The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to his son
"The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son" offers an intimate and profound glimpse into the extraordinary mind and life of one of history's most influential figures, John D. Rockefeller, as he imparts his perspectives, ideology, and timeless wisdom to his beloved son.Spanning a period of several decades, this captivating collection of letters showcases the correspondence between John D. Rockefeller, the renowned American business magnate, philanthropist, and visionary, and his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Through these heartfelt and thought-provoking letters, we witness the unfolding of a unique father-son relationship, guided by Rockefeller Sr.'s desire to instill in his heir a sense of purpose, integrity, and responsibility.In these intimate exchanges, J.D. Rockefeller Sr. shares his personal experiences, successes, and failures, revealing the principles and values that shaped his incredible journey in the worlds of business, philanthropy, and social change. From his pioneering efforts in the oil industry to his philanthropic endeavors that transformed education, medicine, and scientific research, Rockefeller Sr. provides valuable insights and practical advice on leadership, wealth, ethics, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.Each letter within this remarkable collection is accompanied by insightful commentary and analysis, providing readers with historical context and highlighting the profound impact of Rockefeller Sr.'s words on his son's life and the broader world. These letters not only offer a unique perspective on the Rockefeller family legacy but also serve as a timeless guide for individuals seeking guidance in navigating the complexities of personal and professional life."The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son" is an illuminating and deeply moving exploration of the principles, ideologies, and wisdom that propelled one of the most influential families in American history. It serves as an inspiring testament to the enduring power of a father's love, mentorship, and the timeless wisdom that can shape the lives of generations to come.
Elon Musk
The #1 New York Times and global bestseller from Walter Isaacson--the acclaimed author of Steve Jobs, Einstein: His Life and World, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci--is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating, controversial innovator of modern times. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Elon Musk as he executed his vision for electric vehicles at Tesla, space exploration with SpaceX, the AI revolution, and the takeover of Twitter and its conversion to X. The result is the definitive portrait of the mercurial pioneer that offers clues to his political instincts, future ambitions, and overall worldview. When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist. His father's impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive. At the beginning of 2022--after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth--Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. "I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life," he said. It was a wistful comment, not a New Year's resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world's ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground. For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?
Auschwitz #34207
NEW EDITION. NEW MATERIAL ABOUT JOEIn 1945 Joe walked out of a Nazi concentration camp. His story has never been told - until now.Shortly before dawn on a frigid morning in Radom, Poland, German soldiers forced twenty-one year-old Icek "Joe" Rubinsztejn onto a crowded, open-air truck. The next day, several around him were dead. From there, things got worse for young Joe-much worse. Joe arrived at Auschwitz on April 30, 1942. Now, in his nineties, Joe reveals how he survived several of the most notorious concentration camps when so many others perished. His is a remarkable narrative-a unique story of endurance, courage and faith.Barefooted when he was seized by the Nazis, Joe became one of New York's leading shoe designers-working with companies whose shoes were sought after by First Ladies and movie stars alike. Joe's story bears witness to the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. While the Nazis took everything else, they were unable to take his unassailable joy.Joe's story is one of discovering light in the darkest of places, an inspiration for us all.
Chucking Putty At The Queen
In his second volume of memoirs we rejoin Simon as he strives to establish his identity on a tough, 1970s inner-city council estate following the death of his mother to breast cancer when he was just eight years old.Struggling with disability, body dysmorphia, and paranoia, he encounters ridicule and violence at his flamboyant appearance. Being 'different' is not without difficulties, and we witness how his fabulous, glittery debut at a church youth club is far from what he anticipated; how a visit to the adventure playground becomes more of a misadventure; and how a shocking incident at a football match confirms his continuing sense of alienation.Once again we meet Sid, his ex-RAF tail gunner father whose unwavering support for his unusual son is unexpectedly tested with the arrival of punk rock.Determined to find his own tribe, we're at Simon's side during his first night in a gay club - but after such a tortuous journeyto get there, will he find the true love that he desperately yearns within the strobe and neon-lit paradise?Chucking Putty At The Queen is a simultaneously heartbreaking, humorous, and courageous memoir of living authentically.
Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World
This stunning sequel to The Bookseller at the End of the World continues Ruth Shaw's story with more heartwarming tales from a woman who has lived a brave and fascinating life. The Bookseller at the End of the World described the first part of Ruth Shaw's tumultuous life, touching readers in powerful ways. It became an international bestseller, translated into eleven languages. Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World picks up Ruth's story with more charming, heartbreaking, brave and funny tales. Having found the love of her life, Lance, she tells of their sailing adventures together, world travels, conservation efforts and their wee bookshops. Life has never been easy for Ruth but, despite that, her book is chock full of extraordinary people and situations, many of them laugh-out-loud funny. Tales from the bookshops are interwoven with Ruth's story, along with expert book recommendations. Written in Ruth's characteristic style, this absorbing memoir traverses the highs and lows of a life lived to the full, creating another deeply satisfying read. Praise for The Bookseller at the End of the World "Compelling. Shaw tells her own story free of over-sentimentality or self-pity; she's straightforward, frequently humorous... Her resilience, optimism and willingness to help others is to be admired; her remarkable story is to be read and reflected upon as it adds another vital perspective to a NZ life." --Dionne Christian, Sunday Star-Times
Living a Life of Greatness
An insightful and affirming guide to resetting your life and finding purpose, meaning and fulfilment through simple everyday practices, from the host of the internationally successful podcast A Life of Greatness. "A brilliant guide to mastering your inner world and finding true fulfilment and happiness." --Deepak Chopra "Sarah Grynberg is a wise and wonderful person, and this book is a gift that will touch countless lives." --Johann Hari Have you ever felt like you're hurtling through life, unable to slow down or take a breath? Things might look good from the outside, but you're running on empty with no time to reflect on what it's all for. Greatness is the antidote to this helpless, discontented feeling: it is about self-knowledge and taking control of your life; finding meaning and joy beyond the noise of the modern world. Greatness is within us all. But daily demands, the weight of expectations and the opinions of others can pull us away from who we truly are, leaving us feeling lost. This book is a guide to cutting through the chaos, reconnecting with yourself and reclaiming the greatness that was always yours. Sarah Grynberg shares the steps she took to transform her life after experiencing burnout in a high-profile, high-pressure job-and realizing how unfulfilled she truly was. Drawing from her own life stories, her work as a mindset coach and her in-depth interviews with global thought leaders, celebrities and authors on her podcast A Life of Greatness, Sarah candidly reveals the simple, everyday practices that can set us firmly back on our own paths to greatness.
