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BIOGRAPHIES -1-
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On Writing - Stephen King : A Memoir of the Craft
Hardback with d/w, both in excellent near NEW condition. First UK edition published by Hodder & Stoughton (2000). 240pp. NZD: 14.50 / P & P: B On Writing is both a textbook for writers and a memoir of Stephen's life and will, thus, appeal even to those who are not aspiring writers. If you've always wondered what led Steve to become a writer and how he came to be the success he is today, this will answer those questions. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told. 
A Life in Three Acts - Tina Grenville
Published by Harper Collins (2012). 320pp. Large paperback with pictorial covers in excellent condition. NZD: 7.50 / P & P : C Tina Grenville's fascinating autobiography. The compelling story of a woman who has been a young widow, a model, television celebrity, actress and a celebrated hostess... This is her story - tragic, absorbing, funny, poignant and uplifting, and her insights into life, love and the lives of the lovely will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. 
Absolutely Fabulous - Jennifer Saunders
Hardback with pictorial d/w both in NEW condition. Numerous colour photographs. 1st Edition published by BBC Books (1993). 166pp. NZD: 8.50 / P & P : C Absolutely Fabulous is a phenomenon. Millions have tuned in over the last nine years to watch the outrageous antics of Edina and Patsy, and the familiar cast of regulars. This book is a celebration of all four series of the hit show, written by Jennifer Saunders herself with input from the entire cast. It includes original photos, handwritten script notes, interviews with the cast, personal anecdotes, and monologues about the characters—a truly must-have accessory for any self-respecting Ab Fab fan. Jennifer Saunders is one half of the world-famous 'French & Saunders' duo. Leaping to fame as one of the 'alternative' Comedy Store comics in the eighties, she has starred in numerous Comic Strip films and TV specials, before launching the hit BBC series, Absolutely Fabulous, in 1992. 
Parky: My Autobiography - Michael Parkinson
Large format paperback in excellent condition. Numerous colour and B & W pictures. Published by Hodder & Stoughton (2009). 384 pp. NZD: 6.50 / P & P : C From prize-winning journalist to talk show king on a show voted one of the top 10 British TV programs of all time, Michael Parkinson's starry career spans over four decades. Now an international celebrity himself, the man from a humble but colourful Yorkshire mining family who can tease out the secrets of even the most reticent star guest, at last reveals his own story, with the easy manner and insight that has kept his audiences fascinated. His distinguished career has involved working on highly acclaimed current affairs and film shows. His wide interests and expertise include jazz, film, soccer, and cricket. Witty, humorous, and blessed with exceptional intellectual clarity, Michael Parkinson's memoir is a joy to read. From a coal mining area to a knighthood the boy’s done good as Michael Parkinson recollects the hard life in the coalfields of Yorkshire to the pinnacle of his journalistic and broadcasting life. He knew the hardships of his father and vowed never to follow in his footsteps but idolised the man all the way through his life. His mother was more refined but none the less influential, he recollects friends and enemies along the way and for some readers may be staggered at the lifestyle in Britain in the 1940’s and 50’s and into the 60’s. Tin baths, no central heating, black and white TV, when it was invented, before that it was the wireless but the one constant throughout this story is Michael’s and his dad’s love of that quaint English game, cricket... 
Churchill - The Man of the Century:
A Pictorial Biography. Edited by Neil Ferrier. Large format hardback with red cloth boards and gilt lettering on front. No d/w. Some signs of wear on covers but in overall VG condition for its age (60 odd years...!). Inside pages are in excellent condition with numerous B & W photographs. Published by L.T.A. Robinson Ltd. (1955). 94pp. NZD: 7.00 / P & P : D A delightful collection of pictures with commentary about bits from Winston's life, covering the period from his birth in 1874 to the 5th April 1955, when he left Number 10 for the last time. Intriguing pictures of him and those closely associated with him (including Her Majesty), as a humble tribute to, whom I would call: The Man. 
