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Guderian: Panzer General (Greenhill Military Paperback Ser.)
by Kenneth MackseyBorn in Kulm, Germany on 17 June 1888, Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was the son of an army officer. He eventually joined the German Army and was commissioned in the Jaegers in 1908 where he became a communications specialist. He fought in the First World War and afterwards was a member of the right-wing Freikorps units. Between the wars, Guderian became a catalyst for developing a Panzer division in the German Army. By February 1938 he had been promoted to Lieutenant General; later that year Hitler appointed Guderian to the new post of Chief of Mobile Troops. Guderian was a man of ideas equipped with the ability to turn inspiration into reality. A master of strategy and tactics, he was the officer who led the attack on Poland in September – and in so doing introduced the world to the reality of Blitzkrieg. This biography draws on material from Enigma sources and information taken directly from the extensive Guderian family archives to explore the man who was partly responsible for the development of modern tank warfare and who is considered to be the father of Blitzkrieg. The author also looks at Guderians reaction to the July 1944 plot to kill Hitler as well as illuminates the struggles within the German hierarchy, in the process investigating why Guderian was so admired by some while denigrated by others.
Frankforce and the Defence of Arras 1940 (Battleground Dunkirk)
by Jerry MurlandThere is no other city in France that has the same associations in time of conflict that the British have with Arras. Since the campaigns of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in the early 18th century, British soldiers have fought in and around Arras, occasionally as an enemy but, more often, as defenders of French and Allied democracy. Battlefield visitors to the area will immediately recognize the names of towns and villages that were as significant to the men of Marlboroughs army as they were to those who fought in the First and Second World Wars.This book serves both as guide to the Second World War battlefields that surround the city and its environs as well as detailing the actions of the British armored attack of 21 May 1940. The book looks at the strategic situation that led up to the famous Arras counterstroke and, using material that has not been published before, examines the British and German actions between 20 and 23 May. The only Victoria Cross action that took place during this time is looked at in detail; as is the fighting that took place in Arras and during the breakout.Despite its shortcomings, the counterstroke achieved the essential element of surprise and caused widespread alarm amongst the German command and hit Rommels 7th Panzer Division at precisely the moment when his armored units were ahead of the infantry and gunners. The British infantry fought well and both the Durham battalions were fortunate that their commanding officers and senior NCOs were men who had already fought in one conflict and possessed the determination to rally their less experienced junior ranks and fight on regardless. Such was the case with the two tank battalions, although sadly they lost both their commanding officers and over half the tanks that went into the engagement. The attack did enable the British to tighten their hold on Arras albeit temporarily and, as is often cited, built doubts in the minds of German High Command as to the speed of their advance and contributed to the subsequent Hitler halt order of 24-27 May.The author has gone to some lengths to track down accounts from those individuals who served in the area during May 1940 and fought the enveloping tide of the German advanceThe book is supported by three car tours, one of which takes the visitor along the tragic path taken by the Tyneside Scottish on 20 May and two walking routes, which concentrate on Arras.137 black and white photographs (integrated) and a number of maps derived from regimental histories; and six tour maps provide the battlefield visitor with illustrations of the battlefields as they were in 1940 and as they are today.
Secrets of the Cold War: Espionage and Intelligence Operations - From Both Sides of the Iron Curtain
by Andrew LongThe dramatic story of how the superpowers collected secrets and used intelligence to build an advantage during the Cold War, the longest and most dangerous confrontation of the twentieth century.The Cold War, which lasted from the end of the Second World War to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, was fought mostly in the shadows, with the superpowers maneuvering for strategic advantage in an anticipated global armed confrontation that thankfully never happened. How did the intelligence organizations of the major world powers go about their work? What advantages were they looking for? Did they succeed? By examining some of the famous, infamous, or lesser-known intelligence operations from both sides of the Iron Curtain, this book explains how the superpowers went about gathering intelligence on each other, examines the type of information they were looking for, what they did with it, and how it enabled them to stay one step ahead of the opposition. Possession of these secrets threatened a Third World War, but also helped keep the peace for more than four decades. With access to previously unreleased material, the author explores how the intelligence organizations, both civilian and military, took advantage of rapid developments in technology, and how they adapted to the changing threat. The book describes the epic scale of some of these operations, the surprising connections between them, and how they contributed to a complex multi-layered intelligence jigsaw which drove decision making at the highest level. On top of all the tradecraft, gadgets and ‘cloak and dagger’, the book also looks at the human side of espionage: their ideologies and motivations, the winners and losers, and the immense courage and frequent betrayal of those whose lives were touched by the Secrets of the Cold War.