Haven't Any News
"Ruby wrote letters home almost every week....She wrote anything that came into her head: about her children and Fred, her housekeeping, food, clothes, her friends, activities, schemes for making money, her dreams for the future....Her letters, nave, intimate and lively, were always optimistic or poignant. We'd read them to each other on the phone or pass them around. Often we saved them." So writes Edna Staebler in her introduction to this edited collection of her sister Ruby's letters from the fifties. In 1957 when Edna first began to collect and edit these letters she did so simply because she was sure that others would enjoy reading them as much as her own family did. Over fifty years later, the letters remain a joy to read and reclaim the ordinary voice of a housewife. Remarkably, these letters echo themes academics want to isolate in order to analyze women's roles in the modern world - drifting ("life just happened to me") and contingency ("women's lives depend on relationships"), for example, as well as the balance between family and work. As a fine example of women's life writing they also illustrate the literary patterns of overt and covert stories and of textual and subtextual meaning. Haven't Any News: Ruby's Letters from the Fifties includes an Afterword by Marlene Kadar, Associate Professor of Humanities at York University and a leading expert on women's life writing. All those concerned with women's studies and with the social history of twentieth-century Canada will find this book of enormous interest and it will delight Edna Staebler fans everywhere.
Little Body, Huge Life
What if your greatest strength lies in the very things you thought were holding you back?Born with a rare genetic condition affecting bone growth and mobility, Suchita Vanessa Smith stands at just 137 cm tall and has fought to overcome deteriorating joints her entire life.In Little Body, Huge Life: Finding Freedom in Any Body, Suchita shares how she found peace, purpose, and resilience in a world not built for bodies like hers. As we follow her life's journey, each chapter offers engaging stories and keys to loving yourself. From founding a dance club to working in conservation to travelling solo throughout Asia, Suchita shows that a full, joyful life isn't about fixing your body - it's about loving and accepting it.This book is for anyone who . . .. . . has issues with body image, illness, or disability.. . . wants a kinder relationship with their body.. . . seeks inspiration for healing and self-acceptance.. . . loves to read empowering stories of resilience and hope.Full of warmth, wisdom and quiet strength, Little Body, Huge Life is a powerful invitation to come home to yourself, just as you are.
Family Shattered
"So," I would ask, again and again, "you actually believe this is acceptable? That it's normal for a caregiver to become this embedded, this involved?"The worst part was hearing it from the people closest to me. "But your dad seems happy," they'd say. "Why not just let it be?"If only it were that simple.It wasn't just about happiness. It was about safety. Boundaries. Long-term trust.When Piper and her siblings hire a live-in caregiver for their aging father, they believe they are making the best decision. Macie arrives with glowing references and a composed demeanour, but beneath her poised exterior lies something dangerous. The youngest sibling sees her as a blessing. The older two begin to question her past, but no one wants to believe what they uncover. Their efforts to sound the alarm are met with silence, disbelief, and increasing alienation. But as their father's health declines, Macie's grip tightens.Told through eldest daughter Piper's eyes, Family Shattered is a raw and intimate account of misplaced trust, emotional estrangement, and the unraveling of a family. It's a story of standing firm in the face of dismissal-and the quiet devastation that follows when the truth is left unheard.
The Moon in Splinters
One moonless night in 1942, a handsome 20-year-old British SOE lieutenant, Maurice Pertschuk, rowed ashore on the Cote d'Azur with orders to report to the French resistance. Three years later he'd be hanged at Buchenwald, just 13 days before its liberation, within earshot of approaching Allied guns. Friends rescued the sheaf of poems he'd scribbled on scavenged paper and published them in 1946 as "Leaves of Buchenwald." What had happened, his young niece wondered, to this young poet? A seemingly impenetrable silence hung around the subject. Only after her mother's death did this niece dare look for answers. In The Moon in Splinters she revisits Maurice's haunts, tracks down survivors and interviews their families. A portrait emerges of a slight, brilliant, romantic intellectual; of gentle disposition, yet tough, full of "imaginative audacity," who organized a vast, yet to date largely forgotten, resistance network in southern France. After the Germans occupied the whole of France, London ordered his team to blow up a Toulouse explosive factory, but a double agent caught wind of the plot. Maurice and 16 others were betrayed, arrested, tortured and deported to Buchenwald. The Moon in Splinters follows twists and turns in the discoveries, the disappointments and the revelations - all interwoven with Maurice's reconstructed story. It leads to a surprise ending, even more sinister than the one historians tell.
Good Little Greek Girl
What happens when the life you've been told to live no longer feels like living at all?In her 40s, a first-generation Australian-born Greek woman finally dares to pull back the curtain on a lifetime of silence, sacrifice and survival. In this raw and deeply vulnerable memoir, she takes readers on a journey through the hidden cost of being the "Good little Greek girl" - obedient, invisible and endlessly giving, all while slowly breaking inside.Raised within the weight of strict traditions and surrounded by emotionally immature, narcissistic and wounded family members, she learned early to bury her voice and her pain. Her heritage wasn't the problem - it was the unspoken rules, the generational trauma and the suffocating expectations that left her numb, lost and secretly wishing each night would be her last.But this is not a story of despair. This is a story of awakening. Of saying, "Enough." Of breaking the chains of silence and rewriting a life that had never truly belonged to her. With her daughter as her anchor, she chose to become the woman her younger self so desperately needed.For anyone who has ever felt trapped in family dynamics, questioned their worth, or longed to break free from invisible shackles, this memoir is both a mirror and a lifeline. It is a testament to resilience, courage and the radical act of choosing authenticity over approval.This is a story from the shackles of survival to embracing the power to finally live.
