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Life on the Death Railway: The Memoirs of a British POW

by Stuart Young

As a young man Stuart Young endured the horrors of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps and survived. Later in life, in graphic detail, he recorded the experience the dreadful conditions, the brutal treatment, the sickness and starvation, the merciless routine of forced labour. Yet he also recorded the comradeship among the prisoners, their compassion and strength, and the pastimes and entertainments that helped them to come through an ordeal that is hard to imagine today. First he was held at the notorious Changi camp in Singapore Island, then in the camps in Thailand that accommodated POWs who were forced to work on the Death Railway. Perhaps the most revealing passages of his memoir recall the daily experience of captivity - the ceaseless battle to survive the backbreaking work, the cruelties of the guards and ever-present threat of disease. His account gives a harrowing insight into the daily reality of captivity and it shows why he was determined to document and make sense of what he and his fellow prisoners suffered.

LIFE Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later: The Attach - The Aftermath - The Legacy

by The Editors of LIFE

LIFE commemorates the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Life Sciences and Related Fields

by International Union of Biochemistry Molecular Biology

During the last decade, national and international scientific organizations have become increasingly engaged in considering how to respond to the biosecurity implications of developments in the life sciences and in assessing trends in science and technology (S&T) relevant to biological and chemical weapons nonproliferation. The latest example is an international workshop, Trends in Science and Technology Relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention, held October 31 - November 3, 2010 at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Life Sciences and Related Fields summarizes the workshop, plenary, and breakout discussion sessions held during this convention. Given the immense diversity of current research and development, the report is only able to provide an overview of the areas of science and technology the committee believes are potentially relevant to the future of the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BWC), although there is an effort to identify areas that seemed particularly ripe for further exploration and analysis. The report offers findings and conclusions organized around three fundamental and frequently cited trends in S&T that affect the scope and operation of the convention: The rapid pace of change in the life sciences and related fields; The increasing diffusion of life sciences research capacity and its applications, both internationally and beyond traditional research institutions; and The extent to which additional scientific and technical disciplines beyond biology are increasingly involved in life sciences research. The report does not make recommendations about policy options to respond to the implications of the identified trends. The choice of such responses rests with the 164 States Parties to the Convention, who must take into account multiple factors beyond the project's focus on the state of the science.

The Life Story of J. Pierpont Morgan: A Biography

by Carl Hovey

The Wall Street titan J. P. Morgan still bears the name of its founder, who changed and innovated American Finance. Chief financier to such industry leaders Carnegie and Rockefeller enabling their construction of continent spanning empires. He was also at the cutting edge of new and emergent technologies, bankrolling and championing luminaries and visionaries such as Thomas Edison and the Mercurial Nikola Tesla. This is his story…“IT is to J. Pierpont Morgan, of all living Americans, that the expression of a famous French historian is best applied—a force of nature; that is what he is, or, it may be better to say, that is what is in him; an immense and unruly power, which is only increased by the obstacles standing in its way. His personality is sometimes compared with that of Theodore Roosevelt, because both are masterful men, who overcome circumstances and silence opposition with crushing ease. Each has proved his possession of a mysterious force, an unconscious force, capable of producing tremendous results. But, after that, they really resemble each other as little as a journalist resembles a man of science, or an evangelist the merchants who are financing his campaign.”

Life, Theory, and Group Identity in Hannah Arendt's Thought

by Karin Fry

Philosophy typically ignores biographical, historical, and cultural aspects of theoriss’ lives in an attempt to take a supposedly abstract and objective view of their work. This book makes some new conclusions about Arendt’s theory by emphasizing how her experience of the world as displayed in her archival materials impacted her thought. Some aspects of Arendt’s life have been examined in detail before, including the fact she was stateless as well as her affair with Heidegger. Instead, this work explores different topics including the biographical and narrative moments of Arendt's own work, the role of archiving in her thought, pivotal events that have not been archived, her understanding of her own identities, and how it affected the role of identity politics in her work. Typically, group action is underemphasized in Arendt scholarship in comparison to individual action and often identity politics questions are considered to lie within the realm of the private. Although Arendt’s theory is problematic when discussing issues concerning identity politics, she did think identity politics could be public and political and that effective political actions may occur within groups. What makes this project unique are the innovative conclusions made by moving the archival and biographical evidence to the center in order to understand her theory more accurately and within its historical and cultural context. This volume will be of interest to professional scholars in Arendt’s work, but also to those who have a more general interest in her life and theory.

Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA

by Amaryllis Fox

“Fast and thrilling . . . Life Undercover reads as if a John le Carré character landed in Eat Pray Love." —The New York Times <P><P>Amaryllis Fox's riveting memoir tells the story of her ten years in the most elite clandestine ops unit of the CIA, hunting the world's most dangerous terrorists in sixteen countries while marrying and giving birth to a daughter <P><P>Amaryllis Fox was in her last year as an undergraduate at Oxford studying theology and international law when her writing mentor Daniel Pearl was captured and beheaded. <P><P>Galvanized by this brutality, Fox applied to a master's program in conflict and terrorism at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, where she created an algorithm that predicted, with uncanny certainty, the likelihood of a terrorist cell arising in any village around the world. <P><P>At twenty-one, she was recruited by the CIA. Her first assignment was reading and analyzing hundreds of classified cables a day from foreign governments and synthesizing them into daily briefs for the president. Her next assignment was at the Iraq desk in the Counterterrorism center. At twenty-two, she was fast-tracked into advanced operations training, sent from Langley to "the Farm," where she lived for six months in a simulated world learning how to use a Glock, how to get out of flexicuffs while locked in the trunk of a car, how to withstand torture, and the best ways to commit suicide in case of captivity. <P><P> At the end of this training she was deployed as a spy under non-official cover--the most difficult and coveted job in the field as an art dealer specializing in tribal and indigenous art and sent to infiltrate terrorist networks in remote areas of the Middle East and Asia. <P><P>Life Undercover is exhilarating, intimate, fiercely intelligent--an impossible to put down record of an extraordinary life, and of Amaryllis Fox's astonishing courage and passion. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>

Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA

by Amaryllis Fox

Amaryllis Fox's riveting memoir tells the story of her ten years in the most elite clandestine ops unit of the CIA, hunting the world's most dangerous terrorists in sixteen countries while falling in love and giving birth to a daughter.Amaryllis Fox was in her last year as an undergraduate at Oxford studying ancient languages and theoretical physics when her writing mentor, Daniel Pearl, was captured and beheaded. Galvanized by this brutality, she applied to a Master's program in conflict and terrorism at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, where she created an algorithm that predicted, with uncanny certainty, the likelihood of a terrorist cell arising in any village around the world. At 21, she was recruited by the CIA. Her first assignment was reading and analyzing hundreds of classified cables a day from foreign governments and synthesizing them into daily briefs for the President. Her next assignment was at the Iraq desk in the Counterterrorism center. At 22, she was fast-tracked into advanced operations training, sent from Langley to "the Farm," where she lived for six months in a simulated world learning how to use a glock, how to get out of flexicuffs while locked in the trunk of a car, how to withstand torture, and the best ways to commit suicide in case of captivity. At the end of this training she was deployed as a spy under non-official cover--the most difficult and coveted job in the field--as an art dealer specializing in tribal and Indigenous art, and sent to infiltrate terrorist networks in remote areas of the Middle East and Asia. Life Undercover is exhilarating, intimate, fiercely intelligent--an impossible-to-put-down record of an extraordinary life, and of Amaryllis Fox's astonishing courage and passion.

LIFE The Vietnam Wars: 50 Years Ago - Two Countries Torn Apart

by The Editors of Life

LIFE Magazine presents a special on the Vietnam Wars.

