark on a misbegotten quest to Alaska, things get downright dangerous--especially for the unsuspecting men they entice along the way. . . .From the Paperback edition.
I-Docs: The Evolving Practices of Interactive Documentary (Nonfictions)
by Judith Aston Mandy Rose Sandra GaudenziThe history of documentary has been one of adaptation and change, as docu-mentarists have harnessed the affordances of emerging technology. In the last decade interactive documentaries (i-docs) have become established as a new field of practice within non-fiction storytelling. Their various incarnations are now a focus at leading film festivals (IDFA DocLab, Tribeca Storyscapes, Sheffield DocFest), major international awards have been won, and they are increasingly the subject of academic study. This anthology looks at the creative practices, purposes and ethics that lie behind these emergent forms. Expert contributions, case studies and interviews with major figures in the field address the production processes that lie behind interactive documentary, as well as the political, cultural and geographic contexts in which they are emerging and the media ecology that supports them. Taking a broad view of interactive documentary as any work which engages with 'the real' by employing digital interactive technology, this volume addresses a range of platforms and environments, from web-docs and virtual reality to mobile media and live performance. It thus explores the challenges that face interactive documentary practitioners and scholars, and proposes new ways of producing and engaging with interactive factual content.
I doni di Julia
by Daniela Mastropasqua Ellen GableIl primo capitolo di una trilogia intitolata Grande Guerra, Grande Amore. Da piccola Julia ha iniziato a comprare regali per il futuro marito, un uomo il cui aspetto e personalità sono definite nella sua mente, un uomo al quale lei si rivolge come "il mio amato". Subito dopo gli Stati Uniti entrano nella Grande Guerra e Julia si offre impulsivamente volontaria come operatrice sanitaria, senza una vera esperienza né formazione. Scoraggiata dalla realtà della guerra, Julia abbandonerà la ricerca del suo amato? Il suo ingenuo gioco dei regali la distrarrà dal riconoscere il Vero Amore? Da Philadelphia a una Francia dilaniata dalla guerra, seguiamo Julia nel percorso che la porterà da essere una giovane ragazza mondana a una compassionevole volontaria.
I Don't Know How the Story Ends
by J. B. CheaneyOur story begins in a dusty little town in California, a bustling place called Hollywood... Isobel Ransom is anxious. Her father is away treating wounded soldiers in France, leaving Izzy to be the responsible one at home. But it's hard to be responsible when your little sister is chasing a fasttalking, movie-obsessed boy all over Hollywood! Ranger is directing his very own moving picture... and wants Izzy and Sylvie to be his stars. Izzy is sure Mother wouldn't approve, but scouting locations, scrounging film, and "borrowing" a camera turn out to be the perfect distractions from Izzy's worries. There's just one problem: their movie has no ending. And it has to be perfect - the kind of ending where the hero saves the day and returns home to his family. Safe and sound. It just has to. The Wild West atmosphere of early Hollywood and the home front of a country at war form a fascinating context to award-winning author J. B. Cheaney's new novel about the power of cinema in helping us make sense of an unexpected world."I Don't Know How the Story Ends will grab you by your shirt and drop you right into the early days of Hollywood and movie making. Peopled with delightful characters who find that real life is not just like the movies, this is a funny, insightful, and touching celebration of friendship and family, the imagination, and the power of the movies." -Karen Cushman, Newbery Award-winning author of The Midwife's Apprentice"This book is a love letter to the art of storytelling, exploring how the creative process becomes something bigger than ourselves. It's a celebration of the way stories help us see our own lives more clearly." -- Caroline Starr Rose, author of Blue Birds"J. B. Cheaney masterfully combines a family's pathos in wartime, a vivid sense of old Hollywood (including appearances by the era's superstars), PLUS a suspenseful, creative adventure through an entirely new kind of storytelling: MOVING PICTURES!" -Cheryl Harness, acclaimed author of Mary Walker Wears the Pants and The Literary Adventures of Washington Irving
I Don't Sound Like Nobody: Remaking Music in 1950's America
