-
Betty Boothroyd: Autobiography
The enormous respect and affection of the British public for Betty Boothroyd has its roots in a strong belief in what she stands for—fair play, an unshakeable sense of honor, and a passionate belief in the sovereignty of Parliament. This is a candid account of Betty Boothroyd’s life in politics, and she speaks frankly of the devastation of losing two elections, of campaigning for JFK in America, and the elation she felt on finally becoming an MP in 1973. But her long political career reached its apogee in 1992 when she was appointed the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons. Detailing many of the true stories behind the headlines, she writes of the sleaze scandals that beset the Major government, her feelings when Labour won their landslide election in 1997, and her strongly held views on the role of Parliament.
-
Margrave of the Marshes
Not many people actually achieve the status of legend in their own lifetime. John Peel is one of them. Beloved by millions — for his championing of musical talent and his popular Radio 4 show — this is the book he began to write before his untimely death in 2004, completed by the woman who knew him best, his wife Sheila.
-
Sharon Osbourne: Unauthorized, Uncensored - Unders
In this intimate new biography by the author of the top-ten bestseller "Ozzy Unauthorized," we go behind the "marketing-genius" headlines to reveal the extraordinary life of this remarkable woman. From her emotionally-troubled childhood as the daughter of music svengali Don Arden, through the drink- and drug-fuelled years on the road with Ozzy, and her determination to make it as a female manager in a very male world, right up to her current incarnation as an award-winning TV star and "supermom," every inch of her life is examined and celebrated in this innovative and ground-breaking biography.
-
Journey of a Lifetime
The iconic broadcasting legend dusts down his suitcase for a final journey around the globe, revisiting locations of significance to his life and career.
-
The Other India
India has many 'Bharats' in it like 'urban' India, 'rural' India; 'village' India is again different from 'farmers' India. There is another different India of those who have no place of their own which they might call their 'home'; nor do they have any dates of their birth and death in any official rural or municipal register.They are forced to live beyond the borders of the villages and towns suffering deprivation. A need to understand with empathy their lives is the inspiration behind this book. The readers will have a glimpse of life of these people who are also a part and parcel of our national ethos.
-
Scripting Destiny: Life Lessons
Dr. K.H. Sancheti is an orthopaedic surgeon with a difference. Founder of the Sancheti Institute of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation (SIOR), Pune – one of the largest single speciality hospitals in South East Asia. He is the Director and Chief Orthopaedic surgeon of SIOR. Recognised for his exceptional service in the field of Orthopaedic Rehabilitation, Medical Education and Research, the Government of India awarded him with the Padmashree in 1991 and Padmabhushan in 1993. Dr. Sancheti, or KHS, as he is endearingly called, is an innovator – designer of affordable orthopaedic prosthesis for the Indian masses. INDUS – the indigenous total knee transplant prosthesis, the first of its kind in the country, is a result of his research. Dr. Sancheti is an Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon to His Excellency the Governor of Maharashtra and the Indian Armed Forces. He holds several distinguished positions in medical and academic institutions. Dr. Sancheti is also a self-taught hospital designer and has offered his expertise to several hospitals across the nation. Even at the age of 75 years, KHS continues to be a practicing orthopaedic surgeon and relentlessly pursues his research to innovate, design and manufacture. His Charitable work in healthcare continues unabated. Scripting Destiny inspires and tells how one can reach out for the skies!
-
Ilandas Story
This book tells, in assorted episodes, the story of a hardy mother's struggle to make sure that her son got a decent education. The book is based against the background of a world where an untouchable woman lives a life few would be familiar with. Uttam Kamble, a prolific writer himself, talks about his own mother in a style that veers from the conventional. Ilanda Maruti Kamble is the protagonist of the book, a strong willed woman who believes that destiny is after all what one does with life by going against societal norms, if need be. Because of this alone, the book is actually a tribute to millions of other women to undergo a daily struggle so that their children may do well. The original Marathi book has been translated into English by Dr. V.V.Badwe.
-
Colony
Siddharth Pardhe struggled against circumstances and financial problems to complete his education up to M Com. While studying, he worked and helped his family. I admire his and his family's attitude, for they continued on the right path. I hope young people born in similar circumstances as Siddharth and others will be inspired from his autobiography.
-
Dude, Where's My Country?
Well, now the world's Bushwhacked. It's time for the good ol' boy to head for the hills, and Mike's on a mission to smoke him out at the next election - and help ordinary people get their country back. What's more, he's going to use his share of the tax cut to do it.
-
The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw
Sheila Hancock's moving and utterly compelling account of her marriage to John Thaw
-
Trowel and Error
Alan Titchmarsh has had a passion for gardening for as long as he can remember. Aged eight, he announced to friends that he was going to be the next Percy Thrower, although he thought it was no more than a dream. Here, he tells his own story from Ilkley Moor to Pebble Mill and to the final realizing of his dream of becoming TV's favourite gardener. Along the way, the cast of characters includes everyone from Auntie Ethel to Nelson Mandela and the Queen.
-
Down Under
‘It was as if I had privately discovered life on another planet, or a parallel universe where life was at once recognizably similar but entirely different. I can’t tell you how exciting it was. Insofar as I had accumulated my expectations of Australia at all in the intervening years, I had thought of it as a kind of alternative southern California, a place of constant sunshine and the cheerful vapidity of a beach lifestyle, but with a slightly British bent — a sort of Baywatch with cricket...’ Of course, what greeted Bill Bryson was something rather different. Australia is a country that exists on a vast scale. It is the world’s sixth largest country and its largest island. It is the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. It is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents and still it teems with life — a large proportion of it quite deadly. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. Ignoring such dangers—yet curiously obsessed by them—Bill Bryson journeyed to Australia and promptly fell in love with the country. And who can blame him? The people are cheerful, extrovert, quick-witted and unfailingly obliging; their cities are safe and clean and nearly always built on water; the food is excellent; the beer is cold and the sun nearly always shines. Life doesn’t get much better than this. In the late afternoon, I stopped at a roadhouse for petrol and coffee. I studied my book of maps and determined that I would stop for the night in Hay, a modest splat in the desert a little off the highway a couple of hours down the road. As it was the only community in a space of 200 miles, this was not a particularly taxing decision. Then, having nothing better to do, I leafed through the index and amused myself, in a very low-key way, by looking for ridiculous names, of which Australia has a respectable plenitude. I am thus able to report that the following are all real places: Wee Waa, Poowong, Burrumbuttock, Suggan Buggan, Boomahnoomoonah, Waaia, Mullumbimby, Ewylamartup, Jiggalong and the supremely satisfying Tittybong. As I paid, the man asked me where I was headed. "Hay," I replied, and was struck by a sudden droll thought. "And I’d better hurry. Do you know why?" He gave me a blank look. "Because I want to make Hay while the sun shines." The man’s expression did not change. "I want to make Hay while the sun shines," I repeated with a slight alteration of emphasis and a more encouraging expression. The blank look, I realized after a moment, was probably permanent. "Aw, you won’t have any trouble with that," the man said after a minute’s considered thought. "It’ll be light for hours yet." top