LIFE World War I: The Great War and the American Century

by The Editors of Life

In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand-who was in line for the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire-propelled Europe into a war unlike any the world had ever seen. But it would take yet another remarkable series of events for the United States to decide to enter the fray, a century ago in April of 1917. By the time the armistice arrived the following year, empires had fallen and 15 million combatants lay dead. And for the United States, the consequences of the decision to get involved would reverberate throughout would come to be known as the American Century, and still echo today.Includes:How the actions of teenage Bosnian nationalists set the war in motion-and why European leaders could not (or would not) stop itThe birth of modern warfare and the brutal results that came with poison gas, airplanes and tanksAmerican leaders facing a future in which isolation is no longer an optionHow the underprepared U.S. military helped put an end to years of war-and emerged one of the world's great fighting forcesPlus: the Versailles Treaty and the League of Nations and how they failed to avert an even more cataclysmic war two decades later

Lifeboat 12

by Susan Hood

In the tradition of The War That Saved My Life and Stella By Starlight, this poignant novel in verse based on true events tells the story of a boy’s harrowing experience on a lifeboat after surviving a torpedo attack during World War II. <P><P>With Nazis bombing London every night, it’s time for thirteen-year-old Ken to escape. He suspects his stepmother is glad to see him go, but his dad says he’s one of the lucky ones—one of ninety boys and girls to ship out aboard the SS City of Benares to safety in Canada. <P><P>Life aboard the luxury ship is grand—nine-course meals, new friends, and a life far from the bombs, rations, and his stepmum’s glare. <P><P>And after five days at sea, the ship’s officers announce that they’re out of danger. They’re wrong. Late that night, an explosion hurls Ken from his bunk. They’ve been hit. Torpedoed! <P><P>The Benares is sinking fast. Terrified, Ken scrambles aboard Lifeboat 12 with five other boys. Will they get away? Will they survive? <P><P> Award-winning author Susan Hood brings this little-known World War II story to life in a riveting novel of courage, hope, and compassion. Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 12 is about believing in one another, knowing that only by banding together will we have any chance to survive.

Lifeboat 5

by Susan Hood

&“A captivating…thrilling adventure story that shows the power of friendship, hope, and forgiveness.&” —Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived series In the wake of Lifeboat 12 comes a World War II novel-in-verse by acclaimed author Susan Hood about two very real girls who clung together for dear life when their evacuee ship was torpedoed, their lifeboat capsized, and they spent nineteen hours in the Atlantic Ocean, waiting for rescue.When Nazi bombs begin to destroy Bess Walder&’s hometown of East London, Bess convinces her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she meets another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth have a lot in common—both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life in Canada. On the fifth day at sea, everyone starts to relax, but trouble is right behind them. That night, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the Benares. As their luxury liner starts to sink, Bess and Beth rush to abandon ship aboard their assigned lifeboat. Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 5 is about two young girls with the courage to persevere against the odds and the strength to forgive.

Lifeboat Sailors: Inside the U.S. Coast Guard's Small Boat Stations

by Dennis L. Noble

Written by a former Coast Guard senior chief, this volume explores the state of the Coast Guard's small boat rescue crews. He tells the stories of a number of rescues. He also explores the bureaucratic structure of the service and recounts complaints of station personnel that the command structure is unresponsive to the needs of the average Coast Guardsman. The Library of Congress cataloging cites the subtitle as "inside the U. S. Coast Guard's small boat stations.

Lifeline From The Sky: The Doctrinal Implications Of Supplying An Enclave From The Air

by John Steven Brunhaver

This paper seeks to answer the following question: What are the doctrinal imperatives of providing effective airlift support to enclaves? Doctrinal imperatives are those necessary and sufficient propositions that describe the optimal way to employ airlift forces in support of an enclave. In short, this paper attempts to determine the best way to conduct airlift operations to support enclaves.The primary conclusion of this paper is that four fundamental factors influence airlift operations: requirement to capability ratio, threat, support infrastructure, and weather. The second conclusion is that there are two basic methods to employ airlift forces: continuous flow and surge methods. The additional doctrinal imperatives contained in the conclusion relate to the interactions among the four factors affecting airlift operations to support enclaves and the ways in which they influence the two employment methods.Evidence used to derive the doctrinal propositions came from the Luftwaffe's attempt to resupply the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad from the air, the Berlin Airlift, and the airlift to the Khe Sanh garrison in the Vietnam War.

