Delusions of Paradise (eBook)

Escaping the Life of a Taliban Fighter

Maiwand Banayee

When Maiwand Banayee was 16, he wanted to become a suicide bomber for the Taliban.

In this inspiring tale of survival and self-discovery, the reader will follow Maiwand's journey down a dark path and his ultimate redemption. Growing up in Kabul amid the Afghan wars, he witnessed atrocities that no child should ever see – rotting corpses, starving families, a neighbourhood torn apart. He escaped to a refugee camp in Pakistan, where religious militants began the gradual grooming of Maiwand and other Afghan boys. These confused and traumatised children were indoctrinated, radicalised and prepared to die in the name of a religious war. But Maiwand escaped this life. Fleeing Afghanistan, he had a life-altering crisis of faith, confidence and meaning, finding new purpose and rebuilding himself.

Maiwand taught himself how to read and write in English, and here tells his astonishing story in crystalline prose. Delusions of Paradise offers a powerful warning about the dangers of radical religion, and is a stunning celebration of self-determination and redemption from an important new voice.

Maiwand Banayee was born in in Kabul at the onset of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. By the time he was twelve the country was engulfed in civil war and he fled to a refugee camp, where he enrolled in a madrassa and joined the Taliban. At 22 he rejected Islamic extremism and sought asylum in the UK, eventually living in Ireland before returning to England. He has been published in Stinging Fly and War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities. This is his first book.

Shitty Breaks (eBook)

A Celebration of Unsung Cities

Ben Aitken

Adios Paris. Hello Wolverhampton.

Not everything that glitters is gold – which is why Ben Aitken gave London the cold shoulder and went to Preston instead.

Hailing from Portsmouth, Ben knew from experience that unfashionable places could be quietly brilliant. So, over the course of a year, the author of A Chip Shop in Poznan and The Gran Tour visited twelve of the least popular spots in the UK and Ireland for a city break. The motivation wasn't to take the mickey or stick the boot in, but to seek out the good stuff, to uncover the gems, to have a nice time. By doing so, he hoped to demonstrate that anywhere – like anyone – can be interesting and nourishing and enjoyable if approached in the right fashion.

Ben went skiing in Sunderland, to the football in Wrexham, and fell in love with Dunfermline. He kissed an alpaca in Bradford, suffered jellied eels in Chelmsford, and had more craic in Limerick than was wise. The upshot is a celebration of the underdog; a love letter to the wrong direction; and evidence that there's no such thing as a shitty break. What's more, by spreading its affection beyond the usual suspects (which are often overdone and overpriced), Shitty Breaks promotes a less expensive and more sustainable brand of travel.

By ghosting Bath and giving Lisbon the boot, the book champions the unsung in an algorithmic, over-signposted world dominated by celebs and hotspots. Cheeky weekend in Milton Keynes anyone?

Ben Aitken was born under Thatcher, grew to 6ft then stopped, and is an Aquarius. He was conceived by a nurse and a shipwright, grew up in Portsmouth and was in a boyband for a spell in the noughties, then worked as a carer throughout his twenties. He is the author of six books: Dear Bill Bryson, A Chip Shop in Poznan (a Times bestseller), The Gran Tour ('Both moving and hilarious', Spectator), The Marmalade Diaries, Here Comes the Fun and Shitty Breaks. He writes for The Guardian and The Times, was the TCG Travel Journalist of the Year in 2024, and is an occasional lecturer at the University of Portsmouth.

Whack Job (eBook)

A History of Axe Murder

Rachel McCarthy James

A brilliant and bloody examination of the axe's foundational role in human history, from prehistoric violence, to war and executions, splashed across newspaper headlines and popular culture.

For as long as the axe has been in our hands, we have used it to kill.

Much like the wheel, the boat, and the telephone, the axe is a transformative piece of technology ― one that has been with us since prehistory. And just as early humans used the axe to chop down trees, hunt for food, and whittle tools, they also used it to murder. Over time, this particular use has endured: as the axe evolved over centuries to fit the needs of new agricultural, architectural, and social development, so have our lethal uses for it.

Whack Job is the story of the axe, first as a convenient danger and then an anachronism, as told through the murders it has been employed in throughout history: from the first axe murder nearly half a million years ago, to the brutal harnessing of the axe in warfare, and from its use in King Henry VIII's favourite method of execution, to Lizzie Borden and the birth of modern pop culture. Whack Job sheds brilliant light on this familiar implement, this most human of weapons. This is a critical examination of violence, an exploration of how technology shapes human conflict, the cruel and sacred rituals of execution and battle, and the ways humanity fits even the most savage impulses into narratives of the past and present.

