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By the ghost light : war, memory, and families / by Thomson, R. H.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."From one of Canada's most beloved performing artists comes an audacious work of non-fiction that explores the stories that shape us and the reach that the past can have across generations. Growing up north of Toronto, R.H. Thomson's imagination was captured by romantic notions of war. He spent his days playing with toy soldiers on the carpet of his grandmother's house, recreating the Battle of Britain with model planes in his bedroom, or sitting at the local theatre watching World War II B movies--ones that offered a very clear perspective on who were the heroes and who the villains; which side were the victors and which the vanquished. Yet Thomson's childhood was also shaped by the spirits of real-life warriors in his family, their fates a brutal and more complicated reminder of the true human cost of war. Eight of Robert's great uncles--George, Joe, Jack, Harold, Arthur, Warren, Wildy, and Fred--fought in the First World War, while his great Aunt Margaret served as a wartime surgical nurse in Europe. Five of the great uncles--George, Joe, Fred, Wildy, and Warren--were killed in battle while two others--Jack and Harold--would return home greatly diminished, spending the rest of their lives in and out of sanitariums, their lungs scarred by disease and poison gas. Throughout their lives, the great uncles, as well as great aunts and cousins, were faithful letter writers, their correspondence offering profound insights into their experiences on the front lines to their loved ones back home, a somber record of the sacrifice the family paid. In By the Ghost Light, R.H. Thomson offers an extraordinary look at his family's history while providing a powerful examination of how we understand war and its aftermath. Using his family letters as a starting point, Thomson roams through a century of folly, touching on areas of military history, art, literature, and science, to express the tragic human cost of war behind the order and calm of ceremonial parades, memorials, and monuments. In an urgent call for new ways to acknowledge the dead, R.H. has created "The World Remembers," an ambitious international project to individually name each of the millions killed in the First World War. Epic in its scope and incredibly intimate in its exploration of lives touched by the tragedy of war, By the Ghost Light is a truly original book that will challenge the way we approach our history"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Thomson, R. H.; Thompson family; World War, 1914-1918;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare : the mavericks who plotted Hitler's defeat / by Milton, Giles,author.; Milton, Giles.Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Six gentlemen, one goal: the destruction of Hitler's war machine. In the spring of 1939, a top-secret organization was founded in London: its purpose was to plot the destruction of Hitler's war machine through spectacular acts of sabotage. The guerrilla campaign that followed was every bit as extraordinary as the six men who directed it. One of them, Cecil Clarke, was a maverick engineer who had spent the 1930s inventing futuristic caravans. Now, his talents were put to more devious use: he built the dirty bomb used to assassinate Hitler's favorite, Reinhard Heydrich. Another, William Fairbairn, was a portly pensioner with an unusual passion: he was the world's leading expert in silent killing, hired to train the guerrillas being parachuted behind enemy lines. Led by dapper Scotsman Colin Gubbins, these men--along with three others--formed a secret inner circle that, aided by a group of formidable ladies, single-handedly changed the course Second World War: a cohort hand-picked by Winston Churchill, whom he called his Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a gripping and vivid narrative of adventure and derring-do that is also, perhaps, the last great untold story of the Second World War"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Gubbins, Colin, Sir, 1896-1976.; Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945; Intelligence officers; Espionage, British; Sabotage; Guerrilla warfare;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A history of burning / by Oza, Janika,author.;
"At the turn of the twentieth century, Pirbhai, a teenage boy looking for work, is taken from his village in India to labor on the East African Railway for the British. One day Pirbhai commits an act to ensure his survival that will haunt him forever and reverberate across his family's future for years to come. Pirbhai's children are born and raised under the jacaranda trees and searing sun of Kampala during the waning days of British colonial rule. As Uganda moves towards independence and military dictatorship, Pirbhai's granddaughters, Latika, Mayuri, and Kiya, are three sisters coming of age in a divided nation. As they each forge their own path for a future, they must carry the silence of the history they've inherited. In 1972, under Idi Amin's brutal regime and the South Asian expulsion, the family has no choice but to flee, and in the chaos, they leave something devastating behind. As Pirbhai's grandchildren, scattered across the world, find their way back to each other in exile in Toronto, a letter arrives that stokes the flames of the fire that haunts the family. It makes each generation question how far they are willing to go, and who they are willing to defy to secure their own place in the world. A History of Burning is an unforgettable tour de force, an intimate family saga of complicity and resistance, about the stories we share, the ones that remain unspoken, and the eternal search for home."