David Kertzer’s subtle book on the relationship between Catholicism and Fascism is well reviewed in this article in the Guardian by Lucy Hughes-Hallett. David Kertzer describes how two authoritarian systems were obliged to accomodate each other – and how the Pope’s anti-semitism was arrived at independently. The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe provides us with a close, if uncomfortable, look at an odd period of Italian history.
With Innocence and Hope
Mike Williams
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With Innocence and Hope
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Available from Amazon and Kindle e-books £12 (+ £2 postage) |
Great read
A really interesting and captivating read. I loved the honesty about life in the trenches and the effects on families at home. Very moving. If you like world war one non fiction this one is for you.
Wonderful
I highly recommended this book. I have read many WW1 books and visited more than a few of the places now infamous as killing fields that Walter experienced in the most horrendous situations. This book achieves a really good balance of accurate description and the often deadened emotional feelings which had to be engaged to get through the many challenges faced on a 24/7 basis. A most honest account written well and very well received. Thank you Mike- Well done. RIP Walter- You deserve it!
An addictive read
This is a must read, a wonderful insight into times past. To comprehend the courage and determination required by such people, to imagine what they experienced at such a young age and the contrast to what they had left behind is brought to life in this exceptional book. I highly recommend it.
Not quite the full Chapati
Kath Hirani
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Not quite the full Chapati Janice Saheed is no stranger to racism. Her husband is one of the first Asians to settle in England after the War although Janice herself is white. However, on her first day at school, Janice’s four-year-old daughter, Joanna, meets local-girl, Helen, and a lifelong friendship is forged that transcends prejudice. Twenty years on and now a young woman, Joanna is still struggling with her mixed-race identity and having to cope with racism when, against all her advice, her friend Helen falls for Rahim Ismail, a handsome dentist – and it is Helen’s fascination with Asian culture, a fascination caused in the first place by Joanna, that is to blame. In her fight against racism from the other side of the racial divide, Helen struggles to understand why she and Rahim cannot be together. Eventually she admits defeat and decides to leave Rahim – but then, her father becomes ill and Rahim fails to vanish from her life as intended. And then, to complicate matters yet further, Joanna’s father refuses to acknowledge his daughter’s marriage and Helen’s father steps in to fill the gap and do the right thing for his ‘adopted’ daughter. Not Quite the Full Chapati! is based on a true story, a story of friendship, love, happiness, racism and heartbreak. It speaks to all of us. |
Amazon review… …Interesting story about life in a mixed race marriage. Parts will make you laugh out loud and five minutes later deal with some very sad times in this girl’s life. ‘Great Book – You will want to keep reading’ UK Price £9.99 Go to Amazon.co.uk US Price $12.00 Go to Amazon.com |
Self-Publishing History
Bob Fowke kicked off a new series of YouCaxton Literary Lectures in Shrewsbury last night. His theme was ‘The History of Self-Publishing from the Ten Commandments to Kindle E-Books‘. Further lectures will include Paul Binding on Scandinavian crime fiction, Toby Green on the development of trans-Atlantic trade and cultural patterns, Adrian Bailey on Evolution and Christianity and Dr. Anthony Lempert on religion and medicine.
Birmingham’s Shakespeare
Birmingham Public Library owns a rare copy, one of only 228 copies in existence, of the First Folio of Shakepeare’s works, published 1623. The book will be on display – for the first time – in the Shakespeare Memorial Room at the library, on 5th April as part of an exhibition ‘Library of Cultures’ that will also include an edition of Audubon’s Birds of America, 39 by 26 inches and perhaps the most beautiful of all illustrated bird books.
First world war diaries go online
The National Archives have announced the availability of their first tranche of First-World-War diaries, there’s a piece in the Guardian. The National Archives have digitised around 1.5 million pages of war diaries and will be releasing them throughout this year as part of their First-World-War centenary programme. This first batch of ‘unit war diaries’ are from the first three cavalry (WO 95/1096 to WO 95/1156) and the first seven infantry divisions (WO 95/1227 to WO 95/1670), part of the first wave of British troops deployed in France and Flanders. The diaries cover the entire period of the units’ involvement in the war, from their arrival on the front to their departure at the end of the war.
Self-Publishing – Birmingham and West Midlands
YouCaxton will be starting a monthly book clinic in Birmingham from February 2014. This will provide local writers with the opportunity to discuss their projects in person with one of our editorial staff. We are particularly interested in hearing from writers of books with connections to the West Midlands Region.
Shropshire War Memorials
Peter Francis
Peter Francis launched Shropshire War Memorials at Shrewsbury Library on 27 October at a well-attended talk.