Download or read book Stiff Upper Lip written by Alex Renton and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2017-04-06 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A brave and necessary book' GUARDIAN 'Shocking, gripping and sobering' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH No other society sends its young boys and girls away to school to prepare them for a role in the ruling class. Beating, bullying, fagging, cold baths, vile food and paedophile teachers are just some of the features of this elite education, and, while some children loved boarding school, others now admit to suffering life-altering psychological damage. Stiff Upper Lip exposes the hypocrisy, cronyism and conspiracy that are key to understanding the scandals over abuse and neglect in institutions all over the world. Award-winning investigative journalist Alex Renton went to three traditional boarding schools. Drawing on those experiences, and the vivid testimony of hundreds of former pupils, he has put together a compelling history, important to anyone wondering what shaped the people who run Britain in the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves written by Pelham Grenville Wodehouse and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2000 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fate conspires to draw Bertie Wooster back to Totleigh Towers and the clutches of Madeline Bassett.
Download or read book Stiff Upper Lip written by Lawrence Durrell and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2012-06-12 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The celebrated author of the Alexandria Quartet offers a collection of comic tales about the British Empire’s colonial diplomats. As the overseer of the kitchen at the British embassy in Vulgaria, De Mandeville has begun to abuse his power. He subjects the King’s guests to a blistering Madras curry, a French onion soup served without spoons, and a table so loaded with vegetation that the party can hardly see the food. But worst of all, he has begun to cook with garlic, that fragrant bulb so beloved by diplomats that it must be banned, lest foul breath cripple the Empire. De Mandeville is due for comeuppance, and no breath mint can save him now. “If Garlic Be the Food of Love” is only the first story in this invaluable peek at life in British diplomatic circles. After the ninth, the reader will wonder not how the British Empire came apart, but how De Mandeville, Polk-Mowbray, and the King’s other dips ever got it started in the first place.
Download or read book Weeping Britannia written by Thomas Dixon and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2015-09-10 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a persistent myth about the British: that we are a nation of stoics, with stiff upper lips, repressed emotions, and inactive lachrymal glands. Weeping Britannia - the first history of crying in Britain - comprehensively debunks this myth. Far from being a persistent element in the 'national character', the notion of the British stiff upper lip was in fact the product of a relatively brief and militaristic period of our past, from about 1870 to 1945. In earlier times we were a nation of proficient, sometimes virtuosic moral weepers. To illustrate this perhaps surprising fact, Thomas Dixon charts six centuries of weeping Britons, and theories about them, from the medieval mystic Margery Kempe in the early fifteenth century, to Paul Gascoigne's famous tears in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. In between, the book includes the tears of some of the most influential figures in British history, from Oliver Cromwell to Margaret Thatcher (not forgetting George III, Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, and Winston Churchill along the way). But the history of weeping in Britain is not simply one of famous tear-stained individuals. These tearful micro-histories all contribute to a bigger picture of changing emotional ideas and styles over the centuries, touching on many other fascinating areas of our history. For instance, the book also investigates the histories of painting, literature, theatre, music and the cinema to discover how and why people have been moved to tears by the arts, from the sentimental paintings and novels of the eighteenth century and the romantic music of the nineteenth, to Hollywood weepies, expressionist art, and pop music in the twentieth century. Weeping Britannia is simultaneously a museum of tears and a philosophical handbook, using history to shed new light on the changing nature of Britishness over time, as well as the ever-shifting ways in which we express and understand our emotional lives. The story that emerges is one in which a previously rich religious and cultural history of producing and interpreting tears was almost completely erased by the rise of a stoical and repressed British empire in the late nineteenth century. Those forgotten philosophies of tears and feeling can now be rediscovered. In the process, readers might perhaps come to view their own tears in a different light, as something more than mere emotional incontinence.
Download or read book The Invention of Altruism written by Thomas Dixon and published by . This book was released on 2008-05-08 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores how Victorian philosophers, scientists, clergymen, and novelists debated the meaning of the new term 'altruism'. Including a reappraisal of Charles Darwin's ideas and insights into the rise of popular socialism, this study is highly relevant to contemporary debates about altruism, evolution, religion, and ethics.
Download or read book Blood Legacy written by Alex Renton and published by Canongate Books. This book was released on 2021-05-06 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 'An incredible work of scholarship' Sathnam Sanghera Through the story of his own family’s history as slave and plantation owners, Alex Renton looks at how we owe it to the present to understand the legacy of the past. When British Caribbean slavery was abolished across most of the British Empire in 1833, it was not the newly liberated who received compensation, but the tens of thousands of enslavers who were paid millions of pounds in government money. The descendants of some of those slave owners are among the wealthiest and most powerful people in Britain today. Blood Legacy explores what inheritance – political, economic, moral and spiritual – has been passed to the descendants of the slave owners and the descendants of the enslaved. He also asks, crucially, how the former – himself among them – can begin to make reparations for the past.
