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B. R. Ambedkar: The man who gave hope to India's dispossessed (Global Icons)
by Shashi TharoorA household name throughout India, B. R. Ambedkar is one of the country’s most important figures, second only to Mahatma Gandhi. He played a major role in drafting the constitution for a newly independent India and led the fight against caste-based discrimination.Ambedkar was born into a Dalit caste (the so-called ‘untouchables’), but his academic brilliance saw him study at Columbia University and London School of Economics. As a politician, he fought to overturn centuries of discrimination and promoted liberal constitutionalism in a traditionally illiberal society. He did more than anyone to articulate a cogent and enduring case for the principles of democracy in a country emerging from imperial rule.This book is also a reminder of how far the practice of politics has strayed from the high standards Ambedkar set – of intellectual distinction, policy positions animated by serious scholarship, the infusion of moral values and the upholding of democracy for the many, not just the privileged few.
Baba Padmanji: Vernacular Christianity in Colonial India (Pathfinders)
by Deepra DandekarThis book is a critical biography of Baba Padmanji (1831-1906), a firebrand native Christian missionary, ideologue, and litterateur from 19th-century Bombay Presidency. Though Padmanji was well-known, and a very influential figure among Christian converts, his contributions have received inadequate attention from the perspective of ‘social reform’ — an intellectual domain dominated by offshoots of the Brahmo Samaj movement, like the Prarthana Samaj in Bombay. This book constitutes an in-depth analysis of Padmanji’s relationships with questions of reform, education, modernity, feminism, and religion, that had wide-ranging repercussions on the intellectual horizon of 19th-century India. It presents Padmanji’s integrated writing persona and identity as a revolutionary pathfinder of his times who amalgamated and blended vernacular ideas of Christianity together with early feminism, modernity, and incipient nationalism. Drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, this unique book will be of great interest for area studies scholars (especially Maharashtra), and to researchers of modern India, engaged with the history of colonialism and missions, religion, global Christianity, South Asian intellectual history, and literature.
Baba Padmanji: Vernacular Christianity in Colonial India (Pathfinders)
by Deepra DandekarThis book is a critical biography of Baba Padmanji (1831-1906), a firebrand native Christian missionary, ideologue, and litterateur from 19th-century Bombay Presidency. Though Padmanji was well-known, and a very influential figure among Christian converts, his contributions have received inadequate attention from the perspective of ‘social reform’ — an intellectual domain dominated by offshoots of the Brahmo Samaj movement, like the Prarthana Samaj in Bombay. This book constitutes an in-depth analysis of Padmanji’s relationships with questions of reform, education, modernity, feminism, and religion, that had wide-ranging repercussions on the intellectual horizon of 19th-century India. It presents Padmanji’s integrated writing persona and identity as a revolutionary pathfinder of his times who amalgamated and blended vernacular ideas of Christianity together with early feminism, modernity, and incipient nationalism. Drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, this unique book will be of great interest for area studies scholars (especially Maharashtra), and to researchers of modern India, engaged with the history of colonialism and missions, religion, global Christianity, South Asian intellectual history, and literature.
Babe Ruth: Legends in Sports (Matt Christopher)
by Matt ChristopherIn a career that spanned over thirty years, George Herman "Babe" Ruth changed the way the sport of baseball was played. He was the first true power hitter, a strong pitcher, and in the outfield made some amazing game-saving catches. His love of the sport shined through in the way he laughed while jogging around the bases, in how he kidded and horsed around with teammates, and in his overall determination to win. But there was a darker side to Babe, one that nearly ruined his career - and his life. In the end, however, Ruth managed to overcome his personal demons, recapture his health, and go on to lead his beloved Yankees to championship status. Simply put, there has never been another player like the Babe. This comprehensive biography of one of baseball's most memorable legends also comes with photos.