Lifeline in Helmand: 1310 Flight in Action

by Roger Annett

Afghanistan is the theater where 1310 Flights role is to provide the heavy-lift support helicopter element within the British Forces Joint Helicopter Command. Its Headquarters are at Wilton because the unit reports to British Land Forces HQ, meaning that the Operational Command of its RAF personnel lies with the Army. RAF Odiham in Hampshire offers the Flight the largest fleet of Chinooks outside the US Army. Currently, eight of those machines are detached to Afghanistan at any one time, within the International Security Assistance Force. This book explains how 1310 Flight practice and prepare the replacement crews for their tour in Helmand, the most difficult combat zone experienced by the British since World War II. It also contains firsthand accounts and photographs of operational experience during a tour in the battle zone.

Lifelines Of Victory

by Squadron Leader Murray George Harris

“Amateurs study tactics,” goes an old saying, “armchair generals study strategy, but professionals study logistics” and Squadron Leader Murray Harris heartily believed in it. In this book he surveys the early actions of the Second World War so as to demonstrate and prove his point, focusing on the transportation of troops, supplies, oil and ammunition he traces the emerging patterns that would dominate the entire period.

Life's Too Short to Cry: The Compelling Story of a Battle of Britain Ace

by Tim Vigors

A newly discovered “exhilarating and moving memoir” of an RAF fighter pilot in World War II (Daily Mail). It is not often that a long-hidden gem of a manuscript is published, bringing a moment in WWII history to vivid life for today’s readers. Geoffrey Wellum’s First Light was one example. The memoir of Timothy Vigors is another. Born in Hatfield but raised in Ireland and educated at Eton and Cranwell, Vigors found himself in France in 1940 flying Fairey Battle bombers. After the Fall he joined the fighters of 222 Squadron, with whom he saw frantic and distinguished service over Dunkirk and persevered through the dangerous days of the Battle of Britain, when he became an ace. Vigors transferred to the Far East in January 1941 as a flight commander with 243, then to 453 Squadron RAAF, and on December 10 of that year he led a flight of Buffaloes to cover the sinking Prince of Wales and Repulse. Dramatically shot down, burnt and attacked on his parachute, he was evacuated to Java, and from there, to India. As he describes these experiences in his handwritten account, the author provides a fascinating and valuable record, a newly discovered personal narrative of air combat destined to be seen as a classic.

Lifesavers and Body Snatchers: Medical Care and the Struggle for Survival in the Great War

by Tim Cook

From Canada&’s top war historian, a definitive medical history of the Great War, illuminating how the carnage of modern battle gave birth to revolutionary life-saving innovations. It brings to light shocking revelations of the ways the brutality of combat and the necessity of agonizing battlefield decisions led to unimaginable strain for men and women of medicine who fought to save the lives of soldiers.Medical care in almost all armies, and especially in the Canadian medical services, was sophisticated and constantly evolving, with vastly more wounded soldiers saved than lost. Doctors and surgeons prevented disease from decimating armies, confronted ghastly wounds from chemical weapons, remade shattered bodies, and struggled to ease soldiers&’ battle-haunted minds. After the war, the hard lessons learned by doctors and nurses were brought back to Canada. A new Department of Health created guidelines in the aftermath of the 1918-19 flu pandemic, which had killed 55,000 Canadians and millions around the world. In a grim irony, the fight to improve civilian health was furthered by the most destructive war up to that point in human history. But medical advances were not the only thing brought back from Europe: Lifesavers and Body Snatchers exposes the disturbing story of the harvesting of human body parts in medical units behind the lines. Tim Cook has spent over a decade investigating the history of Canadian medical doctors removing the body parts of slain Canadian soldiers and transporting their brains, lungs, bones, and other organs to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) in London, England. Almost 800 individual body parts were removed from dead soldiers and sent to London, where they were stored, treated, and some presented in exhibition galleries. After being exhibited there, the body parts were displayed in Canada. This uncovered history is a shockingly revelation never told before and part of the hidden legacy of the medical war. Based on deep archival research and unpublished letters of soldiers and medical personnel, Lifesavers and Body Snatchers is a powerful narrative, told in Cook&’s literary style, which reveals how the medical services supported the soldiers at the front and forged a profound legacy in shaping Canadian public health in the decades that followed.

