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      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        July 2018

        Syria and the chemical weapons taboo

        Exploiting the forbidden

        by Michelle Bentley

        This book analyses the Syria crisis and the role of chemical weapons in relation to US foreign policy. The Syrian government's use of such weapons and their subsequent elimination has dominated the US response to the conflict, where these are viewed as particularly horrific arms - a repulsion known as the chemical taboo. On the surface, this would seem to be an appropriate reaction: these are nasty weapons and eradicating them would ostensibly comprise a 'good' move. But this book reveals two new aspects of the taboo that challenge this prevailing view. First, actors use the taboo strategically to advance their own self-interested policy objectives. Second, that applying the taboo to Syria has actually exacerbated the crisis. As such, this book not only provides a timely analysis of Syria, but also a major and original rethink of the chemical taboo, as well as international norms more widely.

      • Trusted Partner
        October 2014

        Farewell, Aleppo

        by Claudette E. Sutton

        The Jews of Aleppo, Syria, had been part of the city's fabric for more than two thousand years, in good times and bad, through conquerors and kings. But in the middle years of the twentieth century, all that changed. To Selim Sutton, a merchant with centuries of roots in the Syrian soil, the dangers of rising anti-Semitism made clear that his family must find a new home. With several young children and no prospect of securing visas to the United States, he devised a savvy plan for getting his family out: "exporting" his sons.In December 1940, he told the two oldest, Mea¯r and Saleh, that arrangements had been made for their transit to Shanghai, where they would work in an uncle's export business. China, he hoped, would provide a short-term safe harbor and a steppingstone to America.But the world intervened for the young men, now renamed Mike and Sal by their Uncle Joe. Sal became ill with tuberculosis soon after arriving and was sent back to Aleppo alone. And the war that soon would engulf every inhabited land loomed closer each day. Joe, Syrian-born but a naturalized American citizen, barely escaped on the last ship to sail for the U.S. before Pearl Harbor was bombed and the Japanese seized Shanghai.Mike was alone, a teen-ager in an occupied city, across the world from his family, with only his mettle to rely on as he strived to survive personally and economically in the face of increasing deprivation. Farewell, Aleppo is the story–told by Mike's daughter–of the journey that would ultimately take him from the insular Jewish community of Aleppo to the solitary task of building a new life in America.It is both her father's tale that journalist Claudette Sutton describes and also the harrowing experiences of the family members he left behind in Syria, forced to smuggle themselves out of the country after it closed its borders to Jewish emigration. The picture Sutton paints is both a poignant narrative of individual lives and the broader canvas of a people's survival over millennia, in their native land and far away, through the strength of their faith and their communities. Multiple threads come richly together as she observes their world from inside and outside the fold, shares an important and nearly forgotten epoch of Jewish history, and explores universal questions of identity, family, and culture.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        July 2024

        Coup in Damascus

        Husni al-Za'im and the birth of Syrian military rule

        by Carl Rihan

        Coup in Damascus is a history of Syria's first military regime. It plots the the fall of Syria's democracy and the rise of its military rulers, particularly Husni al-Zaim, whose brief rule in 1949 represented a profoundly transformative moment for the Syrian nation. It is a history of the thoughts, intentions and motives of political actors underpinning the events that have marked Syria's history after the first Arab-Israeli war, and focuses mainly on the interaction between local, regional and international actors. Unlike most histories of the modern Middle East that tackle broad intervals and that focus on the sequences of events, this history seeks to reconstruct the thought processes behind the events, and anchor them within the epoch's existing political and socioeconomic conditions. It draws on several methodological influences, particularly R.G. Collingwood's 'history as re-enactment of the past'.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        June 2024

        Heritage and healing in Syria and Iraq

        by Zena Kamash

        This book explores what to do with heritage that has been destroyed in conflict. It charts a path through the colonial histories and traumatic wars of Syria and Iraq to examine the projects and responses currently on offer and assess their flaws and limitations, including issues of digital colonialism, technological solutionism, geopolitical manoeuvring, media bias and community exclusion. Drawing on current research into the psychology and neuroscience of trauma and trauma recovery, and taking inspiration from artists and creative thinkers who challenge the status quo, this book envisages gentler, creative and ethically-driven ways to respond to heritage damaged in conflict that recentre people and their hopes, dreams and needs at the heart of these debates.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        January 2022