RACHEL MCCARTHY JAMES was born and raised in Kansas, the daughter of baseball's Bill James and artist Susan McCarthy. She graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, where she studied writing and politics. Her first nonfiction book, The Man from the Train, was written in collaboration with her father and published in 2017. She lives with her husband Jason and pets in Lawrence, KS.

Data Culture (eBook)

How to Succeed with Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence

Alex Vail

Capturing the views of over 300 business leaders on the common causes of digital transformation failure, this book sets out an actionable framework to help organisations of all sizes to build successful data-driven cultures.

Alex Vail took a sabbatical from his job on the board of one of the country's leading manufacturers to conduct several research projects, including the largest ever study into the UK's corporate AI capabilities. In total, he surveyed 234 senior leaders and interviewed 92 executives from FTSE350 companies to identify why digital transformations succeed or fail; the data dependency of organisations; and their levels of data literacy at senior levels. What emerged from the research was a clear set of success factors, grounded in mindset and behaviour elements, which have been used to create a framework that any company can follow, regardless of their size or complexity, that will guarantee successful data transformations.

This book captures all of the research in an easy-to-follow guide packed with relatable scenarios of real-world technology deployment and valuable opinions from people at the coal-face of digital transformation.

A certified professional career coach with a background in corporate training, events and communications, Alex Vail has spent 25 years delivering business change programmes
and developing high-performance cultures in commercial and not-for-profit organisations, including leadership roles in three influential trade associations, two high-growth scale-ups and a FTSE100 manufacturing firm.

He co-founded the Data Strategy Alliance, a global peer-learning and research network for senior technology executives in 2023. As a leadership coach, he works with data experts, Boards and senior executives, to help them build adaptive workplace cultures, communicate more effectively, navigate conflict, manage upwards and ask the right questions.

Remembering Women (eBook)

Lessons from the Ancient World

Christine Lehnen

Women do have a history of their own.
All we need to do is remember it.

In this illuminating new investigation, Christine Lehnen looks back at our collective memory to explore the myriad ways that women in the past have enjoyed a more egalitarian life.

Due to advances in bioarchaeological methods, scientists have discovered that one out of three women in Ancient Scythia was an active warrior buried with her weapons. Far from being confined to their homes, these women rode out to hunt, travelled to distance places, or used weapons to fend off their enemies. These warriors were no exceptions to the rule, with women enjoying a significantly higher degree of equality than their Greek contemporaries.

Remembering Women argues that there is a historical precedent for a fairer society. From reappraisals of well-known objects such as the earliest human bone calendars from the Stone Age to revelatory findings of innovative bioarcheological methods used on human remains from Ancient Scythia, evidence is accumulating that there were places in the past where all women were allowed to thrive.

Interweaving new findings from archaeology with the stories of her mother and grandmothers, as well as her everyday experiences as a woman living today, Lehnen explores our collective memory of women and argues that it needs to change if we are to create an egalitarian society. Remembering Women follows the traces left in the material, literary, and archaeological record by our foremothers, and their heirlooms, artwork and stories, to take a fresh look at our life in the present.

Christine Lehnen is a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter. She is a regular contributor on feminism, culture, history, archaeology and public memory for outlets such as Aeon, Psyche, The Wire, Antigone, New Lines Magazine, and Deutsche Welle.

Face to Face (eBook)

Finding Justice for My Murdered Twin Brother

Nick Dawson

When his identical twin brother Simon was kicked to death, all Nick Dawson felt for the killers was hatred.

Struggling in a world where his mirror image had vanished, he came to realise there was only one way to stop the torture – acceptance. Travelling to the absolute limits of personal darkness, Nick came face to face with his brother's killers.

Now a champion of restorative justice, Nick heads behind bars, asking hardened criminals to change, to think of their victims, to make amends.

In Face To Face he takes us with him on a journey into this hidden and unpredictable world.

Nick lost his identical twin, Simon, through a brutal murder in 1998. Following years of counselling and recovery, Nick eventually went on to meet one of his brother's killers in prison to get answers. Nick now regularly shares his story to groups of offenders in prisons, helping them understand the ripple effect of victim impact and showing them that understanding, acceptance and connection are possible on both sides.

Human History on Drugs (eBook)

An Utterly Scandalous but Entirely Truthful Look at History Under the Influence

Sam Kelly

A lively, hilarious, and entirely truthful look at the druggie side of history's most famous figures, including Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, and the Beatles, from debut author (and viral historical TikToker with over 100K followers) Sam Kelly.

Did you know that Alexander the Great was a sloppy drunk, William Shakespeare was a stoner, and George Washington drank a spoonful of opium every night to staunch the pain from his fake teeth? Or how about the fact that China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, ingested liquid mercury in an (ironic) attempt to live forever, or that Alexander Shulgin, inventor of no less than 230 new psychedelic drugs, was an employee of the DEA?