Babes in the Wood: Two girls murdered. A guilty man walks free. Can the police get justice?
by Graham BartlettA gripping true crime story and an insight into the motivations of a truly evil man, Babes in the Wood by Graham Bartlett with Peter James is a fascinating account of what became a thirty-two year fight for justice.On 9 October 1986, nine-year-olds Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway went out to play on their Brighton estate. They would never return home; their bodies discovered the next day concealed in a local park. This devastating crime rocked the country.With unique access to the officers charged with catching the killer, former senior detective Graham Bartlett and bestselling author Peter James tell the compelling inside story of the investigation as the net tightens around local man Russell Bishop. The trial that follows is one of the most infamous in the history of Brighton policing – a shock result sees Bishop walk free.Three years later, Graham is working in Brighton CID when a seven-year-old girl is abducted and left to die. She survives . . . and Bishop’s name comes up as a suspect. Is history repeating itself? Can the police put him away this time, and will he ever be made to answer for his past horrendous crimes?'An extremely well-written and detailed account' – Adam Hibbert, former head of Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team'A triumph . . . Babes in the Wood should be required reading for all budding detectives' – Malcolm Bacon, former DI
Babi Yar: The Story of Ukraine's Holocaust
by A. AnatoliThis gripping story of Kyiv during the Second World War told by a young boy who saw it all.'Rightly hailed a masterpiece' Daily Mail'So here is my invitation: enter into my fate, imagine that you are twelve, that the world is at war and that nobody knows what is going to happen next...'When the German army rolled into Kyiv in 1941 the young Anatoli was just twelve years old. He began writing down what he saw in his journals.Within ten days of the invasion, the Nazis had begun their campaign of fear and murder in Ukraine. Babi Yar (Babyn Yar in Ukrainian) was the place where the executions of Jews and many others took place. It was one of the largest massacres in the history of the Holocaust. Anatoli could hear the machine guns from his house.Anatoli’s clear, compelling voice, honesty and determination guide us through the horrors of that time. Babi Yar has the compulsion and narration of fiction but everything recounted here is true.'Extraordinary' Orlando Figes, Guardian'A vivid first-hand account of life under one of the most savage of occupation regimes... A book which must be read and never forgotten' The TimesThis is the complete, uncensored version of Babi Yar - its history written into the text. Parts shown in bold are those cut by the Russian censors, parts in brackets show later additions.
Babushka's Journey: The Dark Road to Stalin's Wartime Camps (20171110 Ser. #20171110)
by Marcel KruegerThis is the story of a grandmother, and what happened to her and to Eastern Europe in World War II. Following the tracks of his grandmother Cilly, or 'Babushka', into her vanished homeland of East Prussia and to the labour camps of the Soviet Union, Marcel Krueger has interwoven contemporary landscape and family history into an poignant and evocative travel memoir. Babushka's Journey is the record of his grandmother's journey from the snow-covered battlefields of East Prussia in January 1945 to the Soviet labour camps in the Urals, where she spent five years before returning to Germany. Chasing the sights, sounds and voices of past and present along this route, the author describes two different journeys that follow the same path. As he stumbles through the bars of present-day Poland and dreams on the bunk beds of the Trans-Siberian railway, Krueger forges an authentic retelling of Cilly's tragic yet hopeful story, discovering that her journey reflects tens of thousands of similar personal histories, which continue to haunt Germany, Poland and Russia today.
The Baby Boom: How It Got That Way...And It Wasn't My Fault...And I'll Never Do It Again
by P. J. O'RourkeA hilarious look at the aging baby boomer generation from the author the Spectator labelled 'what happens when America does Grumpy Old Men'.The Baby Boom - over-sized, overwrought, overbearing, and all over the place, from Donovan to Obama. The generation that said with a straight face, 'We are the world.'What's so funny about peace, love and understanding? Ask the generation responsible for the fall of the Berlin Wall and their knickers. Who put their faith in the Kyoto Accord and disco. Who dropped out of the capitalist system and popped back again in time to cause a global financial crisis.How did the Baby Boom become what it is and who let them get away with it?