Download or read book How to be British written by Tim Benson and published by Random House. This book was released on 2019-10-24 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Not sure why everyone keeps talking about the weather? Can’t tell your Earl Grey from your English breakfast? Feeling a wobble in your stiff upper lip? It sounds like you need a crash course in How to be British. This handy pocket guide brings together 130 classic cartoons covering all the crucial elements of life on our sceptred isle: from queuing under absolutely any circumstances, to avoiding eye contact on the bus, to tutting and saying ‘Honestly’ when it starts raining. Whether you’re a born-and-bred Brit or the most transient of tourists, How to be British is your one-stop remedy to Brexit blues. At least it’s better than chatting about the weather again.
Download or read book Indecency written by Justin Phillip Reed and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intricate, intimate, difficult, and confrontational poems that push at the boundaries of selfhood, skin, culture, sexuality, and blood.
Download or read book Thank You Jeeves written by P. G. Wodehouse and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2013-07-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "P. G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century." —Sebastian Faulks Bertram Wooster’s interminable banjolele playing has driven Jeeves, his otherwise steadfast gentleman's gentleman, to give notice. The foppish aristocrat cannot survive for long without his Shakespeare-quoting and problem-solving valet, however, and after a narrowly escaped forced marriage, a cottage fire, and a great butter theft, the celebrated literary odd couple are happy to return to the way things were.
Download or read book The Inimitable Jeeves written by P. G. Wodehouse and published by Namaskar Books. This book was released on 2024-11-06 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Inimitable Jeeves, a delightful classic by P.G. Wodehouse, offers readers a series of hilarious misadventures featuring the charmingly clueless Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet, Jeeves. This collection of interconnected stories takes us through the uproarious escapades of Bertie and his friends as they navigate love troubles, family conflicts, and the high society pressures of Edwardian England. In each story, Jeeves’s clever problem-solving skills and keen understanding of human nature save the day, often to the surprise of Bertie, who remains blissfully unaware of his own foibles. From avoiding unwanted engagements to untangling the romantic troubles of his friend Bingo Little, Jeeves handles every crisis with impeccable style and wit, leaving readers in stitches. The Inimitable Jeeves is celebrated for Wodehouse’s brilliant humor, memorable characters, and sharp social satire. This book showcases Wodehouse at his finest, with Jeeves’s understated intelligence and Bertie’s endearing obliviousness creating a timeless comedic duo. It’s an essential read for fans of British humor and anyone who enjoys stories filled with wit, charm, and gentle absurdity. Readers are drawn to The Inimitable Jeeves for its lighthearted escapism and Wodehouse's masterful prose, which transforms everyday predicaments into laugh-out-loud moments. This book is perfect for anyone looking to unwind with a dose of laughter, making it a classic addition to any bookshelf. Owning a copy of The Inimitable Jeeves invites readers to experience the timeless hilarity of one of literature’s most beloved comic partnerships.
Download or read book As I Knew Him written by Anne Serling and published by Kensington Publishing Corp.. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A haunting and beautifully written memoir about the creator of The Twilight Zone." --Robert Redford "Beautifully written. . .I laughed and I cried. I plan to read it again once I catch my breath." --Carol Burnett In this intimate, lyrical memoir about her iconic father, Anne Serling reveals the fun-loving dad and family man behind the imposing figure the public saw hosting The Twilight Zone each week. After his unexpected, early death, Anne, just 20, was left stunned. But through talking to his friends, poring over old correspondence, and recording her childhood memories, Anne not only found solace, but gained a deeper understanding of this remarkable man. Now she shares her discoveries, along with personal photos, revealing letters, and scenes of his childhood, war years, and their family's time together. A tribute to Rod Serling's legacy as a visionary, storyteller, and humanist, As I Knew Him is also a moving testament to the love between fathers and daughters. "A tender, thoughtful and very personal portrait of American genius Rod Serling." --Alice Hoffman "Richly told. . .a haunting memoir about grief, creativity, and a father-daughter bond as memorable and magical as any Twilight Zone episode." --Caroline Leavitt "Filled with anecdotes and self-reflection. . .Serling still casts an outsized shadow." --Variety "Lush memories of a remarkable father and adept analysis of his work." --Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book Esprit de Corps written by Lawrence Durrell and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2012-06-12 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A former member of Great Britain’s diplomatic corps, the celebrated author of the Alexandria Quartet offers eleven sketches of life in service of the crown. After decades spent representing Britain around the globe, Antrobus has earned a shirtful of medals and the right to pass afternoons in his London club, musing over old times. His memory is long, and every old embarrassment still rankles—no matter how ridiculous. The incident with the Yugoslav ghost train, for instance, still causes him to clench his fists in fear. When he speaks of Sir Claud Polk-Mowbray, he takes pains to lower his voice—lest an American hear. And his stomach has never recovered from the incident involving the fried flag. Based on Lawrence Durrell’s own experience in the diplomatic corps, Antrobus’s cutting observation is drawn from the strange and humorous truth. Few are those with a better sense of place than Durrell, and even fewer with wit to match.
