This famous and important book was first published in 1962. With disarming modesty, the author describes it as 'a book by an Englishman, in part based on German documents, on the fall of the Fascist government in Italy.' It is, but such downbeat words give no idea of the monumental scale of the narrative. In detail, the decline and fall of the Fascist regime in Italy is chronicled leading to the dramatic downfall of Mussolini himself in July, 1943. The narrative then traces Mussolini's return to power as head of the puppet satellite Nazi republic in the North after his abduction from internment by SS paratroopers in September, and then follows the dictator's fate through the final six hundred days of the final disintegration of Fascism. 'The Brutal Friendship massive, impersonal and enthralling, is not only an important contribution to recent history, but an example of how to write it.' John Hale, Sunday Telgraph 'This is a very fine piece of writing and . . . it makes enthralling reading.' Times Literary Supplement

In A Brutal Friendship, Said K. Aburish traces the true origins of the region's present turmoil to the manner in which corrupt Arab rulers have subordinated the welfare of their subjects to their cultivation of cozy relationships with the West. Using direct evidence from his unrivaled range of Arab sources, he describes how the West -- mostly the CIA -- sponsored Islamic fundamentalism in the 1950s and '60s in an effort to contain Nasser and thwart Soviet designs on the region, how American and British leaders have turned a blind eye to repressive governments when they suit their interests (and toppled them when they do not), and how it is these very machinations that set Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on his bloody road to power.

"A loving testament to the work and reward of the best friendships, the kind where your arms can’t distinguish burden from embrace.” — People New York Times Bestselling author Ann Patchett’s first work of nonfiction chronicling her decades-long friendship with the critically acclaimed and recently deceased author, Lucy Grealy. Ann Patchett and the late Lucy Grealy met in college in 1981, and, after enrolling in the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, began a friendship that would be as defining to both of their lives as their work. In Gealy's critically acclaimed and hugely successful memoir, Autobiography of a Face, she wrote about losing part of her jaw to childhood cancer, years of chemotherapy and radiation, and endless reconstructive surgeries. In Truth & Beauty, the story isn't Lucy's life or Ann's life, but the parts of their lives they shared together. This is a portrait of unwavering commitment that spans twenty years, from the long cold winters of the Midwest, to surgical wards, to book parties in New York. Through love, fame, drugs, and despair, this is what it means to be part of two lives that are intertwined...and what happens when one is left behind. This is a tender, brutal book about loving the person we cannot save. It is about loyalty and being uplifted by the sheer effervescence of someone who knew how to live life to the fullest.

"Once upon a time, Alex Abramovich and Trevor Latham were mortal enemies: miniature outlaws in a Long Island elementary school, perpetually at each other's throats. Then they lost track of each other. Decades later, when they met again, Abramovich was a writer and Latham had become president of the East Bay Rats, a motorcycle club in Oakland... As Trevor, the Rats, and the city they live in careen between crises and moments of renaissance, Abramovich explores issues of friendship, family, history, and destiny--and looks at what happens when those things fail."--

In Friendship and Politics in Post-Revolutionary France, Sarah Horowitz brings together the political and cultural history of post-revolutionary France to illuminate how French society responded to and recovered from the upheaval of the French Revolution. The Revolution led to a heightened sense of distrust and divided the nation along ideological lines. In the wake of the Terror, many began to express concerns about the atomization of French society. Friendship, though, was regarded as one bond that could restore trust and cohesion. Friends relied on each other to serve as confidants; men and women described friendship as a site of both pleasure and connection. Because trust and cohesion were necessary to the functioning of post-revolutionary parliamentary life, politicians turned to friends and ideas about friendship to create this solidarity. Relying on detailed analyses of politicians’ social networks, new tools arising from the digital humanities, and examinations of behind-the-scenes political transactions, Horowitz makes clear the connection between politics and emotions in the early nineteenth century, and she reevaluates the role of women in political life by showing the ways in which the personal was the political in the post-revolutionary era.

'MY BEST FRIEND IS A GODDESS IS A SINCERELY SWEET AND SERIOUSLY SMART STORY WITH A LOT OF HEART!' -- Danielle Binks - YA author and reviewer Sixteen-year-old Emily and Adriana have been besties since Year One. Way back when Adriana had a gap between her teeth and was super skinny. Emily wasn't any less awkward looking, and ever since they've stuck together on the social sidelines. But when Adriana returns during Year 10, after having spent eighteen months overseas, she has gone from awkward to AMAZING. As in utter goddess. Thankfully, Adriana is no different on the inside. She's still the same best friend Emily knows and loves. But Emily just wishes that one guy, any guy, would want to get to know her for a reason other than being Adriana's best friend. Cue Theo ... Two best friends crushing on one very cute guy ... someone's going to get their heart broken. MORE PRAISE FOR MY BEST FRIEND IS A GODDESS 'My Best Friend is a Goddess is a sincerely sweet and seriously smart story with a lot of heart! It's a wonderful book for young girls in particular; a reminder that they are more than the sum of their parts, and encouraging them to celebrate their complexities by rejecting the labels that other people want to put on them and their bodies'-- Danielle Binks - YA author and reviewer 'Scary-relatable ... like seriously, has a piece of fiction ever hit this close to home? Author Tara Eglington just *knows* about girl stuff. And bestie stuff. And boy stuff. Grab a comfy spot (preferably right beside the pool) and get stuck in ...'-- Girlfriend Magazine 'Tara Eglington perfectly captures the intensity, humour and heartache of female friendship' -- Lili Wilkinson, bestselling author of Green Valentine 'Tara weaves the joy and angst of teenage friendship into an addictive read' -- Saray Ayoub, acclaimed author of Hate Is Such a Strong Word and The Yearbook Committee 'I think that this is an important book that everyone should read. It teaches you that things in life don't always stay the same' -- Mollie the Reader Blog, 5 star review