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Band of Brothers - truly inspiring. Advantages: Compelling true story, well written. Disadvantages: None Highly detailed account of the wartime experiences of a group of soldiers from the 101st Airborne's Easy Company. The book's very accessible style (it even includes maps at the front) and its highly compelling subject matter combine to make this an extremely worthwhile read. The inclusion of photographs in the book helps to remind the reader that this is a TRUE story, rather than just a TV show (which was also excellent). Especially striking is the ... ...though I won't elaborate as it would spoil the book if you haven't read it (or seen the TV series). Personally, I couldn't put this book down. The shattering, heart-rending journey these men go through over the course of 307 pages makes this book (for me) the ultimate page-turner. It left me with a sense of gratitude at the sacrifices and hardships these men went through, whilst feeling inspired that they still retained their friendship and humanity. ... louie_gee_gee 22.11.2008 · Read full review Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose	Degree of Information How interesting was the... How useful was it? Would you read it again? Value for money
How we used to treat the 'mad' Advantages: Interesting if grim insight into how the mentally afflicted were treated in ages past Disadvantages: None really, for those interested in the subject At the very least, this book is a salutary reminder that every time we read or hear anything about mental health issues, or care in the community, our ancestors used to talk about madness and disease – the two often being inseparable. For hundreds of years, even less than a century ago, people suffering from no more than acute depression were treatedin 'hospital' (I use the terms advisedly) in a manner which sounds horrific today. The illustration ... ...Hogarth's 18th-century series The Rake's Progress, says much about prevailing attitudes and perception at the time. A debtor, his head shaved, is incarcerated and surrounded by a crowd of gaolers and keepers while other unfortunate souls look on. People suffering from what the French called la maladie anglaise were regarded as freaks, little better than criminals. They were dumped in London's Bethlehem Hospital, alias Bedlam, founded in 1247, where ... JOHNV 06.12.2009 · Read full review Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bedlam - Catharine Arnold	Degree of Information How interesting was the... How useful was it? Would you read it again? Value for money
She became an MP - even with that hair, Lady Astor Advantages: Well-written, extremely interesting, and the author comes across as genuinely likeable Disadvantages: None Who could resist a title like that? And is this some lesser-known Shirley Williams, a former librarian or something? The answer is no. So why the title? Shirley Catlin, as she was born, tells us in the early pages of this memoir that during her childhood her father encouraged her to climb the bookshelves in their Chelsea house, right up to the ceiling. It was a secret between the two of them, as her mother, Testament of Youth Author Vera Brittain, ... ...Apart from Margaret Thatcher and Barbara Castle, Shirley Williams was probably the best-known female politician in Britain of her generation. She recalls her early childhood in the years before the Second World War, and her evacuation to America – where she might have become a child star, in the running for the leading role in the film National Velvet, had she not been beaten to it by Elizabeth Taylor. Yet politics was always in her blood. Her father, ... JOHNV 25.11.2009 · Read full review Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Climbing the Bookshelves: The Autobiography of Shirley Williams - Shirley Williams	Degree of Information How interesting was the... How useful was it? Would you read it again? Value for money
A fascinating history of a very rough trade Advantages: A very interesting book about an important part of British history Disadvantages: The specific details about Bristol will not be of interest to all readers The Trade What is this book about? In short, this book tells the story of the part Bristol played in the transatlantic slave trade. Bristol benefitted hugely from the so-called triangular trade, whereby manufactured goods, weapons, cloth and so on were shipped from Bristol mainly to the west coast of Africa, slaves were taken from Africa to the America’s and the Caribbean and sugar, tobacco and rum were taken from these locations back to Bristol. ... ...there (and partly still is). The slave trade made Bristol – and a small number of Bristolians – rich, although very few slaves were ever seen in Bristol. The book is not purely about Bristol and other trading towns and cities are mentioned – notably London and Liverpool, of course, but also others like Plymouth, Barnstaple and Topsham. The book is in four major parts. The first part looks at the development of Bristol as a port and a trading city, ... andyk910 18.11.2009 · Read full review Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Trade - Victoria Coules	Degree of Information How interesting was the... How useful was it? Would you read it again? Value for money
Nothing Changes Advantages: Solid history well written Disadvantages: None First published in 1996 the events prior and after 5th November are as relevant today as at anytime in the last 400 years. Tales of religious intolerance and retribution and the views of James I of England- a Protestant King of Scotland- and his Catholic Queen abound.. Although the 2002 paperback edition of the book is fairly long it is not difficult to follow and the family trees of the plotters help.. If you thought Guy Fawkes was the leader of ... ...England which have 'Priest Holes' in them this will tell you who was responsible for a good many of them. As the dying embers of this years bonfire subside remember before it comes around again to get hold of the latest edition of this book. You will not be disappointed ... 45notutnai 09.11.2009 · Read full review Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Gunpowder Plot - Antonia Fraser	Degree of Information How interesting was the... How useful was it? Would you read it again? Value for money