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River of No Reprieve: Descending Siberia's Waterway of Exile, Death, and Destiny
Par Jeffrey Tayler. 2006
The author of In Putin’s Footsteps chronicles a deadly trek through the icy Russian region known for gulags and isolation.In…
a custom-built boat, Jeffrey Tayler travels some 2,400 miles down the Lena River from near Lake Baikal to high above the Arctic Circle, recreating a journey first made by Cossack forces more than three hundred years ago. He is searching for primeval beauty and a respite from the corruption, violence, and self-destructive urges that typify modern Russian culture, but instead he finds the roots of that culture—in Cossack villages unchanged for centuries, in Soviet outposts full of listless drunks, in stark ruins of the gulag, and in grand forests hundreds of miles from the nearest hamlet.That’s how far Tayler is from help when he realizes that his guide, Vadim, a burly Soviet army veteran embittered by his experiences in Afghanistan, detests all humanity, including Tayler. Yet he needs Vadim’s superb skills if he is to survive a voyage that quickly turns hellish. They must navigate roiling whitewater in howling storms, eschewing life jackets because, as Vadim explains, the frigid water would kill them before they could swim to shore. Though Tayler has trekked by camel through the Sahara and canoed down the Congo during the revolt against Mobutu, he has never felt so threatened as he does now.Praise for River of No Reprieve“This is a fiercely evocative account of an astonishing journey, wrenched out of near-disaster.” —Colin Thubron, author of In Siberia and The Lost Heart of Asia“Nonfiction adventure at its best. A page-turner from cover to cover.” —Adventure Journey“Reads like a Dantean tour of purgatory, providing a gloomily beautiful glimpse of nature—and humanity—at its bleakest edges.” —Men’s JournalHigher than Everest: Tendi Sherpa: A Lifetime of Climbing the World
Par Flore Dussey. 2022
Higher than Everest paints an uncompromising portrait of Tendi Sherpa, who has successfully climbed twenty-one mountains over 8,000m, including fourteen…
ascents of Everest. This young father, part of the elite group of Nepalese guides, embodies the new generation of Sherpas who are taking their destiny into their own hands. In the numerous conferences he holds throughout the world, he never hesitates to denounce the amateurism and obsession of certain people determined to climb Everest, as well as the over-crowding of the sacred Himalayan mountains. As a child, the man who would go on to save many lives on the Roof of the World once dreamed of becoming a monk, and from his years at the monastery, he still retains a deep attachment to Buddhism and its many rituals. Resolutely looking towards the future, but also concerned about respecting the environment and traditions, Tendi regularly returns to the secluded valley of Khembalung, the land of his ancestors, never forgetting where it is he has come from.A &“highly enjoyable&” account of six men, and one woman, who journeyed into uncharted and treacherous African terrain to find…
the source of the White Nile (The Washington Post).Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet&’s most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted the challenge.Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and reputations in the fierce competition. National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped &“Dark Continent,&” its jungle deprivations, and the courage—as well as malicious tactics—of the explorers.On multiple forays launched into east and central Africa, the travelers passed through almost impenetrable terrain and suffered the ravages of flesh-eating ulcers, paralysis, malaria, deep spear wounds, and even death. They discovered Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria and became the first white people to encounter the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro. Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail—and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.&“A fabulous story…old-fashioned epic adventure.&”—The Sunday Times"Superb narrative…a must-read for anyone hoping to understand the internal dynamics of modern state-building in central Africa.&”—BooklistCaptain Cook: Master of the Seas
Par Frank McLynn. 2011
This &“thoroughly researched and sharply opinionated&” biography presents a nuanced portrait of the renowned 18th century navigator (The Wall Street…
Journal). The age of discovery was at its peak in the eighteenth century, with bold adventurers charting the furthest reaches of the globe. Foremost among these explorers was Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy. Recent writers have viewed Cook through the lens of colonial exploitation, regarding him as a villain. While they raise important issues, many of these critical accounts overlook his major contributions to science, navigation and cartography. In Captain Cook, Frank McLynn re-creates the voyages that took the famous navigator from his native England to the outer reaches of the Pacific Ocean. Although Cook died in a senseless, avoidable conflict with the people of Hawaii, McLynn illustrates that to the men with whom he served, Cook was master of the seas and nothing less than a titan. McLynn reveals Cook's place in history as a brave and brilliant yet tragically flawed man.PDA in the Family: Life After the Lightbulb Moment
