Biography & Autobiography : Historical

In June 2002, journalists throughout the world began to hear of the gang rape of a Pakistani woman from the impoverished village of Meerwala. The rape was ordered by a local clan known as the Mastoi and was arranged as punishment for indiscretions allegedly committed by the woman's brother. While certainly not the first account of a female body being negotiated for honor in a family, and (sadly) not the last, journalists and activists were captivated. This time the survivor had chosen to fight back, and in doing so, single-handedly changed the feminist movement in Pakistan. Her name was Mukhtar Mai, and her decision to stand up to her accusers was an act of bravery unheard of in one of the world's most adverse climates for women. By July 2002, Mai's case was headline news in Pakistan and under international scrutiny, the government awarded her the equivalent of 8,500 U.S. dollars in compensation money (a historic settlement), and her attackers were sentenced to death. Mukhtar Mai went on to open a school for girls in an effort to ensure that future generations would not suffer, as she had, from illiteracy. In this rousing account, Mai describes her experience and how she has since become an agent for change and a beacon of hope for oppressed women around the world. Timely and topical, In the Name of Honor is the remarkable and inspirational memoir of a woman who fought and triumphed against exceptional odds. more...

Price: $11.99

William N Fenton (1908-2005), was a scholar who shaped Iroquois studies and modern anthropology in America. This memoir takes us from his ancestors' lives in the Conewango Valley in western New York to his education at Yale. It is also a testament to the importance of anthropology and a reminder of how much the field has changed over the years. more...

Price: $55.00

“ A master of the story form” (The New York Times) offers a fresh, revealing portrait of the legendary saint. Celebrated novelist Mary Gordon brings Joan of Arc alive as a complex figure full of contradictions and desires, as well as spiritual devotion. A humble peasant girl, Joan transformed herself into the legendary Maid of Orléans, knight, martyr, and saint. Following the voice of God, she led an army to victory and crowned the king of France, only to be captured and burned at the stake as a heretic—all by the age of nineteen. Gordon does more than tell this gripping story—she explores Joan’s mystery and the many facets of her inspiring life. more...

Price: $14.00

The illustrated book covers all Kings and Queens of England from. the first Anglo-Saxon Kings to the current queen, Elizabeth II. It describes. how the Crown changed hands as a result of conquest and how the Crown has battled. Parliament. Audience. Intended for everyone interested in History of England. Features.:.; Fully illustrated.; Search for words or phrases.; Navigate from Table of Contents or read page by page.; Add Bookmarks.; Text annotation and mark-up.; Always have the guide available for a quick reference.; Designed for optimal navigation on PDA, Smartphone, Tablet, and desktop devices.; Formatted to display on all electronic devices including Smartphones and Mobile Devices with a small display.; Automatic synchronization between the handheld and the desktop PC. You. could read half of the book on the handheld, then finish reading on the desktop. Annotations and drawings are also synchronized. Table of Contents. The Anglo-Saxons (871-1016):. Alfred the Great (871-899) | Edward the Elder (899-924) | Ethelweard (924) |. Athelstan (924-939) | Edmund the Magnificent (939-946) | Edred (946-955) | Edwy. the Fair (955-959) | Edgar the Peaceable (959-975) | Edward the Martyr (975-978). | Ethrelred the Unready (978-1013, 1014-1016) | Edmund Ironside (1016). The Danes (1016-1042): Sweyn Haraldssen (1013-1014) | Canute. the Great (1014, 1016-1035) | Harold Harefoot (1035-1040) | Harthacanute (1035-1037,. 1040-1042). The Anglo-Saxons, again (1042-1066): Edward the Confessor (1042-1066). | Harold Godwinson (1066) | Edgar Atheling (1066). The Normans (1066-1154): William. I (1066-1087) | William II (1087-1100) | Henry I (1100-1135) | Stephen (1135-1141,. 1141-1154) | Matilda (or Maud) (1141). The Plantagenets (1154-1399): Henry II (1154-1189) | Richard. I (1189-1199) | John (1199-1216) | Henry III (1216-1272) | Edward I (1272-1307). | Edward II (1307-1327) | Edward III (1327-1377) | Richard II (1377-1399). The House of Lancaster (1399-1461, 1470-1471): Henry IV (1399- more...

Price: $9.99

For almost forty years, the verdict on Lyndon Johnson's presidency has been reduced to a handful of harsh words: tragedy, betrayal, lost opportunity. Initially, historians focused on the Vietnam War and how that conflict derailed liberalism, tarnished the nation's reputation, wasted lives, and eventually even led to Watergate. More recently, Johnson has been excoriated in more personal terms: as a player of political hardball, as the product of machine-style corruption, as an opportunist, as a cruel husband and boss. In LBJ, Randall B. Woods, a distinguished historian of twentieth-century America and a son of Texas, offers a wholesale reappraisal and sweeping, authoritative account of the LBJ who has been lost under this baleful gaze. Woods understands the political landscape of the American South and the differences between personal failings and political principles. Thanks to the release of thousands of hours of LBJ's White House tapes, along with the declassification of tens of thousands of documents and interviews with key aides, Woods's LBJ brings crucial new evidence to bear on many key aspects of the man and the politician. As private conversations reveal, Johnson intentionally exaggerated his stereotype in many interviews, for reasons of both tactics and contempt. It is time to set the record straight. Woods's Johnson is a flawed but deeply sympathetic character. He was born into a family with a liberal Texas tradition of public service and a strong belief in the public good. He worked tirelessly, but not just for the sake of ambition. His approach to reform at home, and to fighting fascism and communism abroad, was motivated by the same ideals and based on a liberal Christian tradition that is often forgotten today. Vietnam turned into a tragedy, but it was part and parcel of Johnson's commitment to civil rights and antipoverty reforms. LBJ offers a fascinating new history of the political upheavals of the 1960s and a new way to unde more...

Price: $24.99