Biographies & Memoirs

Explore the stories of remarkable lives in our Biographies & Memoirs section at Thryft. Discover firsthand accounts of influential figures and captivating memoirs that'll inspire and educate. Our collection is carefully curated to ensure you find the perfect narrative to delve into.

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Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken

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Product Description The new book from the author of the bestselling and much-loved Seabiscuit. On a May afternoon in 1943, a bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, who struggled to a life raft and pulled himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been an incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channelled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and adrift into the unknown. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humour; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. The long-awaited new book from Laura Hillenbrand, ‘Unbroken’ is a gripping account of human endurance and the resilience of one remarkable individual.

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Eric Lomax

The Railway Man

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The Railway Man is a powerful memoir of Eric Lomax's experience as a prisoner of war in WWII, and his journey decades later to confront one of his captors. The book is recommended for those interested in stories of resilience and forgiveness after trauma.

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Lomax Eric

The Railway Man (Vintage War) Exp

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Recommendation: "The Railway Man" is a gripping tale of wartime suffering and the courage to face and ultimately overcome torment. Lomax's story of intense physical and emotional pain offers an unflinching look at the brutality of war, but also a glimmer of hope in the form of redemption, forgiveness, and healing. This book is a must-read for those interested in the impact of war on individuals and society alike.

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Caroline Moorehead

Human Cargo - A Journey Among Refugees

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Human Cargo could be a good read for someone who wants to explore and better understand the current refugee crisis and the experiences of displaced people around the world. Caroline Moorehead writes in an empathetic and engaging style that helps the reader connect with the stories of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. The book does an excellent job of looking at the refugee crisis from multiple angles - from the perspectives of refugees themselves, as well as government officials and aid workers - and offering historical context to current issues. Overall, Human Cargo is both a sobering and inspiring read that will leave readers with a greater appreciation for the courage and resilience of refugees.

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Henry Hemming

M - The Lives And Spies Of MI5'S Maxwell Knight

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This book is a gripping and meticulously researched biography of Maxwell Knight, a brilliant and enigmatic spy master. It reads like a thrilling espionage novel, with incredible agents risking their lives and the safety of the world hanging in the balance. The most unique aspect of this book is the complex character of Maxwell Knight, who spins an ever more intricate web of espionage. If you're a fan of spy stories or interested in the real-life world of intelligence, this book is an absolute must-read. Get ready to be captivated by the secrets and intrigues of the world of MI5.

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Blaine Harden

The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot : Escaping Tyranny in North Korea

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A non-fiction thriller by international bestselling author Blaine Harden (Escape from Camp 14) that explores the world's most repressive state through the intertwined lives of two North Koreans, one infamous, one obscure: Kim Il Sung, the former North Korean leader and No Kum Sok, once the state's youngest jet fighter pilot. Shortly before the Korean War ended, No Kum Sok met Kim Il Sung, who congratulated him for his flying skill and his courage. A few months later, No Kum Sok stole a Soviet-made MiG-15 and flew it to a US airfield in South Korea. Beginning with the arbitrary division of Korea in 1945 and ending two months after the shaky armistice that halted combat in the Korean War, The Great Leader & the Fighter Pilot is an ambitious and gripping book which digs deeply into the character of the Kim family dictatorship. At once an irresistible adventure story and an authoritative guide to the notorious state, it explains why North Korea remains so isolated, why it created and maintains a vast gulag of concentration camps, and why it is still so angry at the western world.

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Art Spiegelman

Maus II : A Survivor's Tale - And Here My Troubles Began

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"Maus II" is a poignant retelling of one of history's darkest chapters in a unique graphic novel format. Highly recommended for those interested in exploring the Holocaust and its lasting effects on survivors and their families. The fusion of the author's difficult relationship with his father while detailing his father's experiences during the Holocaust makes "Maus II" a touching and emotional work of art.