Farewell, the Beloved Country
This is the story of my childhood and teenage years in central Africa, from 1951 to 1962. I recall my life in the colony of Belgian Congo, the discovery of the bush, the people, and their culture. Important also is the prison we live next to, where my father is the warden. Patrice Lumumba was a noteworthy prisoner.Life changed drastically at the independence of the Belgian Congo in June 1960. The province of Katanga, where we lived, seceded from the rest of Congo and proclaimed itself the independent State of Katanga. The United Nations arrived and took military action.Despite it all, life went on in a new "normal" way. I lived through school interruptions and wondered if I would be able to graduate. Friendships held us together, romances blossomed and exams loomed. The country where I grew up and intended to spend my adulthood became even more dear to me. However, I had to say kwaheri, a heartbroken farewell, to the country and its people.
Family Shattered
"So," I would ask, again and again, "you actually believe this is acceptable? That it's normal for a caregiver to become this embedded, this involved?"The worst part was hearing it from the people closest to me. "But your dad seems happy," they'd say. "Why not just let it be?"If only it were that simple.It wasn't just about happiness. It was about safety. Boundaries. Long-term trust.When Piper and her siblings hire a live-in caregiver for their aging father, they believe they are making the best decision. Macie arrives with glowing references and a composed demeanour, but beneath her poised exterior lies something dangerous. The youngest sibling sees her as a blessing. The older two begin to question her past, but no one wants to believe what they uncover. Their efforts to sound the alarm are met with silence, disbelief, and increasing alienation. But as their father's health declines, Macie's grip tightens.Told through eldest daughter Piper's eyes, Family Shattered is a raw and intimate account of misplaced trust, emotional estrangement, and the unraveling of a family. It's a story of standing firm in the face of dismissal-and the quiet devastation that follows when the truth is left unheard.
Married to Merlot
Married to Merlot is an inspirational read for anyone who is facing adversity. Through her unflinching narrative, Martha Louise pens a poignant and candid chronicle of her personal journey impacted by her Vietnam veteran spouse's post-war stress, depression, and alcoholism. When her husband leaves her, Martha finds herself in deep grief with a desperate need for understanding. As she searches for answers, yet another tragic event ambushes her and forces her to a standstill. The author's straightforward account illustrates her heartache as well as her determination to stay the course toward self-discovery and healing.Martha relies on her psychological background and education to weave self-help concepts and messages of hope into her storytelling. The compelling combination of the family's perseverance and the author's fortitude will encourage others in similar circumstances to find the strength to choose their own unique path to recovery and to a happier life.
Married to Merlot
"Martha Louise's true story of love, loss, family, and faith tells the heart-wrenching account of a war-damaged soul struggling to find peace and a wife and family trying to hold it all together. This book is full of Southern grit, pathos, and raw humor." -GiGi Henry, Boulder, CO Married to Merlot is an inspirational read for anyone who is facing adversity. Through her unflinching narrative, Martha Louise pens a poignant and candid chronicle of her personal journey impacted by her Vietnam veteran spouse's post-war stress, depression, and alcoholism.When her husband leaves her, Martha finds herself in deep grief with a desperate need for understanding. As she searches for answers, yet another tragic event ambushes her and forces her to a standstill. The author's straightforward account illustrates her heartache as well as her determination to stay the course toward self-discovery and healing.Martha relies on her psychological background and education to weave self-help concepts and messages of hope into her storytelling. The compelling combination of the family's perseverance and the author's fortitude will encourage others in similar circumstances to find the strength to choose their own unique path to recovery and to a happier life.
Stepping Stones to the Arch De Pleasure
Stepping Stones to the ARCH De Pleasure is not another fantasy-driven erotic tale-it's a groundbreaking memoir that strips away illusion and confronts readers with the raw, factual realities of sex and intimacy. James Pope's journey, from the cornfields of Iowa to the adult world of discovery, is more than personal exploration; it's a tribute to the remarkable women who taught him the art of connection, desire, and honesty.This book challenges men to step into Jim's shoes and women to embrace the unapologetic voices of those who refused to hide their needs. With unflinching candor, Pope recounts everyday experiences that reveal the tension between logic and gratification, innocence and awakening. The result is a provocative, RRR-rated narrative that dismantles taboos and sparks real conversation.Stepping Stones is a call to authenticity: a daring, intimate documentary of human sexuality that empowers readers to embrace truth without shame.
Dealing with and Overcoming the Trials and Tribulations of Life
This gripping memoir fuses true crime with personal transformation. At its heart is a chilling encounter with a mass suicide cult leader-an experience that could have shattered the author's life. Instead, it became the catalyst for resilience, healing, and profound inner strength. More than a crime story, this book is a survival guide for anyone facing life's darkest trials. Through raw honesty and reflective insight, the author reveals how fear and trauma were confronted head-on, and how adversity became a doorway to growth. Readers are not just witnesses to a harrowing event-they're invited into a journey of reclaiming power, rebuilding identity, and discovering the quiet force of endurance. Whether you're drawn to psychological intrigue or searching for hope after hardship, this book offers both: a riveting narrative and a roadmap to resilience.
