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The Green Badge of Knowledge
An Oxton cockney and proud of it, Tony Davidson speaks in East End vernacular, giving the lowdown on a childhood of tough love among London's street allegiances and hard ethics. Be prepared for boxing showdowns, adventures on 'bird'-pulling holidays and Friday-night pub confrontations with the 'Oxton Mob'.Nearly barbecued while working 'on the gas', Davidson decides to strive for the 'real deal': to become a London black cab driver. He shares the pain and comradeship of that elite group working together for The Knowledge. Cabbie life depends on a network of tough mates protecting each other's backs against some dodgy characters.Hilarious and tender stories teem from the driver-passenger relationship, and between driving the frail, funny and famous, he tells of struggles with alcohol, the taxman, family life and the courts of so-called justice. Davidson's humour floods the book, and despite sobering obstacles, his strength and loyalties shine through.
£11.99 -
The English Woman And C. G. Jung
Ruth Bailey, reeling from her work as a nurse during the Great War, is feeling listless, lonely and lacking purpose. With the war over, her work as a nurse is no longer needed, and so far, she has been lucky enough to meet men who have moved her, but has been unlucky enough to lose them in heart-breaking wartimes.But when her sister needs someone to accompany her to Africa, to give her away on her wedding day, Ruth is only too happy to oblige. She's more than ready for adventure and self-discovery, and the Wangoni is calling.Little does she know, another passenger aboard the Wangoni is on a similar mission, noted psychoanalyst C.G. Jung. When the pair's paths cross, it ignites a lifelong friendship that starts with a simple exploratory research safari through Africa.Ruth Bailey, the English lady, saw the side of Jung that no academic was privy to. She met his children, his wife and his mistress, sticking with him until the very last day and learning much about herself, the human psyche and about her unforgettable Swiss friend.
£19.99 -
Tasman Echo Alpha
Tasman Echo Alpha is the embellished experience of former air New Zealand pilot Guy Clapshaw at a time when airline flight brought magic and romance to lives.Characters include Richard Whacker, the aircrew scheduler who managed to get all the aircraft overseas and their crews back in New Zealand, the operations manager who only hired people with bird names, and aircrew who performed extraordinarily well in emergency situations.
£20.99 -
School Shit
Kevin candidly presents the highs and lows of a teaching career spanning four decades, and useful advice on how to motivate children to learn. The book is intended to appeal to practising professionals, anyone considering teaching as a career, and those with an interest in what goes on behind school doors. Kevin's style relies heavily on humour, particularly when recalling children's mischievous natures. The fun element is being systematically squeezed out of learning and teaching. Fear of failure underpins the ethos of many of our schools. Children and teachers too often find themselves operating in a stifling educational culture that prioritises performance data. Educational success is defined by the measurable.Child-centred education has become an anachronism. The case is argued that individual children and their unique talents and abilities matter. Radical changes to school practices are advocated if our institutions are to do justice to school populations of the future.
£14.99 -
Rugby Tries and Knock Ons: Tales of a college rugby player in New England and the game that gave birth to American football
Tales of a college rugby player in New England and the game that gave birth to American footballWe had just beaten a few of the top men’s rugby football clubs in the East that excelled in both sevens and fifteens. This included – Mystic River, Beacon Hill, the Washington Exiles and two good college teams – Brown University and Coast Guard Academy. As I prepared for the championship final against another very good men’s club – the Hartford Wanderers RFC – I lay down on the sidelines and stretched my sore leg muscles. My mind drifted and I couldn’t help but remember the previous three consecutive finals our school (URI) had participated in. We had beaten some excellent teams each year to advance to the Harvard Business School Sevens finals, but we had lost each close championship match. This rugby sevens tournament was the most popular sevens tournament in the East and it consisted of rugby clubs – men’s and college teams from all over and the U.S. – winner takes all!
£14.99 -
Rehabilitated
Rehabilitated is Valeria Tokoar’s raw account of growing up with insecurity and anxiety and with a personality that found it hard to resist temptation. Always looking for the easy way out, Valeria made one wrong decision after another until she found herself in a world of drugs, alcohol and even prostitution. In an abusive relationship, and with the threat of her son’s custody being taken away from her, she knew she had to change. But change was not easy. How did she even become a person like this? And how was she going to sober up? Would she be able to resist a world of mental oblivion that was always calling her back? Is it really possible to get one’s life on track if you’re so far gone?Rehabilitated is the story of how Valeria Tokoar managed to do just that. It’s a tale of love and loss, of family ties and of hope and faith in the face of everything.