Absolute Power: The Helen Clark Years - Ian Wishart
Large paperback in NEW condition. Howling at the Moon Publishing Company (2008). 336pp. B&W photos. NZD: 7.00 / P & P : B Helen Clark has become one of the most powerful women in the world, rising as head of the UN Development Program to the number-three ranked position in that organisation, and a serious candidate as the replacement for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. So what drives Helen Clark? In this #1 bestselling unauthorised biography, investigative journalist and author Ian Wishart unearths the real Clark, the one who turned around her own nation New Zealand but always had her gaze fixed on a higher goal. Does she have a lust for absolute power? What's her vision for the planet? The Helen Clark we see today is a carefully manufactured, airbrushed political brand. She's also New Zealand's most powerful politician, ever. ABSOLUTE POWER strips away the facade to find what makes the real Helen Clark tick, and explores the track record of a government that boasted it would bring a new age of "frugality and integrity", and an end to "cronyism, sleaze and dishonesty". ABSOLUTE POWER is not just about what happened publicly and what played out on the news each night. It is much more about what was going on behind the scenes - the power plays, the dirty tricks, the Machiavellian manoeuvers. The bits the daily media missed. Lord Acton once wrote that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that the great "are almost always bad". Is Helen Clark the exception to that rule? 
Love you to bits and pieces : Life with David Helfgott - Gillian Helfgott Paperback in excellent condition. Light age staining of pages edge. Penguin Books (2006). 339pp. Numerous B & W photos. NZD: 6.50 / P & P : B The biography of David Helfott, a gifted young Australian pianist who suffered a severe mental breakdown and was institutionalized. Although brilliant and charismatic, he was insecure and reliant on anti-psychotic medication, but eventually overcame his illness to achieve artistic greatness. This story was written by his wife Gillian, who tells of the powerful bond between them and of sharing her life with a man who came through the darkness of his past. This poignant story of a great musical talent blurred by mental illness was brilliantly portrayed in the movie Shine. With frank detail, humour, and great understanding, Helfgott offers details that bring deeper insight into the life of her husband, Australian pianist David Helfgott. David's father, an impoverished Jewish immigrant and a frustrated musician, pinned all his hopes on his musically gifted oldest son, who showed "nervous" tendencies at an early age. By 14, David was winning Australian piano competitions, but ultimately he had to break with his father in order to study in London. Three years of study at the Royal College of Music culminated in his triumphant performance of the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto. But the strain was too great and David had a complete mental breakdown. Returning to Australia, he was institutionalized much of the next 12 years; when he met Gillian, he was beginning to play again, in a piano bar. The story of their life together, and David's dramatic improvement and return to performing, are the heart of this book. 
Going Rogue: An American Life - Sarah Palin
Published by Harper Collins (2009). 415pp. Large hardback with pictorial d/w both in excellent condition. NZD: 6.00 / P & P : C On September 3, 2008 Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech at the Republican National Convention that electrified the nation and instantly made her one of the most recognizable women in the world. As chief executive of America's largest state, she had built a record as a reformer who cast aside politics-as-usual and pushed through changes other politicians only talked about: Energy independence, Ethics reform. and the biggest private sector infrastructure project in U.S. history. While revitalizing public school funding and ensuring the state met its responsibilities to seniors and Alaska Native populations, Palin also beat the political "good ol' boys club" at their own game and brought Big Oil to heel. Like her GOP running mate, John McCain, Palin wasn't a packaged and over-produced "candidate." She was a Main Street American woman: a working mom, wife of a blue collar union man, and mother of five children, the eldest of whom was serving his country in a yearlong deployment in Iraq and the youngest, an infant with special needs. Palin's hometown story touched a populist nerve, rallying hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans to the GOP ticket. But as the campaign unfolded, Palin became a lightning rod for both praise and criticism. Supporters called her "refreshing," "honest," a kitchen-table public servant they felt would fight for their interests. Opponents derided her as a wide-eyed Pollyanna unprepared for national leadership. But none of them knew the real Sarah Palin. Palin paints here an intimate portrait of growing up in the wilds of Alaska; meeting her lifelong love; her decision to enter politics; the importance of faith and family; and the unique joys and trials of life as a high-profile working mother. This book traces an ordinary citizen's extraordinary journey, and imparts Palin's vision of a way forward for America and her unfailing hope in the greatest nation on earth. 