Shattered for Glory
From strip joints and gentlemen's clubs to the ballrooms of Mar-a-Lago, Jeanne learns that pain is not without purpose. Shattered for Glory: A Human Trafficking Survivor's Journey to Freedom recounts the extraordinary true story of Jeanne Roberson's journey to freedom from the bondage of the adult entertainment industry. Her gripping memoir stands as a testament to resilience, faith, and transformation. A month after turning seventeen, Jeanne is introduced to a woman who manipulates, grooms, and begins trafficking her into the adult entertainment industry as a stripper. She is catapulted into stardom in the dark world of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Jeanne spends twenty-two years trying to break free from an industry that has exploited her, stolen her youth, and stigmatized her. In a miraculous twist of fate, after a near-death experience, God delivers Jeanne out of the devil's playground and places her on a journey to freedom and unshakable faith. But not without a battle for her soul. Shattered for Glory is a powerful read for anyone who feels broken, lost, and is searching for hope.
Zola
The impact of Emile Zola is much wider than French literature; he was the pioneer in the history of realism and socialism. Zola: A Life In Naturalism is an entertaining study of the author who transformed the novel into a strict, scientific investigation into the mechanism of human life.H.H. Soltan painstakingly recreates the socio-political atmosphere in France during the 19th century, the period of industrial revolution and the extreme stratification of classes, to demonstrate how the so-called experimental technique of Zola was born. The book discusses the influences that Zola had as a child, such as his multicultural background and his early friendship with Paul C矇zanne, which led him to the principle of synthesising the scientific observation with the aesthetic innovation.At the centre of the book is a detailed discussion of Les Rougons-Macquart, the twenty volumes of the epic in which Zola explored his themes. Soltan describes how Zola had used the concepts of heredity and environment to explain the deterministic influences on his characters. The book presents various examples of Zola's denial of sentimental treatment of the working class and the responsiveness of emotions, which is the most expressive in literature, in its coalfields of Germinal northwards and in the laundry shops of L'Assommoir.In addition to the literary theory, this book offers a profound insight into the civic responsibility of Zola. It describes his heroic role in the Dreyfus Affair, his subsequent exile in England, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death in 1902. Concluding with the evaluation of Zola in the film and visual narration, Soltan manages to show that the unvarnished truths of Zola are as topical now as they were a hundred years ago. The book is a vital contribution to any research or personal collection on the subject matter of European thought and the evolution of the modern novel.Designed for libraries, universities, and serious readers, this volume combines biography, literary criticism, and cultural history. It is suitable for courses in European literature, realism, modern intellectual history, and social theory.
A Secret Between Gentlemen
A Secret Between Gentlemen: Faith and Desire is the third volume of the unique A Secret Between Gentlemen historical and biographical trilogy. It casts devotional light upon a handful of extraordinary homosexual clergymen who hallowed, or otherwise, the Victorian landscape, and whom are now almost forgotten.These gentlemen are the Reverends Joseph Leycester Lyne, Robert Eyton, Francis George Widdows, Arthur Trewman, John Gwyon, John Henry Daine, Francis George Widdows, and not least Robert Charles Fillingham, whose 186 volumes of unpublished diaries are here accessed to provide a fascinating window into his life and times. This includes a unique first person account of his trial in 1886 for homosexual offences. As he wrote: "I could not realise that it was other than a dream. It was someone else getting up this dreadful morning with a sick heart: someone else going up silent and bewildered to a court of justice: someone else standing as a criminal in the dock: someone else noting, with horror, that all eyes were fixed with cold curiosity or amusement upon him - and I was a spectator of it also. I had, indeed, hard work to realise its reality."The second half of this volume is devoted to two rare and hitherto unpublished tracts that will be of interest to scholars of Victorian sexuality. This is the seventh edition, and is available in hardback only.
Adventures in Christian Fellowship
A Life on the Road. A Ministry on the Move. A Story Guided by Faith.For going on fifty years, Mike Manganello has lived a calling that unfolded one mile at a time. From his early days with Wandering Wheels to co-founding Lightrider Ministries, he launched a mobile retreat fellowship that carried thousands of people millions of miles, including more than 11,000 travelers aboard Lightrider's distinctive double-decker motor coaches. What began as a simple step of obedience became a continent-wide ministry shaped by providence, perseverance, and the unmistakable hand of God.In Adventures in Christian Fellowship: The Lightrider Story, Manganello shares the remarkable accounts that could only come from the driver's seat of a ministry on wheels. He tells of provision that arrived at the exact moment of need, narrow escapes that defied explanation, and lives touched in ways no itinerary could predict. What others might call coincidence, he recognizes as the Lord's intervention-time and again, mile after mile.Told with the clarity and candor of an American bus driver who has seen this nation from coast to coast and into Canada, this narrative integrates personal testimony, ministry history, and reflections on God's grace that sustained every journey. It is a tribute to God, His Word, and to the volunteers, donors, and churches that believed in the vision. It is a testament to what can happen when someone says yes to God's call, even when the details are uncertain-mindful that, as Coach Bob Davenport frequently said, "Success is the journey, not the destination."Richly illustrated with photographs spanning decades, this book invites readers to witness grace in motion and discover a ministry that proved: When God calls you forward, He provides for every mile. God is the Pilot, we are the co-pilot . . .
Walking with Faith
In this journal of faith, Mary Ann Downey offers spiritual seekers, people of faith and all who question faith, her experiments with doubt and belief. In 29 essays, some of which have been published in Friends Journal, she describes lessons from her family and her life of service as a social worker, teacher, conference leader, and spiritual guide."In one of the beautiful essays in this book, Mary Ann Downey reflects on the Atlanta Friends Meeting, "I also sometimes picture our meeting as a giant quilt in which we offer the bits and scraps of who we are. Working together, we form patterns-beautiful designs that are stronger and more unique because of their spiritual binding. To know Mary Ann Downey is to witness a life being mindfully, prayerfully pieced together." --From the Forward by Christina Repoley, Mdiv, Founder of Quaker Voluntary Service, Vice President of Program Forum for Theological Exploration.