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Sarah Helm

Ravensbruck : Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women

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A masterly and moving account of the most horrific hidden atrocity of World War II: Ravensbrück, the only Nazi concentration camp built for women  On a sunny morning in May 1939 a phalanx of 867 women—housewives, doctors, opera singers, politicians, prostitutes—was marched through the woods fifty miles north of Berlin, driven on past a shining lake, then herded in through giant gates. Whipping and kicking them were scores of German women guards.      Their destination was Ravensbrück, a concentration camp designed specifically for women by Heinrich Himmler, prime architect of the Holocaust. By the end of the war 130,000 women from more than twenty different European countries had been imprisoned there; among the prominent names were Geneviève de Gaulle, General de Gaulle’s niece, and Gemma La Guardia Gluck, sister of the wartime mayor of New York.      Only a small number of these women were Jewish; Ravensbrück was largely a place for the Nazis to eliminate other inferior beings—social outcasts, Gypsies, political enemies, foreign resisters, the sick, the disabled, and the “mad.” Over six years the prisoners endured beatings, torture, slave labor, starvation, and random execution. In the final months of the war, Ravensbrück became an extermination camp. Estimates of the final death toll by April 1945 have ranged from 30,000 to 90,000.     For decades the story of Ravensbrück was hidden behind the Iron Curtain, and today it is still little known. Using testimony unearthed since the end of the Cold War and interviews with survivors who have never talked before, Sarah Helm has ventured into the heart of the camp, demonstrating for the reader in riveting detail how easily and quickly the unthinkable horror evolved.      Far more than a catalog of atrocities, however, Ravensbrück is also a compelling account of what one survivor called “the heroism, superhuman tenacity, and exceptional willpower to survive.” For every prisoner whose strength failed, another found the will to resist through acts of self-sacrifice and friendship, as well as sabotage, protest, and escape.      While the core of this book is told from inside the camp, the story also sheds new light on the evolution of the wider genocide, the impotence of the world to respond, and Himmler’s final attempt to seek a separate peace with the Allies using the women of Ravensbrück as a bargaining chip. Chilling, inspiring, and deeply unsettling, Ravensbrück is a groundbreaking work of historical investigation. With rare clarity, it reminds us of the capacity of humankind both for bestial cruelty and for courage against all odds.From the Hardcover edition.

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George Orwell

Homage to Catalonia

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'Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it'. Thus wrote Orwell following his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War, chronicled in Homage to Catalonia. Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of ordinary Spanish men and women he fought alongside, the terror and confusion of the front, his near-fatal bullet wound and the vicious treachery of his supposed allies.Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen-name, George Orwell, was born in India, where his father worked for the Civil Service. An author and journalist, Orwell was one of the most prominent and influential figures in twentieth-century literature. His unique political allegory Animal Farm was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with the dystopia of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which brought him world-wide fame. All his novels and non-fiction, including Burmese Days (1934), Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) and Homage to Catalonia (1938) are published in Penguin Modern Classics.

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Adolf Hitler

Mein Kampf

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This book is not recommended due to its deeply hateful and harmful content. We do not condone the promotion of Nazi ideology or hate speech.

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Paul Kenyon

Dictatorland : The Men Who Stole Africa

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The dictator who grew so rich on his country's cocoa crop that he built a 35-storey-high basilica in the jungles of the Ivory Coast. The austere, incorruptible leader who has shut Eritrea off from the world in a permanent state of war and conscripted every adult into the armed forces. In Equatorial Guinea, the paranoid despot who thought Hitler was the saviour of Africa and waged a relentless campaign of terror against his own people. The Libyan army officer who authored a new work of political philosophy, The Green Book, and lived in a tent with a harem of female soldiers, running his country like a mafia family business.And behind these almost incredible stories of fantastic violence and excess lie the dark secrets of Western greed and complicity, the insatiable taste for chocolate, oil, diamonds and gold that has encouraged dictators to rule with an iron hand, siphoning off their share of the action into mansions in Paris and banks in Zurich and keeping their people in dire poverty. (less)

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Erik Prince

Civilian Warriors : The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror

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No company in our time has been as mysterious or as controversial as Blackwater. Founded by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince in 1997, it recruited special forces veterans and others with the skills and courage to take on the riskiest security jobs in the world. As its reputation grew, government demand for its services escalated, and Blackwater's men eventually completed nearly one hundred thousand missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both the Bush and Obama administrations found the company indispensible. It sounds like a classic startup success story, except for one problem: Blackwater has been demonized around the world. From uninformed news coverage to grossly distorted fictional portrayals, Blackwater employees have been smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, jackbooted thugs, and worse. Because of the secrecy requirements of Blackwater's contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to speak out when his company's opponents spread false information. But now he's able to tell the full and often shocking story of Blackwater's rise and fall. In Civilian Warriors, Prince pulls no punches and spares no details. He explains his original goal of building an elite center for military and law enforcement training. He recounts how the company shifted gears after 9/11. He honors our troops while challenging the Pentagon's top leadership. And he reveals why highly efficient private military contractors have been essential to running our armed forces, since long before Blackwater came along. Above all, Prince debunks myths about Blackwater that spread while he was forced to remain silent-myths that tarnished the memory of men who gave their lives for their country but never got the recognition they deserved.He reveals new information about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, including:• The true story of the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.• The actual details of Blackwater's so-called impunity in Iraq.• The events leading up to the televised deaths of Blackwater contractors in Fallujah.