--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Historical fiction.; Novels.; Colonies; East Indians; Families; Immigrants; Inheritance and succession; Intergenerational relations; Life change events;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Lifesavers and body snatchers : medical care and the struggle for survival in the Great War / by Cook, Tim,1971-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The perception of medical care on the Great War battlefield recalls scenes from the American Civil War fifty years earlier: blood-soaked surgeons hacking off limbs with grim determination as broken men crawled into their dirty operating rooms. This couldn't be more wrong. Medical care in almost all armies, and especially in the Canadian medical services, was sophisticated and constantly evolving, with vastly more wounded soldiers saved than lost. After the war, the hard lessons learned by civilian doctors who were temporarily in military uniform were brought back to Canada. A new Department of Health created guidelines in the aftermath of the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic, which had killed 50,000 Canadians and millions around the world. In a grim irony, the fight to save soldiers' lives and improve civilian health was furthered by the most destructive war up to that point in human history. But medical advances were not the only thing brought back from Europe: Life Savers and Body Snatchers exposes the shocking story of the exploitation of human body parts during the Great War. Tim Cook has spent over a decade investigating the hidden history of Canadian medical doctors harvesting the body parts of slain Canadian soldiers and transporting their brains, lungs, bones, and other tissue or bones to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) in London. At least 1,200 individual Canadian body parts were removed from dead soldiers and sent to London, where they were stored, treated, and some put on display in exhibition galleries at the RCS. After being exhibited there, the body parts were displayed several times in both Montreal and Hamilton in the early 1920s. Life Savers and Body Snatchers will be the definitive medical history of the Canadian forces in the Great War, and a broader look into the medical advances that came from the carnage."--
Subjects: Body snatching; Medicine, Military; World War, 1914-1918;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Yank : the true story of a former US Marine in the Irish Republican Army / by Crawley, John,author.;
"1975: A young Irish-American man joins an elite US Marine unit to get the most intensive military training possible - then joins the Irish Republican Army, during the days of some of the bloodiest fighting ever in the Irish-British conflict ... The Irish "Troubles" were at a murderous fever pitch when John Crawley volunteered for the IRA. Bloody Friday, Bloody Sunday, the bombing of the British Houses of Parliament, and other deadly incidents had recently unfolded or were about to ... Civilian casualties were common as British soldiers, Republican militants (who wanted the UK out of Northern Ireland) and Unionist police and militants (who wanted to remain in the UK), engaged in gun battles and car bombing throughout Northern Ireland. The death toll numbered over 1,000. The IRA split over how to react between the old-line IRA, and the new Provisional IRA - the Provos, mostly impassioned young men who were not hesitant to resort to violence. In a powerful, brutally honest, no-holds-barred recounting of his experience, John Crawley details, first, the grueling challenges of his Marine Corps training, then how he put his hard-earned munitions and demolitions skills to use back in Ireland in service of the Provos. It is a story that will see him running guns with notorious American mobster - and secret IRA fundraiser - Whitey Bulger; running, under cover of night, from safe house to safe house in the Irish countryside, one step ahead of British troops; being captured, imprisoned, and being part of a mass escape attempt; fending off a recruitment offer from the CIA; and being one of the masterminds behind a campaign to take out London's electrical system. Along the way, Crawley is blisteringly candid about the memorable people he worked with, including behind-the-scenes portrayals of revered IRA leader Martin McGuinness, and of the psychopathic Whitey Bulger, as well as others in the Boston IRA support network. There are vivid portraits of colleagues and enemies, and Crawley is unflinching in his commentary on IRA leadership and their tactics, both military and political. Through it all comes the steadfast voice of a man on a mission, providing an evocative, detailed, and passionate recounting of where that mission led him and why - as well as why, to this day, he remains ready to serve"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Crawley, John,.; United States. Marine Corps; Irish Republican Army; Illegal arms transfers; Marines; Revolutionaries; Terrorists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The astronaut wives club : a true story / by Koppel, Lily,author.;
"As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons. Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was proclaimed JFK's favorite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived on base with a secret. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, meeting regularly to provide support and friendship. Many became next-door neighbors and helped to raise each other's children by day, while going to glam parties at night. As their celebrity rose-and as divorce and tragic death began to touch their lives-they continued to rally together, and the wives have now been friends for more than fifty years. THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history"--
Subjects: Astronautics; Astronauts' spouses; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare [videorecording] / by Amel, Arash,screenwriter.; Bruckheimer, Jerry,film producer.; Cavill, Henry,1983-actor.; González, Eiza,1990-actor.; Johnson, Eric,screenwriter.; Lewis, Damien,author.; Pettyfer, Alex,1990-actor.; Ritchie, Guy,film director,screenwriter.; Ritchson, Alan,1984-actor.; Tamasy, Paul,screenwriter.; motion picture adaptation of (work):Lewis, Damien.Churchill's secret warriors.; Lions Gate Films (Santa Monica, Calif.),publisher.;
Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza Gonzalez, Babs Olusanmokun, Cary Elwes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding, Til Schweiger, Freddie Fox.British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials hatch a daring plan to neutralize Hitler's fleet of German U-boats during World War II. Made up of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, the top-secret combat unit uses unconventional techniques to battle the Nazis and change the course of the war.Canadian Home Video Rating: 14A.MPAA rating: R.Described video for the blind and visually impaired.Subtitled for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH).DVD ; wide screen presentation ; Dolby Digital 5.1.
