Don Mc Rae grew up in a South Africa where his father would call the black men he met 'boy' & where his mother insisted that their black servants used tin mugs, plates & cutlery as they ate the family's left-over food in the backyard of their grand suburban property. The Mc Raes, like so many white people, seemed oblivious to the violent injustices of apartheid. As the author grew up, the political differences between father & son widened & when Don refused to join up for National Service, risking imprisonment or exile overseas, the two were torn apart. It wasn't until years later that the author discovered that the father with whom he had fought so bitterly had later in his life transformed himself into a political hero. Risking everything one dark & rainy night Ian Mc Rae travelled secretly into the black township of Soweto to meet members of Nelson Mandela's then banned African National Congress to discuss ways to bring power to black South Africa. He had no political ambitions; he was just a man trying to replace the worst in himself with something better. Under Our Skin is a memoir of these tumultuous years in South Africa's history, as told through the author's family story. It offers an intimate & penetrating perspective on life under apartheid, & tells a story of courage & fear, hope & desolation & love & pain, especially between a father & his son. ...

If you lost everything you loved, how would you survive & begin again? Under the Almond Tree tells the story of one refugee family fleeing Afghanistan & the catastrophic effects of war & displacement. Fifteen year old Samar & her family are refugees, fleeing the conflict in 1990s Kabul, after the Russians & then the Taliban, turn their lives inside out. They are aboard the Trans-Siberian Express as it travels across Russia towards an uncertain future. With the help of Napoleon, the ticket collector, her beloved copy of Anna Karenina, & her family, Samar narrates the story of their epic journey away from their happy life in Kabul & everything they have known. But, as Samar`s tale unfolds, & the secrets of the family are unearthed, we slowly discover that the truth is far more devastating
- & more full of hope
- than we could ever have imagined. Under the Almond Tree is a story of how we keep the truth from those we love, & even from ourselves, to hold on to the beliefs which underpin our lives. It`s also the story of extraordinary resilience & courage, in a turbulent world where nothing can be relied upon, but everything is possible.

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Brothers Ron & Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill by God. Krakauer`s investigation is a meticulously researched, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence & unyielding faith: an incisive, gripping work of non-fiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behaviour. `A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism` Will Self, Evening Standard Books of the Year ` Excellent.. .a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive power of fanaticism in general` Daily Telegraph ` Krakauer writes exceptionally well: as thrilling as Capote on true crime, as devastating as Nietzsche on religious fundamentalism` Scotland on Sunday ` Remarkable.. .for anyone interested in the wilder frontiers of spiritual conviction, this book is a must` Independent ` Krakauer is an adept chronicler of extremists, & he`s as intent on understanding religious fanatics as he was in his earlier books on exploring the obsessions of monomaniacal adventurers` Los Angeles Times ...

“ Under the Banyan Tree” is yet another book from one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers, R. K. Narayan. Here, he has crafted together a collection of short stories & tall tales that look warmly at characters from all walks of Indian life that are so well observed they all come together to give an insight into the human experience. As with his other great works, “ Under the Banyan Tree” sees an author conveying expertly (and wryly) the very Indian rhythms of the world around these wonderful characters, giving you a palpable sense of time & place. Narayan died aged 94 in 2001, & “ Under the Banyan Tree” is as good a place as any to delve into the wonderful worlds he created in those years. ...

Trees are the lungs of the world. They have inspired our stories, myths & culture. Every climate, every nation has its tales of trees, true or legendary, that help us understand ourselves & the beauty of the natural world around us. This gorgeously illustrated book explores the cultural significance that trees have in different societies. From the olive trees of Athens to the Eucalyptus trees of Australia, discover the place of trees in history & mythology across the world. ...

Exploring a boy`s childhood in Barcelona during the Franco dictatorship, ” Under the Dust” is based on the autobiographical experience of prize-winning Catalan author Jordi Coca. In period & location
- an oppressive late 1940s & early 50s when the dictatorship`s repression was strongly felt at all levels of people`s everyday lives
- the novel echoes the recent bestseller ” The Shadow of the Wind”. But the affecting closeness of the boy`s first-person narrative & its pitiless realism set this book apart. The boy`s bewildered responses to his father`s violence & authoritarianism are played out at home & in a neighbourhood dominated by street gangs, where politics is never more than a block away. This novel was awarded the Sant Jordi prize in 2000. ”A tough implacable novel that makes no concessions...its ending has a rawness to chill the spirit of the hardiest reader.”
- Avui.


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A police inspector is investigating a strange murder, a case in which all the suspects are eager to claim responsibility for the act. Set in a former Portuguese fort which stored slaves & ivory, Under the Frangipani combines fable & allegory, dreams & myths with an earthy humour. The dead meet the living, language is invented, reality is constantly changing. In a story which is partly a thriller, partly an exploration of language itself, Mia Couto surprises & delights, & shows just why he is one of the most important African writers of today. ...

Tibor Fischer`s hilarious first novel follows the adventures of two young Hungarian basketball players through the turbulent years between the end of World War II & the revolution of 1956. In this spirited indictment of totalitarianism, the two improbable heroes, Pataki & Gyuri, travel the length & breadth of Hungary in an epic quest for food, lodging, & female companionship. ...

Under the Greenwood Tree is Hardy`s most bright, confident & optimistic novel. This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society, tinged with gentle humour & quiet irony, established Hardy as a writer. However, the novel is not merely a charming rural idyll. The double-plot, in which the love story of Dick Dewey & Fancy Day is inter-related with a tragic chapter in the history of Mellstock Choir, hints at the poignant disappearance of a long-lived & highly-valued traditional way of life. ...

Jingqiu, an innocent young woman from a politically questionable family in the city, is selected as one of a small group of students to be sent to the countryside to work on a project that will further the Cultural Revolution. Clever, curious & eager, she tries to fit in with her hosts & the rural way of life, & it isn't appropriate for her to fall in love. But she does, with the son of a mighty army general. This beautiful, simple story of love against the odds will break your heart. ...