The Baby Diaries: Memories, Milestones and Misadventures
by Tess DalyIf there's one thing that puts us all on a level playing field it's becoming a mum for the first time, everything else - work, sleep, sanity - goes out of the window. When I was handed our first daughter, Phoebe, I was terrified. This tiny bundle seemed so small and helpless and it was down to me and Vernon to take care of her every need when between us we couldn't change a nappy. This book is the story of my journey into motherhood. From the shock and excitement of the positive pregnancy test to trying to look 'stylish' when I couldn't even see my feet, the overwhelming emotion of having our beautiful baby and the horror to come of not sleeping properly for over three years. And then deciding to do it all over again!I do hope that by sharing my story you will have a better idea of what to expect, pick up a few tips and gain a little reassurance that even if the journey is rocky at times (as ours was!) we all become brilliant mums...eventually.To get a sneak preview of The Baby Diaries download our free iPhone app - just search iTunes for Tess Daly to find it.
Baby Steps: Having the Child I Always Wanted (Just Not as I Expected)
by Eve Adamson Elisabeth RohmWhen Elisabeth Rohm started blogging about her family for People.com, she had no idea how many women would respond to her stories about struggling with infertility. Now the actress best known for her role on Law and Order shares what she hasn&’t yet: the full story of how in-vitro fertilization allowed her to have a child, how talking about infertility helped her cope with it, and how her desire for a baby and the difficult path that led to one taught her about herself and made her into the woman she was meant to be.Rohm&’s stories—told in a clear, funny, warmhearted voice—cover her untraditional childhood, and her long journey to motherhood. With the frankness of Down Came the Rain and the hope of A Place of Yes, Röhm encourages all women to share their stories because &“when women stop talking, women stop being heard.&”
Babycham Night: A Boyhood At The End Of The Pier
by Philip NormanPhilip Norman's family considered themselves genteel yet somehow became involved in the opportunistic world of seaside trade on the Isle of Wight. With masterly skill, Norman recreates his upbringing among this gallery of social misfits - his handsome but unstable father Clive, once a dashing RAF officer, now a reluctant showman at the end of Ryde Pier, his pub-owning Uncle Phil, who dresses as a woman every New Year's Eve, and his irresistible Grandma Norman who presides over her rock kiosk and rules the troubled family like a Mafia don. The year is 1953. While Britain celebrates the coronation, ten-year-old Philip watches disaster approach in his father's obsession with Joan, the Bronze Medal roller skating champion. Finally, he concocts a stratagem to win his parents' attention which explodes spectacularly in his face . . . Funny and poignant, Babycham Night evokes the joys and heartache of childhood, and takes the reader on a nostalgic trip back to a lost era, when the Isle of Wight was an exotic holiday location and Babycham the height of sophistication. 'Spellbinding memoir of a Fifties childhood by one of Britain's most stylish writers' Daily Mail 'Beautifully written . . . so vivid you can taste the teacakes' Time Out 'So richly vivid are his general recollections that practically every passing reference draws us deeper into a childhood world' Financial Times
Babyface Goes to Hollywood: Fighters, Mobsters & Film Stars. The Jimmy McLarnin Story
by Andrew GallimoreHe was the Darling of the Depression. At a time when the Mob ruled the prize ring, Jimmy McLarnin and his manager Pop Foster stayed out of the clutches of the gunmen. This is the story of two Irishmen who found each other on foreign shores and formed one of the great partnerships in sports – the old fairground fighter and the scrawny kid he promised to make champion of the world someday. Theirs is an epic journey that begins in County Down and ends on the star-lined pavements of Sunset Boulevard. Along the way lie murders and organised crime; Nazis, filmstars and gangsters; glamour, gang wars and Gaelic football!