Bravemouth: Living with Billy Connolly - Pamela Stephenson
Large paperback in excellent condition. Headline Books (2004). 336pp. Numerous colour photographs. NZD: 7.00 / P & P : A A great insight into the life of Billy Connolly, his wife Pamela, and his family. Mrs Billy Connolly's tale of a more-than-usually extraordinary year in the life of living with her husband offers an insider's view of his filming, his charity works, his 60th birthday party and TV work, and includes personal insight into what makes him tick - and what makes her tick (it's her year too). he does and what she does (the contrast between the inherent seriousness of what she does, compared to the zaniness of what he does). The nature of fame, the challenges of age and triumph-over-adversity are all themes underlying the many anecdotes collected in this book. 
A Foreign Affair: A Passionate Life in Four Languages - V alerie Barnes
Large paperback in excellent condition. Bantam (2004). 290pp. NZD: 6.50 / P & P : B 'Walking along the drab, grey streets past bomb craters and piles of rubble, I daydreamed about a more romantic world where people spoke exotic languages, played music, sang and danced with passion.' Trapped in the austerity of post-war London, 20-year-old Valerie Barnes yearned for the good times promised by the wartime songs. Then two chance meetings catapulted her into a high-flying career at the newly formed United Nations in Geneva and the arms of a glamorous Frenchman... Joining an elite breed of independent women who travelled the world in the 1950s and 1960s, Valerie lived a jet-setting life as one of the first simultaneous interpreters, working in exotic locales and rubbing shoulders with prime ministers and presidents. In those days, United Nations was new and its staff were convinced that if they got everything right there would be no more war. There were no precedents, no protocols in place - everything had to made up as they went along. Valerie worked long hours, sometimes starting at 9 a.m. and not finishing work until 3 o'clock the following morning but it was in the interest of getting agreement on a resolution so it was worth the effort. At the same time she was juggling a Swiss chalet home, three children and an unfaithful husband... But whatever Valerie did, she threw herself into it with zest. From dancing the flamenco to being kidnapped in Cairo, wooed by an African President who wanted her to become his fourteenth wife or falling for a passionate Slav, Valerie's gift for storytelling makes this book a lively, funny, utterly delightful memoir. Quite an inspiring read... 
Rogue Trader - Nick Leeson
Large Paperback in excellent, near new condition. Published by Little, Brown and Co. (1996). 273pp. Numerous illustrations. NZD: 5.50 / P & P : B This is an interesting account of the collapse of one of Britain's oldest and most powerful merchant banks by Nick Leeson while trading derivatives on the Singapore, Nikkei and Osaka stock exchanges. When Nick Leeson was arrested in 1995 for bringing Barings Bank to its proverbial knees, it initially seemed as if he had single-handedly crushed this most well-established and well-respected financial institution... Pressure, pace, error: ROGUE TRADER grippingly tells the inside story of how the greatest gamble ever made rocked the City of London to its foundations. Crackling with tension, in a narrative as crisp as any thriller, Nick Leeson's autobiographical account reveals how he 'lost' GBP800 millions as General Manager of Baring Futures Singapore through foolhardy speculations on behalf of his employer, Barings Brothers - the world's first merchant bank. As Leeson's audacity escalated, so did his losses while London continued to pour money down the drain. ROGUE TRADER is a dazzlingly revealing story of a man shaped by events that proved beyond his control. 