Download or read book Writing with the Master written by Tony Vanderwarker and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With seven unpublished novels wasting away on his hard drive, Tony Vanderwarker is astonished when John Grisham offers to take him under his wing and teach him the secrets of thriller writing. “The beginning and the end are easy,” Grisham tells him. “It’s the three hundred pages in the middle that’s the hard part.” To ensure his plot doesn’t run out of gas, Grisham puts Tony though his outline process. Tony does one, and then Grisham asks for another … and another … and another. As they work together, Grisham reveals the techniques that have helped him create compelling bestsellers for more than two decades—for instance, “You’ve got to hook your reader in the first forty pages or you’ll lose them.” After a year of constructing outlines, Grisham finally gives Tony the go-ahead to start writing. Writing with the Master immerses the reader in the creative process as Tony struggles to produce a successful thriller. It’s a roller coaster ride, sometimes hilarious, and often full of ups and downs. Grisham’s critiques and margin notes to Tony reveal his nimble imagination and plot development genius. For Grisham fans, Vanderwarker’s memoir pulls back the curtain on his writing secrets, and for aspiring writers, it’s a master class in thriller writing. In the end, Tony resolves to take Grisham’s teachings to heart and eventually decides to write what he thinks he was meant to: a book about the creative process and his incredible two years working with John Grisham.
Download or read book War Diaries 1939 1945 written by Alan Brooke Alanbrooke (Viscount) and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003-06 with total page 830 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first complete and unexpurgated publication of the diaries of Lord Alanbrooke, who during World War II was Chief of the Imperial General Staff of the British Empire and Churchill's most prominent advisor -- and rival.
Download or read book The Point of Vanishing written by Howard Axelrod and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2015-09-22 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Into the Wild meets Walden—a lyrical memoir for nature lovers and for anyone who has wondered what it would be like to disconnect from our hyper-connected culture and seek more meaningful connections After losing vision in one eye and becoming estranged from his family and friends, a young man spent two years searching for identity in self-imposed solitude in the backwoods of northern Vermont, where he embarked on a project of stripping away facades and all social ties--and learned to face himself. On a clear May afternoon at the end of his junior year at Harvard, Howard Axelrod played a pick-up game of basketball. In a skirmish for a loose ball, a boy’s finger hooked behind Axelrod’s eyeball and left him permanently blinded in his right eye. A week later, he returned to the same dorm room, but to a different world. A world where nothing looked solid, where the distance between how people saw him and how he saw had widened into a gulf. Desperate for a sense of orientation he could trust, he retreated to a jerry-rigged house in the Vermont woods, where he lived without a computer or television, and largely without human contact, for two years. He needed to find a more lasting sense of meaning away from society’s pressures and rush. Named one of the best books of the year by Slate, Chicago Tribune, Entropy Magazine, and named one of the top 10 memoirs by Library Journal
Download or read book Lady in Waiting written by Anne Glenconner and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2020-03-24 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover untold secrets with this extraordinary memoir of drama and tragedy by Anne Glenconner—a close member of the royal circle and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. Anne Glenconner has been at the center of the royal circle from childhood, when she met and befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, the Princess Margaret. Though the firstborn child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, who controlled one of the largest estates in England, as a daughter she was deemed "the greatest disappointment" and unable to inherit. Since then she has needed all her resilience to survive court life with her sense of humor intact. A unique witness to landmark moments in royal history, Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret until her death in 2002, Anne's life has encompassed extraordinary drama and tragedy. In Lady in Waiting, she will share many intimate royal stories from her time as Princess Margaret's closest confidante as well as her own battle for survival: her broken-off first engagement on the basis of her "mad blood"; her 54-year marriage to the volatile, unfaithful Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who left his fortune to a former servant; the death in adulthood of two of her sons; a third son she nursed back from a six-month coma following a horrific motorcycle accident. Through it all, Anne has carried on, traveling the world with the royal family, including visiting the White House, and developing the Caribbean island of Mustique as a safe harbor for the rich and famous-hosting Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Raquel Welch, and many other politicians, aristocrats, and celebrities. With unprecedented insight into the royal family, Lady in Waiting is a witty, candid, dramatic, at times heart-breaking personal story capturing life in a golden cage for a woman with no inheritance. New York Times Bestseller USA Today Bestseller The Sunday Times Bestseller The Globe and Mail Bestseller ABA Indie Bestseller The Times (UK) Memoir of the Year One of Newsweek's Most Anticipated Books of 2020
Download or read book C Because Cowards Get Cancer Too written by John Diamond and published by Random House. This book was released on 2008-11-21 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortly before his 44th birthday, John Diamond received a call from the doctor who had removed a lump from his neck. Having been assured for the previous 2 years that this was a benign cyst, Diamond was told that it was, in fact, cancerous. Suddenly, this man who'd until this point been one of the world's greatest hypochondriacs, was genuinely faced with mortality. And what he saw scared the wits out of him. Out of necessity, he wrote about his feelings in his TIMES column and the response was staggering. Mailbag followed Diamond's story of life with, and without, a lump - the humiliations, the ridiculous bits, the funny bits, the tearful bits. It's compelling, profound, witty, in the mould of THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY.
