Book picks similar to
Victor Hugo: A Realistic Biography of the Great Romantic by Matthew Josephson
biographies
french-literature
memoir-biography-autobiography
phd
Broadmoor - My Journey Into Hell
Charlie Bronson - 2015
His journey has, until now, never been told.In the winter of 1979, aged just twenty-seven, the inmate who would come to be known as 'Charlie Bronson' was considered uncontrollable by the prison system. Certified insane, he was transferred from Parkhurst Prison to the most infamous high-security psychiatric hospital in England, Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane. There he embarked on a one-man campaign to retain his sanity, and to fight against the brutality of a largely hidden regime that relied on enforced drug control.This outstandingly honest account takes the reader back to those dark days. It is a journey filled with sadness, and yet it is one that includes much laughter and pathos, as well as detailing the camaraderie among fellow patients, who included Ronnie Kray and Frankie Fraser.How Charlie Bronson survived Broadmoor, what he endured and the things he witnessed are, for the very first time, documented in this sad, often chilling, sometimes funny and often moving account of one man's journey into madness and his methods for surviving the UK's most feared and notorious psychiatric hospital. Capturing Bronson's unique voice, it is a roller-coaster ride of madness, pain, laughter and tears. It is also a testament to one man's triumph over adversity.
Strictly Ann: The Autobiography
Ann Widdecombe - 2013
A rare anti-hunting Tory, who campaigned for prison education and once donned a miner's overalls to go down a coal mine, Ann Widdecombe has never shied away from controversy. Her memoirs reveal a singular personality who lives life to the full. From feisty appearances on HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU to her unforgettable and star-turning performances on STRICTLY COME DANCING, Ann has earned her place in the public's affections and has been heralded as a 'national living treasure' by the GUARDIAN.
Battle Tales from Burma
John Randle - 2004
Some are long, other mere vignettes; some are moving and serious, others are light-hearted even humorous. Some cover hard-won victories and success, others defeats and reversal; some describe acts of great valor, others incidents reflecting human frailties. All however, are worth reading and give a very accurate picture of war at its bitterest, when men are drawn together and individuals are under that most demanding microscope of their fellow comrades-in-arms.
GOD & SPIES: RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED TOP SECRET OPERATION
Garry Matheny - 2018
Author GM Matheny was a US Navy saturation diver on the nuclear submarine USS Halibut. Involved in Operation Ivy Bells. America's most important (and most dangerous of the Cold War) clandestine operations. If you like good old fashioned American bravado, espionage and American history, you will enjoy this book. GOD & SPIES is a firsthand account of America's greatest intelligence coup! Operation Ivy Bells was not a onetime intercept of foreign intelligence but an ongoing operation of multiple Soviet military channels! Another reason for the high interest in our operation was the audacious nature in which it was done—with not one person risking his neck but the crews of two US Navy nuclear submarines which rendezvoused in Soviet territorial waters. “How did I end up as a navy diver, four hundred feet down in a frigid Russian sea? After making my dad totally disgusted with me, I set out to make him happy. ‘Honor thy father’ - I struggled with a decision to serve God. ‘Lord, I will give my life to you and serve you if you let me make this dive.’ But I had the impression He only wanted to know one thing: ‘What if I do not let you? Will you serve me anyway?’”
Survivor: From childhood abuse to a life of crime and prostitution
Tara O’Shaughnessey - 2019
Prostitute. Gangster’s Wife. Survivor.
Tara grew up in squalor on the island of Alderney. When she was only four, she was sexually abused by one of her mother’s many lovers, a horror that continued for five long years. As a teenager, desperate to escape the toxic environment at home, she fled to London – but was swiftly drawn into working as a prostitute. She became involved with some of London’s most notorious gangsters – even marrying one – but when she realised the danger she was inflicting on her children, she knew she had to find a way to get out. This is the inspiring story of one woman’s will to survive, and to fight for a better life.
Clean: A story of addiction, recovery and the removal of stubborn stains
Michele Kirsch - 2019
And yet, when she finally does have something like that life, as a wife and mother in 1980s London, she is the one blaring music from her room, necking vodka and valium and making an almighty mess of her home and family.Cleaning other people’s houses, eventually, is the only option left. At 50 years old, post rehab, living alone in a Hackney bedsit, Michele finds herself finishing her working life as she had begun, “in a dumb job that you do when you can’t really do anything else...”This is a remarkable, powerful, and often unbearably funny memoir in which cleaning and getting clean intertwine as a strange and magical form of redemption. Michele Kirsch is a Nora Ephron for the modern age.