A Monk Swimming - Malachy McCourt
Large paperback in excellent condition. Published by Picador (1998). 292pp. NZD: 5.50 / P & P : B Slapped with a libel suit after an appearance on a talk show, Malachy McCourt crows, "If they could only see me now in the slums of Limerick, a big shot, sued for a million. Bejesus, isn't America a great and wonderful country?" His older brother Frank's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela's Ashes, took its somber tone from the bleak atmosphere of those slums, while Malachy's boisterous recollections are fuelled by his zestful appreciation for the opportunities and oddities of his native land. He and Frank were born in Brooklyn, moved with their parents to Ireland as children, then returned to the States as adults. This book covers the decade 1952-63, when Malachy roistered across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, but spent most of his time in New York City. There his ready wit and quick tongue won him an acting job with the Irish Players, a semi-regular stint on The Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar, and friendships with some well-heeled, well-born types who shared his fondness for saloon life and bankrolled him in an East Side saloon that may have been the first singles bar. He chronicles those events--and many others--with back-slapping bonhomie. Although McCourt acknowledges the personal demons that pursued him from his poverty-stricken childhood and destroyed his first marriage, this is on the whole an exuberant autobiography that pays tribute to the joys of a freewheeling life. Round the World without Worries - SIGNED by Author
Hardback in very good condition with green cloth boards / gilt lettering on spine. Light foxing on feps and edges only of pages. First Edition published by Heath Cranton (1937). 228pp + 4pp index. Illustrated with 16 sepia photographs. SIGNED on fep (with a 1944 dedication to a Devon reader). Very nice and rare item, printed on quality thick paper & with tight binding. Very slight bumping of lower end of spine. NZD: 20.50 / P & P : C 
Dorothea Thorton Clarke's travel diary about her lengthy trip around the world, long before the days of jet aircrafts. The author relates mostly her adventures in the Middle and Far East and more briefly his trip through the Pacific Islands, USA and Panama. Fascinating reading about travel in a bygone era, when travelling this far was a real luxury few could afford but all dreamt about... 
Dear Me - Peter Ustinov
Hardback, blue cloth with d/w, both in excellent condition. Numerous B & W photos. Published by BCA (1978). 344pp. NZD: 6.00 / P & P : B The hilarious and riveting autobiography from the late, great Sir Peter Ustinov. Dear Me spans his extraordinary career as actor, playwright, film star and director. With his renowned talent for storytelling, and incisive charm and wit, Sir Peter recounts his memorable life full of astonishing anecdotes... A fascinatingly human view of life in pre-WW2 Britain and Europe from a unique, sometimes privileged, sometimes eccentric "under the stairs" vantage point. Mr Ustinov presents the European view of history as something that is much closer, breathing the same air, than as we Americans experience it. The book is like a good conversation, albeit with himself, that creates the atmosphere of life as it was lived then in his arena within which are trapped a fascinating assortment of people. His wit is fast, philosophical, thought provoking and amusing. Peter Ustinov has a profound sense of the absurd and a wonderful talent for verbally stretching the human nature. Far from a snob, he delights in all the characters he comes across knowing that like a good play, they all contribute to the whole. 
Baltimore's Mansion - Wayne Johnston
Large paperback in very good condition. Published by Vintage Canada (2000). 274pp. NZD: 6.00 / P & P : B "I am foreborn of spud runts who fled the famines of Ireland in the 1830s, not a man or woman among them more than five foot two, leaving behind a life of beggarment and setting sail for what since Malory were called the Happy Isles . . ." So begins Baltimore's Mansion, Wayne Johnston's story of his grandfather Charlie, his father Arthur and of the small community of Ferryland on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, founded as a Catholic community by Lord Baltimore in the 1620s. Charlie, a fisherman and blacksmith, is an ardent Newfoundland nationalist. His son Arthur, forced from boyhood to fish the freezing seas with his father, vows never to earn his living from Newfoundland's dangerous waters, and leaves the island in the heady months leading to the fateful 1948 referendum held to decide Newfoundland's future. While Arthur is away Charlie dies and Newfoundland cedes its independence to Canada, plunging Arthur into a lifelong battle with the personal demons that haunted the end of their relationship. In 1981, aged 23, Wayne Johnston himself leaves Newfoundland and old patterns threaten to repeat themselves. At times harrowing, at others both moving and funny, Baltimore's Mansions speaks to us all about the hardships, blessings and power of family relationships, of leaving home and returning. 