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Rorke Denver

Damn Few : Making the Modern Seal Warrior

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From leadership expert, former Navy SEAL, "American Grit" feature player, and author of Worth Dying For: A Navy SEAL's Call to a Nation, Rorke Denver, the bestselling account of how he helped create the U.S. Navy SEALS of today. Rorke Denver trains the men who become Navy SEALs--the most creative problem solvers on the modern battlefield, ideal warriors for the kinds of wars America is fighting now. With his years of action-packed mission experience and a top training role, Lieutenant Commander Denver understands exactly how tomorrow's soldiers are recruited, sculpted, motivated, and deployed.Now, Denver takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he now oversees. He recounts his experience evolving from a young SEAL hopeful pushing his way through Hell Week, into a warrior engaging in dangerous stealth missions across the globe, and finally into a lieutenant commander directing the indoctrination, requalification programs, and the "Hero or Zero" missions his SEALs undertake.From his own SEAL training and missions overseas, Denver details how the SEALs' creative operations became front and center in America's War on Terror-and how they are altering warfare everywhere. In fourteen years as a SEAL officer, Rorke Denver tangled with drug lords in Latin America, stood up to violent mobs in Liberia, and battled terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. Leading 200 commando missions, he earned the Bronze Star with V for valor. He has also served as flag aide to the admiral in charge and spent the past four years as executive officer of the Navy Special Warfare Center's Advanced Training Command in Coronado, California, directing all phases of the basic and advanced training that prepare men for war in SEAL teams. He recently starred in the film Act of Valor. He is married and has two daughters.Ellis Henican is a columnist at Newsday and an on-air commentator at the Fox News Channel. He has written two recent New York Times bestsellers, Home Team with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and In the Blink of an Eye with NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip.With all the SEALs' recent successes, we have been getting a level of acclaim we're not used to. But something important has been missing in this warm burst of publicity . Correcting that is my mission here.My own SEAL dream was launched by a book. My hope is that this one teaches lessons that go far beyond the battlefield, inspiring a fresh generation of warriors to carry on that dream.-Lieutenant Commander Rorke Denver

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Leland Purvis, Jim Ottaviani

The Imitation Game : Alan Turing Decoded

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Award winning authors Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis present a historically accurate graphic novel biography of English mathematician and scientist Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.   English mathematician and scientist Alan Turing (1912–1954) is credited with many of the foundational principles of contemporary computer science. The Imitation Game presents a historically accurate graphic novel biography of Turing’s life, including his groundbreaking work on the fundamentals of cryptography and artificial intelligence. His code breaking efforts led to the cracking of the German Enigma during World War II, work that saved countless lives and accelerated the Allied defeat of the Nazis. While Turing’s achievements remain relevant decades after his death, the story of his life in post-war Europe continues to fascinate audiences today.   Award-winning duo Jim Ottaviani (the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Feynman and Primates) and artist Leland Purvis (an Eisner and Ignatz Award nominee and occasional reviewer for the Comics Journal) present a factually detailed account of Turing’s life and groundbreaking research—as an unconventional genius who was arrested, tried, convicted, and punished for his openly gay lifestyle, and whose innovative work still fuels the computing and communication systems that define our modern world. Computer science buffs, comics fans, and history aficionados will be captivated by this riveting and tragic story of one of the 20th century’s most unsung heroes.

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David Talbot

The Devil's Chessboard : Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government

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Recommendation: - This book is a must-read for anyone interested in uncovering the hidden workings of America's government. With explosive new evidence, David Talbot sheds light on the rise of America's secret government under the guile of Allen Dulles, the longest-serving CIA director. Talbot's shocking revelations about Dulles' manipulation, protection of war criminals, collusion with the Mafia, and even involvement in the death of JFK make this a gripping and eye-opening expose of American power. Get ready to have your worldview challenged and your understanding of history forever changed.