Older Adults and Cancer
Are you ready to be inspired? Dive into the remarkable life of Ray Gardner, a man whose personal battles with myasthenia gravis and prostate cancer became a springboard for advocacy, change, and impact. Ray's journey is not just about surviving but thriving; not simply about illness but about forging powerful connections between patients and cancer professionals. With warmth, wit, and wisdom, Ray invites you to see the world of cancer care through new eyes-those of a patient, a champion, and a collaborator determined to make every voice count. This book is not just about illness or science-it's about hope, collaboration, and the power of informed engagement. Ray's passion for empowering others, his work with leading oncology organisations, and his unwavering belief in the value of partnership between professionals and patients shine through every page. Discover how one individual's insight and determination can help reshape our understanding of care and survivorship. Whether you are a patient, carer, clinician, or someone seeking inspiration, Ray's story will encourage you to rethink what's possible. This book is a clarion call for partnership, compassion, and the belief that together, we can reimagine what's possible for older adults facing cancer. Ray's journey will remind you: adversity can be the start of something extraordinary. Join him on a voyage that proves even in the face of life's greatest challenges, there is always room for making a difference.
The Dead Soul Eyes
This memoir is based on the true story of a woman named Luna, whose life was deeply impacted by alexithymia, a condition caused by untreated Complex PTSD. Her trauma stems from being a victim of the 1999 Poso conflict in Indonesia. The narrative begins with her upbringing, marked by complex challenges: the struggle to adapt to a mixed socio-cultural environment, the neglect she endured before and after the conflict, and her eventual survival against these overwhelming odds. Her journey, one that few in Indonesia experience, leads her to develop alexithymia, a rare condition that affects emotional awareness and expression. Through Luna's eyes, this book explores how her 'strangeness' in social interactions shaped her life decisions in ways most people would never imagine. Her unique condition, often misunderstood, becomes the lens through which we witness her resilience in the face of adversity. Luna's story sheds light on the broader struggles faced by neurodivergent individuals - those often labelled as 'different' or 'useless' by societal standards. Her journey serves as an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt marginalized. It challenges the notion that the human right to live is sufficient; it calls for the right to be fully accepted and understood. Through Luna's experiences, readers will gain insight into how beauty and art can be perceived and expressed by someone whose emotional landscape is unlike the rest of us.
Waking up in Warsaw
This heartwarming, funny and entertaining story of living as a foreign family in Warsaw highlights some of the charming traditions and emerging struggles of Poland from January 1994 into the new millennium. A recently freed nation beckoned this young English family, keen for adventure. The book follows their challenges as they integrate, first into the freshly arriving international expat community and gradually into local village life. They share the journey of the Polish people who are navigating a whirlwind pace of change, as society in the capital city of Warsaw emerges from the shadow of the iron curtain. Centuries-old traditions run alongside new lifestyles, making every day for this enterprising family an experience full of unexpected delights and equally unexpected obstacles. For the villagers, old-style farming with a single cow and a horse-drawn cart runs alongside the new disciplines of marketing and advertising, bringing faster, smarter cars that are delivered with seats already installed and mobile phones that put households, who could never get a landline, suddenly in touch with the rest of the world. The landscape and art of this nation form the backdrop to the story, which includes how these expats found themselves owning part of a rare private lake, participants in a new wave art installation and honoured guests at a village wedding in the heart of Chopin country.
Where is the Moon?
Surely I can't be wrong about everything? My dark, fatalistic neurodivergent mindset also reveals flashes of light which hopefully can prevail. I feel compelled to write - perhaps a powerful read, a unique insight into an unusual mind. Where does a story start? One might say at the beginning but that would take an inordinate amount of time. Frankly, there's so much material but best to stay concise and avoid a stream of consciousness masquerading as virtuosity! The story opens along Northern Ireland's stunning County Down coastline, then journeys further afield, highlighting two particular trips with seven Italian August days in Turin and Cuneo closely followed by seven Spanish days in Seville, Granada and Malaga, culminating with three days in London - coinciding by pure chance with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. My book navigates an ordered chaos of tragedy, trauma, mental health, despair, lust, love and maybe hope! It is a raw ride within the heavens of the Alps, with Dante's Hell lurking in the shadows. A full moon rises, alluringly beautiful and I ask my Lupina, my Cressida, my everything "Dov'癡 la Luna?" She raises her small hand, pointing lovingly!
Behind Closed Doors
Please take good care of my baby, thinks Maggie, as she places Dorita in the arms of a nun at the Lourdes Home orphanage in Gozo, Malta. The young mother has no way of knowing that Lourdes Home will eventually become notorious, its name synonymous with orphan abuse. Dorita is only supposed to stay at the orphanage for a matter of months but an accident and a coverup by the nuns mean that she will be held there for almost sixteen years. Yet all along, Dorita believes her mother is out there somewhere, and that someday she will be set free again.Based on the author's own experience, Behind Closed Doors is a story of survival of body, mind, and spirit against incredible odds in the face of regular abuse at the hands of those in power. It is also a testament to the power in moments of kindness, love, and grace.
My Nine Lives
Ben Lin, a senior analytical chemist, entrepreneur, restaurateur, actor, and author, shares the remarkable story of his life. With clear and engaging prose, Lin recounts his entrepreneurial journey, including the commercialization of America's first packaged won ton soup. He also delves into his diverse roles as an actor, voice-over artist, journalist, pianist, and celebrated restaurateur. Lin's intelligent and expert writing brings even his most embarrassing moments to life, making for an entertaining read. His talent for public speaking shines through as he keeps readers hooked with his stories. Throughout the memoir, Lin offers insightful reflections on racism, the immigrant experience, belonging, heritage, and identity. His extraordinary life is a testament to the power of hard work, perseverance, and resilience, offering hope and inspiration to all who read it. - BookView
Beauty is a Victory
In 1970, Jeremy Cooper, then 19, decided to spend part of his gap year studying French at Paris University. He loved all things French and spoke the language fluently. Shortly after his arrival, by a serendipitous route, he encountered Maurice Mazo, a distinguished intellectual and painter who was living in a retirement home for artists in Nogent-sur-Marne, to the SW of Paris. Despite their age difference - Mazo was 70 years old - the two developed an extraordinary and remarkably close friendship. The correspondence between the two men contained in this slender volume follows the relationship from its inception to its end, upon Mazo's death in 1989, by which time Jeremy Cooper was a married family man in his late 30s with a flourishing legal career. At its centre lies an exploration of the creative process and the intermingled perspectives of youth and age on common themes - painting, literature, love, religion, and family values. It is fascinating to follow the exchanges in which the wisdom of an artist's long life experiences mingles so engagingly with the energy, the confidence but also the curiosity of a young man. At a time when friendships across generations are so rare and appear increasingly fractured and splintered, it is heartwarming to read this life-affirming correspondence and to discover all the reassuring values and confidences it reveals.