by Albin J. Zak IIIThe 1950s marked a radical transformation in American popular music as the nation drifted away from its love affair with big band swing to embrace the unschooled and unruly new sounds of rock 'n' roll. The sudden flood of records from the margins of the music industry left impressions on the pop soundscape that would eventually reshape long-established listening habits and expectations, as well as conventions of songwriting, performance, and recording. When Elvis Presley claimed, "I don't sound like nobody," a year before he made his first commercial record, he unwittingly articulated the era's musical Zeitgeist. The central story line of I Don't Sound Like Nobody is change itself. The book's characters include not just performers but engineers, producers, songwriters, label owners, radio personalities, and fans---all of them key players in the decade's musical transformation. Written in engaging, accessible prose, Albin Zak's I Don't Sound Like Nobody approaches musical and historical issues of the 1950s through the lens of recordings and fashions a compelling story of the birth of a new musical language. The book belongs on the shelf of every modern music aficionado and every scholar of rock 'n' roll. Albin J. Zak III is Professor of Music at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He is the editor of The Velvet Underground Companion and the author of The Poetics of Rock: Cutting Tracks, Making Records, a groundbreaking study of rock music production. Zak is also a record producer, songwriter, singer, and guitarist.
I Don't Want to Go Home: The Oral History of the Stone Pony
by Nick CorasanitiA captivating oral history of the iconic music venue the Stone Pony and of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Asbury Park, New Jersey—featuring interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Southside Johnny, members of the E Street Band and Asbury Jukes, the Ramones, the Jonas Brothers, Jack Antonoff, and other legendary musicians.Featuring exclusive, never-before-seen photos from Danny ClinchIn 1970, Asbury Park, New Jersey, was ripped apart by race riots that left the once-proud beach town an hour away from Manhattan smoldering, suffering and left for dead.Four years later, a few miles down the coast in Seaside Heights, two bouncers, Jack Roig and Butch Pielka, tired of the daily grind, dreamt of owning their own place. Under-prepared and minimally funded, the two bought the first bar they considered, in a city where no one wanted to be, without setting one foot in the place. They named it the Stone Pony, and turned it into a rock club that Bruce Springsteen would soon call home and a dying town would call its beating heart.But the bar had to fight to survive. Despite its success in launching and attracting rockers like Stevie Van Zandt, “Southside” Johnny Lyon, and Springsteen, the Stone Pony—like everything in Asbury Park for the past half century—could only weather the drags of a depressed city for so long.How did the Stone Pony beat the odds to survive? How did it become an international rock pilgrimage site, not just for fans of Springsteen, but for punk rockers, jam bands, pop, indie, alternative and many other musicians as well? And how did it continue to inspire and influence a hall-of-fame list of New Jersey and national rock stars? The story of the Stone Pony—thrillingly charted in this detailed oral history—is the chronicle of a proud and unique cultural mecca blooming in a down-but-not-yet-out tough town. As Nick Corasaniti reveals, the stories of Asbury Park and the Stone Pony are that of modern America itself—a place of battered hopes, big dreams, and dogged resilience.
I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle Of Antietam And The End Of The Maryland Campaign
by D. Scott HartwigI Dream Of The Day - Letters From Caleb Milne - Africa, 1942-1943 [Illustrated Edition]
by Caleb MilneIncludes the War in North Africa Illustration Pack - 112 photos/illustrations and 21 maps.These are the letters Caleb Milne wrote to his mother while in the American Field Service.In May of 1943, he, with a small group of American Field Service men, responded to a call for volunteers to help the French. These Fighting French, under General Leclerc, had joined General Montgomery's 8th Army after that epic march from Lake Chad in Central Africa to Tunisia. Early the morning of May 11th, Caleb Milne was giving aid to a wounded Legionnaire when he was struck by a mortar shell. His wounds proved fatal and he died around 4:30 that afternoon.These letters, though very personal, are published with the thought that their message might reach beyond one mother. As Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings has said in her introduction:"This collection of his letters seems to me of permanent value, far beyond their satisfying of our avidity for news of the working of the minds of men who are fighting, for us, our battle. They reveal a rare soul, who passes on to us his own sensitive perceptions of the beauty and glory of living; and they are written in the style of true Belles-Lettres."In tribute to Caleb Milne, who wrote to him on the meaning of music to a soldier, Deems Taylor, noted author and composer, said:"This, to me, is one of the most deeply felt and profoundly moving communications that the war has yet inspired. It is one of the war's major tragedies that young men capable of such vision, self-abnegation, and compassion could not be spared to help shape the peace that, God willing, will be as nearly permanent as men of good will can make it."