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James Carroll

American Requiem

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A National Book Award Winner, New York Times bestselling author James Carroll's An American Requiem is "a tragic, moving book about a family torn apart by the Vietnam War, a young man looking for God, a writer finding his voice" ( Boston Magazine ). An American Requiem is the story of one man's coming of age. But more than that, it is a coming to terms with the conflicts that disrupted many families, inflicting personal wounds that were also social, political, and religious. James Carroll grew up in a Catholic family that seemed blessed. His father Joe had abandoned his own dream of becoming a priest to rise through the ranks of Hoover's FBI and then become one of the most powerful men in the Pentagon, the founder of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Young Jim lived the privileged life of a general's son, dating the daughter of a vice president and meeting the pope, all in the shadow of nuclear war, waiting for the red telephone to ring in his parents' house. He worshiped his father until Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement, turmoil in the Catholic Church, and then Vietnam combined to outweigh the bond between father and son. These were issues on which they would never agree. Only after Carroll left the priesthood to become a writer and husband with children of his own did he come to understand fully the struggles his father had faced. In this work of nonfiction, the bestselling novelist draws on the skills he honed with nine much-admired novels to tell the story he was, literally, born to tell. An American Requiem is a benediction on his father's life, his family's struggles, and the legacies of an entire generation.

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Marceline Loridan-Ivens, Sandra Smith

But You Did Not Come Back

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In 1944, at the age of fifteen, Marceline Loridan-Ivens was arrested in occupied France, along with her father. They were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and forcibly separated. Though he managed to smuggle one last note to her, Marceline never spoke to her father again. But You Did Not Come Back is Marceline's letter to the father she would never know as an adult. This is a breath-taking memoir by an extraordinary woman, and a deeply moving message from a daughter to a father.

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Tony Gould

Imperial Warriors : Britain and the Gurkhas

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"Imperial Warriors" tells the remarkable story of Gurkha soldiers and their unique relationship with the British and Indian armies. Tony Gould contextualizes Nepal's history and the Gurkha force's expansion and contraction, debunking myths and exploring their remarkable courage, endurance, and loyalty. This book is an excellent read for those interested in military history, Gurkha culture, and British colonialism.

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Sterling Seagrave

The Soong Dynasty

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Who were the Soongs? They were descendants of a Chinese runaway who grew up in America under the protection of the Methodist Church in the latter part of the nineteenth century and took the name of Charlie Soong. When Soong returned to China, he made a fortune printing and selling Western Bibles, and secretly backed the republican revolution of Sun Yat-sen against the Manchu dynasty. Of his six children, one daughter, Ching-ling, married Sun Yat-sen and later supported the Chinese Communists against the nationalist until her death in 1981. But all the other Soongs cast their lot with Chiang Kai-shek. One, May-ling married H.H. Kung, a lineal descendant of Confucius and the principal banker of nationalist China, and the eldest son, Harvard-educated T.V. Soong, became the economic wizard of Chiang's rise to power and at various times served Chiang as economic minister, foreign minister and premier. All of them, except Madame Sun Yat-sen, amassed enormous wealth while millions of Chinese starved or were killed in the long fight against Japan and the equally bitter struggle with Mao. The Soongs dominated America's policies in Asia during the Roosevelt era and for a long time after by capitalizing on the powerful support of Henry Luce, the son of a U.S. missionary in China, whose influential Time and Life magazines created the myth that the Chiangs and their supporters were democratic leaders and heroes; on the backing of the U.S. China lobby; and on their own political and public relations skills. What The Soong Dynasty does in fascinating detail is reveal for the first time the truth about this family's rise to power and wealth. It describes the long, complex struggle for control within the republican movement ultimately won by Chiang, and it includes evidence of his strong ties to Shanghai's leading gangsters, the results of a secret FBI investigation ordered by President Truman into the Soong's financial dealings, and many other facts.

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Jean Sasson

Mayada: Daughter Of Iraq

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Mayada: Daughter of Iraq is a powerful memoir that details the life of a privileged Iraqi woman who finds herself in a notorious prison, falsely accused of printing anti-government propaganda. The book offers a unique perspective on the terror and horror brought by Saddam Hussein's regime upon the lives and souls of ordinary citizens. This book would be a great read for those interested in memoirs, stories of survival, and the power of sisterhood in the face of adversity.

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Tim O'Brien

If I Die In A Combat Zone - Box Me Up And Ship Me Home

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Recommended for those interested in first-hand accounts of the Vietnam War. This book captures the brutal realities of war and provides insight into the emotional toll it can take on soldiers. The author's candid narrative style allows readers to experience the chaos of combat and the struggles of returning home.

