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The New York Times–bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany Out of the depths of the Depression...
The New York Times–bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant. It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest. Author: Daniel James Brown ISBN:9780143125471
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“A harrowing masterpiece of modern history.” Sunday Express “David Stafford weaves an often majestic tapestry of testimo...
“A harrowing masterpiece of modern history.” Sunday Express “David Stafford weaves an often majestic tapestry of testimony… Time and again, you sit up and take notice in ways that more conventional history lets slip…” The Observer “A vivid reminder of the misery that persisted across Europe long after the shooting stopped in 1945.” Daily Mail “Stafford skillfully provides a connecting framework for a narrative of almost Tolstoyan proportions…. which only a writer of the first caliber, strongest nerve and monumental intellectual stamina could tackle.” The Spectator “A fine book… a page turner…compelling.” Len Deighton In this compelling narrative about the end of the Second World War in Europe, acclaimed historian David Stafford delves behind the dramatic headlines proclaiming victory to reveal the horrors and hardships of its final days and aftermath. Drawing upon diaries, letters, and personal testimonies, he brilliantly interweaves the lives of ordinary people with the actions of military and political leaders to paint a vivid panorama of a continent scarred and traumatized by a war whose effects continue long after the fighting has stopped. Author: David Stafford ISBN:9780349119120
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" Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" President Ronald Reagan's famous exhortation when visiting Berlin in 1987 has lon...
" Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" President Ronald Reagan's famous exhortation when visiting Berlin in 1987 has long been widely cited as the clarion call that brought the Cold War to an end. The United States won, so this version of history goes, because Ronald Reagan stood firm against the USSR; American resoluteness brought the evil empire to its knees. Michael Meyer, who was there at the time as a Newsweek bureau chief, begs to differ. In this extraordinarily compelling account of the revolutions that roiled Eastern Europe in 1989, he shows that American intransigence was only one of many factors that provoked world-shaking change. Meyer draws together breathtakingly vivid, on-the-ground accounts of the rise of the Solidarity movement in Poland, the stealth opening of the Hungarian border, the Velvet Revolution in Prague and the collapse of the infamous wall in Berlin. But the most important events, Meyer contends, occurred secretly, in the heroic stands taken by individuals in the thick of the struggle, leaders such as poet and playwright Vaclav Havel in Prague; the Baltic shipwright Lech Walesa; the quietly determined reform prime minister in Budapest, Miklos Nemeth; and the man who privately realized that his empire was already lost, and decided -- with courage and intelligence -- to let it go in peace,Soviet general secretary of the communist party, Mikhail Gorbachev. Reporting for Newsweek from the frontlines in Eastern Europe, Meyer spoke to these players and countless others. Alongside their deliberate interventions were also the happenstance and human error of history that are always present when events accelerate to breakneck speed. Meyer captures these heady days in all of their rich drama and unpredictability. In doing so he provides not just a thrilling chronicle of the most important year of the twentieth century but also a crucial refutation of American political mythology and a triumphal misunderstanding of history that seduced the United States into many of the intractable conflicts it faces today. The Year That Changed the World will change not only how we see the past, but also our understanding of America's future. Author: Michael Meyer ISBN:9781847394347
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*** Selected as a 2017 Book of the Year in the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Observer and The Economist *** ‘A gripping sto...
*** Selected as a 2017 Book of the Year in the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Observer and The Economist *** ‘A gripping story of Churchill’s unlikely rise to power’ Observer London, May 1940. Britain is under threat of invasion and Neville Chamberlain’s government is about to fall. It is hard for us to imagine the Second World War without Winston Churchill taking the helm, but in Six Minutes in May Nicholas Shakespeare shows how easily events could have gone in a different direction. It took just six minutes for MPs to cast the votes that brought down Chamberlain. Shakespeare moves from Britain’s disastrous battle in Norway, for which many blamed Churchill, on to the dramatic developments in Westminster that led to Churchill becoming Prime Minister. Uncovering fascinating new research and delving into the key players’ backgrounds, Shakespeare gives us a new perspective on this critical moment in our history. ‘Totally captivating. It will stand as the best account of those extraordinary few days for very many years’ Andrew Roberts ‘Superbly written… Shakespeare has a novelist’s flair for depicting the characters and motives of men’ The Times ‘Utterly wonderful… It reads like a thriller’ Peter Frankopan Author: Nicholas Shakespeare ISBN:9781784701000
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