New Life After Death
This is the story of five women. All of them have one thing in common: they are widows. What can the future hold for them? How can they turn their lives around? Will the feeling of disloyalty to their husbands stop them from embracing new friendships and new relationships? Will the shadow of their former life always prevent them from moving on, or can this encourage them to step outside their comfort zone and seek their own identity, an identity that has always been there but has failed to surface for years? Will a change in their thinking and their state of mind allow them to seek new horizons? These five friends all shared this experience and these looming questions. Yet, in finding a community to discuss these shared experiences and to appreciate their past while looking forward to what the future holds, they have found a new life after the death of their husbands. We hope that this book will encourage all people who are lonely to get out and meet people.
Risky Play
70 years ago, children enjoyed a lot more freedom than they do today. The time allowed to play often stretched for days at a time. In many cases, this allowed children to become highly creative while finding exciting opportunities to play unsupervised. No one seemed concerned about a child climbing the highest tree or going on a picnic or fishing, unaccompanied by adults. Even an overnight camping trip for a group of under 12s was usually acceptable as long as it wasn't raining. In turn, the ability to make important decisions and take risks, given the freedom experienced, built resilience in children that we don't see anymore. Today's children are often fearful and turn to their parents, who supervise everything they do. Helicopter parents hover over their children's every move to ensure that they come to no harm. In doing so, the parent inadvertently causes more harm, making the child/children dependent on the parent for even the simplest decision.
Beating the Machines
The true story of two young men who discovered, in 1980s England, that it was possible to beat the fruit machines that had been a staple of their lives, and British culture, for generations. What began as a game became an obsession played for very high stakes.
Put the Phone Away
When New Zealand schoolteacher Chris Valli confiscated a student's cell phone during class, he never imagined it would cost him his career and ultimately, deregistration. Cast out by the system he once served for 10 years, Chris was left questioning everything he believed about respect, consequences and having the mental health strategies or behavioural toolbox to cope as a former primary school teacher who transitioned to secondary. In the ashes of his teaching career, Chris finds a new voice-as a journalist and author in what he describes as owning his mistakes and truths. With raw honesty and insight, he chronicles the silent struggles inside classrooms, the moral grey zones teachers walk daily, and the dangerous power of community public perception in the age of viral outrage. Put the Phone Away is a powerful memoir of redemption, reinvention, and resilience. It's a story for every teacher who's ever felt powerless, for every parent navigating the digital minefield, and for every reader who's ever wondered what really happens behind the school gates. With humour, heartbreak, and hard-earned wisdom, Chris Valli shows that sometimes, losing everything can help you find your true calling. Chris says his growth didn't come from success but from sitting with the truth he once tried to avoid. "Teaching made me perform. Writing made me reflect. And in that reflection, I finally found myself. Vulnerability is a strength."
The Dead Soul Eyes
This memoir is based on the true story of a woman named Luna, whose life was deeply impacted by alexithymia, a condition caused by untreated Complex PTSD. Her trauma stems from being a victim of the 1999 Poso conflict in Indonesia. The narrative begins with her upbringing, marked by complex challenges: the struggle to adapt to a mixed socio-cultural environment, the neglect she endured before and after the conflict, and her eventual survival against these overwhelming odds. Her journey, one that few in Indonesia experience, leads her to develop alexithymia, a rare condition that affects emotional awareness and expression. Through Luna's eyes, this book explores how her 'strangeness' in social interactions shaped her life decisions in ways most people would never imagine. Her unique condition, often misunderstood, becomes the lens through which we witness her resilience in the face of adversity. Luna's story sheds light on the broader struggles faced by neurodivergent individuals - those often labelled as 'different' or 'useless' by societal standards. Her journey serves as an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt marginalized. It challenges the notion that the human right to live is sufficient; it calls for the right to be fully accepted and understood. Through Luna's experiences, readers will gain insight into how beauty and art can be perceived and expressed by someone whose emotional landscape is unlike the rest of us.
When Life Begins at 22
At twenty-two, the author abandons the "safe" path - work, money, stability - to travel the world. What begins as a search for meaning turns into a raw journey: wrong mountains in Tajikistan, solitude across Asia, extreme training in Thailand, arrests, thefts, losses, and encounters that leave invisible scars. This is neither a self-help book nor a travel guide. It is an intimate account of someone confronting fear, guilt, masculinity, family, and the question no one truly knows how to answer: who am I when no one is watching? Between airports, borders, and silences, this book is about growing up without a map, making mistakes without guarantees, and learning that sometimes, getting lost is the only way to begin finding yourself.
Obedience Versus Disobedience
Do what is right and walk in obedience to navigate the traps that are set for us - traps intended to rob and steal the many blessings coming our way. Doing the wrong things in life will bring heartache and sorrow that will put us on the path to destruction because of disobedience. Don't be led astray by the deceptions of others or let go of what you know to be right, as doing so could change the course of your life. Many people kill, steal, and destroy the plans that others may hold dear. Be wise, walk in obedience, and be blessed, as disobedience brings curses. Disobedience can be failure; obedience can be a winner.