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Don Mann

Inside Seal Team Six : My Life and Missions with America's Elite Warriors

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Recommended for those interested in military memoirs and the highly trained world of special forces. This book delivers an up-to-date, comprehensive narrative of SEAL Team 6 and their rigorous training and operations around the world. Don Mann's personal account of his time in the SEALS and his missions with the elite warriors of SEAL Team 6 brings to life the secretive and highly skilled world of America's most elite fighting force.

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Ian Kershaw

Hitler 1889-1936 : Hubris

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From his illegitimate birth in a small Austrian village to his fiery death in a bunker under the Reich chancellery in Berlin, Adolf Hitler left a murky trail, strewn with contradictory tales & overgrown with self-created myths. One truth the sheer scale of the evils that he unleashed on the world has made him a demonic figure without equal in this century. Kershaw's Hitler brings us closer than ever before to the character of the bizarre misfit in his 30-year ascent from a Viennese shelter for the indigent to uncontested rule over the German nation that had tried & rejected democracy in the crippling aftermath of WWI. With extraordinary vividness, Kershaw recreates the settings that made Hitler's rise the virulent anti-Semitism of prewar Vienna, the crucible of a war with immense casualties, the toxic nationalism that gripped Bavaria in the 20s, the undermining of the Weimar Republic by extremists of the Right & the Left, the hysteria that accompanied Hitler's seizure of power in 1933 & then mounted in brutal attacks by his storm troopers on Jews & others condemned as enemies of the Aryan race. In an account drawing on many previously untapped sources, Hitler metamorphoses from an obscure fantasist, a drummer sounding an insistent beat of hatred in Munich beer halls, to the instigator of an infamous failed putsch &, ultimately, to the leadership of a ragtag alliance of right-wing parties fused into a movement that enthralled the German people. This volume, 1st of two, ends with the promulgation of the infamous Nuremberg laws that pushed German Jews to the outer fringes of society, & with the march of the German army into the Rhineland, Hitler's initial move toward the abyss of war.

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Ryōtarō Shiba, Juliet Winters Carpenter

Last Shogun: The Life Of Tokugawa Yoshinobu

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In Ryotaro Shiba's account of the life of Japan's last shogun, Perry's arrival off the coast of Japan was merely the spark that ignited the cataclysm in store for the Japanese people and their governments. It came to its real climax with the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, the event which forms the centerpiece of this book. The Meiji Restoration—as history calls it—toppled the shogunate, and brought a seventeen-year-old boy emperor back from the secluded Imperial Palace in Kyoto to preside over what amounted to a political and cultural revolution. With this, Japan's extraordinary self-modernization began in earnest. Coming to power just as the Tokugawa regime was suffering the worst military defeat in its history, Yoshinobu strongly suspected that the rule of the Tokugawas—the third and longest lived of Japan's three warrior governments - was swiftly becoming an anachronism. During a year of frenetic activity, he overhauled the military systems, reorganized the civil administration, promoted industrial development, and expanded foreign intercourse, with the farsighted aim of creating a unified Japan. Alarmed by these reforms, pro-imperial interests moved against him, precipitating the Boshin Civil War and the final defeat of the shogunal armies. To the surprise of his enemies, Yoshinobu capitulated. It was this surrender of authority at a crucial point that made the transfer of sovereignty relatively peaceful. He then retired to Mito and lived quietly for the rest of his life, studying the new art of photography. Ennobled a prince in the new European-style nobility of the Meiji era, he died in 1913.

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Ben Macintyre

Double Cross : The True Story of The D-Day Spies

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Recommended for history buffs who appreciate audacious espionage. This book exposes the fascinating true story of the Double Cross System - a team of double agents who deceived the Nazis into believing that the Allied invasion force would attack Calais and Norway, not Normandy. The bravery, treachery, greed, and inspiration of these unconventional warriors is revealed in detail, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in World War II history and espionage.

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Peter de la Billière

Looking for Trouble : SAS to Gulf Command - The Autobiography

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This book is a must-read for anyone who is fascinated by military memoirs and the life of a soldier. Sir Peter de la Billiere takes us on a gripping journey through his life, from his rebellious childhood to his remarkable career in the SAS. His firsthand accounts of British Army actions since World War II, including the Gulf War, provide a unique and intimate perspective on the challenges and dangers faced by soldiers. With captivating storytelling and a thrilling narrative, "Looking for Trouble" immerses readers into the world of a true warrior.