£11.99 -
My Friend the Horse
Alex Atock was born in Dublin in 1932 and graduated from the Veterinary College of Ireland in 1958. His love for all things equine commenced as a small child and continued throughout his life. This book will take the reader through his veterinary life, from his initial years in general practice, to veterinary officer of the Irish Turf Club, head of the Veterinary Department of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), consultant to the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, and, finally, consultant to World Horse Welfare. The latter took him from the elite world of thoroughbred horse racing and international equestrian sport to assisting underprivileged working equines and their owners in developing countries.Throughout his time with the FEI, Alex worked closely with the European Union and was actively involved with the conception of FEI relations with World Horse Welfare, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and the International Federation of Racing Authorities.
£14.99 -
From Rehab to Life
Whether in or out of trouble, please say this serenity prayer on a daily basis: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference." Thy will be done.
£12.99 -
Fear, Hunger and Hope
As World War II drew to a close, the German city of Goerlitz became divided along its river; the right bank assimilated into Communist Poland and the left bank into remaining Germany before eventually becoming part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).Christa-Sheila Duggal was born here a few years before, in 1937. She writes of her formative years under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party and how it impacted her and her family.As her family attempted to piece together their lives after the turmoil of the war, Duggal returned to school to a new message from teachers about the marvels of communism; her city by then was divided more than merely the river which ran through it.In Fear, Hunger and Hope, Duggal uses an intriguing blend of memories and anecdotes and a keen eye for historical fact to craft this fascinating memoir of a childhood lived in a turbulent, divided city. It is a truly unique, first-hand chronicle of 20th century history.
£14.99 -
Beef Cubes And Burdock
The rural landscape of John Phillpott’s boyhood has changed irrevocably over the last half-century.The elm – that celebrated ‘Warwickshire Weed’ of folklore – has been lost to disease, urban sprawl continues apace and motorways now disturb the tranquillity of fields that once knew only the sound of cattle, birdsong and the rumble of the farmer’s tractor.But paradise lost? Not quite, because the river flows on through the valley as it has done for millennia, the rook ‘parliaments’ can still be seen high overhead and the bells of the church that has stood on the hill looking out over the Swift Valley for a thousand years still call out to the faithful.Beef Cubes and Burdock is an affectionate glance over the shoulder back to a time when the pace of life was still dictated by the rhythm of the seasons rather than the touch of a computer keyboard.
£12.99 -
An Austro-German as an Englishman. A Life, Times, and Commentaries
Through three distinct stages of his life the author narrates his compelling story through the complex and fascinating prism of an Austro-German heritage and psyche, transposed onto an English environment and upbringing. This Autobiography charts a life from 1938 till 2014 and takes stock, with forensic and contemplative detail, of 20th- and 21st-century politics and their wider implications seen today. Now in his seventies von Maltzahn looks back. The book is a living testimony to a life that has witnessed the world, its global political structure and his own immediate environment, change immeasurably. These pages serve as a personal reconciliation and a means by which to understand this ever changing world and his place within it.
£35.99 -
Endeavour to Rise – Misdemeanours, Musings, Meditations, Mistakes and Mastery
Autobiography by way of a confessional, this book is a ramble through the author’s experiences, impressions, opinions and ideas formed over seven decades. This autobiography sees the author regret her failed relationships, financial mismanagement, folly and fecklessness. It also sees her celebrate success, achievements, courage and a lifetime of service as a nurse.This book is a call for you to recognize yourself as a unique miracle of creation. It offers some cautionary tales and urges you to rid yourself of guilt, blame and shame and to think for yourself.Exploring the eternal questions about the meaning of life e.g. ‘Why are we here?’, ‘Is there a God?’ and ‘Why is there so much suffering?’, this book invites you to reflect on your own life, your truth and your reality so you can shell your emotional baggage. It can also be seen as an exercise in vanity and self-indulgence.
£11.99