From the author of Harry's Game - A Sunday Times '100 best crime novels and thrillers since 1945' pick Peter Holt, a young diplomat, witnesses the horrific murder of his fiance and the British Ambassador within days of a new posting to the Soviet Union. The report of the murder lands on the desk of a British Intelligence officer who suspects Palestinian involvement, althought the Russians insist that it was not a terrorist attack. The British government are determined to extract revenge and Holt is the only man able to identify the assassin. He is sent to the Lebanon and the perilous Beqa'a Valley, which serves as a stronghold for the most extreme guerilla groups. Unauthorised access to the valley is virtually impossible, and capture by the Syrian Army would result in torture and death. His only company is Noah Crane, an Israeli expert sniper, who acts as his mentor and guide. But when Syrian Intelligence learn of their presence, their cover is blown. And now it is too late to turn back.

"The time is June 1940. Nazi panzer divisions are churning across northern Europe, leaving ruin and demoralization in their wake. A British commando team sneaks into Amsterdam, and right under the nose of the advance units of the Wehrmacht steals the Dutch crown treasure from the Royal Palace and prepares to whisk it back to the safety of England."--Back cover.

The son of a World War I veteran, Charles Granquist was 17 when war was declared with Germany in 1939. He lied about his age, joined the infantry and was sent to Egypt. Like so many other young men at the time, Granquist did not know what to expect. All he really cared about was doing his duty and serving his country. He never even contemplated his chances of becoming a prisoner of war - he was there to fight and take prisoners. Captured by the Germans in Greece, Granquist was determined to continue carrying the war to his captors "any way I could." In his memoir, A Long Way Home, he describes his shame at becoming a POW and how he believed he had failed himself, his mates and as a soldier. He orchestrated a remarkable five escape attempts, all of which ended unsuccessfully. Yet Charles refused to give up, determined to fulfil his duty as an Aussie Digger and make his own small contribution to the war effort. His story takes the reader on the rollercoaster of escape, recapture and 196 days of solitary confinement before his eventual return home with his Russian war bride. Granquist' s account of his wartime experiences adds another important chapter to the story of World War II POWs, while showcasing the spirit, humour, persistence and ingenuity expected of an Aussie Digger. A Long Way Home is tribute to one veteran's spirit and the mateship he still holds so dear today.

“A moving, beautifully-written tale… Rachel Cox has produced a masterpiece of storytelling, infused with romance, danger, adventure, humor, and heartbreaking loss. It is, hands down, the best description of the transformation of untested young men into soldiers that I have ever read.” — Lynne Olson, New York Times Bestselling Author of Last Hope Island The untold story of five young American friends who left the ivory towers at Harvard and Dartmouth to take on Rommel's Panzers under the blazing sun of North Africa. In the spring of 1941, with Europe consumed by war and occupation, Britain stood alone against the Nazi menace. The United States remained wary of joining the costly and destructive conflict. But for five extraordinary young Americans, the global threat of fascism was too great to ignore. Six months before Pearl Harbor, these courageous idealists left their promising futures behind to join the beleaguered British Army. Fighting as foreigners, they were shipped off to join the Desert Rats, the 7th Armoured Division of the British Eighth Army, who were battling Field Marshal Rommel’s panzer division. The Yanks would lead antitank and machine-gun platoons into combat at the Second Battle of El Alamein, the twelve-day epic of tank warfare that would ultimately turn the tide for the Allies. A fitting tribute to five men whose commitment to freedom transcended national boundaries, Into Dust and Fire is a gripping true tale of idealism, courage, camaraderie, sacrifice, and heroism. INCLUDES PHOTOS

The white privilege phenomenon arguably began when European countries started to colonize Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. White privilege is built on the twin towers of European colonizers exploiting their colonies’ human resources and stealing their natural resources to build up their ill-gotten wealth. Structured into their system, white privilege perpetuates white supremacy. Horrible examples of white privilege are mentioned to show how white people dehumanized races in their colonies and stole their natural resources. White privilege continues today in many parts of the world in various ways. White privilege is a heresy because it is anti-Bible. It is blind to the fact that the iniquities of the colonizing fathers live on today in the very structures and systems governing the world. It is an apostasy because it clearly denies the doctrine that all humans are created in God’s image. White Privilege in Transition is a frank assessment of the damage white privilege has done. In a persuasive, nonjudgmental way, this work invites practitioners of white privilege to accept the fact that competition and survival today take place on a level playing field.

From award-winning author Deborah Heiligman comes Torpedoed, a true account of the attack and sinking of the passenger ship SS City of Benares, which was evacuating children from England during WWII. Amid the constant rain of German bombs and the escalating violence of World War II, British parents by the thousands chose to send their children out of the country: the wealthy, independently; the poor, through a government relocation program called CORB. In September 1940, passenger liner SS City of Benares set sail for Canada with one hundred children on board. When the war ships escorting the Benares departed, a German submarine torpedoed what became known as the Children's Ship. Out of tragedy, ordinary people became heroes. This is their story. This title has Common Core connections.