Anthony~ Exciting titles from our Non-Fiction table
I hope this blog will point you in the right direction for some really interesting non-fiction titles that we have in store.
The Normans: Power, Conquest & Culture in 11th-Century Europe by Judith A. Green
The cover of this volume is what captured my attention at first: the artwork of the Byzantian tapestry, instantly brought back memories of studying William the Conquer and the battle of Hastings at school. Judith A. Green tells the story of the Norman Dynasty through a different lens, exploring this rich and complex part of European history. She also looks at their personal family lives, dynastic relationships, and the important role women played in such a masculine world.
The Ticket Collector from Belarus: An extraordinary true story of the holocaust and Britain’s only war crimes trial by Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson
This extraordinary story is the real-life story of two childhood friends, whose lives are interwoven, both end up on different sides of World War II: one ends up in Israel, and the other becomes a British rail ticket collector. I didn’t know that there was only ever one war crime trial in Britain, and the fact that it was kept so quiet. Mike Anderson dives deep into this complex and extraordinary story. It’s on my to-be-read pile and I’m really looking forward to it.
The Black Joke: The True Story of one British Ship’s Battle against the slave trade by A.E. Rooks
This book brings you the remarkable history of the Black Joke, one of the British’s ships that help bring about the abolishion of slavery. This really caught my eye, just because I (shamefully) know very little about this time and I am always interested in learning more. This is an extraordinary and very compellingly-told story. There are illustrations of the various captains, ship designs, and documentation. If you would like to further your understanding of this part of history - both as a reckoning with slavery, abolition, and as a lesson about the power of political will or the lack thereof - then this is the book for you.
The Spy Master of Baghdad: The Untold story of the elite intelligence cell that turned the tide against ISIS by Margaret Coker
A powerful true story of the top-secret Iraqi intelligence unit that infiltrated the Islamic State. Margaret Coker looks at the personal stories of those involved with defeating ISIS. She approaches from all sides: from the spymaster’s struggle to develop the unit, to two of his agents – the Al-Sudani brothers, whose relationship is fraught. One is undercover, the other is his handler. Coker challenges the conventional views that Western Coalition Forces defeated ISIS. This is a real page-turner story of unlikely heroes, great courage, and good-old fashion spy-craft. I have a good feeling about this one.
You can request these titles here.