I Dream with Open Eyes: A Memoir
by George ProchnikA journey of reckoning and renewal, this story of family history and future dreams is an examination of the individual imagination as a catalyst for social changeWhatever the ideological slant of our information feeds, nowadays we all share a sense of binge-watching the apocalypse. Facing so much uncertainty, we need a language for thinking about the unknown not simply as a threat but also as a space of fertile possibility. George Prochnik has chosen to reflect on these urgent themes through the lens of a personal narrative: an account of his own family&’s decision to leave the United States.I Dream with Open Eyes begins with an exploration of Prochnik&’s ancestral past: the pilgrimage of his mother&’s family, who were among the first English settlers in the New World. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, a parallel migration unfolds as Prochnik, along with his wife and their son, makes the decision to uproot their lives in New York to move to England.A deep critique of this current moment, Prochnik takes the words of nineteenth-century poet Heinrich Heine, &“I dream with open eyes, and my eyes see,&” as an inspiration to ask how, as a society, we might use art and literature to refract and expand our vision of the future, while simultaneously generating a new focus on present realities.
I, Dred Scott: A Fictional Slave Narrative Based On The Life And Legal Precedent Of Dred Scott
by Shelia P. MosesThis nonfiction middle grade book chronicles the inspiring life of a black man born into slavery who never gave up fighting for freedom.Born into slavery in Virginia in the late 1700s, Dred Scott had little to look forward to in life. But on April 6, 1846, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriett, took the dangerous and courageous step to sue for their freedom, entering into legal battles that would last for eleven years. During this time, Dred Scott would need all the help and support he could get—from folks in the community all the way back to the people with whom he had been raised.With a foreword by Dred Scott&’s great-grandson, Shelia P. Moses&’s stunning story chronicles Dred Scott&’s experiences as an enslaved person, as a plaintiff in one of the most important legal cases in American history, and as a free man. Dred Scott&’s story is one of tremendous courage and fierce determination.
I, Eliza Hamilton
by Susan Holloway ScottIn this beautifully written novel of historical fiction, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s wife, Eliza—a fascinating, strong-willed heroine in her own right and a key figure in one of the most gripping periods in American history. “Love is not easy with a man chosen by Fate for greatness . . .” As the daughter of a respected general, Elizabeth Schuyler is accustomed to socializing with dignitaries and soldiers. But no visitor to her parents’ home has affected her so strongly as Alexander Hamilton, a charismatic, ambitious aide to George Washington. They marry quickly, and despite the tumult of the American Revolution, Eliza is confident in her brilliant husband and in her role as his helpmate. But it is in the aftermath of war, as Hamilton becomes one of the country’s most important figures, that she truly comes into her own. In the new capital, Eliza becomes an adored member of society, respected for her fierce devotion to Hamilton as well as her grace. Behind closed doors, she astutely manages their expanding household, and assists her husband with his political writings. Yet some challenges are impossible to prepare for. Through public scandal, betrayal, personal heartbreak, and tragedy, she is tested again and again. In the end, it will be Eliza’s indomitable strength that makes her not only Hamilton’s most crucial ally in life, but also his most loyal advocate after his death, determined to preserve his legacy while pursuing her own extraordinary path through the nation they helped shape together.