Lift Up Your Voice Like a Trumpet: White Clergy and the Civil Rights and Antiwar Movements, 1954-1973

by Michael Friedland

When the Supreme Court declared in 1954 that segregated schools were unconstitutional, the highest echelons of American religious organizations enthusiastically supported the ruling. Many white southern clergy, however, were outspoken in their defense.

Lifting the Fog of Peace: How Americans Learned to Fight Modern War

by Janine Davidson

How military organizations trained for conventional war adapt—or fail to adapt—to nontraditional missions

Lifting the Silence: A World War II RCAF Bomber Pilot Reunites with his Past

by David Scott Smith Sydney Percival Smith

At a time of great sacrifice in Canadian history, we are welcomed into the homes, the hearts, and the minds of mothers, sons, fathers, and friends as we follow Syd Smith and his high-school brotherhood of 13 when they answer the call to duty in 1941. Written with his son, David, Lifting the Silence is also a father-and-son journey of discovery that uncovers a remarkable letter that serves as testament to what still defines Canada today. Postmarked "France August 1946," the fragile letter bares the soul of a people beaten down by cruel times and extols their admiration and gratitude for Canada as a nation of spiritual and economic resources that helped them out so much during the war. Within the letter as well, a heartfelt and strikingly prophetic expression of hope to once again receive the downed pilot they had sheltered in 1942. As if by Providence, this letter now serves to reunite Syd with his angel of the French Resistance 61 years later.

The Light After the War: A Novel

by Anita Abriel

Inspired by an incredible true story of two Jewish friends who survived the Holocaust, this sweeping novel of love and friendship spans World War II from Budapest to Austria and the postwar years from Naples to Caracas, perfect for fans of The German Girl and We Were the Lucky Ones. It is 1946 when Vera Frankel and her best friend Edith Ban arrive in Naples. Refugees from Hungary, they managed to escape from a train headed for Auschwitz and spent the rest of the war hiding on an Austrian farm. Now, the two young women must start new lives abroad. Armed with a letter of recommendation from an American officer, Vera finds work at the United States embassy where she falls in love with Captain Anton Wight. But as Vera and Edith grapple with the aftermath of the war, so too does Anton, and when he suddenly disappears, Vera is forced to change course. Their quest for a better life takes Vera and Edith from Naples to Ellis Island to Caracas as they start careers, reunite with old friends, and rebuild their lives after terrible loss. Moving, evocative, and compelling, this timely tale of true friendship, love, and survival will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

Light And Shade In War [Illustrated Edition]

by Noel Ross Captain Malcolm Ross

Two Kiwis recount their experiences of the Front at Gallipoli and France during the First World War. Included are a number of their own photographs."THE authors of this book, father and son, have seen much of the Light and Shade of War during the past two years, the one as a War Correspondent in Egypt, Turkey and France, the other as a soldier, and, afterwards, as one of the staff of The Times."The day for writing the histories of our different campaigns is not yet. For the purposes of history delay is necessary, even though the gain in perspective may mean loss in colour. But there is a legitimate desire for the intimate and immediate impressions of the time, written down amid the ever-shifting scenes of the War itself. Such impressions will have some value now, and perhaps also in after years.Most of these sketches were written whilst the scenes and incidents they depict were fresh in the mind; some under fire. The proofs were corrected on the battlefield of the Somme in a tent over which British and German shells were passing at the time. While due allowance will be made for shortcomings owing to the circumstances under which the book was produced, the authors hope that no apology will be needed for presenting such pictures of the Light and Shade of War to the English-speaking World."

