None of them had ever been nation states. None of the European powers that founded the European project were nation states at the time. He makes the decisive turn to Europe in 1962. It was Charles de Gaulle who understood that not only the Republic but the entire French state was endangered by the empire. France having been defeated both in Indochina and Algeria makes a decisive turn to Europe in the early 1960s. The Netherlands lost a colonial war that they fought from 1945 to 1949. Italy likewise had just lost a colonial war in Africa and in the Balkans. The war that we remember as the Second World War. Germany, West Germany had just been defeated in the most decisive and most catastrophic war of colonialism perhaps ever, certainly in Europe. So, think with me just for a moment about the countries that founded the European Union, or founded the European project. History is about clearing the way and in the next few minutes, I’d like to try to clear the way, or clear away some of the myths so that time can flow sensibly from the past to the present and into the future that we need. But if the discussion about the future of Europe is held on the basis of myths about things that never took place, the discussion cannot be a fruitful one. One could disagree and should disagree about the future of Europe.
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This edition contains a full chronology of Defoe's life and times, explanatory notes, glossary and a critical introduction discussing Robinson Crusoe as a pioneering work of modern psychological realism.įor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. But above all is a brilliant narrative, depicting Crusoe's transformation from terrified survivor to self-sufficient master of an island. Written in an age of exploration and enterprise, it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British imperialist values, as a portrayal of 'natural man', or as a moral fable. In his journal he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter and clothes, enlists the help of a native islander who he names 'Friday', and fights off cannibals and mutineers. The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert island. The original tale of a castaway struggling to survive on a remote desert island, and one of the first novels in English In Wonder Women, author Sam Maggs tells the stories of the brilliant, brainy, and totally rad women in history who broke barriers as scientists, engineers, mathematicians, adventurers, and inventors. Smart women have always been able to achieve amazing things, even when the odds were stacked against them. Huang Daopo, the inventor whose weaving technology revolutionized textile production in China-centuries before the cotton gin?. Mary Sherman Morgan, the rocket scientist whose liquid fuel compounds blasted the first U.S.Alice Ball, the chemist who developed an effective treatment for leprosy-only to have the credit taken by a man?.You may think you know women’s history pretty well. A fun and feminist look at forgotten women in science, technology, and beyond, from the bestselling author of THE FANGIRL'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY Men are starting to fight back against the backlash. Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream - and Why It Matters is written by Helen Smith and published by Encounter Books. In addition, men are going on strike, either consciously or unconsciously, because they do not want to be injured by the myriad of laws, attitudes and hostility against them for the crime of happening to be male in the twenty-first century. They are instead acting rationally in response to the lack of incentives society offers them to be responsible fathers, husbands and providers. But why should men participate in a system that seems to be increasingly stacked against them?Īs Men on Strike demonstrates, men arent dropping out because they are stuck in arrested development. The trend is so pronounced that a number of books have been written about this man-child phenomenon, concluding that men have taken a vacation from responsibility simply because they can. They are dropping out of college, leaving the workforce and avoiding marriage and fatherhood at alarming rates. Men are sensing the backlash and are consciously and unconsciously going on strike. All of his books have messages of inclusion and humanity - and they are expertly drawn.Ĭurato writes on his blog, “We are all a little different. Austrian, but illustrator Mike Curato has two other adorable children’s picture books under his belt: Little Elliot, Big City, and Little Elliot, Big Family. This is the first picture book for author J.J. It broaches what many still regard as a “difficult” topic to discuss with kids: marriage equality. Worm Loves Worm is a new children’s book that aims to illustrate what happens when two people fall in love and decide to be married. They get married! But their friends want to know-who will wear the dress? And who will wear the tux? The answer is: it doesn’t matter. “WHEN A WORM meets a special worm and they fall in love, you know what happens next. Worm Loves Worm explains marriage equality to little ones The blurb on the back of Fredrik Backman's Anxious People suggests that this is a restorative book that reminds the readers of the good in humanity. The scene is set for a fully-fledged crime drama with a heavy dosage of irony, humour and pathos. Flaws are revealed, conversations are held, histories are shared and, above all, the fundamental need for connection between humans is illustrated.