Battle of Kursk, 1943 (Images of War)
by Hans Seidler"The greatest tank battle in world history, known as Operation CITADEL, opened during the early hours of 5 July 1943, and its outcome was to decide the eventual outcome of the war on the Eastern Front. Images of War—Battle of Kursk 1943, is an illustrated account of this pivotal battle of the war on the Eastern Front, when the Germans threw 900,000 men and 2,500 tanks against 1,300,000 soldiers and 3,000 tanks of the Red Army in a savage battle of attrition.Unlike many pictorial accounts of the war on the Eastern Front, Battle of Kursk 1943 draws upon both German and Russian archive material, all of which are rare or unpublished. The images convey the true scale, intensity and horror of the fighting at Kursk, as the Germans tried in vain to batter their way through the Soviet defensive systems. The battle climaxed at the village of Prokhorovka, which involved some 1,000 tanks fighting each other at pointblank range.During this vicious two week battle the Red Army dealt the Panzerwaffe a severe battering from which the German war effort was never to recover fully. Kursk finally ended the myth of German invincibility."
Objective Falaise: 8 August 1944–16 August 1944
by Georges BernageOn the night of 8 August 1944, the First Canadian Army launched Operation Totalize, directing their advance towards Falaise, with the intention of breaking through the German defences south of Caen. In spite of large numbers, they were halted by the 12.SS- Panzer-Division "Hitierjugend", who managed to block the 600 armored vehicles. During one of the German counter-attacks, several Tiger tanks were destroyed, including that of panzer ace, Michael Wittmann, who was killed in the process.The offensive was relaunched a few days later under the name Operation Tractable, the intention this time being to capture the strategically important town of Falaise and close the 'Falaise Pocket', also known as the 'Corridor of Death'.This book provides the reader with a day-by-day account of this forgotten battle, while also acting as a field guide, including maps and both comtemporary and modern photographs.
In Memoriam: A novel
by Alice WinnGMA BUZZ PICK • INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER AND AWARD WINNER • A haunting, virtuosic debut novel about two young men who fall in love during World War I • &“Will live in your mind long after you&’ve closed the final pages.&” —Maggie O&’Farrell, best-selling author of Hamnet and The Marriage PortraitA Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, The Washington Post, NPR &“In Memoriam is the story of a great tragedy, but it is also a moving portrait of young love, and there is often a lightness to the book.&”—The New York TimesIt&’s 1914, and World War I is ceaselessly churning through thousands of young men on both sides of the fight. The violence of the front feels far away to Henry Gaunt, Sidney Ellwood and the rest of their classmates, safely ensconced in their idyllic boarding school in the English countryside. News of the heroic deaths of their friends only makes the war more exciting.Gaunt, half German, is busy fighting his own private battle--an all-consuming infatuation with his best friend, the glamorous, charming Ellwood--without a clue that Ellwood is pining for him in return. When Gaunt's family asks him to enlist to forestall the anti-German sentiment they face, Gaunt does so immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings for Ellwood. To Gaunt's horror, Ellwood rushes to join him at the front, and the rest of their classmates soon follow. Now death surrounds them in all its grim reality, often inches away, and no one knows who will be next.An epic tale of both the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.
Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques
by Evan SkolnickUNLOCK YOUR GAME'S NARRATIVE POTENTIAL!With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team&’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today&’s savvy gamers back time and time again.
