Africa in the 20th Century

The author of this book was privileged to live in West and East African countries for over 25 years, followed by a close relationship for a further ten years. There was mutual respect, while a shared sense of humour made the majority of time such a worthwhile environment to both work and play. During the author’s time in Africa there were major changes of colonies to independence, and he witnessed the respect between the nations.

Today, the relationships between peoples of different colours are so important to all our lives; sadly, we still have far too many who cannot accept this. Fundamental cultural changes of this kind take time, and it would be true to say that not enough progress has been made over the past few years.

In many areas of life, it will be the younger generations who will lead. For this reason the author hopes that this publication will be of interest to them as they continue to grapple with the problems of climate change. The book stresses discipline as a vital aspect of life; perhaps we need more of this to counter our apparent concentration on materialism.

Abdus Science

Abdus Salam, the subject of the book was a Pakistani scientist who shared the Physics Nobel Prize in 1979. Born in a remote, rural sunburnt country town in the outback of colonial Punjab, he made it to the forefront of theoretical physics. Abdus Salam compartmentalised his studies of physics, politics, religion, and family. Although his life in physics has been sufficiently covered, few have extensively studied his life and engagement in other fields. He served military regimes and was closely associated with the birth of nuclear expertise in Pakistan where his membership of the schismatic Ahmadiyah community marginalised him. His working life was divided between London’s Imperial College and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.His fans perceive him as a victim of religious bigotry but, on his part, he did not seem to exercise scientific detachment in religion. Abdus Salam had two wives. His second wife, Louise Johnson (1940-2012), was a leading Molecular Biologist who served as Professor Emeritus in Oxford University; and it remains an awkward question as to how the two managed bigamy in Europe. Abdus Salam validated the Judaic-Muslim prohibition of pig meat and went as far as judging people who consumed pork as ‘shameless’ like the beast itself. A substantial amount of information provided in the book is supported by direct one-to-one interviews the author of the book conducted with Abdus Salam in 1984.

Abductions From My Beautiful Life

‘There is a shapeshifter asleep in my head. And when it wakes you won’t recognise me as my children’s mother, my husband’s wife, or the writer, veterinarian and advocate that I am. You won’t recognise me as someone who is alive to adventure and beauty.’

Anita Link was thirty-two years old, and six days into motherhood, when she experienced a psychotic episode and was trapped on the wrong side of sanity for the first time. It took months in hospital, medications, electroconvulsive therapy and psychological therapies to fully recover. And then, a few years later, it happened again.

This memoir is a look into what can happen to a person’s thoughts, emotions and behaviour when they are ravaged by a severe mental illness. Anita writes compellingly about what psychosis, mania and catatonic depression can feel like. Her authentic narrative of recovery reveals the hard work it takes to return to normal life after being stolen away from it by highly stigmatised symptoms.

Anita has survived these abductions and returned to her beautiful life many times. This is her story.

A Wild Life: The Edwin Wiek Story

Edwin Wiek is a true wildlife warrior. A rebel from childhood, this Dutchman is the founder of Asia's largest multispecies wildlife rescue centre, a fearless interrupter of illicit wildlife trafficking and an advisor to the Thai government on animal law reform. This was not always his life. A serious car accident led him to turn his back on a 'perfect', easy living in the fashion business in the search for meaning. He has been raided, arrested several times, injured and threatened, but his focus is unwavering. Edwin has been featured liberally on Bondi Vet, Animal Planet and National Geographic and ABC's Foreign Correspondent. He is rude, rebellious and recalcitrant, but no one has done more in Asia to give so many rescued animals as close to a wild life as possible. No holds are barred in this thorough biography of a remarkable game-changer.

A War Time Childhood And This is the Way I Saw It

I am in my eighties and have enjoyed reading books all of my life. I believe that those of us who enjoy reading books should write one and this is mine.

As a child growing up during the Second World War, family members over the generations have often asked me about my memories of that time.

This is how I remember it.

A Test of Strength

From surviving childhood trauma and confiding in her doll to cope with the abuse of her father, to giving birth to a child with spina bifida at age 19, this Australian woman’s life has been marked by strength and determination. She shares her inspiring story of triumph, including her pride at winning the title of Mrs NSW in a quest to raise funds for disabled children and her bravery in facing stage three breast cancer. But her strength is tested to its limits with the heartbreaking loss of two grown children, and she shares the spiritual signs that bring her comfort during her emotional journey of writing her life’s story. This is a brutally honest and uplifting autobiography of one woman’s determination to overcome the obstacles life throws her way.