I, Elizabeth
by Rosalind MilesPublicly declared a bastard at the age of three, daughter of a disgraced and executed mother, last in the line of succession to the throne of England, Elizabeth I inherited an England ravaged by bloody religious conflict, at war with Spain and France, and badly in debt. When she died in 1603, after a forty-five- year reign, her empire spanned two continents and was united under one church, victorious in war, and blessed with an overflowing treasury. What's more, her favorites--William Shakespeare, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh--had made the Elizabethan era a cultural Golden Age still remembered today. But for Elizabeth the woman, tragedy went hand in hand with triumph. Politics and scandal forced the passionate queen to reject her true love, Robert Dudley, and to execute his stepson, her much-adored Lord Essex. Now in this spellbinding novel, Rosalind Miles brings to life the woman behind the myth. By turns imperious, brilliant, calculating, vain, and witty, this is the Elizabeth the world never knew. From the days of her brutal father, Henry VIII, to her final dying moments, Elizabeth tells her story in her own words. (From the Trade Paperback edition.)
I, Elizabeth: A Novel
by Rosalind MilesPublicly declared a bastard at the age of three, daughter of a disgraced and executed mother, last in the line of succession to the throne of England, Elizabeth I inherited an England ravaged by bloody religious conflict, at war with Spain and France, and badly in debt. When she died in 1603, after a forty-five- year reign, her empire spanned two continents and was united under one church, victorious in war, and blessed with an overflowing treasury. What's more, her favorites--William Shakespeare, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh--had made the Elizabethan era a cultural Golden Age still remembered today.But for Elizabeth the woman, tragedy went hand in hand with triumph. Politics and scandal forced the passionate queen to reject her true love, Robert Dudley, and to execute his stepson, her much-adored Lord Essex. Now in this spellbinding novel, Rosalind Miles brings to life the woman behind the myth. By turns imperious, brilliant, calculating, vain, and witty, this is the Elizabeth the world never knew. From the days of her brutal father, Henry VIII, to her final dying moments, Elizabeth tells her story in her own words.From the Trade Paperback edition.
I Embrace You with All My Revolutionary Fervor: Letters 1947-1967
by Ernesto Che GuevaraThe first-ever edition of Che Guevara's letters, the vast majority never-before published in English in any form.Ernesto Che Guevara was a voyager—and thus a letter writer—for his entire adult life. The letters collected in I Embrace You with All My Revolutionary Fervor: Letters 1947-1967 range from letters home during his Motorcycle Diaries trip, to the long letter to Fidel after the success of the Cuban revolution in early 1959 (from which the book's title comes), from the most personal to the intensely political, revealing someone who not only thought deeply about everything he encountered, but for whom the process of social transformation was a constant companion from his youth until shortly before his death. His letters give us Che the son, the friend, the lover, the guerrilla fighter, the political leader, the philosopher, the poet. Che in these letters is often playful, funny, sometimes sarcastic, and deeply affectionate. His life was short, and these twenty years, from when he was 19 until days before his death, show it was also incredibly rich and full.As his daughter Aleida Guevara, also a doctor like her father, writes, "When you write a speech, you pay attention to the language, the punctuation and so on. But in a letter to a friend or a member of your family, you don't worry about those things. It is you speaking, in your authentic voice. That's what I like about these letters; they show who Che really was and how he thought. This is the true political testimony of my father."
I Escape!