Fish of the Seto Inland Sea - Ruri Pilgrim
Paperback, with pictorial covers in NEW condition. Published by Harper Collins (2000). 418pp. NZD: 5.50 / P & P : A Fascinating and touching account of the author's mother's life, from around 1900 to the post war period. A glimpse of the changes that occurred to the Japanese society over these 50 momentous and turbulent years in its history. Ruri Pilgrim tells here the story of her family from the 1870s to the 1950s. She begins with the formality and security of the arrangements of life for a Japanese middle-class family, living in a walled compound with their servants, following exactly the tradition inherited from their parents, with marriages arranged for the children, which continued up until World War II. By then her mother was married to an engineer and living in Japanese-occupied Manchuria. That period is marked by her mother's often funny, painful experiences of learning about the Chinese and Russians with whom she now lived with her growing family, and the war seen from her point of view. At the end of the war, the Japanese - women, children, everyone - had to escape, walking hundreds of miles to the coast. The family returned to a Tokyo where the society, the culture, the economy was entirely overturned. The Americans were everywhere, the Japanese were unemployed, and the ways of society that they had all known had vanished. And yet somehow Ruri's indomitable mother survived. Ruri Kumoi Pilgrim was born and raised in Japan, went to university in the USA, and came to Cambridge University for her PhD. She married a colleague, and has worked with him on aid projects all over the world. She now lives in Bath. 
Dreaming Of East - Barbara Hodgson
Western Women and the Exotic Allure of the Orient Hardback, black cloth with d/w, both in excellent condition. Numerous B&W and colour photos. An ex-library book barely used with the usual discreet stamps on feps. Published by Greystone Books (2005). 184pp. H2. NZD: 7.50 / P & P : B From the eighteenth to the early twentieth century, Western women visiting the Middle East discovered there a rare and precious commodity: freedom. When Lady Mary Wortley Montagu visited the baths in Turkey in 1717 she was so tightly corseted that Turkish women were convinced her husband had locked her into some devious machine. Montagu’s account of her journey helped bring the region into the Western world’s consciousness, and by the 1800s, the vogue for Orientalia had overtaken a continent slowly sinking into the gloomy repressions of the Victorian era. Richly illustrated with color photos and sketches, Dreaming of East examines not just the exotic trappings of the Middle East but the heady freedoms it offered Western women. Conditioned to defer to men, women travellers were suddenly free to make their own choices and form their own opinions, ones that were respected by all people, including men. For a woman all too used to her inferior status, this venture into quasi-equality — and latent sexuality — was exhilarating. When she returned home, and found herself again relegated to second place, she would never be content there again. 
Spy Catcher - Peter Wright
The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer Large paperback in excellent condition. Heinemann (1988). 392pp. NZD: 6.50 / P & P : A Spy Catcher is part memoir, part exposé of what Wright claimed were serious institutional failings in MI5 and his subsequent investigations into those. He is said to have been influenced in his counterespionage activity by James Jesus Angleton, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) counterintelligence chief from 1954 to 1975. The British government's efforts to block publication of Peter Wright's Spy Catcher: Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Agent climaxed in a sensational trial in Australia in 1986 that cast a shadow of disrepute on the British legal system, the Official Secrets Act and the government itself. The author of this engrossing, suspenseful account is the Australian attorney who represented Wright and his would-be Australian publisher. Excerpts from the trial testimony reveal that Turnbull uncovered mendacity, hypocrisy and cynicism at the highest levels of the British government, principally during his cross-examination of Sir Robert Armstrong, cabinet secretary and adviser on intelligence matters. In 1987 the High Court at Canberra dismissed the case and ordered the Thatcher government to reimburse legal costs to Wright and Heinemann Publishers Australia. Turnbull calls the British conduct in the affair "quite disgraceful" and adds that the experience "galvanized my determination to see Australia rid herself of its remaining constitutional links with England." 
Peter Jackson: From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings
by Ian Pryor Large format paperback in NEW condition. Numerous colour and B&W photographs. Random House NZ (2004). 352pp. NZD: 8.50 / P & P : C This fascinating look at the now celebrated director tells of the inspiration that have led to the making of the three world-famous Lord of the Rings films - and the six other films that preceded them. This unauthorized biography traces the journey of a young movie fanatic, from Sunday afternoons spent fooling around with a camera, through low-budget cult movies, to control of the most ambitious film project ever, on what is probably the best-loved fantasy novel ever written. This in-depth biography explores the many talents of the young Peter Jackson: the making of Bad Taste; Meet the Feebles; Brain dead; Heavenly Creatures; Forgotten Silver; The Frighteners, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The story behind the Rings - which tells how Jackson got the rights to make the film and the permission and funding to make three films rather than collapsing the story into just one or two films, interviews, and other behind the scenes material from the making of the landmark films. Past and future - in which the author considers Jackson's achievements and possible future - including his remake of King Kong. From casts of zombies, traumatised puppets and murderous teenagers, to deal-making in Hollywood, this book is about following one's visions wherever they might lead. Ian Pryor has been writing about cinema, and interviewing actors and moviemakers, for more than fifteen years. His features about New Zealand films and filmmakers have appeared in publications in England, the United States, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. 
