Bombs, Bullshit and Bullets - Roughly in That Order

Bombs, Bullshit and Bullets - Roughly in That Order
Author: Peter Richards
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781844018635

'As the explosions drew nearer, the customary shit was flying all over the place with a vengeance, and I was hugging that piece of Eterville ground with more fervour than I ever hugged a woman. Sheer willpower was pushing me towards the Earth's centre. Surely the sixth shell had now been expended? But no, the final bomb of the salvo found a target: my right leg.' With an uncommon frankness and sense of humour, Peter Richards recalls his early experiences of the London Blitz, his unremitting military training and action in the battle for Normandy, and finally his convalescence in hospital following the serious injury in Eterville - a small town near the strategic centre of Caen - that ended his military career. He arrived home just in time to enjoy the victory celebrations, and participate in the historic general election of 1945. His journey is one of both personal and political development, which sees him turn from a young man with little understanding of politics into a fully-fledged member of the Communist Party and later the Labour Party, combining anecdotes of his life with reflection upon the complex politics of the conflict. Above all, this is an account that is modest, poignant and thankful, both for the author's own luck in having lived to see peacetime and for the sacrifice of those who did not.

Underground Writing

Underground Writing
Author: David Welsh
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2010-05-04
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1781386986

The purpose of this book is to explore the ways in which the London Underground/ Tube was ‘mapped’ by a number of writers from George Gissing to Virginia Woolf. From late Victorian London to the end of the World War II, ‘underground writing’ created an imaginative world beneath the streets of London. The real subterranean railway was therefore re-enacted in number of ways in writing, including as Dantean Underworld or hell, as gateway to a utopian future, as psychological looking- glass or as place of safety and security. The book is a chronological study from the opening of the first underground in the 1860s to its role in WW2. Each chapter explores perspectives on the underground in a number of writers, starting with George Gissing in the 1880s, moving through the work of H. G. Wells and into the writing of the 1920s & 1930s including Virginia Woolf and George Orwell. It concludes with its portrayal in the fiction, poetry and art (including Henry Moore) of WW2. The approach takes a broadly cultural studies perspective, crossing the boundaries of transport history, literature and London/ urban studies. It draws mainly on fiction but also uses poetry, art, journals, postcards and posters to illustrate. It links the actual underground trains, tracks and stations to the metaphorical world of ‘underground writing’ and places the writing in a social/ political context.

The Grace of Kings

The Grace of Kings
Author: Ken Liu
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 656
Release: 2015-04-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1481424297

One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time Two men rebel together against tyranny—and then become rivals—in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. Hailed as one of the best books of 2015 by NPR. Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice. Fans of intrigue, intimate plots, and action will find a new series to embrace in the Dandelion Dynasty.

Bullet Points and Punch Lines

Bullet Points and Punch Lines
Author: Lee Camp
Publisher: PM Press
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2020-03-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1629638021

Our US empire is in steep decline. In order to wrest complete control over the globe and feed a rapacious thirst for resources and wealth, the American ruling elite is wreaking havoc around the world. Meanwhile, average Americans are suffering, legs trembling under a mountain of debt as they toil at unfulfilling, underpaying jobs. And those with enough time and energy to get angry and fight back are told that the answer is to vote for one of the two pro-war, pro–Wall Street corporate parties claiming to be their savior. This epic tragedy does not sound like the beginning of a joke. But somehow comedian and TV host Lee Camp makes it both funny and interesting. Whether he is setting his sights on the scandal of $21 trillion worth of unaccounted-for financial adjustments at the Pentagon or the scorching environmental and human tragedy caused by climate chaos, it’s unsurprising that one of our most incisive political commentators is technically a comedian. Camp knifes his way through the jungle of fake news, alternative facts, mainstream media lies, and government blackouts, trailblazing a path between Hunter S. Thompson and Jon Stewart. Perhaps the present-day story of America can only accurately be told by a comedian, otherwise no one would believe it. In a world where con men are heralded as leaders, locking up peace activists is perceived as justice, trumpeting state propaganda is considered journalism, and mocking environmentalists is championed as strength, it’s only appropriate that a comedian is viewed as more reliable than the evening news.

Bullshit Jobs

Bullshit Jobs
Author: David Graeber
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2019-05-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1501143336

From David Graeber, the bestselling author of The Dawn of Everything and Debt—“a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate” (Slate)—a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs…and their consequences. Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” It went viral. After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. There are hordes of people—HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers—whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs. Graeber explores one of society’s most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. “Clever and charismatic” (The New Yorker), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and “a thought-provoking examination of our working lives” (Financial Times).

Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups

Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups
Author: Mark S. Hamm
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2011
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1437929591

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Examines terrorists¿ involvement in a variety of crimes ranging from motor vehicle violations, immigration fraud, and mfg. illegal firearms to counterfeiting, armed bank robbery, and smuggling weapons of mass destruction. There are 3 parts: (1) Compares the criminality of internat. jihad groups with domestic right-wing groups. (2) Six case studies of crimes includes trial transcripts, official reports, previous scholarship, and interviews with law enforce. officials and former terrorists are used to explore skills that made crimes possible; or events and lack of skill that the prevented crimes. Includes brief bio. of the terrorists along with descriptions of their org., strategies, and plots. (3) Analysis of the themes in closing arguments of the transcripts in Part 2. Illus.

Blood of Elves

Blood of Elves
Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
Publisher: Orbit
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2009-05-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316073717

Andrzej Sapkowski’s New York Times bestselling Witcher series has inspired the hit Netflix show and multiple blockbuster video games, and has transported millions of fans around the globe to an epic, unforgettable world of magic and adventure. For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But that peace has now come to an end. Geralt of Rivia, the hunter known as the Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. The one who has the power to change the world for good—or for evil. As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is pursued for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt’s responsibility to protect them all. And the Witcher never accepts defeat. Join Geralt of Rivia; his beloved ward and the child of prophecy, Ciri; and his ally and love, the powerful sorceress Yennefer as they battle monsters, demons, and prejudices alike in Blood of Elves, the first novel of The Witcher Saga. Witcher story collections The Last Wish Sword of Destiny Witcher novels Blood of Elves The Time of Contempt Baptism of Fire The Tower of Swallows Lady of the Lake Season of Storms (stand alone) Hussite Trilogy The Tower of Fools Warriors of God Light Perpetual Translated from original Polish by Danusia Stok

The Night Stalkers

The Night Stalkers
Author: Michael J. Durant
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2006-12-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1440625166

From the New York Times bestselling authors of In the Company of Heroes comes a thrilling account of military aviation for history buffs and “for those who love vivid tales of battlefield heroics” (Publishers Weekly). In the world of covert warfare, Special Operations pilots are notoriously close-lipped about what they do. They don’t talk about their missions to anyone outside their small community. But now, Michael J. Durant and Steven Hartov shed fascinating light on the mysterious elite commandos known as SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) and take readers into a shadowy world of combat they have only imagined.

On Killing

On Killing
Author: Dave Grossman
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2014-04-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1497629209

A controversial psychological examination of how soldiers’ willingness to kill has been encouraged and exploited to the detriment of contemporary civilian society. Psychologist and US Army Ranger Dave Grossman writes that the vast majority of soldiers are loath to pull the trigger in battle. Unfortunately, modern armies, using Pavlovian and operant conditioning, have developed sophisticated ways of overcoming this instinctive aversion. The mental cost for members of the military, as witnessed by the increase in post-traumatic stress, is devastating. The sociological cost for the rest of us is even worse: Contemporary civilian society, particularly the media, replicates the army’s conditioning techniques and, Grossman argues, is responsible for the rising rate of murder and violence, especially among the young. Drawing from interviews, personal accounts, and academic studies, On Killing is an important look at the techniques the military uses to overcome the powerful reluctance to kill, of how killing affects the soldier, and of the societal implications of escalating violence.

Unusual Footnotes to the Korean War

Unusual Footnotes to the Korean War
Author: Paul Edwards
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2013-02-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782001808

A 'forgotten war' in modern history, the Korean War is rarely given much recognition or studied in detailed. In fact, it was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century, a deadly clash of world-views as the UN allied itself with South Korea against the massed ranks of North Korean armies backed by Communist China. In this new book, Paul Edwards presents a fresh look at the Korean War, focusing on a number of unusual events that happened during the conflict. Beginning with a look at the war itself, Edwards goes onto tell the stories of the Salvation Army band that disappeared; UFO sightings; the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Maggie Higgins, and her battle to report in Korea as an equal with her male counterparts; and an operation to rescue orphan children. It also provides a fascinating look at the propaganda materials dropped over Korea by both sides. This miscellany of the war allows readers to dip in and out of this e-book only title, a perfect e-book for the daily commute.