Babylon: 'Terrific series' Conn Iggulden (Alexander's Legacy #0)
by Robert Fabbri'This may be the greatest tale of the ancient world. Hugely enjoyable' CONN IGGULDEN'Excellent . . . scintillating' THE TIMESWho will conquer the greatest city in the ancient world?Alexander the Great's sudden death has left his vast empire in chaos. War rages, cities fall and the lives of thousands are torn apart as his former generals struggle for a share. Alliances and betrayals are rife, and as one man threatens to gain an advantage, the others will not hesitate to plot his downfall.The one-eyed brute Antigonos is the most formidable power in the Western world and now has his eye on the jewel of the east: Babylon. As he schemes to seize it before returning to the West, his enemies join forces to stop him, mobilising fleets from Greece to Gaza. But only one warrior can claim the city.Babylon is the fourth book in a huge, brutal and bloodthirsty series about the fight to regain Alexander the Great's empire after his untimely death. Let the battles begin...Praise for Robert Fabbri:'A powerful retelling of one of the most dramatic events in ancient history' BBC HISTORY'Brutal and bloodthirsty' Sunday Post'Stuffed with political deviousness and vivid depictions of war . . . shockingly good' Sunday Sport'Powerfully chilling' ExpressReaders are raving about Robert Fabbri: 'A delight, full of plot twists and bloodthirsty battle sequences' Goodreads review'Vivid descriptions and the battles are brutally and compellingly described' Goodreads review'Action-packed and sumptuous - not for the faint-hearted!' Goodreads review'Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow's "Eagles" series!' Goodreads review
The Baby's Coming: A Story of Dedication by an Independent Midwife
by Virginia HowesVirginia Howes was a mother of four doing the ironing when she had a revelation. Still broody, but not really wanting to add to her family, she realised that becoming a midwife was her true vocation.It was a long journey to get the education and qualifications she needed, especially with a young family, but she was determined and never doubted her decision. Following her training, she spent three years working within the NHS, but her naturally independent spirit fought against the constraints of the system and twelve years ago she decided to set up on her own. Virginia works with mothers who want to give birth at home naturally, something which Virginia believes in passionately. 350 births later, Virginia still loves what she does.The Baby's Coming> is Virginia's memoir and tells the stories of her training as a midwife as well as some of the most memorable of those 350 births: the most dramatic, the most touching. Virginia particularly remembers the births of her own grandchildren whose arrivals in the world were some of the most special moments for her as both a midwife and grandmother.
A Baby’s Cry
by Cathy GlassWhat could cause a mother to believe that giving away her newborn baby is her only option? Cathy Glass is about to find out. From author of Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Damaged comes a harrowing and moving memoir about tiny Harrison, left in Cathy’s care, and the potentially fatal family secret of his beginnings.
Babysitting George: 'funny And Moving... A Beautiful Portrait Of Genius In Tragic, Terminal Decline'
by Celia WaldenAugust, 2003. Celia Walden, a young reporter, receives an unusual phone call from her editor. She is to drop everything and fly to Malta in an attempt to track down a legendary footballer and keep him from the press. George Best, an alcoholic with his personal life in chaos, isn't, however, the easiest man to find. But the unlikely friendship that develops between George and Celia reveals an intelligent and complex human being. Babysitting George is a tender account of a unique relationship between a young woman and a dying star, which questions the exploitative nature of fame and tabloid journalism, the horrors of addiction and the humane, implausible friendships that can change one's life forever.
Babysitting George: The Last Days of a Soccer Icon
by Celia WaldenAs a young reporter, Celia Walden receives an unusual assignment: track down a global superstar and keep him away from all other journalists. That man is soccer player George Best, who made his debut for Manchester United at age seventeen and was the star of a star team throughout the 1960s. Enormously skilled and ruggedly handsome, idolized by men and women alike, he was referred to as "the fifth Beatle," and still holds a firm place among the world's all-time best players.But in 2004, George Best is nearing sixty and deteriorating like a much older man. A notorious alcoholic and philanderer, he has just received a liver transplant and has Antabuse tablets sewn into his stomach lining. His wife has left him again. When Celia finds him in a bar in Malta, he isn't exactly delighted to see her. He's been chased by journalists all his life. Yet as Celia's assignment to "babysit" George around the clock stretches out over months, an unlikely sort of friendship develops, and she gets to know George as a funny, volatile, and complex human being, an avid reader and member of MENSA, ravaged by alcohol and gradually withering under the constant glare of the spotlight.Babysitting George is a tender account of a unique relationship between a young journalist and a dying star. It questions the exploitative nature of tabloid journalism; the terrifying, all-consuming nature of addiction; and the implausible meetings that can change one's life.