In Human History on Drugs, historian Sam Kelly introduces us to the history we weren't taught in school, offering up irreverent and hysterical commentary as he sheds light on some truly shocking aspects of the historical characters we only thought we knew. With chapters spanning from Ancient Greece ("The Oracle of Delphi Was Huffing Fumes") and the Victorian Era ("Vincent van Gogh Ate Yellow Paint") to Hollywood's Golden Age ("Judy Garland Was Drugged by Grown-Ups") and modern times ("Carl Sagan Got Astronomically High"), Kelly's research spans all manner of eras, places, and, of course, drugs.

History is rife with drug use and drug users, and Human History on Drugs takes us through those highs (pun intended) and lows on a wittily entertaining ride that uncovers their seriously unexpected impact on our past.

Sam Kelly, a history grad from Stanford University, is on the autism spectrum and his interest and passion for history has become an almost physical compulsion. He loves to dig up forgotten and weird stories from the past and spends hours uncovering every last stubborn detail. As a deep believer that history can be as exciting as any Marvel movie, Sam aims to – whether on TikTok or through a book – make history both engaging and accessible to all. Human History on Drugs is his first book.

There Will Be Headwinds (eBook)

Kayaking the Northwest Passage

Mark Agnew

Mark Agnew was part of the first team to ever kayak the north-west passage – spending 103 days in the Arctic.

The infamous route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans had defeated countless explorers for centuries, and Mark himself had failed two previous expeditions where he attempted to row across the Atlantic. Pushed to the brink, on the verge of turning his back on the adventures that had made him feel alive, he experienced a mental health crisis and almost abandoned the water forever.

Charting an inspirational journey from failure to world record breaker, in There Will Be Headwinds Mark reflects on his struggles and reveals the lessons from sports psychology that allowed him to conquer his demons and achieve something truly remarkable. As well as exploring Mark rebuilding himself following his lowest ebb, this is also an astonishing story of ice, suffering and camaraderie. It's a testament to the power of teamwork, determination and ambition – and a celebration of the human spirit of adventure.

Mark Agnew is an adventurer, journalist and motivational keynote speaker. Mark was a novice kayaker when he cast off from shore to paddle the entire Northwest Passage – 103 days later, Mark and his teammates made history as they entered the Beaufort Sea, marking the other end of the Northwest Passage, setting two world Firsts in the process. He now works as a motivational keynote speaker, sharing his story and the lessons from his time in the Arctic.

Rope (eBook)

How a Bundle of Twisted Fibres Became the Backbone of Civilisation

Tim Queeney

Tim Queeney is the former editor of Ocean Navigator, a magazine for offshore voyagers. A life-long sailor, he has taught celestial navigation, radar navigation and coastal piloting both ashore and aboard tall ships at sea – where he tied plenty of knots and handled many a rope.

Fiesta (eBook)

A Journey Through Festivity

Daniel Stables

A journey through human festivity, told through colourful travel narratives set at some of the world's most eye-catching festivals and interweaved with insights from the fields of anthropology, history, psychology, and folklore, examining why we celebrate festivals in the ways we do.

Fiesta explores the vibrant tapestry of human festivity, delving into the extraordinary lengths we undertake to express our cultures and commemorate life's milestones. From drunken pilgrimages to sacrificial funerals, national days to neo-pagan necromancy, festivals represent human culture at its most vivid and varied, and the resulting account is both a rich collection of travel writing and an anthropological exploration of the roles that festivals play in society. Through colourful characters, vibrant sights, and varied locales, Daniel Stables takes a curious, humanistic look at festivals across the globe, unravelling the universal threads which run through our diverse global celebrations.

Daniel Stables has been working as a travel writer for the last decade, first writing guidebooks for Rough Guides, and later writing articles for National Geographic, the BBC, and national newspapers. He has won acclaim and recognition for his work, having received several nominations for Travel Writer of the Year. More of his work can be found at his website, danielstables.co.uk.

The African Emperor (eBook)

The Life of Septimius Severus

Simon Elliott

Septimius Severus was Rome's black emperor. Born in the blistering heat of a North African spring in Leptis Magna AD 145, he died in the freezing cold of a northern British winter in York in AD 211. A giant of an emperor, whose career can be counted in superlatives, Severus was in power at the height of Rome's might. He led the largest army to ever campaign in Britain, comprising 50,000 men, part of a Roman military establishment which peaked at 33 legions under his rule.

