Historiske og politiske biografier

The definitive account of an icon who shaped gender equality for all women. In this comprehensive, revelatory biography - fifteen years of interviews and research in the making - historian Jane Sherron De Hart explores the central experiences that crucially shaped Ginsburg's passion for justice, her advocacy for gender equality, and her meticulous jurisprudence. At the heart of her story and abiding beliefs was her Jewish background, specifically the concept of tikkun olam, the Hebrew injunction to 'repair the world', with its profound meaning for a young girl who grew up during the Holocaust and World War II. Ruth's journey began with her mother, who died tragically young but whose intellect inspired her daughter's feminism. It stretches from Ruth's days as a baton twirler at Brooklyn's James Madison High School to Cornell University to Harvard and Columbia Law Schools; to becoming one of the first female law professors in the country and having to fight for equal pay and hide her second pregnancy to avoid losing her job; to becoming the director of the ACLU's Women's Rights Project and arguing momentous anti-sex-discrimination cases before the US Supreme Court. All this, even before being nominated in 1993 to become the second woman on the Court, where her crucial decisions and dissents are still making history. Intimately, personably told, this biography offers unprecedented insight into a pioneering life and legal career whose profound impact will reverberate deep into the twenty-first century and beyond.

From the bestselling author of Nixonland and The Invisible Bridge comes the dramatic conclusion of how conservatism took control of American political power.Over two decades, Rick Perlstein has published three definitive works about the emerging dominance of conservatism in modern American politics. With the saga's final installment, he has delivered yet another stunning literary and historical achievement. In late 1976, Ronald Reagan was dismissed as a man without a political future: defeated in his nomination bid against a sitting president of his own party, blamed for President Gerald Ford's defeat, too old to make another run. His comeback was fueled by an extraordinary confluence: fundamentalist preachers and former segregationists reinventing themselves as militant crusaders against gay rights and feminism; business executives uniting against regulation in an era of economic decline; a cadre of secretive ';New Right' organizers deploying state-of-the-art technology, bending political norms to the breaking pointand Reagan's own unbending optimism, his ability to convey unshakable confidence in America as the world's ';shining city on a hill.' Meanwhile, a civil war broke out in the Democratic party. When President Jimmy Carter called Americans to a new ethic of austerity, Senator Ted Kennedy reacted with horror, challenging him for reelection. Carter's Oval Office tenure was further imperiled by the Iranian hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, near-catastrophe at a Pennsylvania nuclear plant, aviation accidents, serial killers on the loose, and endless gas lines. Backed by a reenergized conservative Republican base, Reagan ran on the campaign slogan ';Make America Great Again'and prevailed. Reaganland is the story of how that happened, tracing conservatives' cutthroat strategies to gain power and explaining why they endure four decades later.

In her groundbreaking and essential debut Three Mothers, Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped some of America's most pivotal heroes: Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin.

Revelatory biography of Melania Trump from Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan.

The remarkable story of former British soldier and 'Chennai Six' member Nick Dunn, who was caught up in one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the modern era.

and when he realised that the war was lost, he embarked on the annihilation of Germany itself in punishment of the German people who had failed to hand him victory.In September 1939, Hitler declared that he would wear a simple military tunic until the war was won - or otherwise, he would not be there to witness the end.

The international bestselling and life-affirming story of female bravery, Jewish Nazi resistance and surviving the horrors of Auschwitz

The intimate telling of the life of an Avro Lancaster crew during World War Two, bringing together the story of this iconic RAF bomber and its service with the lives of those who flew her.

2020 Marine Commandant's Reading List selectionOn November 21, 2010, U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter was posted atop a building in violent Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when an enemy grenade skittered toward Kyle and fellow Marine Nick Eufrazio.