Bach (Master Musicians Series)
by David SchulenbergBach has remained a figure of continuous fascination and interest to scholars and readers since the original Master Musicians Bach volume's publication in 1983 - even since its revision in 2000, understanding of Bach and his music's historical and cultural context has shifted substantially. Reflecting new biographical information that has only emerged in recent decades, author David Schulenberg contributes to an ongoing scholarly conversation about Bach with clarity and concision. Bach traces the man's emergence as a startlingly original organist and composer, describing his creative evolution, professional career, and family life from contemporary societal and cultural perspectives in early modern Europe. His experiences as student, music director, and teacher are examined alongside the music he produced in each of these roles, including early compositions for keyboard instruments, the great organ and harpsichord works of later years, vocal music, and other famous instrumental works, including the Brandenburg Concertos. Schulenberg also illuminates how Bach incorporated his contemporary environment into his work: he responded to music by other composers, to his audiences and employment conditions, and to developments in poetry, theology, and even the sciences. The author focuses on Bach's evolution as a composer by ultimately recognizing "Bach's world" in the specific cities, courts, and environments within and for which he composed. Dispensing with biographical minutiae and more closely examining the interplay between his life and his music, Bach presents a unique, grounded, and refreshing new framing of a brilliant composer.
Bach: J. S. Bach And His Sons (Master Musicians Series)
by David SchulenbergBach has remained a figure of continuous fascination and interest to scholars and readers since the original Master Musicians Bach volume's publication in 1983 - even since its revision in 2000, understanding of Bach and his music's historical and cultural context has shifted substantially. Reflecting new biographical information that has only emerged in recent decades, author David Schulenberg contributes to an ongoing scholarly conversation about Bach with clarity and concision. Bach traces the man's emergence as a startlingly original organist and composer, describing his creative evolution, professional career, and family life from contemporary societal and cultural perspectives in early modern Europe. His experiences as student, music director, and teacher are examined alongside the music he produced in each of these roles, including early compositions for keyboard instruments, the great organ and harpsichord works of later years, vocal music, and other famous instrumental works, including the Brandenburg Concertos. Schulenberg also illuminates how Bach incorporated his contemporary environment into his work: he responded to music by other composers, to his audiences and employment conditions, and to developments in poetry, theology, and even the sciences. The author focuses on Bach's evolution as a composer by ultimately recognizing "Bach's world" in the specific cities, courts, and environments within and for which he composed. Dispensing with biographical minutiae and more closely examining the interplay between his life and his music, Bach presents a unique, grounded, and refreshing new framing of a brilliant composer.
Back from Africa
by Corinne HofmannCorinne Hofmann describes her return to Switzerland and the difficulties that faced her there, detailing how she built a new life for herself and her daughter and overcame all obstacles, with the same courage and optimism with which she faced the demands of her life in the Kenyan outback.
Back from the Brink: 1000 Days at Number 11
by Alistair DarlingIn the late summer of 2007, shares of Northern Rock went into free-fall, causing a run on the bank - the first in over 150 years. Northern Rock proved to be only the first. Twelve months later, as the world was engulfed in the worst banking crisis for more than a century, one of its largest banks, RBS, came within hours of collapse.Back from the Brink tells the gripping story of Alistair Darling's one thousand days in Number 11 Downing Street. As Chancellor, he had to avert the collapse of RBS hours before the cash machines would have ceased to function; at the eleventh hour, he stopped Barclays from acquiring Lehman Brothers in order to protect UK taxpayers; he used anti-terror legislation to stop Icelandic banks from withdrawing funds from Britain. From crisis talks in Washington, to dramatic meetings with the titans of international banking, to dealing with the massive political and economic fallout in the UK, Darling places the reader in the rooms where the destinies of millions weighed heavily on the shoulders of a few. His book is also a candid account of life in the Downing Street pressure cooker and his relationship with Gordon Brown during the last years of New Labour.Back from the Brink is a vivid and immediate depiction of the British government's handling of an unprecedented global financial catastrophe. Alistair Darling's knowledge and understanding provide a unique perspective on the events that rocked international capitalism. It is also a vital historical document.