Maxine's Story
When Maxine's Irish ancestors left for Australia, they did so from a land racked by famine, poverty and political turmoil. Australia was a desperate last hope for a better life. These people could not have known what they were coming to, only that they would never see the place of their birth again. For Maxine's future husband, the journey was different. Ian left a world of disappearing privilege in Pakistan to make a new start in Australia. The White Australia Policy was still in force and despite a mixed genetic heritage, Ian was formally an 'Asian'. Before all of this, white ghost invaders from England had forcibly taken the land from its first peoples. Resistance existed but had been crushed. Maxine's Story brings these three narratives, and more, into one story. It takes readers from the fields of Ireland and jungles of India to the birth and growth of the world's remotest city - Perth. Maxine's Story does not shy away from Australia's more uncomfortable truths. But it also celebrates ordinary people living in an imperfect and changing world. People who want the world to be better for those they love and those who come after them. People just like us.
Behind Closed Doors
Please take good care of my baby, thinks Maggie, as she places Dorita in the arms of a nun at the Lourdes Home orphanage in Gozo, Malta. The young mother has no way of knowing that Lourdes Home will eventually become notorious, its name synonymous with orphan abuse. Dorita is only supposed to stay at the orphanage for a matter of months but an accident and a coverup by the nuns mean that she will be held there for almost sixteen years. Yet all along, Dorita believes her mother is out there somewhere, and that someday she will be set free again.Based on the author's own experience, Behind Closed Doors is a story of survival of body, mind, and spirit against incredible odds in the face of regular abuse at the hands of those in power. It is also a testament to the power in moments of kindness, love, and grace.
Older Adults and Cancer
Are you ready to be inspired? Dive into the remarkable life of Ray Gardner, a man whose personal battles with myasthenia gravis and prostate cancer became a springboard for advocacy, change, and impact. Ray's journey is not just about surviving but thriving; not simply about illness but about forging powerful connections between patients and cancer professionals. With warmth, wit, and wisdom, Ray invites you to see the world of cancer care through new eyes-those of a patient, a champion, and a collaborator determined to make every voice count. This book is not just about illness or science-it's about hope, collaboration, and the power of informed engagement. Ray's passion for empowering others, his work with leading oncology organisations, and his unwavering belief in the value of partnership between professionals and patients shine through every page. Discover how one individual's insight and determination can help reshape our understanding of care and survivorship. Whether you are a patient, carer, clinician, or someone seeking inspiration, Ray's story will encourage you to rethink what's possible. This book is a clarion call for partnership, compassion, and the belief that together, we can reimagine what's possible for older adults facing cancer. Ray's journey will remind you: adversity can be the start of something extraordinary. Join him on a voyage that proves even in the face of life's greatest challenges, there is always room for making a difference.
A Challenging Journey From Arabian Desert to Harvard, MIT and Beyond
"This is an autobiography that is not only compelling but also remarkable for two main reasons. Firstly, it represents an extraordinary model of struggle and success. Secondly, it s more than just the story of Dr. Saleh AlHathloul; it reflects the transformation of an entire society and the unprecedented changes in Saudi Arabia's history during the lifetime of one individual." Ibrahim al-Bulaihi, Saudi thinker and social critic A Challenging Journey "is a tale of perseverance, dedication, and modesty of an architect, planner, and academic who has witnessed and contributed to the urban and architectural transformation in Saudi Arabia over the past four decades. From an orphaned, destitute boy in Al-Badayea to an influential leader, Saleh AlHathloul's inspiring journey is a testament to the high ambition that drove him to leave a lasting impact on generations to come." Mishariy al-Naeem, Al-Riyadh newspaper "Autobiographies are scarce in our society, and if found, they often focus on successes and reflect pride in career positions and achievements, omitting hardships and the impact of place, family, and the transformation of society. AlHathloul breaks this mold, sharing a deeply honest account of his rise from mud houses, barefoot childhood, and sand classrooms to the pinnacle of academic and professional success." Amr al-Amri, Al-Jazirah newspaper "This autobiography is a work of beauty, sculpted from time and memory, guided by a benevolent spirit that captures the details of the journey with both an innocent eye and bold language. Dr. Saleh AlHathloul's sincerity elevates his narrative, allowing readers to connect with the often-overlooked stories of a life lived. This is a life journey, arduous yet recounted with ease, in a language that reveals the beauty within the author's heart." Ibrahim Daoud, Egyptian Poet
My Drive Through Hell
My Drive Through Hell: A Divine Intervention is the personal story of Judy Foran's journey through pain, betrayal, and faith. After a devastating accident leaves her with severe injuries and a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Judy's world turns upside down. She endures a long period of recovery marked by numerous doctor visits, unhelpful lawyers, and the cold bureaucracy of insurance companies.But her physical pain is only part of the story. Trust is tested as friends proved false and betray her, while strangers step in as unexpected angels. A terrifying event while out of the country lands Judy in a foreign mental health institution, unsure if she'll ever see home again. Through every trial, however, glimmers of grace appeared-moments that can only be explained as divine intervention.Judy's story is a powerful reminder that miracles happen every day, often when we least expect them. Through faith, perseverance, and the belief that God walks beside us even in our darkest moments, My Drive Through Hell shows that troubles can strengthen us and serve as a window to seeing the hand of God at work.
KAROOLA WWI No 1, AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL SHIP
No other country had ever before such a distance before to carry their grievously wounded, and taking into consideration the fact that the ship had to load up with necessary foods and supplies for such long voyages at their home ports, only taking coal, water, fresh fruit and vegetables at the various ports of call, it was meritorious service of devotion on behalf of our Australian wounded, and in keeping with the world's deeds performed on the Western front in Egypt and Palestine. Rex Sargent (later Doctor Rex Sargent), was a keen photographer. Many photos developed by him in the ship's laboratory illustrate his experiences written down in his Diaries which he kept meticulously every day from 1917-1919, these plus some surviving letters sent to his Mother in Adelaide compile a most interesting tale, and show a totally different aspect of war service.