Hannibal is ';an exciting biography of one of history's greatest commandersa thrilling page-turner' (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about the brilliant general who successfully crossed the Alps with his war elephants and brought Rome to its knees, and who is still regarded today as one of the greatest military strategists in history.Hannibal Barca of Carthage, born 247 BC, was one of the great generals of the ancient world. His father, Hamilcar, imposed Carthaginian rule over much of present-day Spain. After Hamilcar led the Carthaginian forces against Rome in the First Punic War, Hannibal followed in his father's footsteps. From the time he was a teenager, Hannibal fought against Rome. He is famed for leading Carthage's army across North Africa, into Spain, along the Mediterranean coast, and then crossing the Alps with his army and war elephants. Hannibal won victories in northern Italy by outmaneuvering his Roman adversaries and defeated a larger Roman army at the battle of Cannae in 216 BC. Unable to force Rome to capitulate, however, he was eventually forced to leave Italy and return to Carthage when a savvy Roman general named Scipio invaded North Africa. Hannibal and Scipio fought an epic battle at Zama, which Hannibal lost. Many Carthaginians blamed Hannibal, who was exiled until his death. Hannibal is still regarded as a military genius. Napoleon, George Patton, and Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. are only some of the generals who studied and admired him. His strategy and tactics are still taught in military academies. ';With wonderful energyarcheologist and historian Patrick Hunt distills his survey of literature about the Second Punic War into a brightly dramatic story that covers virtually every anecdote connected with Hannibal' (The Christian Science Monitor). ';Hunt's story of the doomed general, whose exploits are more celebrated than those of his vanquishers, will appeal to any reader interested in military history or strategy' (Publishers Weekly).

Oswald Boelcke was Germany's first ace in World War One with a total of forty victories. His character, inspirational leadership, organisational genius, development of air-to-air tactics and impact on aerial doctrine are all reasons why Boelcke remains an important figure in the history of air warfare.

Douglas Haig is the single most controversial general in British history. In 1918, after the armies he commanded had played such an important part in helping to win the First World War, he was feted as the saviour of his country. On his death in 1928 he was mourned as a national hero. But within ten years his reputation was in ruins. It has never fully recovered. His name has become a byword for military incompetence, a callous and brutal donkey who led the lions of the British Army to their deaths in the trenches. Haig has been mercilessly lampooned by TV shows such as Blackadder and even recent academic studies depict him as a serial blunderer who learned nothing from his mistakes. In this fascinating biography, Professor Gary Sheffield reassesses Haigs reputation, and demonstrates the crucial role he played in leading British forces to victory in the First World War. Using extensive research into primary sources, many of which have been ignored or misinterpreted by other historians, he shows how Haigs experiences on the Western Front made him a highly effective commander. He also assesses his critical role in preparing the army for war and transforming the shambolic amateur force of the Somme in 1916 to the victorious army of 1918. As well as covering his stormy relations with politicians like Churchill and Lloyd George, he reveals important details about Haigs character and personal life, and his key role in post-war Britain, using the influence he wielded as a leader of ex-servicemen to help secure the peace. This is no whitewash, however: Haigs mistakes did have bloody consequences, and when he deserves criticism, the book does not spare him.

No Future Without Forgiveness is a quintessentially humane account of an extraordinary life. Desmond Tutu describes his childhood and coming of age in the apartheid era in South Africa. He examines his reactions on being able to vote for the first time at the age of 62 - and on Nelson Mandela's election, also his feelings on being Archbishop of Cape Town and his award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. No Future Without Forgiveness is also his fascinating experience as head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The latter was a pioneering international experiment to expose many of the worst atrocities committed under apartheid, and to rehabilitate the dignity of its victims. Tutu draws important parallels between the Commissioners' approach to the situation in South Africa with other areas of conflict such as Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Rwanda and the Balkans.

This biography and military history of Islamic resistance to the French occupation of Algeria lends valuable insight into current US/Muslim relations.

A masterful new translation of Suetonius' renowned biography of the twelve Caesars, bringing to life a portrait of the first Roman emperors in stunning detailThe ancient Roman empire was the supreme arena, where emperors had no choice but to fight, to thrill, to dazzle. To rule as a Caesar was to stand as an actor upon the great stage of the world. No biography invites us into the lives of the Caesars more vividly or intimately than that by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, written from the centre of Rome and power, in AD 121. Placing each Caesar in the context of the generations that had gone before, and connecting personality with policy, Suetonius injected flesh and blood into their stories, which continue to inform how we understand the drama of power today. Their shortfalls, foreign policy crises and sex scandals are laid bare; we are shown their tastes, their foibles, their eccentricities; and we sit at their tables and enter their bedrooms, resulting in a series of biographies mediated through the lives of the Caesars themselves. That Rome lives more vividly in people's imagination than any other ancient empire owes an inordinate amount to Suetonius, and now award-winning author and translator Tom Holland brings us even closer in a new, spellbinding translation. Giving a deeper understanding of the personal lives of the Caesars and of how they inevitably informed what happened across the vast expanse of empire, The Lives of the Caesars is an astonishing, immersive experience of a time and culture at once familiar and utterly alien to our own.