Par Steph Curtis. 2024
In this honest and open account of life with her PDA daughter, Sasha, Steph Curtis reveals the everyday struggles and…
explores the milestones of raising a child diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance. This book guides you through the Curtis family's 'lightbulb moment' of recognising Sasha's PDA profile following her autism diagnosis at the age of two, their experiences of various education settings and attempts to access support, everyday life at home and relationships with family and friends. Bursting with practical takeaways and advice from creating personal profiles for your child to help them transition through schools and other settings to the reasonable adjustments you can actually ask for to help make life easier for your PDA child.With unique insights from Sasha's father, sister, and Sasha herself, this book offers insider knowledge, understanding and advice from one family to another. It would also be helpful for those in education, healthcare or other settings to gain a better understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance.PDA in the Family: Life After the Lightbulb Moment
Par Steph Curtis. 2024
In this honest and open account of life with her PDA daughter, Sasha, Steph Curtis reveals the everyday struggles and…
explores the milestones of raising a child diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance. This book guides you through the Curtis family's 'lightbulb moment' of recognising Sasha's PDA profile following her autism diagnosis at the age of two, their experiences of various education settings and attempts to access support, everyday life at home and relationships with family and friends. Bursting with practical takeaways and advice from creating personal profiles for your child to help them transition through schools and other settings to the reasonable adjustments you can actually ask for to help make life easier for your PDA child.With unique insights from Sasha's father, sister, and Sasha herself, this book offers insider knowledge, understanding and advice from one family to another. It would also be helpful for those in education, healthcare or other settings to gain a better understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance.Inseparable: How Family and Sacrifice Forged a Path to the NFL
Par Shaquem Griffin, Shaquill Griffin, Mark Schlabach. 2019
Much more than a sports memoir, in Inseparable Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin share the previously untold details of the powerful and…
inspiring story behind the modern NFL&’s first one-handed player, and his twin brother&’s unrelenting devotion, sacrifice, and love. It&’s the story of Shaquem&’s understanding of God&’s purpose for his life—to inspire others to stop being afraid and to stop making excuses—and his family&’s unwavering support in spite of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Griffins&’ unlikely underdog story has already captured the imagination of millions of football fans and physically challenged people around the world.Pirate Hunter: The Life of Captain Woodes Rogers
Par Graham A. Thomas. 2019
On 2 August 1708 Captain Woodes Rogers set sail from Bristol with two ships, the Duke and Duchess, on an…
epic voyage of circumnavigation that was to make him famous. His mission was to attack, plunder and pillage Spanish ships wherever he could. And, as Graham Thomas shows in this tense and exciting narrative, after a series of pursuits and sea battles he returned laden with booty and with a reputation as one of the most audacious and shrewd fighting captains of the age. He was then appointed governor of the Bahamas by George I with the task of suppressing the pirates who roamed this corner of the Caribbean and preyed on its shipping. He was equally successful as a privateer and pirate-hunter in an age when brutality and ruthlessness were the law of the sea.Tell Me Everything You Don't Remember: The Stroke That Changed My Life
Par Christine Hyung-Oak Lee. 2017
“A brave, encouraging, genuine work of healing discovery that shows us the ordinary, daily effort it takes to make a…
shattered self cohere.” — Floyd Skloot, author of In the Shadow of Memory“The stuff of poetry and of nightmares… [Lee] investigates her broken brain with the help of a journal, beautifully capturing the helplessness, frustration, and comic absurdity (yes, a book about a stroke can be funny!) of navigating life after your world has been torn apart.” — Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire“Lee excavates her life with the care of an archeologist in this stunning memoir...Her account is lyrical, honest, darkly comic, surprising, and transcendent in the way it redefines the importance of family history, memory, and what of it we choose to hold with us. A beautiful book.” — Christa Parravani, author of Her: A Memoir“A searing memoir buoyed by hope.” — People“This honest and meditative memoir is the story about how Hyung-Oak Lee rebuilt her life, quite literally one step at a