Biographies

'I raise my glass to my eldest son. His pregnant wife and daughter are sleeping above us. Outside, the March evening is cold and clear. "To life!" I say as the glasses clink with a delicate and pleasing sound. My mother says something to the dog. Then the phone rings. We don't answer it. Who could be calling so late on a Saturday evening?' In March 2015, Naja Marie Aidt's 25-year-old son, Carl, died in a tragic accident. When Death Takes Something From You Give It Back is about losing a child. It is about formulating a vocabulary to express the deepest kind of pain. And it's about finding a way to write about a reality invaded by grief, lessened by loss. Faced with the sudden emptiness of language, Naja finds solace in the anguish of Joan Didion, Nick Cave, C.S. Lewis, Mallarme, Plato and other writers who have suffered the deadening impact of loss. Their torment suffuses with her own as Naja wrestles with words and contests their capacity to speak for the depths of her sorrow. This palimpsest of mourning enables Naja to turn over the pathetic, precious transience of existence and articulates her greatest fear: to forget. The insistent compulsion to reconstruct the harrowing aftermath of Carl's death keeps him painfully present, while fragmented memories, journal entries and poetry inch her closer to piecing Carl's life together. Intensely moving and quietly devastating, this is what is it to be a family, what it is to love and lose, and what it is to treasure life in spite of death's indomitable resolve.

The amazing story of an 18-year-old entrepreneur who changed the haircare industry forever.

A fascinating insight into the true story behind Birmingham's most notorious gang, The Peaky Blinders.

In 2013, the filmmaker Chantal Akerman's mother was dying. My Mother Laughs is both the textual distillation of the themes Akerman pursued throughout her creative life, and a version of the simplest and most complicated love story of all: that between a mother and a daughter.

Tom Wolfe's genre-defining magical mystery tour through the 1960s published in Vintage Classics for the first time to mark its fiftieth anniversary. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JARVIS COCKERIn the summer of 1964, author Ken Kesey and his Merry Band of Pranksters set out on an awesome social experiment like no other.

The successes, struggles, tensions, line-up changes, substance battles, court cases and notable creative achievements of The Cure are placed on the full and informed trajectory in this insightful look at the band's multi-decade run.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An eye-opening, no-holds-barred memoir about life in the Church of Scientology, now with a new afterword by the author-the outspoken actress and star of the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

Motivational memoir from the award-winning actor and comedian Kevin Hart, full of hilarious-yet-sincere advice for living your best life.

'So honest and pure as to count as a true rapture' JOAN DIDION'A poetic masterpiece' JOHNNY DEPP'Our St John of the Cross, a mystic full of compassion' EDMUND WHITE'A roadmap to my life', from the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids: an unforgettable odyssey of a legendary artist, told through the prism of cafés and haunts she has worked in around the worldREVISED EDITION WITH FIVE THOUSAND WORDS OF BONUS MATERIAL AND NEW PHOTOGRAPHS M Train begins in the tiny Greenwich Village café where Smith goes every morning for black coffee, ruminates on the world as it is and the world as it was, and writes in her notebook. Through prose that shifts fluidly between dreams and reality, past and present, and across a landscape of creative aspirations and inspirations, we travel to Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul in Mexico; to a meeting of an Arctic explorer's society in Berlin; to a ramshackle seaside bungalow in New York's Far Rockaway that Smith acquires just before Hurricane Sandy hits; and to the graves of Genet, Plath, Rimbaud and Mishima. Woven throughout are reflections on the writer's craft and on artistic creation. Here, too, are singular memories of Smith's life in Michigan and the irremediable loss of her husband, Fred Sonic Smith. Braiding despair with hope and consolation, illustrated with her signature Polaroids, M Train is a meditation on travel, detective shows, literature and coffee. It is a powerful, deeply moving book by one of the most remarkable artists at work today.

This UFO classic and the basis for the cult film starring Christopher Walken, Communion is one of the most thought-provoking books of the twentieth-century.