The story of the notorious Jewish gangster who ascended from impoverished beginnings to the glittering Las Vegas strip

We often hear that 'nice guys finish last', but this is far from the truth. In reality, across a huge variety of situations, professions and time periods, the key elements of successful leadership are in fact a potent combination of listening to others, being generous with power, and mounting a proportionate defence.From preventing the details of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony leaking from any of the thousands of volunteers, to constructing the Empire State Building, to the Allied victory in the Second World War - THE ART OF FAIRNESS takes a selection of thrilling case studies from history and weaves a sparkling tapestry of lessons that demonstrate the surprising components of great leadership. As David Bodanis reveals with deft storytelling, while bad behaviour might seem like the quickest route to success, mastering the art of fairness is the most reliable, sustainable - and rewarding - path to integrity and influence.

A powerful account of the life of Tamerlane the Great (1336-1405), the last master nomadic power, one of history's most extreme tyrants, and the subject of Marlowe's famous play. Marozzi travelled in the footsteps of the great Mogul Emperor of Samarkland to write this wonderful combination of history and travelogue.The name of the last great warlord conjures up images of mystery and romance: medieval warfare on desert plains; the clash of swords on snow-clad mountains; the charge of elephants across the steppes of Asia; the legendary opulence and cruelty of the illiterate, chess-playing nemesis of Asia. He ranks alongside Alexander as one of the world's great conquerors, yet the details of his life are scarcely known in the West.He was not born to a distinguished family, nor did he find his apprenticeship easy - at one point his mobile army consisted only of himself, his wife, seven companions and four horses - but his dominion grew with astonishing rapidity. In the last two decades of the fourteenth century and the beginning of the fifteenth, he blazed through Asia. Cities were razed to the ground, inhabitants tortured without mercy, sometimes enemies were buried alive - more commonly they were decapitated. On the ruins of Baghdad, Tamerlane had his princes erect a pyramid of 90,000 heads.During his lifetime he sought to foster a personal myth, exaggerating the difficulties of his youth, laying claim to supernatural powers and a connection to Genghis Khan. This myth was maintained after his death in legend, folklore, poetry, drama and even opera, nowhere more powerfully than in Marlowe's play - he is now as much a literary construct as a historical figure. Justin Marozzi follows in his path and evokes his legacy in telling the tale of this fabulously cruel, magnificent and romantic warrior.

'Utterly fascinating' Daisy Goodwin, Sunday TimesBenjamin Franklin took daily naked air baths and Toulouse-Lautrec painted in brothels. Edith Sitwell worked in bed, and George Gershwin composed at the piano in pyjamas. Freud worked sixteen hours a day, but Gertrude Stein could never write for more than thirty minutes, and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in gin-fuelled bursts - he believed alcohol was essential to his creative process. From Marx to Murakami and Beethoven to Bacon, Daily Rituals by Mason Currey presents the working routines of more than a hundred and sixty of the greatest philosophers, writers, composers and artists ever to have lived. Whether by amphetamines or alcohol, headstand or boxing, these people made time and got to work.Featuring photographs of writers and artists at work, and filled with fascinating insights on the mechanics of genius and entertaining stories of the personalities behind it, Daily Rituals is irresistibly addictive, and utterly inspiring.

Gripping memoir of one of the most senior Polish commanders during WW2 and a true patriot. A unique insight into the Arnhem operation as the Author commanded the Polish Parachute Brigade. Records the author's full war including fighting the Germans in 1939, his escape and subsequent contribution.

A full and detailed biography of Roger Keyes, Admiral of the Fleet and Lord of Zeebrugge and Dover. Lord Keyes was Churchill's trusted friend. He participated in the Boxer Rebellion, the First World War and the Second World War, during which he worked especially closely with Churchill.

The amazing story of champion cyclist Gino Bartali. How he helped save the lives of 800 Jews during WW2.