        Reconstructing lives

        Victims of war in the Middle East and Médecins Sans Frontières

        by Vanja Kovacic, Bertrand Taithe

        This book attempts to establish a more holistic approach to the rehabilitation of war-injured civilians, one that adjusts to the patients' long-term needs. Kovacic not only offers an insight into the daily realities of patients during and after rehabilitation, but seeks to develop a new way to perceive, respect and involve them in health care. Based on comprehensive interviews with patients and MSF staff, as well as extended field observations, Reconstructing lives follows Syrian and Iraqi war-injured civilians in their journey to recovery. From their improvised medical treatment in their home countries, to the MSF-run hospital in Amman Jordan, to their return home, Kovacic explores how individuals attempt to pick up the pieces of their previous lives, add new elements from their treatment and travel experiences, and finally establish a new reconstructed reality. The book explores how the interaction between MSF staff and their patients contributes to the immense task of healing that awaits victims of war. The reader visits the intimate medical and domestic spaces that usually remain closed to the outside observer, spaces rich with human contact, perceptions, emotions, conflicts and reconciliations.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        December 2019 - December 2024

        Concise history of China

        by Yang Ningyi,Zhao Shiyu, etc

        According to the chronological order, the book introduces the history of China from ancient times to modern society. It is rich in content, concise in writing and exquisite in pictures. It is a good book to understand the history of China.

      • Trusted Partner
        Children's & young adult: general non-fiction
        2021

        A Cool History of UkraineFrom Dinosaurs Till Now

        by Inna Kovalyshena

        Do you really think that history is boring and hard to under- stand? The heroes of this book thought so, too, at first. But just one interesting discovery pushed them to get to know history better — and to see that it can be fascinating, vibrant and so close to each of them. Four friends decide to explore the Ukrainian history and learn the truth: what kind of dino- saurs lived on our lands, who fought for Ukraine’s independ- ence, and why Ukrainians are the way they are. It turns out that history can be exciting and very important, even if it was back in the days of the dinosaurs. The subject of the book is the history of Ukraine from dinosaurs to today, which is interestingly and directly revealed. The main characters are children, in whom readers can recognize themselves. The text is written with humor and simple words, which makes the perception of information interactive. The book touches on important points of Ukraine's struggle for independence over many years.

      • Trusted Partner
        General & world history
        May 2005

        ‘Ten Pound Poms’

        A life history of British postwar emigration to Australia

        by A. James Hammerton, Alistair Thomson

        More than a million Britons emigrated to Australia between the 1940s and 1970s. They were the famous 'ten pound Poms' and this is their story. Illuminated by the fascinating testimony of migrant life histories, this is the first substantial history of their experience and fills a gaping hole in the literature of emigration. The authors, both leading figures in the fields of oral history and migration studies, draw upon a rich life history archive of letters, diaries, personal photographs and hundreds of oral history interviews with former migrants, including those who settled in Australia and those who returned to Britain. They offer original interpretations of key historical themes, including: motivations for emigration; gender relations and the family dynamics of migration; the 'very familiar and awfully strange' confrontation with the new world; the anguish of homesickness and return; and the personal and national identities of both settlers and returnees, fifty years on. Accessible and appealing, this book will engage readers interested in British and Australian migration history and intrigued about the significance of migrant memories for individuals, families and nations.

      • Trusted Partner
        Children's & YA
        June 2016

        The Story of Birth

        by CAI Gao

        The Story of Birth is quite unique among Cai Gao’s works. This is the latest picture book of Ms. Cai, both its words and illustrations were created by herself. In this book, she describes the process of a baby' s birth by wax crayon, depicting the joy of life’s birth and expressing a high tribute to all mothers.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        2014

        History of Ukraine from KGB Secret Files

        by Volodymyr Viatrovych

        The unknown and classified KGB history of the largest country in Europe - Ukraine is the history of people, events, documents and files. The files have answers to many questions. The most important of which - why did a war begin again in Europe? Why is it so important for Russia to conquer Ukraine? Why are Ukrainians putting up such a powerful resistance? Historian Volodymyr Viatrovych, who declassified the secret archives of the Soviet special services from the Cheka to the KGB, talks about the history of Ukraine, the USSR and Eastern Europe from 1918 to 1991. The reader, is offered, along with various heroes and traitors, those who thought they were in control of events, and those who thought they had no power over them, to recreate the nearly century-old chess game between the Ukrainian liberation movement and the creators of the "prison of nations." Described in reports and recreated by a historian, this work looks at the cunning “special operations”, deadly moves, information wars and complex games among several players that are all an attempt to find an answer to the question: what creates our destiny - human will or circumstances?

