The Second World War lasted for 2,174 days and claimed the lives of over 50 million people. Why did it take the course that it did? Why did the Axis lose? And could they, with a different strategy, have won? This book tells the story of the war - and those who fought it.
An epic tale of the path to power of Vladimir Putin, emerging from obscurity to become one of the world's most conflicted and important leaders.
The autobiography of a Navy SEAL. The firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden
This first-person account details the planning and execution of the raid that led to Osama bin Laden's death, offering an unprecedented look inside the elite SEAL Team Six. The narrative immerses readers in the experiences of the twenty-four-man team as they prepare for this pivotal mission. From the harrowing crash of a Black Hawk helicopter to the moment the target was confirmed dead, the account unfolds with gripping, minute-by-minute precision. Team leader Mark Owen takes readers behind enemy lines, providing an insider's perspective on one of the most remarkable military operations in history. Critics have praised the book for its cinematic quality, capturing the intensity of the raid as if readers were alongside the SEALs in the helicopter. Mark Owen, a former member of SEAL Team Six, brings his extensive experience, having participated in numerous missions globally, including the high-profile rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in 2009. On May 1, 2011, he was a key figure in Operation Neptune Spear, witnessing bin Laden's demise firsthand. For security reasons, Owen's name and those of his fellow SEALs have been altered. Co-author Kevin Maurer has spent years covering special operations, embedding with forces in various conflict zones and authoring multiple books on the subject.
In the early 1300's the village of Montaillou & the surrounding mountainous region of Southern France was full of heretics. When Jacquest Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers, launched an elaborate Inquisition to stamp them out, the peasants & shepherds he interrogated revealed, along with their position on official Catholicism, many details of their everyday life. Basing his absorbing study on these vivid, carefully recorded statements of peasants who lived more than 600 years ago--Pierre Clergue, the powerful village priest & shameless womanizer is even heard explaining his techniques of seduction--eminent historian Le Roy Ladurie reconstructs the economy & social structure of the community & probes the most intimate aspects of medieval life: love & marriage, gestures & emotions, conversations & gossip, clans & factions, crime & violence, concepts of time & space, attitudes to the past, animals, magic & folklore, death & beliefs about the other world.
New York Times bestseller The Valley of Amazement is a sweeping, evocative epic of two women’s intertwined fates and their search for identity--from the lavish parlors of Shanghai courtesans to the fog-shrouded mountains of a remote Chinese village Spanning more than forty years and two continents, The Valley of Amazement resurrects pivotal episodes in history: from the collapse of China’s last imperial dynasty, to the rise of the Republic, the explosive growth of lucrative foreign trade and anti-foreign sentiment, to the inner workings of courtesan houses and the lives of the foreign “Shanghailanders” living in the International Settlement, both erased by World War II. A deeply evocative narrative about the profound connections between mothers and daughters, The Valley of Amazement returns readers to the compelling territory of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. With her characteristic insight and humor, she conjures a story of inherited trauma, desire and deception, and the power and stubbornness of love.
Persoonlijk verslag in dagboek door de Zuid-Afrikaanse schrijfster van haar bedevaart naar Mekka.
Twee Italiaanse vrienden ontdekken in hun geboortestreek rotstekeningen die lijken op die van de Inca's in Peru.
