This is not only one of the best books
I’ve read this year but one of the best books I have ever read. Originally
published in 2001, this book provides an invaluable case study of why words and
truth matter so much—perhaps now more than ever.
Even if you thought you knew
this story through the 2016 film Denialabout
the libel suit Holocaust-denier David Irving brought in England against Deborah
Lipstadt, an American expert on the Holocaust, this book will keep you
enthralled and in suspense as the story unfolds.
Reading this book by renowned
European historian Richard Evans, himself an expert witness for the defense in
the trial, one gains incredible insights into the history of the Holocaust and
its aftermath—and ourselves.
In ruling against the controversial historian David Irving, whose libel suit against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt was tried in April 2000, the High Court in London labeled Irving a falsifier of history. No objective historian, declared the judge, would manipulate the documentary record in the way that Irving did. Richard J. Evans, a Cambridge historian and the chief adviser for the defence, uses this famous trial as a lens for exploring a range of difficult questions about the nature of the historian's enterprise.
If you think this is just another
self-help book, think again. This is a wise and philosophical reflection on
life, psychology, society, and history based on principles that can assist
readers in navigating both their own lives and relationships and the troubled
times in which we live.
Peterson offers a fresh and profound way of thinking
about life in the third decade of the twenty-first century. Once you have read
this book, you will want to return to it and its “rules” again and again.
Peterson shows us not just ways in which we can deal with all that life has to
throw at us but also helps us understand why it matters so much how we speak,
think, and act, not only for ourselves but for society in general.
Penguin presents the CD edition of 12 Rules for Life written and read by Jordan B. Peterson
Jordan Peterson's work as a clinical psychologist has reshaped the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics ranging from the Bible to romantic relationships drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of polarizing politics, echo chambers and trigger warnings, his startling message about the value of personal responsibility and the dangers of ideology has resonated around the world.
This book will appeal to people who love
and know Shakespeare well or to people who don’t know Shakespeare very well but
would like to know more about his famous plays.
I loved this book because Smith
divides the book into relatively short chapters on each of the bard’s plays,
for each of which she provides a unique and interesting perspective.
Smith is
an entertaining and informative guide who looks for contemporary resonances,
none of which feel forced. Having written a book about the Beatles, I know how daunting
it can be to take up a subject about which much has already been said and
written and try to look at it in a fresh way.
I can only hope my effort was
half as successful as Smith’s is.
'The best introduction to the plays I've read, perhaps the best book on Shakespeare, full stop' Alex Preston, Observer
'It makes you impatient to see or re-read the plays at once' Hilary Mantel
A genius and prophet whose timeless works encapsulate the human condition like no others. A writer who surpassed his contemporaries in vision, originality and literary mastery. Who wrote like an angel, putting it all so much better than anyone else. Is this Shakespeare? Well, sort of.
But it doesn't really tell us the whole truth. So much of what…
This book uses the Beatles as a lens
through which to explore the sweeping, panoramic history of the social,
cultural, and political transformations that occurred in the 1960s. It draws on
audience reception theory, untapped primary source material, and personal
interviews to understand how listeners would have interpreted the Beatles' songs
and albums at the time they were released.
Taking a year-by-year approach, each
chapter analyses the external influences the Beatles absorbed, consciously or
unconsciously, from the culture surrounding them.
Key topics include race relations,
gender dynamics, political and cultural upheavals, the Vietnam War, and the
evolution of rock music and popular culture. This book provides an accessible
yet rigorous study of the historical relevance of the Beatles in a crucial
decade of social change.