A Story of Hope and Happiness

This is a story of triumph over adversity – an absorbing, thought-provoking, sometimes amusing but often heart-rending account of British businesswoman Rosemary Bidwell’s struggles to set up and run an orphanage in Sierra Leone, West Africa, for orphaned street children – youngsters whose parents had been savagely killed in a truly awful civil war.

Read how, against seemingly insurmountable odds, Rosemary founded the Cotton Tree Children’s Trust charity in 2006 and set about raising thousands of pounds through donations, sponsorship, talks and myriad fund-raising events to give 20 African children a second chance in life.

Through her charity, Rosemary provided her charges not only with a roof over their heads, regular meals, clothing and general welfare and educational support, but love and affection.

Read, too, how Rosemary had to overcome all manner of obstacles on the way to achieving her goal: everything from corruption, bribery, fraud and interrogation by police for 11 hours without diplomatic representation to being falsely accused of child trafficking and suffering a suspected heart attack and having to be airlifted home.

Despite the trials and tribulations, Rosemary has overcome the many and varied setbacks she encountered over a period of 18 years. Today, thanks to her dedication, perseverance and Christian beliefs, the Cotton Tree children can now face the future with confidence and know that they have been given an opportunity to prosper in life that, sadly, has been denied to so many other Sierra Leone children.

A Slice of Life from a Vicar's Wife

Jean Jarvis was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, a market town in the East Midlands and part of the Portland estate within the Dukeries.

Her working life has been spent in schools in Worksop and Sheffield. She lived through the time when Britain was recovering from World War II. It was the time of Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets.

She met and married the curate and became his wife and mother of two children.

During this time, she met John Betjeman, a friend of her husband. She acquired his fun name, “The Smasher”.

Her love of art and music continued throughout her life, and she became a church organist. Her love of painting is a set of fourteen stations of the cross, which was on show for a short time in Derby Cathedral.

This is the story of a long and happening life, told in slices.

A Question of Belief

Belief is rarely pure and never simple. This book explores the particular perplexities of belief as experienced by one female vicar in the Church of England. To exercise a public and representational role within any faith community will always bring its own pressures and paradoxes. Here, the author acknowledges and explores her own questions, which cover a wide range of topics from politics to preaching; from science to suffering. A constant theme of the book is the relationship between fact and truth. Fact is, of course, an important vehicle of truth, but not the only one. Symbolism, metaphor, myth, the creative arts have all conveyed the deep truths of Christianity to the author, who remains totally committed to her faith. Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, she takes a non-literalist view of belief, which she accepts will not be shared by some fellow Christians. But in her experience and understanding, to follow Christ means to seek the eternal truth which he embodied, and which will always be more elusive and intriguing than a recital of fact. And – for the author at least – more joy-giving. This is a hopeful book!

A Passion to Run

After ten years of six-days-a-week training, she has gained three bronze medals in individual events and three relay medals at World Masters level, yet the competitive fire still burns brightly. She continues to train and now, as a sprint coach, she shares her passion for running to enable others to improve technically and live out their dreams. Speed is always the focus, whether her athletes are training for rugby, football, basketball, netball, hockey, track, tennis or mogul skiing.

A Nice Quiet Life

This is the story of my grandfather’s life in the Merchant Navy, originally written by him during his retirement. He was a Marine Engineer from 1908 to 1945. This book describes a lifetime of adventure, hardship, and joy on all the different ships that he sailed, from grand liners to rusty hulks. He survived the two world wars, the depression of the 1930s, and at one time he even took his family to sea with him.

He sailed on the Oceanic, the Olympic, the Britannic, and almost sailed on the Titanic. During the First World War he spent some time as a volunteer tugboat engineer at the Gallipoli Landings and later saved a ship from sinking from a torpedo strike. During the Second World War he survived two shipwrecks from torpedo strikes and avoided another sinking, thanks to the Enigma code breakers. He met a whole variety of people throughout the world during his career and often gave humorous talks in many ports that he visited around the world.

This book also gives some details on the ships he sailed and a small window into the events, and the world at those times.

A New Home and Other Stories

What could happen when you leave behind the life you have known and travel to a faraway country? Would you go to a place where everything feels different, and no one speaks like you do? Have you ever thought about what that must be like? Join Lina and her family on their adventures to a new home. This historical memoir will take you on a road of fulfilling dreams and the troubles along the way.