The Microsoft Way - Randall E. Stross
The Real Story of How Bill Gates Outsmarts the Competition Large paperback in excellent condition. Warner Books. 322 pp. NZD: 5.50 / P & P : B To critics, Bill Gates' Microsoft Inc. is the apotheosis of brute-force ruthless marketing, but in this lively, independent-minded report, Stross (Steve Jobs and the Next Big Thing) finds a different explanation for Microsoft's success: Gates' strategy of hiring the smartest software developers, keeping their allegiance with lucrative stock options, fostering an egalitarian creative atmosphere and perpetuating the identity of small working groups. A business professor at San Jose State University in California, Stross had unfettered access to Gates, his employees and the company's internal files, making this a privileged, revealing window on Microsoft's inner workings. He charts the firm's long, rocky struggle to win broad consumer acceptance of CD-ROMs, as well as the saga of Microsoft's bestselling multimedia encyclopedia, Encarta. Microsoft was caught unprepared by the advent of the Internet, and its failed attempt to outdo a small but feisty rival, Intuit, in the personal finance software market, demonstrates that Gates is far from infallible, yet Microsoft has swiftly adapted to an Internet-centred software universe, which to Stross signifies a company constantly learning as it grows. Stross, an academic business historian, was given unlimited access to interview Microsoft employees and managers and to rifle through most of Microsoft's corporate records. His main conclusion? That Microsoft's phenomenal success is due in large part to its consistent insistence on hiring the smartest people, and that much Microsoft bashing is reflective of an anti-intellectual strain in American culture. Whether you idolize or despise Microsoft, this book is well worth reading--especially if you are in any way responsible for hiring the best and the brightest for your company. 
The Private Life of Elizabeth II - Michael Paterson
Large paperback in excellent condition. Robinson (2011). 222pp. NZD: 5.50 / P & P : A Elizabeth II is within a few years of becoming the longest-reigning British monarch. A personally quiet, modest and dutiful person, she is far better-informed about the lives of her subjects than they often realize. She has known every Prime Minister since Winston Churchill and every American President since Eisenhower. Yet what of the woman behind the crown? The book seeks to take a new look at this exhaustively-documented life and show how Queen Elizabeth became the person she is. Who, and what, have been the greatest influences upon her? What are her likes and dislikes? What are her hobbies? Who are her friends? What does she feel about the demands of duty and protocol? Is she really enjoying herself when she smiles during official events? How differently does she behave when out of the public eye? Examining the places in which she grew up or has lived, the training she received and her attitudes to significant events in national life, it presents a fresh view of one of recent history's most important figures. 
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir - Frank McCourt
Large paperback in excellent condition. Flamingo (1997). 426pp. NZD 4.50 / P & P: A “When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies. Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbours—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness. Angela’s Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt’s astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic. 
A Promise to Nadia - Zana Muhsen
The True Story of a British Slave in Yemen Paperback in excellent condition. Published by Little, Brown & Co (2000). 196pp. M1. NZD 6.00 / P & P: B Ten years ago Zana Muhsen escaped from the life of slavery in the Yemen into which her father had sold her as a child bride, leaving behind her baby son, her sister Nadia, and Nadia's two small children. As she described so powerfully in her book "Sold", Zana made a solemn vow to Nadia that she would do everything she possibly could obtain their freedom as well. This book tells the story of those ten years; of the family's lone campaign against the Yemeni authorities; of the refusal of their own government in London to help; and of the despair that forced them into a desperate deal with an unofficial military-style organization specializing in the recovery of abducted children. |