Rhyme's Rooms: The Architecture of Poetry
by Brad LeithauserFrom the widely acclaimed poet, novelist, critic, and scholar, a lucid and edifying exploration of the building blocks of poetry and how they've been used over the centuries to assemble the most imperishable poems.&“Anyone wanting to learn how to remodel, restore, or build a poem from the foundation up, will find this room-by-room guide on the architecture of poetry a warm companion.&” —Tomás Q. Morín, author of MacheteWe treasure our greatest poetry, Brad Leithauser reminds us in these pages, "not for its what but its how." In chapters on everything from iambic pentameter to how stanzas are put together to "rhyme and the way we really talk," Leithauser takes a deep dive into that how—the very architecture of poetry. He explains how meter and rhyme work in fruitful opposition ("Meter is prospective; rhyme is retrospective"); how the weirdnesses of spelling in English are a boon to the poet; why an off rhyme will often succeed where a perfect rhyme would not; why Shakespeare and Frost can sound so similar, despite the centuries separating them. And Leithauser is just as likely to invoke Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, or Boz Scaggs as he is Chaucer or Milton, Bishop or Swenson, providing enlightening play-by-plays of their memorable lines.Here is both an indispensable learning tool and a delightful journey into the art of the poem—a chance for new poets and readers of poetry to grasp the fundamentals, and for experienced poets and readers to rediscover excellent works in all their fascinating detail.Portions of this book have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The New York Review of Books.
Software Quality: 13th International Conference, SWQD 2021, Vienna, Austria, January 19–21, 2021, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing #404)
by Dietmar Winkler Stefan Biffl Daniel Mendez Manuel Wimmer Johannes BergsmannThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 13th Software Quality Days Conference, SWQD 2021, which was planned to be held in Vienna, Austria, during January 19–21, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was cancelled and will be merged with SWQD 2022. The Software Quality Days (SWQD) conference started in 2009 and has grown to the biggest conference on software quality in Europe with a strong community. The program of the SWQD conference is designed to encompass a stimulating mixture of practical presentations and new research topics in scientific presentations. The guiding conference topic of the SWQD 2021 is “Future Perspectives on Software Engineering Quality”. The 3 full papers and 5 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 13 submissions. The volume also contains 2 invited talks and one introductory paper for an interactive session. The contributions were organized in topical sections named: automation in software engineering; quality assurance for AI-based systems; machine learning applications; industry-academia collaboration; and experimentation in software engineering.
The Happiness Riddle and the Quest for a Good Life
by Mark CieslikThis book examines the meaning of happiness in Britain today, and observes that although we face challenges such as austerity, climate change and disenchantment with politics, we continue to be interested in happiness and living well. The author illustrates how happiness is a far more contested, social process than is often portrayed by economists and psychologists, and takes issue with sociologists who often regard wellbeing and the happiness industry with suspicion, whilst neglecting one of the key features of being human – the quest for a good life. Exploring themes that question what it means to be happy and live a good life in Britain today, such as the challenges young people face making their way through education and into their first jobs; work life-balance; mid-life crises; and old age, the book presents nineteen life stories that call for a far more critical and ambitious approach to happiness research that marries the radicalism of sociology, with recent advances in psychology and economics. This book will appeal to students and academics interested in wellbeing, happiness and quality of life and also those researching areas such as the life course, work-life balance, biographies, aging and youth studies.
Evolutionary Computation in Combinatorial Optimization: 19th European Conference, EvoCOP 2019, Held as Part of EvoStar 2019, Leipzig, Germany, April 24–26, 2019, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #11452)
by Arnaud Liefooghe Luís PaqueteThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 19th European Conference on Evolutionary Computation in Combinatorial Optimization, EvoCOP 2019, held as part of Evo* 2019, in Leipzig, Germany, in April 2019, co-located with the Evo* 2019 events EuroGP, EvoMUSART and EvoApplications.The 14 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 37 submissions. The papers cover a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from the foundations of evolutionary computation algorithms and other search heuristics to their accurate design and application to both single- and multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems. Fundamental and methodological aspects deal with runtime analysis, the structural properties of fitness landscapes, the study of metaheuristics core components, the clever design of their search principles, and their careful selection and configuration. Applications cover domains such as scheduling, routing, partitioning and general graph problems.