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François Bizot

The Gate

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Selected as a Book of the Year in 2017 in the Scottish Herald 'The beauty of the prose is in contrast with the horror anticipated by this superbly subtle narrative' Kapka KassabovaIn 1971, on a routine outing through the Cambodian countryside, the young French ethnologist Fran-ois Bizot is captured by the Khmer Rouge. Accused of being an agent of 'American imperialism', he is chained and imprisoned. His captor, Douch - later responsible for tens of thousands of deaths - interrogates him at length; after three months of torturous deliberation, during which his every word was weighed and his life hung in the balance, he was released. Four years later, the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh. Fran-ois Bizot became the official intermediary between the ruthless conqueror and the terrified refugees behind the gate of the French a ringside seat to one of history's most appalling genocides. Written thirty years later, Fran-ois Bizot's memoir of his horrific experiences in the 'killing fields' of Cambodia is, in the words of John le Carr-, a 'contemporary classic'.

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Tom Brokaw

The Greatest Generation

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The Greatest Generation is a heartfelt tribute to the resilient men and women who became heroes during WWII. This book showcases the personal stories of people who were transformed by their experiences, providing readers with a glimpse into the sacrifices, triumphs, and challenges of an incredible generation. It's an emotional and inspiring read that will make you appreciate the enduring spirit of these heroes and the society they rebuilt.

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Paul A. Shapiro, Patrick Desbois

The Holocaust by Bullets : A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews

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If you're interested in WWII history, particularly the Holocaust, this book provides a unique perspective on the often-overlooked mass murders committed by mobile killing squads in Ukraine. Father Patrick Desbois uses eyewitness accounts and innovative methodology to provide a haunting, definitive account of this tragic chapter in history. This book will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression and deepen your understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust.

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Theary C. Seng

Daughter of the Killing Fields : Asrei's Story

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Asrei was a toddler when the Khmer Rouge killed her father. In prison shortly after, she fell asleep in her mother's arms and woke to find her gone for ever. Daughter of the Killing Fields tells how Asrei (Theary Seng) spent her early years passed from one set of relatives to another, amidst a backdrop of soldiers, landmines, inadequate refugee camps and unrelenting death. Confronted by a sea of human suffering from the age of three, she soon learnt that 'life is just a breath'. This is the powerfully haunting story of how Asrei, her brothers, aunts and uncles managed to survive, eventually emigrating to the West. It begins and ends 21 years later, as Asrei confronts the man she holds 'accountable for the death of my parents, and for the blood of 1.7 million others'.'Theary Seng, a young Khmer-American lawyer, experienced the full horror of the Pol Pot regime (1975-1979) when she was a child in her native Cambodia. In this compelling, clear-headed memoir, she exhibits all the courage and resilient street smarts of a true survivor while relating the story of almost incomprehensible sufferibg and loss.' - David Chandler, author of Brother Number One[back cover text]

from RM24.39 MYR

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Loung Ung

Lucky Child : A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind

from RM26.95 MYR

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Lucky Child would be a good read for those interested in a personal account of the Khmer Rouge Genocide in Cambodia, or for anyone seeking an inspiring story about a family's survival and resiliency in the face of war and loss. The alternating perspectives of Loung and her sister Chou provide a unique and powerful lens through which to experience their shared history.

from RM26.95 MYR

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Arthur Dunkelman

The Enchantress, Emma, Lady Hamilton : The Jean Kislak Collection

from RM12.03 MYR

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Catalogue of the Jean Kislak collection of material related to Emma, Lady Hamilton 1765-1815 . Née Amy Lyon, Hamilton rose from humble beginnings to become wife of Sir William Hamilton, British minister to the Kingdom of Naples and mistress of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Introductory essays by five scholars. Frontispiece. Color illustrations throughout, including correspondence between Emily Hamilton and Nelson. Bibliography of the Kislak collection. xxiv, 135+ 1 pages. stiff paper wrappers, illustrated endpapers. 4to.

from RM12.03 MYR

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Rick Geary, Andy Helfer

Trotsky

from RM34.62 MYR

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Trotsky: A Graphic Biography could be a good read for history buffs, graphic novel enthusiasts and those interested in politics. Geary’s graphic novel style offers a unique visual representation of a politically complex and controversial figure’s life. The book provides insight into Trotsky’s rise and fall within the Bolshevik movement and his personal relationships.

