Showing titles in History

In these stormy times, loud voices from all fronts call for revolution and change. But what kind of revolution brings true freedom to both society and the human soul? Cultural observer Os Guinness explores the nature of revolutionary faith, contrasting between secular revolutions such as the French Revolution and the faith-led revolution of ancient Israel.

In the early 1980s on a remote part of the Sudanese coast, a new luxury holiday resort opened for business. Catering for divers, it attracted guests from around the world. Little did the holidaymakers know that the staff were undercover spies, working for the Mossad - the Israeli secret service. Providing a front for covert night-time activities, the holiday village allowed the agents to carry out an operation unlike any seen before. What began with one cryptic message pleading for help, turned into the secret evacuation of thousands of Ethiopian Jews....

In this biography of Maimonides, the medieval philosopher, physician, and religious thinker, Alberto Manguel examines the question of his universal appeal. Moses ben Maimon, or Maimonides (1138–1204), was born in Córdoba, Spain. The gifted son of a judge and mathematician, Maimonides fled Córdoba with his family when he was thirteen due to Almohad persecution of all non-Islamic faiths. Forced into a long exile, the family spent a decade in Spain before settling in Morocco. From there, Maimonides traveled to Palestine and Egypt, where he died at Saladin’s court.

Although the area had fallen under the dominion of Rome in the first century BCE, it was still a Jewish Kingdom under the Herodian dynasty. The author draws on Christian, Greek, Jewish, and Roman sources to present life in Jerusalem, Judea, and the Galilee, including quotes from scripture, rabbinic sources, and the works of the Alexandrian philosopher Philo and the historian Josephus. Sketches of Jewish Social Life is highly regarded as an authoritative work of history.

'An engrossing tale of cruel prejudice and resilience' - The Times 'A stunning account of a dark history . . . magnificent' - The Irish Times 'Fascinating' - The Spectator 'Important and timely' - The Telegraph 'Splendid . . . hard to rival' - Literary Review A sweeping, riveting history of the...

In the Bible Elijah is a zealous prophet, attacking idolatry and injustice, championing God. He performs miracles, restoring life and calling down fire. When his earthly life ends, he vanishes in a whirlwind, carried off to heaven in a fiery chariot. Was this a spectacular death, or did Elijah escape death entirely? The latter view prevailed. Though residing in heaven, Elijah revisits earth—to help, rescue, enlighten, and eventually herald the Messiah.

Helmi’s Shadow tells the sweeping true story of two Russian Jewish refugees, a mother (Rachel Koskin) and her daughter (Helmi). With determination and courage, they survived decades of hardship in the hidden corners of war-torn Asia and then journeyed across the Pacific at the end of the Second World War to become United States citizens after seeking safe harbor in the unlikely western desert town of Reno, Nevada. This compelling narrative is also a memoir, told lovingly by Helmi’s son, David, of growing up under the wings of these strong women in an unusual American family.

In a memorable scene from Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List, viewers the world over witnessed the clandestine marriage of two Jews in the Płaszów concentration camp: Joseph and Rebecca Bau. At once a tale of horror and beauty, Bau: Artist at War is one man’s memoir of a miracle: the bloom of love in the depths of a Nazi concentration camp. In his painstaking prose, Joseph Bau also shares his experience of other wartime traumas—the bombing of Kraków, the brutality of the ghetto, the harsh last days at Oskar Schindler’s factory—with surprising wit and irony.

Why did Jews become devoted Democrats, and why did the Democrats turn on them? For the past 100 years, Jews have famously been at the forefront of every liberal cause in America. They were overrepresented in the Civil Rights Movement, in the Labor movement, the pro-choice movement, and the LGBT...

The poignant, searching, haunting story of one family’s entanglement with twentieth-century history AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ‘Intensely involving … a fervent meditation on love and loss, with a remarkable cast of characters’ Financial Times ‘Rich, intriguing … Maybe Esther calls...

Less a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept... Using new technology, recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team—led by an obsessed retired FBI agent—has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who...

Step into the gripping tension of ancient Jewish history as ordinary citizens survive the crushing weight of Roman rule. Perfect for your daily commute, this immersive historical journey bypasses emperors to focus on the shopkeepers, priests, and refugees who watched their world fracture. Feel...

The breathtaking memoir by a member of "Nicky's family", a group of 669 Czechoslovakian children who escaped the Holocaust through Sir Nicholas Winton's Kindertransport project. My Train to Freedom relates the trials and achievements of award-winning humanitarian and former Episcopal priest Ivan Backer.

Bloomsbury presents The Secret War Against Hate by Steven J. Ross, read by John Moraitis From the author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Hitler in Los Angeles, the definitive story of the intrepid activists and spies who fought against a resurgent movement of hate in America—a book that "should be...

“A great leap forward in understanding and contextualizing Mary’s life, after two millennia of her being dismissed and rewritten by patriarchal power structures.” James Cameron A world-renowned historian of early Christianity and ancient Judaism lifts the veil on the life of Mary –...

Bondi Terror tells the story of the deadliest terror attack in Australian history - in gripping, minute-by-minute detail. The attack would leave 15 people dead, including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, and dozens more severely wounded. Bondi Terror reconstructs the...

As part of the major heritage interview program conducted in 2006 by the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA) in collaboration with the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, Roman Polanski recorded his account of his childhood in Poland during the war. It was while writing that he remembered asking his father, in 1973, to write his memoirs. He recently rediscovered this account, which he had never read before. It now forms the second part of this unique book, Letters to My Son by Ryszard Polanski.

A deeply moving and intimate story that reveals how the ravages of history that tore one family apart echo across continents nearly a century later. "A memoir which ranks alongside The Hare with Amber Eyes."—The Times (London) "Brilliant."—The Economist Sorting through papers and photographs...

‘A truly major work, both deeply moving and incredibly powerful. A masterpiece of research, structure and writing . . . unforgettable’ – Sir Antony Beevor, bestselling author of Stalingrad 'Painful, profound, prescient . . . a magisterial work' – Sonia Purnell, internationally...

April 7, 1944 - This date marks the successful escape of two Slovak prisoners from one of the most heavily-guarded and notorious concentration camps of Nazi Germany. The escapees, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, fled over 100 miles to be the first to give the graphic and detailed descriptions of the atrocities of Auschwitz. Originally published in the early 1960s, I Escaped from Auschwitz is the striking autobiography of none other than Rudolf Vrba himself. Vrba details his life leading up to, during, and after his escape from his 21-month internment in Auschwitz.