China Satellite Navigation Conference: Volume III (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering #499)
by Jiadong Sun Changfeng Yang Shuren GuoThese proceedings present selected research papers from CSNC 2018, held during 23rd-25th May in Harbin, China. The theme of CSNC 2018 is Location, Time of Augmentation. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou System (BDS) especially. They are divided into 12 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC 2018, which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BDS and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications.
From the Great Wall to Wall Street: A Cross-Cultural Look at Leadership and Management in China and the US
by Wei YenWei Yen explores how differences in world views between Eastern and Western thought and culture have on management and leadership behaviors.In The Geography of Thought Richard Nisbett showed how the thought and culture of the East is rooted in Chinese Confucian ideals while that of the West goes back to the early Greeks. In From Great Wall to Wall Street, Wei Yen explores how these differences impact today’s leadership and management practices. He delves deeply into the two cultures and their philosophical roots, and explains why there can exist significant misunderstandings between the two camps.Yen was born in China, raised in Hong Kong, educated both there and in the US and then spent half his working life in the US and half in Asia. From his vantage point, straddling both cultures he compares and contrasts the pragmatic, wholistic Chinese (or Asian) management style with the rational and analytical Western management style. He shows their pros and cons, the areas where they differ and situations where one may be more successful than the other.Yen argues that understanding traditional Chinese culture, and how it affects management behaviors and current events, can help decision makers make better decisions in business, finance and politics. He further combines culture with credit analysis to argue that it is unlikely that China will suffer a financial collapse despite a slowing economy and high debt levels. Equally, he shows how that same philosophical traditions also lie behind China’s inability to innovate or project the “soft power” that the West’s globally successful popular culture has achieved.How can the West take advantage of China’s epic rise to strike win-win outcomes? How can the Chinese be more integrated into the global community and become a better global citizen in the future? How can policy makers make more realistic policies? None of these can be accomplished without first understanding where each other is coming from.
Knowledge and Systems Sciences: 20th International Symposium, KSS 2019, Da Nang, Vietnam, November 29 – December 1, 2019, Proceedings (Communications in Computer and Information Science #1103)
by Jian Chen Van Nam Huynh Gia-Nhu Nguyen Xijin TangThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 20th International Symposium on Knowledge and Systems Sciences, KSS 2019, held in Da Nang, Vietnam, in November 2019. The 14 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 31 submissions. This year KSS provides opportunities for presenting interesting new research results, facilitating interdisciplinary discussions, and leading to knowledge transfer under the theme of "Knowledge Science in the Age of Big Data".
Open Government: Offenes Regierungs- und Verwaltungshandeln – Leitbilder, Ziele und Methoden (Edition eGov-Campus)
by Jörn von Lucke Katja GollaschDieses Buch – eine Open-Access-Publikation mit freiem Online-Zugang – bietet Führungskräften und Mitarbeitenden im öffentlichen Sektor sowie Studierenden eine ebenso kompakte wie kompetente Einführung in die wesentlichen Aspekte von Open Government. Das Konzept Open Government (offenes Regierungs- und Verwaltungshandeln) beschreibt einen Kulturwandel von Politik und Verwaltung hin zu mehr Transparenz, Partizipation der Zivilgesellschaft und Zusammenarbeit innerhalb des öffentlichen Sektors als auch mit Akteuren aus Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft. Durch die Digitalisierung und des Angebots offener Daten ergeben sich für Politik und Verwaltung neue Möglichkeiten der Interaktion und der Offenlegung von Entscheidungen. Das Buch bietet einen kompakten Einstieg in Themen wie Transparenz, Bürgerbeteiligung, Zusammenarbeit sowie der Öffnung von Datenbeständen. Ebenso wird die Teilnahme Deutschlands an der Open Government Partnership vorgestellt. Durch direkte Verlinkungen auf vorbildhafte Beispiele für ein offenes Regierungs- und Verwaltungshandeln in der Praxis sowie ein digitales Karteikartensystem wird umfangreiches Wissen anschaulich und zielgerecht vermittelt.Die Leser werden mit Leitbildern, Zielen und Methoden im Bereich Open Government vertraut gemacht und können diese kritisch reflektieren Im Sinne von Offenheit ist dieses Werk eine Open-Access-Publikation mit freiem Online-Zugang.Aus dem InhaltOpen Government – Grundlagen eines offenen Regierungs- und Verwaltungshandelns Transparenz 2.0Offene Daten und offene Verwaltungsdaten – Öffnung von DatenbeständenOpen Budget – Öffnung des HaushaltswesensBürgerbeteiligung 2.0 Zusammenarbeit 2.0Aktivitäten Deutschlands in der Open Government PartnershipInklusive kostenlosem Online-Wissens-Quiz mit der Springer Nature Flashcards-App - laden Sie die App im App-Store; geben Sie den Code 7C174-C91BD-C687A-B7DAE-FE989 ein, um den Online-Quiz zu laden