from RM34.62 MYR

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Robin Hunter

True Stories of the SAS

from RM14.19 MYR

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The soldiers of the SAS are among the most ruthless and efficient in the world. Their daring and determination have made Britain's top-secret military unit one of the most feared and respected special forces in existence. From parachute raids and jeep attacks of World War II to covert activity in the Gulf War, TRUE STORIES OF THE SAS is a history of the deeds done by this highly trained fighting force as they faced danger with calm courage.

from RM14.19 MYR

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Chanrithy Him

When Broken Glass Floats : Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge : A Memoir

from RM35.16 MYR

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A survivor of the Cambodian genocide recounts a childhood in Cambodia, where rudimentary labor camps filled with death and illness were the norm and modern technology, such as cars and electricity, no longer existed. 15,000 first printing.

from RM35.16 MYR

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Bob Woodward

Bush at War : Inside the Bush White House

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"Bush at War" is a compelling read that gives readers an insider's look at the decision-making process during one of the most challenging periods in American history. Woodward's access to closed-door meetings and briefings provides a unique perspective on the events that unfolded after 9/11. This book offers readers a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the Bush administration and the decisions that helped shape the country's response to the attacks. If you're interested in politics or recent American history, "Bush at War" is definitely worth a read.

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John K. Fairbank, Edgar Snow

Red Star over China

from RM42.07 MYR

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The first Westerner to meet Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Communist leaders in 1936, Edgar Snow came away with the first authorized account of Mao’s life, as well as a history of the famous Long March and the men and women who were responsible for the Chinese revolution. Out of that experience came Red Star Over China, a classic work that remains one of the most important books ever written about the birth of the Communist movement in China. This edition includes extensive notes on military and political developments in China, further interviews with Mao Tse-tung, a chronology covering 125 years of Chinese revolution, and nearly a hundred detailed biographies of the men and women who were instrumental in making China what it is today.

from RM42.07 MYR

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Tim Butcher

Chasing the Devil : On Foot Through Africa's Killing Fields

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For many years war made Sierra Leone and Liberia too dangerous for outsiders to travel through. Facing down demons from his time in Africa as a journalist, Tim Butcher heads deep into this combat zone, encountering the devastation wrought by lawless militia, child soldiers, brutal violence, blood diamonds and masked figures who guard the spiritual secrets of remote jungle communities. On an epic journey that demands courage, doggedness and sheer luck, Butcher treks for 350 blistering miles through rainforest and malarial swamps to gain an extraordinary ground-level view of an overlooked region on the cusp of a remarkable recovery.

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Kumiko Kakehashi

Letters From Iwo Jima : The Japanese Eyewitness Stories That Inspired Clint Eastwood's Film

from RM29.14 MYR

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Letters from Iwo Jima reveals the true story of the battle of Iwo Jima. At the heart of this story is the maverick general Tadamichi Kuriyabashi, devoted family man, brilliant leader and the first man on the island to know they were all going to die. Kumiko Kakehashi's heart rending account is based on letters written home by the doomed soldiers on the island, most family men, conscripted late in the war. She reveals a very different Japanese army from the popular image. It is an incredibly moving portrayal of men determined to resist to the last breath.

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Albert Speer

Inside the Third Reich

from RM25.82 MYR

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Written by Hitler's Minister of Armaments and War Production, the man who kept Germany armed and the war machine running even after Hitler's mystique had faded, this memoir gives us as complete a view as we will ever get of the inside of the Nazi state. B&W photos.

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Paul Ham, Debbie Edwards

Yoko's Diary

from RM9.40 MYR

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1945 was a hard time to be a child in Japan. Many had seen their cities destroyed by US bombers. Food, fuel and materials were in short supply. Yet spirits remained high. In April 1945, Yoko Moriwaki started high school in Hiroshima, excited to be a prestigious 'Kenjo' girl, and full of duty towards her parents, school and country. But the country was falling apart and in four months time her city would become the target for the first atomic bomb ever used as a weapon. In her diary, Yoko provides an account of that time - when conditions were so poor that children as young as twelve were required to work in industry; when fierce battles raged in the Pacific and children like Yoko believed victory was near. With additions by Yoko's relatives and fellow students, and an introduction by award-winning author Paul Ham, Yoko's Diary not only shows us the hopes, beliefs and daily life of a young girl in wartime Japan, it is a touching account of the consequences of the first nuclear bombing of a city.

from RM9.40 MYR

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Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl

Going Solo

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Recommendation: Going Solo is an extraordinary account of Dahl's life in the Royal Air Force that would intrigue history enthusiasts. Readers would appreciate Dahl's tenacity and daring spirit while combating danger, which parallels with his literary pieces, making it a must-read.