Mesmerizing on stage but introverted and prone to desperate mood swings in his private life, Curtis died by his own hand on 18 May 1980. Touching from a Distance documents how, with a wife, child and impending international fame, Curtis was seduced by the glory of an early grave.

The Secret Race is a riveting masterpiece from Tyler Hamilton, published in 2013 by Transworld Publishers Ltd. This book delves into the thrilling world of competitive cycling, offering readers an unprecedented look behind the scenes. Hamilton's gripping narrative and unique perspective make this book a must-read for sports enthusiasts and literature lovers alike. The Secret Race is more than just a sports book; it's a compelling story of determination, passion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Published by Transworld Publishers Ltd, this book is a testament to Hamilton's storytelling prowess and his deep understanding of the cycling world. Note: The book is written in English.

Physical Strength Can Only Take You So Far Reigning CrossFit World Champion Rich Froning is ΓÇ£The Fittest Man on Earth.ΓÇ¥ HeΓÇÖs fast. HeΓÇÖs strong. And heΓÇÖs incredibly disciplined. But it takes more than physical strength to compete and win at an elite level. It takes incredible mental and spiritual toughness as well. And it is the precise balance of all three that makes Rich Froning a champion. In First, readers come alongside Rich as he trains for and competes in back-to-back-to-back CrossFit World Championships. Along the way, Rich shares invaluable training tips, motivational techniques, and spiritual insights that, in keeping with the CrossFit philosophy, will prepare you to respond to any real-life physical, mental and spiritual challenge.

The SUNDAY TIMES bestselling memoir from the Tour de France cyclist who lifts the lid on his drug use and return to sport.

The definitive biography of this remarkable man.

Tells the story of the Tibetan people. This title offers an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. It presents a quest for purification and buddhahood in a single lifetime, tracing the path of a great sinner who became a great saint.

What is a good psychopath? McNab is a diagnosed psychopath but he is a GOOD PSYCHOPATH. Unlike a BAD PSYCHOPATH, he is able to dial up or down qualities such as ruthlessness, fearlessness, conscience and empathy to get the very best out of himself - and others - in a wide range of situations.

Anthony Bourdain's long-awaited sequel to Kitchen Confidential, the worldwide bestseller

Fresh from his triumphant and extraordinary achievement at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Michael Phelps shows us the secrets to his remarkable success

It was 8.46 a.m. on 9/11 when Elia Zedeno, who had worked in the World Trade Center for twenty-one years, heard a booming explosion and felt the building lurch violently to the south.

Legendary comedian and actor Steve Martin's memoir of his early years in showbusiness

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist From the acclaimed, award-winning author of Alexander Hamilton: here is the essential, endlessly engrossing biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.-the Jekyll-and-Hyde of American capitalism. In the course of his nearly 98 years, Rockefeller was known as both a rapacious robber baron, whose Standard Oil Company rode roughshod over an industry, and a philanthropist who donated money lavishly to universities and medical centers. He was the terror of his competitors, the bogeyman of reformers, the delight of caricaturists-and an utter enigma. Drawing on unprecedented access to Rockefeller's private papers, Chernow reconstructs his subjects' troubled origins (his father was a swindler and a bigamist) and his single-minded pursuit of wealth. But he also uncovers the profound religiosity that drove him "to give all I could"; his devotion to his father; and the wry sense of humor that made him the country's most colorful codger. Titan is a magnificent biography-balanced, revelatory, elegantly written.

Based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before - and everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this book is the story of the life of Mao. It is full of revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing completely unknown Mao.

The first-person account of a 26-year-old who fought in the war in Sierra Leone as a 12-year-old boy.

Now, working tirelessly as a worldwide ambassador for peace, he talks of the damage caused when religion is used to tear people apart, the essential need for unity in this troubled world, and how his faith sustains him on this, the most important journey of his life - the journey to forgiveness and peace.