Back from the Brink: The Autobiography
by Paul McGrathPaul McGrath is Ireland's best loved sportsman and also its least understood. An iconic football presence during a professional career stretching over 14 years, he played for his country in the European Championship finals of 1988 and the World Cup finals of 1990 and 1994. But, behind the implied glamour of life in the employ of great English clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa, McGrath wrestled with a range of destructive emotions that made his success in the game little short of miraculous.That story has until now never been told. It is a story that runs from a hard, hidden childhood spent in Dublin's orphanages all the way to the pain of two marriage break-ups and the struggle to cope with life after football. Quite apart from his all too public struggle with alcoholism, the story runs through the surreal highs and calamitous lows of a life lived habitually on the edge of chaos.It is not just a football story. It is an extraordinary human story that is certain to surprise with its candour.Here, for the first time, read about the father he never met; the mother whose love never died; the routine loneliness and ritual bullying endured by a black kid growing up behind closed doors in 1960s Dublin; the emotional breakdown suffered on leaving that institution; the recovery that - remarkably - brought him all the way to Old Trafford; the rollercoaster ride that followed. Here, the guilt, fear, self-loathing are all laid bare in a story fired with hope and determination for the future.It may well be the most candid sports book ever written.
Back In Business
by Michael BarrymoreIn June 1994, Michael Barrymore, television celebrity and gameshow host, checked himself out of an American clinic where he was receiving treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. Father Martin's 'Ashley' is a rehabilitation centre in Maryland, USA, where Michael lived for thirty days with members of almost every community in America, all seeking the common goal of sobriety. Michael's day-to-day account of that month in his life provides a candid, sometimes painful, funny and revelatory story of human endurance, challenges the stereotyped view of rehab, and allows the reader a first-hand insight into the disease of addiction.
Back in Control: My Story
by Tina MaloneFans of Channel 4's ground-breaking drama Shameless know and love Tina Malone for her portrayal of the loud-mouthed, larger-than-life Mimi Maguire. But what they may not know is that Tina's own life has been more dramatic, more outrageous and frequently more out of control than anything the most talented scriptwriter could imagine. Tina's incredible story begins with an unusual childhood in Liverpool and takes the reader on a wild journey through teenage rebellion (and teenage pregnancy) to Tina's turbulent years as a young actress and single mother, before finding fame on Brookside and, later, Shameless. This is a story of addictions, mental illness, bankruptcy, extreme dieting, loves, losses and one woman's incredible resilience - and sense of humour - during a life that's seen more than its fair share of turmoil.And now, Tina is finally BACK IN CONTROL: in love, at peace and, after a course of IVF, a mother again at the age of 50 and looking forward to a wonderful new chapter in her life. Never one to shy away from controversy, Tina Malone's fearless and funny autobiography will inspire and entertain in equal measure.
Back in the Day: A Memoir
by Melvyn Bragg* AN OBSERVER AND DAILY MAIL "BOOKS OF 2022" PICK *Melvyn Bragg's first ever memoir - an elegiac, intimate account of growing up in post-war Cumbria, which lyrically evokes a vanished world.In this captivating memoir, Melvyn Bragg recalls growing up in the Cumbrian market town of Wigton, from his early childhood during the war to the moment he had to decide between staying on or spreading his wings. This is the tale of a boy who lived in a pub and expected to leave school at fifteen yet won a scholarship to Oxford. Derailed by a severe breakdown when he was thirteen, he developed a passion for reading and study - though that didn't stop him playing in a skiffle band or falling in love. It is equally the tale of the people and place that formed him. Bragg indelibly portrays his parents and local characters from pub regulars to vicars, teachers and hardmen, and vividly captures the community-spirited northern town - steeped in the old ways but on the cusp of post-war change. A poignant elegy to a vanished era as well as the glories of the Lake District, it illuminates what made him the writer, broadcaster and champion of the arts he is today.