      • Trusted Partner
        Children's & young adult: general non-fiction
        2021

        A Delicious History of Ukraine

        by Masha Serdiuk

        What is Ukrainian cuisine? Who invented borscht? Where did the holubtsi (cabbage rolls) come from? And why are Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) called relatives of Chinese dim sums? Answers to these questions can be found in this book. In an interesting accessible form, we tell children the history of the Ukrainian gastronomy. They will find out what famous Ukrainians loved to eat. We will explain in a plain way how the cuisine of Halychyna differs from that of Volyn and Polissya regions. We will also map all the “delicious” places in the country. Furthermore, of course, young readers will learn how to cook cult Ukrainian dishes.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        February 2025

        An unorthodox history

        British Jews since 1945

        by Gavin Schaffer

        A bold, new history of British Jewish life since the Second World War. Historian Gavin Schaffer wrestles Jewish history away from the question of what others have thought about Jews, focusing instead on the experiences of Jewish people themselves. Exploring the complexities of inclusion and exclusion, he shines a light on groups that have been marginalised within Jewish history and culture, such as queer Jews, Jews married to non-Jews, Israel-critical Jews and even Messianic Jews, while offering a fresh look at Jewish activism, Jewish religiosity and Zionism. Weaving these stories together, Schaffer argues that there are good reasons to consider Jewish Britons as a unitary whole, even as debates rage about who is entitled to call themselves a Jew. Challenging the idea that British Jewish life is in terminal decline. An unorthodox history demonstrates that Jewish Britain is thriving and that Jewishness is deeply embedded in the country's history and culture.

      • Trusted Partner
        Fiction
        January 2016

        The Autumn of Innocence

        by Abbas Beydoun

        In his novel, The Autumn of Innocence, prominent Lebanese poet and novelist Abbas Beydoun artfully weaves a tragic story of a father-son relationship that ends disastrously with the son's violent death. This story unfolds along with the Arab Spring movement and explores the motivations behind religious extremism and questions cultural constructs of masculinity.   The novel opens with a letter from Ghassan to his cousin, describing how his father Massoud strangled his mother to death when Ghassan was just three years old. Afterward, Massoud flees the village in southern Lebanon. For 18 years, no one hears from him, and Ghassan grows up stigmatized by his father's violent crime.   In time, Ghassan's aunt Bushra-Massoud's sister-makes a confession: She encouraged Massoud to kill his wife, believing that his wife's low socioeconomic status would bring embarrassment to their wealthy family. Bushra also reveals that Massoud was driven to kill his wife because he feared that she would tell someone that he was impotent, undermining his sense of manhood and social status.   Meanwhile, Massoud has moved to southern Syria, where he remarried and had two more sons. During the Arab Spring, the militant groups fighting the Syrian regime transform him into a religious extremist.   In the second half of the novel, Massoud return to the village in southern Lebanon. He brings with him a group of men. Together they seize control of the village and terrorize its inhabitants. After killing the dogs, they begin murdering the villagers in the name of religion. One of Ghassan's friends is among the victims, and Massoud also threatens his family. Ghassan decides that he must kill his father, avenging the death of his friend and the deaths of the other villagers. In the end, he fails and is beheaded by Bushra's son, his cousin, who is has joined Massoud's thugs.   Beydoun captures the shifting points of view in a family shattered by the tyranny of normative masculinity and the resulting violence. The victims are women, of course, but also the men like Ghassan who reject these social and cultural expectations. The novel also portrays the rise of religious extremism and the terrorism it can inspire, which wreaks havoc on the lives of ordinary people. Beydoun's engaging language imbues the characters and the places they inhabit with a vibrancy and vitality that transcends the difficult subject matter.

      • Trusted Partner
      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        February 2024

        The history of emotions

        by Rob Boddice

      • Trusted Partner
        Fiction
        May 2020

        The Guys of Rangoon 1930

        by Khet Zaw

        The Guys of Rangoon , 1930 is a record breaking bestseller book from Myanmar . It sold 16000 copies within one day during the pre order period. More than one hundred thousand copies have been sold so far. Film rights, several merchandise rights, comic rights already sold.It was based in Yangon , Myanmar during the colonial period. The main character is Pho Thoke who was a gangster and managed a lot of business by himself and his gang. He is very close with politicians as well and he is involved in several dirty political movements in Myanmar . This story is based on real characters and events.

      • Trusted Partner
        Fiction
        November 2020

        The Guys from Mandalay , 1950

        by Khet Zaw

        The Guys of Manday ,1950s is based in the years just after independence . After Myanmar became independent from English , there were several armed conflicts in Ethnic Areas all over the world. Sein Da Myone ( Golden Dagger) was a leader of a robber gang base in Mandalay ,upper Myanmar . Nobody knows the real life of Mr Golden Dagger and he lived under the face of a gentleman . This book is related to The Guys of Rangoon 1930 as well and they have some links in stories.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        October 2007

        Introduction to the history

        by Natalia Yakovenko

        The new book by the well-known Ukrainian historian, chief of the Department of history of National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, professor Natalia Yakovenko, despite being a university textbook and a propaedeutic course on a professional subject, is written in a simple and easy to read manner which is far from academic cliché and embodies high academic style in its best meaning. However, the word 'textbook' even in its most positive meaning applies to this book only as a kind of mask that hides much more complex structure, not only stylistically but by its content and pragmatism as well. As the professor herself admits, this book does not belong to any classic genres. This is not a history of historiography, not a methodology of history and this is not an introduction to history as well.

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