Subjects: Video recordings for the hearing impaired.; Video recordings for people with visual disabilities.; Action and adventure films.; Comedy films.; Feature films.; War films.; Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965; Great Britain. Special Operations Executive; World War, 1939-1945; Special forces (Military science);
For private home use only.
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare [videorecording] / by Amel, Arash,screenwriter.; Bruckheimer, Jerry,film producer.; Cavill, Henry,1983-actor.; González, Eiza,1990-actor.; Johnson, Eric,screenwriter.; Lewis, Damien,author.; Pettyfer, Alex,1990-actor.; Ritchie, Guy,film director,screenwriter.; Ritchson, Alan,1984-actor.; Tamasy, Paul,screenwriter.; motion picture adaptation of (work):Lewis, Damien.Churchill's secret warriors.; Lions Gate Films (Santa Monica, Calif.),publisher.;
Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza Gonzalez, Babs Olusanmokun, Cary Elwes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding, Til Schweiger, Freddie Fox.British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials hatch a daring plan to neutralize Hitler's fleet of German U-boats during World War II. Made up of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, the top-secret combat unit uses unconventional techniques to battle the Nazis and change the course of the war.Canadian Home Video Rating: 14A.MPAA rating: R.Described video for the blind and visually impaired.Subtitled for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH).Blu-ray disc (requires Blu-ray player for playback) ; anamorphic wide screen format (2.39:1 aspect ratio) ; Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 5.1.
Subjects: Video recordings for the hearing impaired.; Video recordings for people with visual disabilities.; Action and adventure films.; Comedy films.; Feature films.; War films.; Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965; Great Britain. Special Operations Executive; World War, 1939-1945; Special forces (Military science);
For private home use only.
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The character edge : leading and winning with integrity / by Caslen, Robert L.,Jr.,1953-author.; Matthews, Michael D.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The former superintendent at West Point and a psychologist explain why all successful leaders rely on a foundation of strong character. Among the most successful leaders throughout history-from Abe Lincoln to Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi to Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr. to Nelson Mandela-some were brilliant mathematicians and economists, others were creative visionaries, still others were masterful at strategic planning. Their mastery of their field wasn't the secret to their highly effective leadership. All of their skill, grit, resilience, charisma, and courage emanated from one thing: their strength of character. Character-the moral values and habits of an individual-is in the spotlight now more than perhaps at any other point in modern history. Politicians distort facts. Corporations cheat customers and investors. Athletes are caught using illegal supplements. In addition to harming our culture at large, these failures of character have a profound and undermining impact on leadership. The authors of this book are experts on the value of character, its correlation with successful leadership, and how to build it in individuals and prospective leaders. General Robert L. Caslen, Jr. served the US Army for over 43 years and served as Superintendent at the US Military Academy at West Point. Psychologist Dr. Michael D. Matthews is a Professor of Engineering Psychology at West Point who has focused on the psychology of character for years. Together they witnessed firsthand that raw talent is not enough to stand on its own; successful leadership relies on the critical foundation of a strong character. In The Character Edge they leverage their perspectives to offer an empowering, story-driven argument-backed by the latest scientific research-that character is vital to success. They give readers the tools to build and sustain character in themselves and their organizations by testing readers' strengths of the gut, head and heart and teaching how to build trust and nurture the seeds of character"--
Subjects: Character.; Executive ability.; Integrity.; Leadership.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Napoleon : a life / by Zamoyski, Adam,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 671-728) and index."The definitive biography of Napoleon, revealing the true man behind the legend. The story of Napoleon has been written many times. In some versions, he is a military genius, in others a war-obsessed tyrant. Here, historian Adam Zamoyski cuts through the mythology and explains Napoleon against the background of the European Enlightenment, and what he was himself seeking to achieve. This most famous of men is also the most hidden of men, and Zamoyski dives deeper than any previous biographer to find him. Beautifully written, Napoleon brilliantly sets the man in his European context." --
Subjects: Biographies.; Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821.; France. Armée; Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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