In his major new work, Wall Street Journal Istanbulcorrespondant Hugh Pope provides a vivid picture of the Turkicpeople, descendants of the nomadic armies that conquered theByzantine Empire and reigned over the region for centures. Todaythe Turks encompass a region much larger than the politicalboundaries of the nation of Turkey - from the Xinjiang province ofwestern China, to Iran, Iraq, the Netherlands, Germany, all the wayto the Appalacian Mountains of the United States. One of theworld's foremost experts on modern Turkey - its languages, people,and history - and acclaimed co-author of Turkey Unveiled (a NewYork Times Notable Book), Hugh Pope has traveled the world toencounter and assimilate the many facets of this extraordinarilycomplex and fascinating ethnic group, distilling the essentailqualities shared by all people of Turkish descent. Rich withstories and legends stretching back centuries, Sons of theConquerors is a compellingly readable account of a profoundlyneglected subject. --This text re
An enormously entertaining account of contemporary France fromthe former Paris bureau chief of The New York Times. Bernsteincombines personal memoir, informed observation, and news-houndcuriosity to offer a stirring and unforgettable panaorama ofFrance--at times exalted, troubling, and occasionally absurd.
Award-winning author Alexander Stille has been called "one ofthe best English-language writers on Italy" by the New YorkTimes Book Review , and in The Sack of Rome he sets outto answer the question: What happens when vast wealth, a virtualmedia monopoly, and acute shamelessness combine in one man? Manyare the crimes of Silvio Berlusconi, Stille argues, and, with deftanalysis, he weaves them into a single mesmerizing chronicle—anepic saga of rank criminality, cronyism, and self-dealing at thehighest levels of power.
"In A Grave in Gaza, Omar Yussef and his boss, Magnus Wallender,travel to the Gaza Strip for a routine inspection of the UN schoolsin the Gaza refugee camps.Upon their arrival they meet James Cree,the UN security officer for Gaza, who informs them that a teacherat one of their schools has been accused of spying and imprisoned.As they try to free the teacher and keep a lid on an explosivepolitical situation, they are pulled into a confrontation withGaza's warring government factions and the criminal gangs withwhich they are connected.Omar Yussef confronts the dark elements ofGaza--dirty politics, bribery, assassination, and kidnapping--inhis struggle to free the innocent and honor the dead.
The rivalry that presaged the world’s most tenaciousconflict As the Arab -Israeli conflict continues to plaguethe Middle East, historian Ronald Florence offers extraordinary newinsights on its origins. This is the story of T. E. Lawrence, theyoung British officer who became famous around the world asLawrence of Arabia, Aaron Aaronsohn, an agronomist from Palestine,and the antagonism that divided them over the fate of the dyingOttoman Empire during World War I—a clash of visions that set Arabnationalism and Zionism on a direct collision course thatreverberates to this day.
This fascinating and powerful collection of first-handaccounts—prepared with the assistance of the Pearl Harbor SurvivorsAssociation—brings to vivid life one of the most fateful days inAmerican history. Here, in their own words, survivors of the attack—from all branchesof the service—recall what it was like to witness this momentousevent as it happened. Dramatic and compelling, these livingmemories offer a rare look inside the hearts and minds of Americanheroes—and an invaluable record of American history.
History lies heavily on South Africa, and in an originalliterary form—half-history, half-reportage—Adam Hochschild bringsto bear a life-time’s familiarity with the country. He looks at thetensions of modern-day South Africa through a dramatic prism: thepivotal nineteenth-century Battle of Blood River—which determinedwhether the Boers or the Zulus would control that part of theworld—and its contentious commemoration by rival groups one hundredfifty years later. This incisive book is an unusual window onto asociety that still today remains divided.
For history buffs, students, and anyone interested in the 20thcentury, this book reveals why World War I began, explores the"guns of August," describes the horrors of trench warfare and thefirst uses of poison gas, and explains why the Americans were soslow to enter the war. From the eastern front to the west, fromGallipoli to the Marne, from the Lafayette Escadrillo to Lawrencefo Arabia, the book tells the whole story of "the war to end allwars.
