It is January of 1879. While three columns of British soldiers and their African allies cross the uMzinyathi River to commence the invasion of the Zulu Kingdom, a handful of redcoats from B Company, 2/24th Regiment are left to guard the centre column's supply depot at Rorke's Drift. On the morning of 22 January, the main camp at Isandlwana, just ten miles to the east, comes under attack from the entire Zulu army and is utterly destroyed. Four thousand warriors from King Cetshwayo's elite Undi Corps remained in reserve and were denied any chance to take part in the fighting. Led by Prince Dabulamanzi, they disobey the king's orders and cross into British Natal, seeking their share in triumph and spoils. They soon converge on Rorke's Drift; an easy prize, with its paltry force of 150 redcoats to be readily swept aside. Upon hearing of the disaster at Isandlwana, and with retreat impossible, the tiny British garrison readies to receive the coming onslaught. Leading them is Lieutenant John Chard, a newly-arrived engineer officer with no actual combat experience. Aiding him is B Company's previously undistinguished officer commanding, Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, along with 24-year old Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne, and a retired soldier-turned civilian volunteer named James Dalton. Unbeknownst to either the British or the Zulus, half of the centre column, under Lord Chelmsford's direct command, was not even at Isandlwana, but fifteen miles further east, at Mangeni Falls. However, with a huge Zulu force of over twenty-thousand warriors between them and the drift, their ammunition and ration stores taken or destroyed, and an impossible distance to cover, Chelmsford's battered column cannot possibly come to the depot's aid, and must look to their own survival. The defenders of Rorke's Drift stand alone.

It is December 1878 and war looms on the horizon in South Africa. British High Commissioner Sir Henry Bartle-Frere and Lt. General Frederic Augustus Thesiger, Baron Chelmsford seek to dismantle the powerful neighbouring kingdom of the Zulus. He and Frere are convinced that a quick victory over the Zulus will negate any repercussions from the home government for launching what is, in essence, an illegal war. Using an incursion along the disputed border as justification for war, Frere issues an ultimatum to the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, demanding he disband his armies and pay reparations. The king prepares his nation for war against their former allies. Recently arrived to South Africa are newly-recruited Privates Arthur Wilkinson and Richard Lowe; members of C Company, 1/24th Regiment of Foot. Eager for adventure, they are prepared to do their duty both for the Empire and for their friends. As Frere's ultimatum expires, the army of British redcoats and allied African auxiliaries crosses the uMzinyathi River into Zululand. Ten days later, the British and Zulus will meet their destiny at the base of a mountain called Isandlwana.

Make Every Step Count on Your Leadership Journey How did American Military leaders in the brutal POW camps of North Vietnam inspire their followers for six, seven, or eight years to remain committed to the mission, resist a cruel enemy, and return home with honor? What leadership principles engendered such extreme devotion, perseverance, and teamwork? In this powerful and practical book, Lee Ellis, a former Air Force pilot, candidly talks about his five and a half years of captivity and the fourteen key leadership principles behind this amazing story. As a successful executive coach and corporate consultant, he helps leaders of Fortune 500 companies, healthcare executives, small business owners, and entrepreneurs utilize these same pressure-tested principles to increase their personal and organizational success. In Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, you will learn: - an approximately 250-word description of the book as you'd like to see posted online, keeping in mind that this should be enticing to consumers ? ? ? Courageous lessons from POW leaders facing torture in the crucible of captivity. How successful teams are applying these same lessons and principles. How to implement these lessons using the Coaching sessions provided in each chapter. In the book's Foreword, Senator John McCain states, "In Leading with Honor, Lee draws from the POW experience, including some of his own personal story, to illustrate the crucial impact of leadership on the success of any organization. He highlights lessons and principles that can be applied to every leadership situation." This book is ideal for individual or group study as a personal development, coaching, human resource development, or executive training resource.

In late January 1879, following news of the terrible disaster to befall British forces at Isandlwana, Colonel Henry Evelyn Wood, commanding officer of the northern No. 4 Column, withdraws his forces to Khambula, near the Natal and Transvaal borders. Adding to their woes, the southern No. 1 Column finds itself trapped under siege at the abandoned mission station of Eshowe. The General Officer Commanding, Lord Chelmsford, orders Wood to continue harassing the Zulus, keeping the pressure off their central and southern forces while he rallies reinforcements to relieve Eshowe. In light of the disaster at Isandlwana, Wood knows he must temper aggression with caution, as he does not have the numbers necessary to face the entire Zulu amabutho.Facing the British in the north are the semi-autonomous abaQulusi tribe and their venerable ally, an exiled Swazi prince named Mbilini. A master of guerrilla warfare, Mbilini harries the British invaders relentlessly while awaiting reinforcements from the Zulu king, Cetshwayo. Fifty miles to the east, at the royal kraal of Ulundi, Cetshwayo's triumphant albeit terribly bloodied regiments return home to take in the harvest following their victory at Isandlwana. The king's subsequent overtures of peace are soundly rebuffed by Lord Chelmsford, and he knows he must soon summon his regiments once again. With shouts of 'We are the boys of Isandlwana!' the Zulus turn their attention north, seeking to join with Mbilini and send another British invasion column to oblivion.

This timely and expansive biography of Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian writer, Nobel laureate, and social activist, shows how the author's early years influence his life's work and how his writing, in turn, informs his political engagement. Three sections spanning his life, major texts, and place in history, connect Soyinka's legacy with global issues beyond the borders of his own country, and indeed beyond the African continent. Covering his encounters with the widespread rise of kleptocratic rule and international corporate corruption, his reflection on the human condition of the North-South divide, and the consequences of postcolonialism, this comprehensive biography locates Wole Soyinka as a global figure whose life and works have made him a subject of conversation in the public sphere, as well as one of Africa's most successful and popular authors. Looking at the different forms of Soyinka's work--plays, novels, and memoirs, among others--this volume argues that Soyinka used writing to inform, mobilize, and sometimes incite civil action, in a decades-long attempt at literary social engineering.