The Light and the Dark (The Strangers and Brothers Novels)

by C.P. Snow

A gifted young academic in 1930s England falls prey to a dangerous mindset in this novel by &“a master craftsman&” (The New York Times). Roy Calvert is young, well-liked, and financially secure. He is also a brilliant scholar at Cambridge, engaged in translating ancient documents related to the Manichaean heresy. Yet despite these advantages and successes, he is prone to an unpredictable, inexplicable melancholy that neither love nor work can seem to overcome. It will pull Roy into the orbit of a rising historical darkness—and leave his friend, Lewis Eliot, to witness the frightening struggle between Calvert and his demons . . .Praise for the Strangers and Brothers Novels &“Mr. Snow has established himself . . . in an eminent and conspicuous position among contemporary English novelists.&” —New Statesman

A Light Beyond the Trenches: A Fascinating Historical Novel of WW1

by Alan Hlad

From the USA Today bestselling author of Churchill&’s Secret Messenger comes a WWI novel based on little-known history, as four very different lives intertwine across Europe from Germany to France—a German Red Cross nurse, a Jewish pianist blinded on the battlefield, a soldier tortured by deadly secrets of his own, and his tormented French mistress. This life-affirming tale of heroism and resilience will stay with you long after turning the final page. By April 1916, the fervor that accompanied war&’s outbreak has faded. In its place is a grim reality. Throughout Germany, essentials are rationed. Hope, too, is in short supply. Anna Zeller, whose fiancé, Bruno, is fighting on the western front, works as a nurse at an overcrowded hospital in Oldenburg, trying to comfort men broken in body and spirit. But during a visit from Dr. Stalling, the director of the Red Cross Ambulance Dogs Association, she witnesses a rare spark of optimism: as a German shepherd guides a battle-blinded soldier over a garden path, Dr. Stalling is inspired with an idea—to train dogs as companions for sightless veterans. Anna convinces Dr. Stalling to let her work at his new guide dog training school. Some of the dogs that arrive are themselves veterans of war, including Nia, a German shepherd with trench-damaged paws. Anna brings the ailing Nia home and secretly tends and trains her, convinced she may yet be the perfect guide for the right soldier. In Max Benesch, a Jewish soldier blinded by chlorine gas at the front, Nia finds her person. War has taken Max&’s sight, his fiancée, and his hopes of being a composer. Yet despite all he&’s given for his country, the tide of anti-Semitism at home is rising, and Max encounters it first-hand in one of the school&’s trainers, who is determined to make Max fail. Still, through Anna&’s prompting, he rediscovers his passion for music. But as Anna discovers more about the conflict&’s escalating brutality—and Bruno&’s role in it—she realizes how impossible it will be for any of them to escape the war unscathed . . .

The Light Brigade

by Kameron Hurley

From the Hugo Award­­–winning author of The Stars Are Legion comes a brand-new science fiction thriller about a futuristic war during which soldiers are broken down into light in order to get them to the front lines on Mars. <P><P>They said the war would turn us into light. I wanted to be counted among the heroes who gave us this better world. The Light Brigade: it’s what soldiers fighting the war against Mars call the ones who come back…different. <P><P>Grunts in the corporate corps get busted down into light to travel to and from interplanetary battlefronts. Everyone is changed by what the corps must do in order to break them down into light. Those who survive learn to stick to the mission brief—no matter what actually happens during combat. <P><P>Dietz, a fresh recruit in the infantry, begins to experience combat drops that don’t sync up with the platoon’s. And Dietz’s bad drops tell a story of the war that’s not at all what the corporate brass want the soldiers to think is going on. Is Dietz really experiencing the war differently, or is it combat madness? <P><P>Trying to untangle memory from mission brief and survive with sanity intact, Dietz is ready to become a hero—or maybe a villain; in war it’s hard to tell the difference. <P><P>A worthy successor to classic stories like Downbelow Station, Starship Troopers, and The Forever War, The Light Brigade is award-winning author Kameron Hurley’s gritty time-bending take on the future of war.

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