Born into the richest family, in the richest part of the Roman Empire, Severus monumentalised his rule across the empire. He visited – and often fought in – every region. Where he did, he left a mighty legacy in the built environment, for example in Rome where much of the Forum Romanum and most of the imperial palaces are Severan. In North Africa, his hometown of Leptis Magna is all Severan, as are the Roman cities at the Atlas mountains. In London, the land walls that still define the City's Square Mile were delineated under his rule. Visitors to the under croft at York Minster can stand where he died.

Septimius Severus was one of the greatest warrior emperors, a hard man who almost died in battle several times and whose attitude is reflected in his deathbed advice to two sons: 'Be of one mind with your family, enrich the soldiers, and despise the rest.'

Simon Elliott is a historian, archaeologist, author and broadcaster based in Kent. He has worked with outlets as varied as History Hit and Channel 5 and has published several books exploring Roman history.

The Future of Agriculture (eBook)

Sarah Bearchell

Record rain fall and extreme climates have become a common occurrence around the world. The television news shows farmers standing in front of their flooded fields; the ground too wet to harvest one season's crop, or to plant the next. Our climate is changing, but agriculture is not just the victim of climate change – it is one of the major drivers too. Our food systems are responsible for around a third of all greenhouse gases.

In this book, Sarah Bearchell explores how agriculture is using targeted breeding, automation and precision inputs to produce more with less. She considers how we can reduce our impact by addressing problems in our food system, from packaging and transport to the incredible quantities of waste. As consumers, we can make small changes straight away and push for long term change in the wider system. Agriculture can become a force for good, but it needs our help.

Sarah Bearchell is a science writer and educator who has created educational activities for charities, learned societies and science centres and writes regularly for Aquila. The Future of Agriculture is her first book.

The Wireless Operator (eBook)

The Untold Story of the British Sailor Who Invented the Modern Drug Trade

David Tuch

Government agencies and rival factions were closing in. His look-alike had already fallen victim to professional hitmen and his once-powerful allies in Cuban intelligence and the DEA could no longer guarantee his safety. How did a boy from Manchester revolutionise the criminal world and become the largest marijuana trafficker in American history?

This is the never-before-told story of Harold Derber, the debonair British Merchant Navy veteran who invented the modern drug trade with his groundbreaking invention: the drug mothership. Through his ghost fleet of drug ships, Derber eventually become the chief supplier of marijuana to post-war America. This gripping true tale follows Derber from humble beginnings in Manchester, England to his assassination in the sun-kissed streets of Miami. Along the way, Derber's story takes in some of the most significant events of the twentieth century – the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, the Cuban Revolution and the murky shadows of the Cold War.

Shedding light on a litany of plots including arms and refugee smuggling, large-scale stock fraud and Derber's rise to the pinnacle of the drug world, this remarkable transatlantic story paints a complex picture of a singular figure and brings his extraordinary life into focus for the first time.

David Tuch is a writer and entrepreneur. The Wireless Operator, his debut book, tells the story of his cousin Harold Derber. Born in New York, Tuch has lived in England and France and now resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and four children. www.davidtuch.com

From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads (eBook)

A Bowie Odyssey

James Briggs

James Briggs had never known what David Bowie's Life on Mars? meant. And twenty-five years later with a career stealing his soul, a relationship in stasis and a hairline in furious retreat, life on earth had him cornered.

So when a lightning bolt of inspiration strikes, he leaves everything behind to cycle one of the song's lyrics, 'From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads' to discover what life, love and Life on Mars? really mean.

What followed was life-affirming, inspirational and often hilarious. Criss-crossing Europe, he visited French chateaus where Bowie recorded, Spanish Olympic stadiums he played, former communist states where his music was banned, and the Berlin Wall he helped topple – all while navigating angry Soviet ballerinas, suspicious village mayors, and an irate Cliff Richard fan.

James found kindred spirits and a new love (and occasionally hatred) for cycling as he discovered what happens when, instead of following the crowd, you follow the lyrics and music of the greatest artist of the 20th century. As the world reconsiders its priorities, From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads is a clarion call to embrace the strange, blaze your own path, and live as fearlessly as the Starman himself.

James Briggs is a writer specialising in music and travel who has written for the Guardian, the Irish Times and various travel magazines. A lifelong David Bowie fan, From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads is his first book. Originally from Somerset, he now lives in London.

Another Bone-Swapping Event (eBook)

Brad Fox

Brad Fox's The Bathysphere Book was a winner of the 2024 National Book Foundation's Science + Literature Award and a Washington Post Top Ten Best Book of 2023 and Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book of 2023 and was called 'Hypnotic . . . Beautifully written and beautifully made' by the New York Times. He is the author of the novel To Remain Nameless and has written for The New Yorker, Guernica, Public Domain Review, and The Whitney Biennial.