Information Theoretic Security: 10th International Conference, ICITS 2017, Hong Kong, China, November 29 – December 2, 2017, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #10681)
by Junji ShikataThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Information Theoretic Security, ICITS 2017, held in Hong Kong, China, in November/December 2017.The 12 full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 42 submissions. They are organized around the following topics: quantum cryptography; quantum information theory; post-quantum cryptography (e.g. lattices and cryptography); physical layer security; wiretap channels; adversarial channel models; cryptography from noisy channels; bounded storage models; network coding security; biometric security; randomness extraction; key and message rates; secret sharing; authentication codes; multiparty computations; information theoretic reductions; and implementation challenges.
Mr Miffin and His Safari Mission
by Alexandra Priest“Nuts and Bolts! A family are stuck on their safari, We’ll take Tiger Moth, so let’s hurry.” Grabbing his battered blue toolbox and his flying jacket, They climb into Tiger Moth who is making a racket! Can Mr Miffin and his monkey, Wrench, get to the family in their broken down jeep in Africa first… or will the crocodiles? Join them on their Safari Mission where Mr Miffin, the excellent engineer, hopes to save the day!
Bloody Bullecourt
by David CoombesIn April-May 1917 the sleepy hamlet of Bullecourt in Northern France became the focus of two battles involving British and Australian troops. Given the unique place in Australia's military history that both battles occupy, surprisingly little has been written on the AIF's achievements at Bullecourt. Bloody Bullecourt seeks to remedy this gasping omission.The First Battle of Bullecourt marked the Australians' introduction to the latest battlefield weapon—the tank. This much-lauded weapon failed dismally amid enormous casualties. Despite this, two infantry brigades from the 4th Australian Division captured parts of the formidable Hindenberg Line with minimal artillery and tank support, repulsing German counterattacks until forced to withdraw.In the second battle, launched with a preliminary artillery barrage, more Australian divisions were forced into the Bullecourt 'meat-grinder' and casualties scored over 7,000. Once more, soldiers fought hard to capture parts of the enemy line and hold them against savage counterattacks.Bullecourt became a charnel-house for the AIF. Many who had endured he nightmare of Pozires considered Bullecourt far worse. And for what? While Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig considered its capture 'among the great achievements of the war', the village that cost so many lives held no strategic value whatsoever.
Clacton-on-Sea and the Surrounding Coastline in the Great War (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)
by Ken PorterClacton-on-Sea and the surrounding coastline is part of the Sunshine Coast, an area of sandy beaches and low-level cliffs facing the North Sea. This book gives a brief history of the major nearby villages Brightlingsea, St Oysths, Clacton on Sea, Holland on Sea, Frinton and Walton on the Naze as they developed from agricultural areas, to seaside resorts in the mid to late 1800s, and then into heavily defended hives of activity. They were considered by the authorities to be convenient spots for foreign invasion and, as a result, mock invasion exercises at Clacton had taken place since the early 1900s. Being close to the sea, many of the inhabitants were heavily involved with yachting and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, so it's not surprising that a great number joined the Royal or Merchant Navy.Brightlingsea became a major naval port and the Australian and New Zealander's Engineers trained there for four years. Clacton itself saw over a 1,000 men sign up, and it also had a number of Military and Convalescent Homes that treated injured men. Middlesex Hospital, for one, treated over 9,000 men. The local villages produced a considerable number of men who were awarded the Military Medal/Cross, and Walton on the Naze produced one VC in Herbert Columbine.The tremendous efforts of others are also covered, in particular those of the local women folk. A number of appropriate poems, many written at the time, are included throughout the book, as well as rarely seen photographs and insightful reports from the local papers of that period.