VASSILI ZAITSEV: Secrets from a Sniper's Notebook (Best Snipers Series 5)
Robert F. Burgess - 2015
After basic training these lads were sent directly into what was then called the battle for Stalingrad. What none of them knew then was that the average life expectancy of a new soldier in Stalingrad was 24-hours. Based on his words this story describes how this sailor-turned-soldier became one of Russia’s most revered sniper heroes. He became so infamous that Germany sent their own crack super-sniper to kill him. From Zaitsev’s sniper notebook we learn how he managed to stay alive and make some of his 242 confirmed kills. Zeitsev himself tells you exactly what his tricks and tactics of this deadly trade were that enabled him to be better than anyone else. Here’s this author’s description of what he said Stalingrad looked like when he first saw it as a greenhorn soldier: “The men were startled to see the city engulfed in flames. Zaitsev said it was like looking into the mouth of a spewing volcano while above this hellish cauldron layer after layer of German bombers including screaming Stuka dive bombers were feeding that fiery inferno. He could not even imagine that somewhere within that hell men were fighting a war… Vassili said that the city “looked like a smoldering and sulfurous hell, with burned-out buildings glowing like red coals, and fires consuming men and machines. Profiled against the glow of the fires were soldiers on the run. Were they theirs or ours? None of us could tell.” Better wear your asbestos gloves and flak jacket for this one because Vassili takes you right into the molten core of this blast furnace and tells you how he came out of it as the Soviet’s top ranking sniper hero of World War II
Getting Over the X
Steve Brookstein - 2014
It became the ultimate nightmare. Being the first winner of the X Factor in 2004, Steve Brookstein should have had it all. Instead, he tells a story of a man sold down the river by his own record label as they championed the runner-up, G4, and forced him into an album of cover songs. This is the story of what really happened, from vicious personal attacks by Sharon Osborne and Louis Walsh to threats from Max Clifford about going public. A decade on, and Max Clifford is inside and severely discredited. So is Andy Coulson, an editor who ran many of the untrue stories about Steve. He has been dubbed a pub singer, a fake, a flop and bitter as the narrative that begun on the show became adopted by journalists who thought he was fair game, frequently reviewing gigs that they hadn't been to or inventing quotes he hadn't said, and always regulated by a toothless Press Complaints Commission. Ten years on, Steve is now able to lift the lid on the show itself and analyse for the first time exactly what Max Clifford said when he rang to say, 'Talk to the press and we'll bury you.'
Appreciating Angels: Sarahs Story
Sally Asling - 2010
Sarah’s experiences of rape, self harming, anorexia and bulimia draw the reader on a dramatic and moving journey which captures the attention from the moment you turn the first page. It is hard to imagine that anyone could emerge from such a process sane, never mind with the intelligence and bravery to share her story. Despite the frightening events of her youth, Sarah's spirit is powerful and a testament to the strength of human energy in the struggle against adversity. Sarah's story is a reminder to us all that challenges are placed in our paths to help us grow and evolve. Along the way, if we listen and pay attention, we are never far from angels and true love. Appreciating Angels will take you on a powerful journey demonstrating pain, loss, love, self discovery, intimacy, friendship and a deep appreciation for the people who cross our paths and touch our hearts. “The pain of unrequited love, as seen from both sides …” Despite the frightening events of her youth, Sarah’s spirit is powerful and a testament to the strength of human energy in the struggle against adversity. Sarah’s Story is a reminder to us all that challenges are placed in our paths to help us grow and evolve. Along the way, if we listen and pay attention, we are never far from guides and angels … and true love. Appreciating Angels, will take you on a powerful journey demonstrating pain, loss, love, self discovery, intimacy, friendship and a deep appreciation of the people who cross our paths and touch our hearts. “I’ve never read anything like this, thank heaven for its publication. With brutal honesty Sarah conveys the truth about her teenage and student life. Parts of which I’m sure many will relate to on one level or another. This is a lesson in forgiveness and letting go.” “Appreciating Angels has had a profound effect on me, drawing up emotions and memories. It has simultaneously brought a lump to my throat and filled my heart to overflowing.” “This book will reach many people – parents, daughters, sons, friends – listen and watch those around you who may be crying out for warmth, a hug and understanding – we can all learn to be Angels to one another as Sarah so beautifully shows us.” Authors Note 2014: It was always the intention that by sharing Sarah's Story, it would help others either by the subject content itself or by the royalties on every sale. All proceeds from this book will be gifted to B@ttitude - charity number 1140398 - an organisation that was set up through love to meet the needs of others and support them in a caring community helping people realise their dreams. For more information of the work of B@ttitude see their website: http://www.batitude.org/about-us
Victor Hugo: A Biography
Graham Robb - 1997
He was also a radical political thinker and eventual exile from France; a gifted painter and architect; a visionary who conversed with Virgil, Shakespeare, and Jesus Christ; in short, a tantalizing personality who dominated and maddened his contemporaries.