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Eric Lomax

The Railway Man

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The Railway Man is a moving autobiography that will speak to readers who appreciate gripping stories of emotional and physical endurance. Lomax is a master storyteller who illustrates how forgiveness can be a beginning point of healing. Readers will appreciate the way Lomax presents the conflicted emotions that result when trauma is revisited decades later. The book is highly recommended for readers looking to gain insight into the human psyche and how forgiveness and closure can be empowering even in the most horrific situations.

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Gitta Sereny

Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth

from RM45.79 MYR

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This book is a must-read for history buffs who want an inside look into the mind of one of the most infamous Nazis, Albert Speer. Sereny's use of unpublished manuscripts and conversations with Speer himself provide a unique perspective on the inner turmoil of someone deeply involved in the atrocities of the Third Reich. The book also offers a captivating portrayal of Hitler's inner circle and the complexities of good and evil in society.

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Bob Woodward

Plan of Attack

from RM25.59 MYR

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Investigative reporter Bob Woodward had unusual access to the Bush White House in researching and writing this insider account of the George W. Bush administration's march to war against Saddam Hussein. While almost all of his many sources spoke off the record (an exception being the President), Woodward's narrative of even

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Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl

Going Solo

from RM23.16 MYR

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This book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates captivating memoirs that are filled with adventure and excitement. Roald Dahl's "Going Solo" takes you on a journey through his experiences in Africa and his daring wartime exploits. Dahl's vivid storytelling brings his extraordinary life to life, making this book a page-turner from start to finish. Get ready to be enthralled by his tales of courage and adventure!

from RM23.16 MYR

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Paul Greengrass, Peter Wright

Spycatcher : The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer

from RM14.02 MYR

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From the earliest days of electronic surveillance to the height of the Cold War, Wright was at the center of the action in Mi5, Britain's counterespionage service.

from RM14.02 MYR

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Anthony Loyd

Another Bloody Love Letter

from RM23.16 MYR

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Critically acclaimed writer and award-winning foreign correspondent, Anthony Loyd is also an ex-heroin addict. ANOTHER BLOODY LOVE LETTER exposes the thrilling and brutal reality of life as a war journalist - from the climax of war in Kosovo to tracking ambush commanders in Sierra Leone, confronting the danger and confusion of northern Afghanistan at the start of the 'war on terror', and the harsh realities of life in Iraq during the second Gulf War. But it is also the very human story of a man fighting to beat a heroin addiction and coming to terms with the death of a friend and colleague murdered by the RUF in Sierra Leone, and the death of his mother from a terminal illness at home.ANOTHER BLOODY LOVE LETTER takes the reader into the mind of a man who has chased war and death for more than half his life, and must now find clarity. It is a moving and powerful memoir of love and friendship, betrayal and loss, war and faith.

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Rohini Mohan

The Seasons of Trouble : Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka's Civil War

from RM14.19 MYR

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The Seasons of Trouble is a vivid and heart-wrenching account of the devastating effects of war on ordinary citizens. Through the personal stories of Sarva, Indra, and Mugil, the reader gains a deeper understanding of the complexities and turmoil of Sri Lanka's civil war. This book is highly recommended for those interested in gaining insight into the impact of conflict on individuals, families, and communities. Rohini Mohan's writing is both honest and empathetic, offering a raw and nuanced view of life amid the ruins of war.

from RM14.19 MYR

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Guy Sajer

The Forgotten Soldier

Regular price RM36.75 MYR from RM25.72 MYR Save up to 30%

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"The Forgotten Soldier" offers a unique perspective on World War II from the point of view of a German soldier. Guy Sajer's firsthand account captures the harsh realities of war, from hunger and fatigue to violence and combat. The book offers a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and the toll it takes on soldiers. It is a good read for history enthusiasts, especially those interested in personal accounts of war.

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Dive Into Real-Life Stories

Biographies and memoirs offer unparalleled insights into the lives and minds of individuals who've shaped our world. Be it political icons, celebrities, or unsung heroes, Thryft brings you a rich assortment of stories that reveal extraordinary experiences and life lessons. Embark on a journey through time as you explore the personal tales that have influenced history and culture.