Struggle and Suffrage in Sheffield: Women's Lives and the Fight for Equality (Struggle And Suffrage Ser.)
by Margaret DrinkallA history of the women’s movement in Sheffield, England in the twentieth century, examining how women’s roles evolved during and between the world wars.This book looks into the role of women of Sheffield and how it has evolved from the powerlessness of a woman involved in a wife sale, to the achievement of the election of its first female Lord Mayor. Using newspapers of the period, archive material and modern photographs, Struggle and Suffrage in Sheffield examines how the role of women slowly changed in the city. It also highlights the militancy of the Sheffield suffragettes who not only organised demonstrations in Sheffield, but also sent groups to take part in some of the most notorious demonstrations in London. Following these demonstrations several local women were badly manhandled by police before being arrested and sent to Holloway Prison. Adela Pankhurst tried at first to bring the women of the Sheffield WSPU to achieve the vote through peaceful means, only when the Conciliation Bill of June 1910 was dropped, did she then encourage them to take more militant action. Following the outbreak of both world wars the women of Sheffield worked in the steelworks making munitions. They worked day and night shifts as bombs were falling about them, but when both wars ended they were abruptly dismissed, as the men returned to take up their former jobs. Only following a meeting with PM Gordon Brown and the erection of a bronze statue of Women of Steel in 2016, did Sheffield women truly get the acknowledgment they deserved.
The Life & Legend of a Rebel Leader: Wat Tyler
by Stephen BasdeoIn 1381, England was on the brink - the poor suffered the effects of war, the Black Death, and Poll Tax. At this time the brave Wat Tyler arose to lead the commoners, forming an army who set off to London to meet with King Richard II and present him with a list of grievances and demands for redress. Tyler was treacherously struck down by the Lord Mayor. His head hacked from his shoulders, pierced on a spike, and made a spectacle on London Bridge. Yet he lived on through the succeeding centuries as a radical figure, the hero of English Reformers, Revolutionaries, and Chartists.The Life and Legend of a Rebel Leader: Wat Tyler examines the eponymous hero's literary afterlives. Unlike other medieval heroes such as King Arthur or King Alfred, whose post medieval manifestations were supposed to inspire pride in the English past, if Wat Tyler's name was invoked by the people, the authorities had something to fear.
Indefensible: A brand new totally gripping psychological thriller
by James WoolfA lawyer gets uncomfortably close to a former client, crossing a dangerous line, in this edgy debut thriller. Daniel, a criminal barrister, is working all hours on a sensational trial at the Old Bailey, defending a client he believes is wrongfully accused of a grisly murder. Determined to keep Rod out of prison, he begins to neglect his wife—and soon afterwards suspects she&’s having an affair. After Daniel triumphs in court, the bond he&’s formed with his newly acquitted client grows even stronger. Then Rod offers Daniel a favour that he really shouldn&’t accept . . . When things take a catastrophic turn, Daniel realises his conduct has veered from unprofessional to indefensible—and that he&’s trapped in a nightmare of his own making . . .