time, and how she discovered the person she had always wanted to become.” — Refinery29.com“Honest and insightful” — New York Times Book Review“Emotionally explicit and intensely circumspect... . With careful thought and new understanding, the author explores the enduring mind-body connection with herself at the nexus of it all. A fascinating exploration of personal identity from a writer whose body is, thankfully, ‘no longer at war.’” — Kirkus Reviews“Fearless... [Lee’s] engaging memoir...makes a difficult topic accessible and relatable. Lee expertly explains how the brain works and how even a damaged brain can adapt. Her narrative is both scientific and emotional, revealing the wonders of biology and the power of the human spirit.” — BooklistChase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius
Par John Carlin. 2014
Oscar Pistorius was eleven months old when he had both legs amputated below the knee, due to congenital fibular disease.…
Despite this severe disability, Pistorious grew up to be an extraordinary athlete, inspirational role model, and global symbol of resilience. In 2012 he became the first amputee runner in history to compete in the Olympics and was hailed as a hero not only in his native South Africa but around the world.Everything changed for Pistorius in the early morning hours of February 14, 2013—Valentine's Day—when he shot and killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, through a closed bathroom door, allegedly because he mistook her for an intruder intent on doing him harm. He was arrested and charged with premeditated murder, and overnight, the public's view of Pistorius turned on its head.Not since the O. J. Simpson case has a courtroom drama riveted global attention on one man's fate. Acclaimed journalist John Carlin's vivid firsthand account of Pistorius's seven-month murder trial, broadcast worldwide from Johannesburg, details the wrenching emotional breakdowns and merciless interrogation of the accused on and off the stand, the fraught relationship between the Pistorius and Steenkamp families, and the highly controversial verdict of culpable homicide, for which Pistorius received a five-year sentence.But Chase Your Shadow is far more than just a sensational crime story, as Carlin shows through meticulous reporting and extensive access to Pistorius and his family and friends. This courtroom confrontation between a white, privileged, twenty-seven-year-old male athlete on trial for murder and the black female judge who alone would decide his fate—held in a democratic country trying to exorcise its history of racial hatred and endemic violence against women—exposes the complex social and political realities of post-Apartheid South Africa.Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History
Par Giles Milton. 1999
'To write a book that makes the reader sit in a trance, lost in his passionate desire to pack a…
suitcase and go to the fabulous place - that, in the end, is something one would give a sack of nutmeg for' Philip Hensher, The SpectatorIn 1616, an English adventurer, Nathaniel Courthope, stepped ashore on a remote island in the East Indies on a secret mission - to persuade the islanders of Run to grant a monopoly to England over their nutmeg, a fabulously valuable spice in Europe. This infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to control the world's nutmeg supply. For five years Courthope and his band of thirty men were besieged by a force one hundred times greater - and his heroism set in motion the events that led to the founding of the greatest city on earth.A beautifully told adventure story and a fascinating depiction of exploration in the seventeenth century, NATHANIEL'S NUTMEG sheds a remarkable light on historyThe Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance
Par David V. Herlihy. 2010
This &“fascinating&” story of a nineteenth-century mystery &“should appeal to most lovers of history, as well as to bicycling enthusiasts.…
Strongly recommended&” (Library Journal). In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized &“safety-bicycle&” with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. Lenz never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz&’s trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, David Herlihy&’s gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. This untold story culminates with Sachtleben&’s heroic effort to bring Lenz&’s accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.South: The Illustrated Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914–1917
Par Ernest Henry Shackleton. 2016
The explorer’s classic account of adventure and survival in the Antarctic—with photos from the journey and color images of polar…