Donut Hole: A Marine’s Real-Life Battles in Vietnam During 1967 and 68 Marines, 1st Force Logistical Command Clutch Platoon
R.C. Lebeau - 2019
Your very belief is tested in combat, you must kill your enemy, or your enemy will kill you – that is the simple, hard cold fact. Because in my humble opinion, War is hell on Earth. Evil roams freely in War, and it will kill you, one way or another, with its evil intent. Nightmares are common and, in their fantasy, never reflect the real horror and the reality that War can bring to your mind. No matter what your personal spiritual beliefs are, you will be tested. The conduct of your intent will be your judge for life. It is your second guessing that can be dangerous to you. A wise Philosopher once said in Greece, “If you want real peace, you must always prepare for War.” This book is about war. It tells my experiences of the paths I took as a United States Marine in Vietnam. The mouths of many soldiers will say the same – the same soldiers who had shared my paths with the experiences of my many paths in life. I have not shared these words or reflections with anyone, except in bits and pieces, and that too, with other veterans in the form of bunker talk.
1000 Days on the River Kwai: The Secret Diary of a British Camp Commandant
Cary Owtram - 2017
Call of an Angel
Patricia O'Toole - 2017
This was no chance meeting between heaven and earth and they soon became part of a phenomenon that would change their lives forever. 'In the still silence of the night, I said a little prayer asking the angels never to do anything that might startle me. Feeling somewhat reassured by this, I snuggled down and drifted off to sleep. I am not so sure I would have been quite so easily placated if I had had any notion of the sheer volume of angels and spirits that were soon to come into my life at every opportunity and everywhere I went, from that night forward.' Call of an Angel will appeal to a wide audience, including the many fans of angel author Lorna Byrne, and the growing force of modern millennial followers of angel gurus Kyle Gray and Radleigh Valentine.
F2 World of Football: How to Play Like a Pro
F2 Freestylers - 2016
Inside we give away the biggest secrets of the greatest footballers on the planet. Want tricks like Neymar? Or to hit free-kicks like Ronaldo? Or to dribble like Messi? We show you how.We've been travelling the world, meeting the biggest stars, like Gareth Bale, Ronaldinho, Mesut Özil, Pelé and Stevie G, and now we give you the lowdown on what they're really like, and how they got their edge.We'll also let you in on our journey from aspiring pros to YouTube superstars with over 10 million followers. Want to know how to become a social media star? That's inside too.There's a free app to download that will make these pages come to life with exclusive videos, tricks and games. So, what are you waiting for? Open, read, learn, download and get out on the pitch and practice.Love, peace and tekkers,Billy and Jez, aka The F2(To make the most of the interactive pages in this eBook, take screen grabs from your device, print them out, and start designing!)
A TASTE OF THE TRENCHES: The story of a soldier on the Western Front
D. Reitz - 2015
Deneys Reitz was an unusual soldier. Having fought against the British in the Boer War, in 1917 he decided to go to London, in order to join the British Army. Presenting himself at a recruiting office in Chelsea, he enlisted as a private soldier. Shortly afterwards he was commissioned, and was sent to the Western Front in September 1917. Whilst on the Western Front, he witnessed the German spring offensive in 1918, and the allied counter-attack which followed. He was wounded twice as well as being gassed. Reitz experienced more than his fair share of the difficulties of trench warfare, from finding himself living in a trench whose sides were built out of sandbag-covered corpses, to being stretchered into a Casualty Clearing Station with serious wounds.