by J. L. HardyThe true story of Major Hardy's numerous escapes from German prisoner of war camps during the First World War, with a foreword by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle“Major Jocelyn Lee "Hoppy" Hardy DSO, MC with Bar, (10 June 1894 – 30 May 1958) was a British Army officer famed in Britain for his courage on the battlefield and repeated escapes from German prisoner of war camps during the First World War. Between 1920 and 1922 he served in Dublin as part of the British counter-insurgency against republican forces during the Irish War of Independence and is considered one of the most ruthless and effective British intelligence officers combating the IRA who subsequently accused him of brutality. He retired from the army to become a successful writer. His nickname, "Hoppy", stemmed from the loss of a leg in combat during the final months of World War One. Fitted with a prosthesis, he trained himself to disguise the fact, by walking at a very quick pace, almost completely disguising the fact that he had a wooden leg.”-Wiki
I Escape!: The Great War's Most Remarkable POW
by J. L. HardyOf all the daring PoW escape stories that have come to light in the last 100 years and immortalized by Steve McQueen in the film The Great Escape, the story of J.L. Hardy has to be one of the most remarkable. A PoW for three-and-a-half years, Hardy made no less than twelve escape attempts while imprisoned by the Germans in the First World War, five of which being successful.In early 1915 he attempted to escape from Halle Camp, near Leipzig, by breaking through a brick wall into an adjacent ammunition factory. After five-months work the project proved impracticable. In the summer of 1915 he was transferred to Augustabad Camp, near Neu Brandenburg, and after being there 10 days he managed to slip away from a bathing party outside the camp, together with a Russian officer. After a difficult journey they covered the 50 miles to the Baltic coast. They swam a river, were nearly recaptured once, but eventually reached Stralsund. They nearly managed to get the crew of a Swedish schooner there to give them passage, but were arrested at the last moment.Hardy was returned to Halle and joined an unsuccessful attempt with a group of Russian officers to break down a wall. He then made a solo escape attempt by picking locks and breaking through a skylight before sliding down a rope onto the street. From here he slipped into the rain and darkness. He spoke enough German to make his way by train to Bremen. Here, broken down by cold and hunger, the Germans recaptured him.He was then transferred to Magdeburg, where he escaped with a Belgian officer using "subterfuge, audacity and good fortune". They reached Berlin by train, and went on to Stralsund. From there they crossed to the island of Rugen, but were arrested before they could find a fishing boat to take them to Sweden. His next prisoner of war camp was Fort Zorndorf, from where escape was virtually impossible. Nevertheless he made several attempts, and one nearly succeeded when, with two others, he almost got out disguised as a German soldier.Hardy was transferred around further and made subsequent escape attempts until he finally managed to escape for good in March 1918, after being a PoW for over three-and-a-half years.Written in Hardy's own words, this book reads like a wartime thriller or Hollywood screenplay and his Great War story makes for fascinating reading.
I Escaped from Auschwitz: The Shocking True Story of the World War II Hero Who Escaped the Nazis and Helped Save Over 200,000 Jews
by Rudolf VrbaThe Stunning and Emotional Autobiography of an Auschwitz Survivor April 7, 1944—This date marks the successful escape of two Slovak prisoners from one of the most heavily-guarded and notorious concentration camps of Nazi Germany. The escapees, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, fled over one hundred miles to be the first to give the graphic and detailed descriptions of the atrocities of Auschwitz. Originally published in the early 1960s, I Escaped from Auschwitz is the striking autobiography of none other than Rudolf Vrba himself. Vrba details his life leading up to, during, and after his escape from his 21-month internment in Auschwitz. Vrba and Wetzler manage to evade Nazi authorities looking for them and make contact with the Jewish council in Zilina, Slovakia, informing them about the truth of the &“unknown destination&” of Jewish deportees all across Europe. This first-hand report alerted Western authorities, such as Pope Pius XII, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to the reality of Nazi annihilation camps—information that until then had only been recognized as nasty rumors.I Escaped from Auschwitz is a close-up look at the horror faced by the Jewish people in Auschwitz and across Europe during World War II. This newly edited translation of Vrba&’s memoir will leave readers reeling at the terrors faced by those during the Holocaust. Despite the profound emotions brought about by this narrative, readers will also find an astounding story of heroism and courage in the face of seemingly hopeless circumstances.
I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat
by Carlyn BecciaIt wasn’t too long ago that people tried all sorts of things to help sick people feel better. They tried wild things like drinking a glass full of millipedes or putting some mustard on one's head. Some of the cures worked, and some of them…well, let’s just say that millipedes, living or dead, are not meant to be ingested. Carlyn Beccia takes readers on a colorful and funny medical mystery tour to discover that while times may have changed, many of today’s most reliable cure-alls have their roots in some very peculiar practices, and so relevant connections can be drawn from what theydid then to what wedo now.