landscapes and animal life.In 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton announced an ambitious plan to lead the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition—the first trek across Antarctica from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the South Pole. Shackleton’s third expedition would be filled with adventure—and fraught with peril.South is the remarkable tale of that ill-fated expedition as told in Shackleton’s own words, and illustrated here with the photography of expedition photographer Frank Hurley, as well as modern color imagery of the fauna and stunning vistas the men encountered. Their story begins on the eve of World War I, when the ship Endurance departed from England with Shackleton and his team of six men. The plan was to travel 1,800 miles across the icy continent from the Atlantic side, while a second team, aboard the ship Aurora, would reach the Pacific side from Tasmania and lay out supply depots for the advancing team.As the Endurance approached the continent, however, it became hopelessly locked in an ice floe, beginning a series of travails including ice-covered mountainous islands, harrowing days in a life raft in hurricane-force winds, untested overland routes into the vast unknown, and more.South is the true story of a thrilling polar expedition—and never before has Shackleton’s lively prose been so extensively illustrated with such extraordinary images.Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History
Par Giles Milton. 1999
'To write a book that makes the reader sit in a trance, lost in his passionate desire to pack a…
suitcase and go to the fabulous place - that, in the end, is something one would give a sack of nutmeg for' Philip Hensher, The SpectatorIn 1616, an English adventurer, Nathaniel Courthope, stepped ashore on a remote island in the East Indies on a secret mission - to persuade the islanders of Run to grant a monopoly to England over their nutmeg, a fabulously valuable spice in Europe. This infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to control the world's nutmeg supply. For five years Courthope and his band of thirty men were besieged by a force one hundred times greater - and his heroism set in motion the events that led to the founding of the greatest city on earth.A beautifully told adventure story and a fascinating depiction of exploration in the seventeenth century, NATHANIEL'S NUTMEG sheds a remarkable light on historyThe Hard Parts: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph
Par Oksana Masters. 2023
&“A gut-wrenching, wildly inspiring story about overcoming the most daunting obstacles through steely tenacity, sheer will, and a great big…
dose of motherly love.&” —Jeannette Walls, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle An inspirational and powerful memoir from the United States&’s most decorated winter Paralympic or Olympic athlete, The Hard Parts is Oksana Masters gripping account of overcoming extraordinary Chernobyl disaster–caused physical challenges to create a life that challenges everyone to push through what is holding them back.Oksana Masters was born in Ukraine—in the shadow of Chernobyl—seemingly with the odds stacked against her. She came into the world with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep, and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias. Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of what would be their child&’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at age seven when Gay Masters, an unmarried American professor who saw a photo of the little girl and became haunted by her eyes, waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances. In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Still, how could she hope to fit in when there were so many things making her different? As it turned out, she would do much more than fit in. Determined to prove herself and fueled by a drive to succeed that still smoldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four—winning against the world&’s best in elite rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and road cycling competitions. Now considered one of the world&’s top athletes, she is the recipient of seventeen Paralympic medals, the most of any US athlete of the Winter Games, Paralympic or Olympic. Oksana&’s astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels is &“as true a tale of grit as I&’ve ever heard, with a message filled with triumph and beauty—that what doesn&’t kill us makes us stronger, if we are loved&” (Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit).Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life
Par Matt Hay. 2023
An inspiring memoir of a young man who discovered he was going completely deaf just at the moment he’d fallen…
in love for the first time.As a child, Matt Hay didn’t know his hearing wasn’t the way everyone else processed sound—because of the workarounds he did to fit in, even the school nurse didn’t catch his condition at the annual hearing and vision checks. But by the time he was a prospective college student and couldn’t pass the entrance requirements for West Point, Hay’s condition, generated by a tumor, was unavoidable: his hearing was going, and fast.A personal soundtrack was Hay’s determined compensation for his condition. As a typical Midwestern kid growing up in the 1980s whose life events were pegged to pop music, Hay planned to commit his favorite songs to memory. He prepared a mental playlist of the bands he loved and created a way to tap into his most resonant memories. And the track he needed to cement most clearly? The one he and his new girlfriend, Nora—the love of his life—listened to in the car on their first date.Made vivid with references to instantly recognizable songs—from the Eagles to Elton John, Bob Marley to Bing Crosby, U2 to Peter Frampton—Soundtrack of Silence asks readers to run the soundtrack of their own lives through their minds. It’s an involving memoir of loss and disability, and, ultimately, a both unique and universal love story.Journey (DK Definitive Visual Histories)