With SOE in Greece: The Wartime Experiences of Captain Pat Evans
by Tom EvansPat Evans parachuted into German-occupied Northern Greece in September 1943. His mission as a SOE operative was to support the Greek resistance movement, carry out sabotage and commando operations and gather military intelligence.By this time Greece was not only a country ravaged by a brutal occupation but being torn apart by fending political factions on the edge of civil war. Evans had to walk a tight-rope between the Germans, the Communist directed ELAS, Macedonia irredentists and his own SOE masters in Cairo and Allied High Command.After the Nazis withdrew in late 1944, he was sent to Northern Greece to try and restore some form of normality amid the chaos of civil war. His success can be measured by the warmth in which the locals still remember him, over 70 years on.This book draws on a wide range of sources, including SOE and War Cabinet papers but it is Pat Evans unpublished letters and reports that give the reader an insight into the challenge that he faced, both operationally and politically.The result is a thrilling and informative book.
How Not to Kill Yourself: A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind
by Clancy MartinFINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION • ONE OF TIME'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE YEAR • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S CRITICS' PICKS • ONE OF THE BOSTON GLOBE&’S 55 BOOKS WE LOVED THIS YEAR • ONE OF KIRKUS&’S BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR• An intimate, insightful, at times even humorous blend of memoir and philosophy that examines why the thought of death is so compulsive for some while demonstrating that there&’s always another solution—from the acclaimed writer and philosophy professor, based on his viral essay, &“I&’m Still Here.&” &“A deep meditation that searches through Martin&’s past looking for answers about why he is the way he is, while also examining the role suicide has played in our culture for centuries, how it has evolved, and how philosophers have examined it.&” —Esquire &“A rock for people who&’ve been troubled by suicidal ideation, or have someone in their lives who is.&” —The New York Times&“If you&’re going to write a book about suicide, you have to be willing to say the true things, the scary things, the humiliating things. Because everybody who is being honest with themselves knows at least a little bit about the subject. If you lie or if you fudge, the reader will know.&”The last time Clancy Martin tried to kill himself was in his basement with a dog leash. It was one of over ten attempts throughout the course of his life. But he didn&’t die, and like many who consider taking their own lives, he hid the attempt from his wife, family, coworkers, and students, slipping back into his daily life with a hoarse voice, a raw neck, and series of vague explanations.In How Not to Kill Yourself, Martin chronicles his multiple suicide attempts in an intimate depiction of the mindset of someone obsessed with self-destruction. He argues that, for the vast majority of suicides, an attempt does not just come out of the blue, nor is it merely a violent reaction to a particular crisis or failure, but is the culmination of a host of long-standing issues. He also looks at the thinking of a number of great writers who have attempted suicide and detailed their experiences (such as David Foster Wallace, Yiyun Li, Akutagawa, Nelly Arcan, and others), at what the history of philosophy has to say both for and against suicide, and at the experiences of those who have reached out to him across the years to share their own struggles.The result combines memoir with critical inquiry to powerfully give voice to what for many has long been incomprehensible, while showing those presently grappling with suicidal thoughts that they are not alone, and that the desire to kill oneself—like other self-destructive desires—is almost always temporary and avoidable.
My Reading Life
by Pat ConroyBestselling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the profound effect reading has had on his life. Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is a voracious reader. Starting as a childhood passion that bloomed into a life-long companion, reading has been Conroy&’s portal to the world, both to the farthest corners of the globe and to the deepest chambers of the human soul. His interests range widely, from Milton to Tolkien, Philip Roth to Thucydides, encompassing poetry, history, philosophy, and any mesmerizing tale of his native South. He has for years kept notebooks in which he records words and expressions, over time creating a vast reservoir of playful turns of phrase, dazzling flashes of description, and snippets of delightful sound, all just for his love of language. But for Conroy reading is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity. In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of reading through an array of wonderful and often surprising anecdotes: sharing the pleasures of the local library&’s vast cache with his mother when he was a boy, recounting his decades-long relationship with the English teacher who pointed him onto the path of letters, and describing a profoundly influential period he spent in Paris, as well as reflecting on other pivotal people, places, and experiences. His story is a moving and personal one, girded by wisdom and an undeniable honesty. Anyone who not only enjoys the pleasures of reading but also believes in the power of books to shape a life will find here the greatest defense of that credo.BONUS: This ebook edition includes an excerpt from Pat Conroy's The Death of Santini.