Farewell to the Fairground
After about 15 years of backpacking, I've finally put pen to paper and turned those adventures into a book which is now available on Amazon.I left on my own in 1995 and I kept numerous journals throughout my travels in a time when the internet was in its infancy. This book is drawn directly from those written pages and scratches in the margin, capturing my experiences as I lived them in real time. These stories reflect a chapter of my life when my only responsibility was deciding which border to cross next.They are more than mere observations; they are a collection of my experiences, my thoughts, and the way I viewed the world as I journeyed through it, one season and one emotion at a time. Each word is unfiltered and untouched, capturing the essence of my travels for approximately 15 years / 40 countries in all their raw beauty and my own prickly flaws.The people I encountered, with their unique stories and perspectives, the places I explored, each holding a piece of history and culture, and the feelings I embraced-wonder, joy, solitude-are all real.Life is so much more than just an adventure now-I'm a dad to two amazing teenagers. The book is a dedication to them and every copy sold goes directly toward their future, helping me give them the support they deserve as they figure out their own paths in this world.
My Drive Through Hell
My Drive Through Hell: A Divine Intervention is the personal story of Judy Foran's journey through pain, betrayal, and faith. After a devastating accident leaves her with severe injuries and a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Judy's world turns upside down. She endures a long period of recovery marked by numerous doctor visits, unhelpful lawyers, and the cold bureaucracy of insurance companies.But her physical pain is only part of the story. Trust is tested as friends proved false and betray her, while strangers step in as unexpected angels. A terrifying event while out of the country lands Judy in a foreign mental health institution, unsure if she'll ever see home again. Through every trial, however, glimmers of grace appeared-moments that can only be explained as divine intervention.Judy's story is a powerful reminder that miracles happen every day, often when we least expect them. Through faith, perseverance, and the belief that God walks beside us even in our darkest moments, My Drive Through Hell shows that troubles can strengthen us and serve as a window to seeing the hand of God at work.
Soul Haven
Soul Haven: The Journey Back to Selfby Zoe HickeyAfter years of surviving life's storms, Zoe Hickey returns to the place that once felt like home, the lake where she used to swim before everything changed.Soul Haven: The Journey Back to Self is a raw and luminous memoir of loss, illness, grief, and quiet awakening. Through heartbreak, near-death, and profound inner unraveling, Zoe traces the long road back to herself, not through fixing or striving, but through remembering.This is not a story of instant healing or spiritual bypassing. It is an honest account of what it means to sit with pain, to lose what once defined you, and to slowly learn how to live again from the inside out. As the old structures of her life fall away, Zoe discovers that the refuge she has been searching for was never external. It was always within.Written with tenderness, clarity, and unflinching truth, Soul Haven explores themes of emotional healing, faith rediscovery, identity, and the courage it takes to begin again when everything familiar has dissolved.This book is for readers who have walked through loss, who feel unmoored from who they once were, or who sense there is something sacred guiding them home, even in the darkest nights.A memoir of healing, spiritual remembrance, and gentle resilience, Soul Haven is both a reflection and a refuge, a reminder that the journey back to self is not about becoming someone new, but about returning to who you have always been.
Unhealed Wounds
In the shadow of a failed international intervention in Somalia, Gareth Owen lands in war-torn Angola, thrust into a besieged city teetering on the brink. Malanje, encircled by UNITA rebels deploying medieval tactics, becomes ground zero for a crack team of Irish aid workers fighting to stave off starvation for tens of thousands of children.Amid mortar fire and minefields, Owen bears witness to haunting violence and unwavering human spirit. His eight-month emotional descent unfolds as a complex tapestry of deep camaraderie, visceral fear, and the painful reckoning of his own privilege. At the heart lies a brutal legacy -colonial plunder and Cold War complicity - tempered with the inspirational humanitarian ethics of a bygone era.Three decades later, Owen's story resurfaces-raw and unflinching. Unhealed Wounds interrogates the mythology of white saviourism, sheds light on forgotten lives and demands remembrance in an age of eroding global solidarity. Powerful and evocative, this memoir invites readers to urgently contemplate what has been lost from the true embodiment of humanity's collective cause: connection between and respect for all peoples. Far more than a personal account, it is a searing moral reckoning for our divisive contemporary times of eroding internationalism and encroaching global catastrophe.
A Challenging Journey From Arabian Desert to Harvard, MIT and Beyond
"This is an autobiography that is not only compelling but also remarkable for two main reasons. Firstly, it represents an extraordinary model of struggle and success. Secondly, it s more than just the story of Dr. Saleh AlHathloul; it reflects the transformation of an entire society and the unprecedented changes in Saudi Arabia's history during the lifetime of one individual." Ibrahim al-Bulaihi, Saudi thinker and social critic A Challenging Journey "is a tale of perseverance, dedication, and modesty of an architect, planner, and academic who has witnessed and contributed to the urban and architectural transformation in Saudi Arabia over the past four decades. From an orphaned, destitute boy in Al-Badayea to an influential leader, Saleh AlHathloul's inspiring journey is a testament to the high ambition that drove him to leave a lasting impact on generations to come." Mishariy al-Naeem, Al-Riyadh newspaper "Autobiographies are scarce in our society, and if found, they often focus on successes and reflect pride in career positions and achievements, omitting hardships and the impact of place, family, and the transformation of society. AlHathloul breaks this mold, sharing a deeply honest account of his rise from mud houses, barefoot childhood, and sand classrooms to the pinnacle of academic and professional success." Amr al-Amri, Al-Jazirah newspaper "This autobiography is a work of beauty, sculpted from time and memory, guided by a benevolent spirit that captures the details of the journey with both an innocent eye and bold language. Dr. Saleh AlHathloul's sincerity elevates his narrative, allowing readers to connect with the often-overlooked stories of a life lived. This is a life journey, arduous yet recounted with ease, in a language that reveals the beauty within the author's heart." Ibrahim Daoud, Egyptian Poet