Par Dk. 2017
Follow the voyages of the Vikings, pursue plundering pirates, trace the Hippie Trail, or set off on a flight to…
the Moon. A thrilling expedition awaits you on every page.Journeys have arisen from all manner of impulse, from migration and the search for food to pilgrimages, trade, scientific curiosity, or simply the quest for adventure.Packed with stories of human movement and endeavor, Journey lets you experience the excitement and romance of travel, covering everything from quests across the Silk Road and the adventures of Marco Polo to explorations in space and underwater. Discover ancient maps, biographies of conquerors, explorers and travelers, stories of scientific discovery and technological innovation, stunning works of art, and catalogs of travel-related memorabilia.This truly worldwide account is a glorious celebration of human journeys and will make an impressive gift for any lover of travel and history.Two Left Shoes
Par Kenneth Roger Adams. 2018
Discover the story of a determined mother who fought hard to keep her family together during wartime and its aftermath,…
with hardly any support from others. The battle didn’t end with the war; it extended into my own life. Growing up in poverty, I faced my own set of challenges that made every step towards success feel like a steep climb. However, these trials pushed me to strive harder and sparked a desire to help others. This tale follows our family’s journey through hard times, my own fight to achieve my goals, and how these experiences ignited a passion for giving back.A Woman in the Polar Night (Pushkin Press Classics)
Par Christiane Ritter. 2019
&“An epic story, elegantly told and full of mystery.&” — Maggie Shipstead, author of Great CircleA rediscovered classic memoir -…
the mesmerizingly beautiful account of one woman's year spent living in a remote hut in the ArcticThis rediscovered classic memoir tells the incredible tale of a woman defying society's expectations to find freedom and peace in the adventure of a lifetime.In 1934, the painter Christiane Ritter leaves her comfortable life in Austria and travels to the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen, to spend a year there with her husband. She thinks it will be a relaxing trip, a chance to 'read thick books in the remote quiet and, not least, sleep to my heart's content', but when Christiane arrives she is shocked to realize that they are to live in a tiny ramshackle hut on the shores of a lonely fjord, hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement, battling the elements every day, just to survive.At first, Christiane is horrified by the freezing cold, the bleak landscape the lack of equipment and supplies... But as time passes, after encounters with bears and seals, long treks over the ice and months on end of perpetual night, she finds herself falling in love with the Arctic's harsh, otherworldly beauty, gaining a great sense of inner peace and a new appreciation for the sanctity of life.A Dangerous Country: An American Elegy
Par Ron Kovic. 2024
Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of July and one of the country's most powerful and passionate antiwar…
voices, completes his Vietnam Trilogy with this poignant, inspiring, and deeply personal elegy to America. WHEN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD RON KOVIC enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1964, he couldn’t foresee that he would return from Vietnam paralyzed and in a wheelchair for life. His best-selling 1976 memoir Born on the Fourth of July became an antiwar classic and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Tom Cruise as Kovic. His follow-up, Hurricane Street, chronicled his advocacy for Vietnam veterans’ rights. A Dangerous Country: An American Elegy completes Kovic’s Vietnam Trilogy, delving deep into his long and often agonizing journey home from war and eventual healing, forgiveness, and spiritual redemption. The book opens with Kovic’s never-before-revealed Vietnam diary (July 7, 1967–July 26, 1968). His entries from this period portray a patriotic young soldier with a strong moral and religious conscience. Kovic then recalls his political awakening after his return from Vietnam confined to a wheelchair following his horrific injury. He also chronicles the tremendous guilt he feels over his accidental killing of a fellow Marine while on patrol. This killing psychologically torments him as much as his severe disability. After years of social, political, and sexual turmoil—and on the brink of suicide—Kovic experiences a powerful epiphany that gives him a reason and purpose to live; a renewed faith and strength to carry on. Although his trauma is severe, his third memoir is ultimately the inspirational story of a survivor finding a way to rise above his depression and despair, forgiving his enemies and himself, and growing deeply committed to a new life.