The Lost Men – Kelly Tyler-Lewis – Audio Book

The Lost Men – Kelly Tyler-Lewis : In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed south aboard the Endurance to be the first to cross Antarctica. Shackleton’s endeavor is legend, but few know the astonishing story- of the Ross Sea party, the support crew he dispatched to the opposite side of the continent to build a vital lifeline of food and fuel depots.

When the Ross Sea ship, the Aurora, broke free of her moorings and disappeared in a gale in 1915, she left ten men stranded on the continent with only the clothes on their backs and little hope of rescue. Against all odds, the men decided to go forward with their mission, sledging 1, 700 miles in a record-setting two-year odyssey. They never imagined that their immense sacrifice was futile—for Shackleton never set foot on the continent, and the Endurance lay crushed at the bottorn of the Weddell Sea.

Inexperienced and poorly equipped, the men of the Ross Sea party endured the unspeakable suffering of malnutrition, hypothermia, and extreme weather conditions with fortitude, With their personal journals and previously unpublished documents, Kelly Tyler-Lewis brings us close to these men in their best and bleakest times and revives for us their heroic, astounding story of survival in the most hostile environment on earth.

Historian Kelly Tyler-Lewis traveled for research to Britain, Australia, New Zealand. and Antarctica, where she spent two months with the National Science Foundation’s Artists and Writers Program. She was a visiting scholar of the Scou Polar Research Institute of the University of Cambridge from 2002 to 2004.
The Lost Men is an epic struggle of man against the ravages of nature and reveals the triumphs and the ragedies involved. It is a book of determination, leadership and accountability. The writing is crisp nd well done. You can feel the pain and suffering of the men in her words. I highly recommend it.

Too Many Mothers – Roberta Taylor – Audio Book

Too Many Mothers – Roberta Taylor : Best known for her roles in EastEnders and The Bill   actress Roberta Taylor is also an accomplished writer, and this moving memoir of her early life has spent weeks on the bestseller lists.

Roberta’s distinctive voice really brings Too Many Mothers to life in this portrait of an embattled family at war with itself and the outside world; From petty crime: pet monkeys, tender romance to emotional blackmail, illegitimacy, adoption and even murder, Roberta Taylor has written a bittersweet and memoir of her early life.

This is another one of these books which you will find hard to put down. Its really well written. Its sad, funny. There are rough, tough women, hardship, tears but also lots of hope.  I highly recommend it to those interested who are interested in life in East-end London in the past. A lovely book.

Never Again – John Ashcroft – Audio Book

Never Again – John Ashcroft : The most controversial attorney general in U.S. history tells untold story behind the war on terror in post-9/11 America.

John Ashcroft’s service as U.S. attorney general began with turmoil: a loss to a deceased challenger in is U.S. Senate reelection campaign and a tumultuous confirmation battle. Then, on September 11, 2001, is job was transformed into the greatest leadership challenge an attorney general has ever faced.

Highly classified intelligence briefings, secret surveillance of terror cells, and terror war councils with President Bush gave Ashcroft a uniquely comprehensive – and uniquely chilling – view of the threats o American security.

In NEVER AGAIN, Ashcroft breaks his silence about historic events that transpired during his term of ffice – including the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history, the enactment and defense of the Patriot Act, the Robert Hanssen spy scandal, the execution of Timothy McVeigh, and the recently iscovered domestic surveillance program authorized by President Bush. In this provocative audiobook, listeners will meet the man behind the title, hear his take on the dangers to and within America from outside forces, and discover what he did to repair the serious breaches in our country’s security. NEVER GAIN is a fascinating and probing look at what Ashcroft believes will ultimately make America safe.

John Ashcroft served as attorney general of the United States from February 2001 to January 2005. Prior to his appointment, he served in the United States Senate and as the governor of Missouri.

This is a terribly important book written by a man in the epicenter of the national response to the wful attacks of September 11, 2001. It’s an easy read written in a friendly, conversational style hat puts to lie everything said about this man in the media. John Ashcroft describes in detail the events following 9/11 and his horrific discoveries of the ineptitude and blindness of the previous administration in combatting terrorism within the borders of the United States. As someone said : “John Ashcroft came and went and the world did not end”. I highly recommend this ook.