īring in a father/son police officer duo into the action and a whole extra dimension to the story is added. There follows an exploration of the emotions, hopes, dreams, losses and achievements of the different characters lives. They inadvertently find themselves in a siege situation, being held by the hapless bank robber who had no plans to take anyone hostage. The bank robber, running from the scene of the crime, that never happened, ends up in an apartment where eight prospective buyers are being shown round by an estate agent. The driving force of the plot of Anxious People is a failed bank robbery, which inadvertently turns into something of a farcical hostage situation. The way all the loose ends are tied up at the end is incredibly well done. The plot is clearly thought out and effectively executed. It encourages us to be kind and reflect on what really matters in life. Fredrik Backman's Anxious People is a thought provoking book, with overall an uplifting and feel good vibe. Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, Sharpshooter in Petticoats. Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist.Ĭowboy Christmas-the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist. The Montana Marriages Series, Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride. These three books are now contained in one large volume called Lassoed in Texas Trilogy. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. The Lassoed in Texas Series, Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon and Gingham Mountain. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist. Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. The presentation is an unusual format freely mixing narrative anecdotes, contemporary photography, excerpts from diaries, letters, rough sketches and performance programs, along with comic sketches and absurd fake memoranda from ranking Nazi officials the hard facts are usually apparent. In Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, having been stung by a critic who called the biographies unreliable, Milligan wrote, "I wish the reader to know that he is not reading a tissue of lies and fancies, it all really happened." The preface anticipates the book will be part of a trilogy years later, the cover of the fourth volume said: "Don't be fooled this is the last, volume four of the war memoirs." Ultimately, however, Milligan published seven volumes covering his war service, his first nervous breakdown and reallocation to rear-echelon duties, his demob and early years trying to break into the entertainment industry. Love Practically (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #1) by Nichole Van | 1839 Scotland | Historical Romance Alex and Joanna are wonderfully suited through their friendship and romantically, and the secondary characters are, at turns, fierce, endearing, compassionate, and villainous. I love seeing how this ties into later Benton stories, having finally gone back now to read it. The King’s Mercy by Lori Benton | 1747 North Carolina Colony | Historical Fiction/RomanceĪnother fantastic early American story (by way of Scotland) from a fav author! Mercy in many forms is a big theme, as well as worth and survival. Per usual, please visit the Goodreads links in each title to learn more about each book! Welcome to another round of mini reviews! This is a bit of a “reading update”, with several of these titles part of my TBR-conquering reading challenge over on IG (#backlistbooks23). Otis, who was a childhood playmate of John and who is in love with Isobel, enlists in the French Foreign Legion with the idea of being sentenced to the penal battalion of the French Army of Africa ( les Joyeux), and so find John and try to rescue him.Īrabs raid the section of the penal battalion and capture Otis and John. He is asked by Isobel to find her husband John, who has disappeared in Africa while searching for his old friends Hank and Buddy. Mainly the plot revolves around the devotion of Otis for Isobel Geste (nee Rivers). It is a tale of "ideal and platonic love". Beau Ideal is the "American" novel of the so called trilogy (which in fact spreads through five books), as Beau Geste is the "British" novel and Beau Sabreur is the "French" novel. Raoul d'Auray de Redon appears as an unsung hero of the French Secret Service. In this third volume, and second sequel, definite disclosure is made of what happened the night the Blue Water was stolen and by whom (Wren will elaborate this part again in Spanish Maine). There their adventures become intwined with those already narrated in Beau Sabreur and Beau Geste. After meeting a French colonel their travel extends to North Africa. Otis and Mary leave a despotic father in Wyoming and make the Grand Tour of Europe. The story is of Otis Vanbrugh, brother of Hank and Mary Vanbrugh, who featured in Beau Sabreur. It was adapted into the 1931 film Beau Ideal. It was the second sequel to his 1924 novel Beau Geste. |