Books published by Biteback Publishing

The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most enduring and bestselling books of all time, yet its history is as complex as it is contested. For the first time, this is the extraordinary true story behind the book, its publication and its significance.

In this brilliant, wide-ranging study of lies and lying, Wyatt introduces us to a cast of professionals and professional liars, all to help her prove a remarkable thesis: lies hold us together as much as they push us apart and may be vital in a healthy society.

The Men from Miami is a real-life Cold War thriller about the Americans who fought for Fidel Castro in the Cuban revolution - then switched sides to try to bring him down.

"e;This is a great account of the life and career of a man I respect immensely. A fascinating read."e; - Ian Wright"e;A searingly honest account of a fascinating football story. Nedum tells it like he played, with nothing left out."e; - Guy Mowbray, Match of the Day"e;A frank, thought-provoking and compelling insight into one of football's most articulate voices."e; - Rory Smith, New York Times chief soccer correspondent***'My identity is built on conflicts, and I'm proud of who I am I can walk through the rest of my life with something to say.'Nedum Onuoha was not a typical footballer. A young black Mancunian picked by the Manchester City Academy aged ten, he was determined to continue his education despite the lure of a career under the floodlights. Fiercely intelligent on and off the pitch, Onuoha developed into a talented defender and played his part in City's meteoric rise. He was at the Etihad Stadium when they won their first Premier League title - as an opposition player for QPR, having left the Blues just four months earlier.In this characteristically forthright book, Onuoha reveals what goes on behind the scenes at top-tier clubs. Stuffed with insights into household names like Stuart Pearce, Sven-Gran Eriksson, Roberto Mancini and Harry Redknapp, this is football and its most famous figures as you've never seen them before.Kicking Back is also the story of one man's search for identity: as a footballer, as a black man in England and as an outsider in the US during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. What is it like to receive horrific racist abuse while doing your job? And how has football utterly failed the black community? Onuoha provides a damning assessment of the sport's authorities, finally claiming his voice as he dives deep into a life spent on the pitch.

"e;Those who wonder how the international community failed so dramatically in Afghanistan need look no further ... Losing Afghanistan explores the arguments for and against intervention and highlights the difficulty of establishing unity of purpose and effort in such demanding circumstances. Above all, it poses a question: how can we in the West claim we know so much, yet demonstrate in Afghanistan that we understand so little?"e; - General (retd) Sir Jack Deverell OBE, former Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe"e;A wonderful book of insightful essays on Afghanistan from an outsider lens."e; - Ezatullah Adib, head of research at Integrity Watch Afghanistan and national country representative at the World Association for Public Opinion Research"e;The strategic question posed by these brilliant essays is: how can the doctrine of liberal intervention be reframed to ensure the West intervenes overseas to manage future humanitarian calamities for reasons beyond just national security?"e; - Brigadier (retd) Justin Hedges OBE***When Taliban forces took Kabul on 15 August 2021, it marked the end of the Western intervention that had begun nearly twenty years earlier with the US-led invasion.The fall of Afghanistan triggered a seismic shock in the West, where US President Joe Biden announced an end to America's involvement in conflicts overseas. In Afghanistan itself it produced terror for the future for those who had worked with and grown up under the coalition-supported administration.Now, with the country spiralling into economic collapse and famine, Losing Afghanistan is a plea for us to keep our gaze on the plight of the people of Afghanistan and to understand how action and inaction in the West shaped the fate of the nation.Why was Afghanistan lost? Can it be regained? And what happens next? Edited by international development expert Brian Brivati, this collection of twenty-one essays by analysts, politicians, soldiers, commentators and practitioners - interspersed with powerful eyewitness testimony from Afghan voices - explains what happened in Afghanistan and why, and what the future holds both for its people and for liberal intervention.

A United Ireland outlines the various political strands conspiring to make a single Irish state the most plausible end-point of this age-old issue and speculate about how this will come about.

The Falklands War, which may prove to be the last 'colonial' war that Britain ever fights, took place in 1982. Fought 8,000 miles from home soil, it cost the lives of 255 British military personnel, with many more wounded, some seriously.The war also witnessed many acts of outstanding courage by the UK Armed Forces after a strong Task Force was sent to regain the islands from the Argentine invaders. Soldiers, sailors and airmen risked, and in some cases gave, their lives for the freedom of 1,820 islanders.Lord Ashcroft, who has been fascinated by bravery since he was a young boy, has amassed several medal collections over the past four decades, including the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses, Britain and the Commonwealth's most prestigious gallantry award.Falklands War Heroes tells the stories behind his collection of valour and service medals awarded for the Falklands War. The collection, almost certainly the largest of its kind in the world, spans all the major events of the war.This book, which contains nearly forty individual write-ups, has been written to mark the fortieth anniversary of the war. It is Lord Ashcroft's attempt to champion the outstanding bravery of our Armed Forces during an undeclared war that was fought and won over ten weeks in the most challenging conditions.

This is the inspirational true story of the lengths to which one man went to fulfil a dream and keep his promise of making a positive contribution to the lives of the people, especially children, in the war-torn countries he'd come to know so well through his travels.

In 2017, Arif Naqvi and The Abraaj Group were on the brink of changing the world of private equity. Abraaj was a pioneer of impact investing, it had helped transform communities and companies across the world by financing healthcare, education and clean energy projects, and it was about to close a new fund worth $6 billion. But then it all came crashing down.On 10 April 2019, after landing at London Heathrow, Naqvi was arrested on fraud charges. He is facing extradition to the United States and a prison sentence of up to 291 years if he is found guilty.The dominant media narrative has painted Naqvi as a thief and fraudster, the key man in an organised criminal conspiracy. But in this explosive book, which is based on extensive research and interviews, Brian Brivati investigates how things are not quite what they seem. Icarus explores how Abraaj found itself caught in the middle of a geopolitical war between the United States and China, and when it would not back down economic hitmen tried to wipe it out.

In this lively critique, Spectator business editor Martin Vander Weyer argues that capitalism has indeed lost its moral compass, has lost public trust and is in urgent need of repair.

"Ashamed? Not in the least, my superiors told me that the results of my work saved thousands of British and American lives. It involved me in situations from which 'respectable' women draw back - but mine was total commitment. Wars are not won by respectable methods." Amy Elizabeth Thorpe, codenamed 'Cynthia'

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's political partnership brought Scotland to within 200,000 votes of independence in 2014. Break-Up tells the extraordinary story of how a thirty-year-old friendship was shattered.

History is full to the brim with untold tales of heroics and villainy, gruesome battles, hilarious happenings and downright bizarre coincidences. Meet the war veteran who lost an eye and amputated his own fingers. Discover the original Die Hards, whose bravery would put even Bruce Willis to shame. Just who stole the still-missing Irish crown jewels and how did Adeline, Countess of Cardigan, scandalise society so completely?In Lessons from History, Alex Deane takes us on an uproarious romp through the tales you didn't hear at school. With stories ranging from the little-known characters who played their vital parts in the world's most famous wars to the remarkable adventures of figures across the centuries, to events so extraordinary as to be almost - almost - unbelievable, this book proves that fact is almost always wilder than fiction. Bringing these stories joyfully and often poignantly back to life, Deane finally shines a light on the tales lost to history, and on what we might learn from them today.

China's rise as a global superpower has completely reshaped the landscape of international politics. As the country's authoritarian regime becomes increasingly assertive on the world stage, the United States grows ever more hostile to its Asian rival. Repressive moves by China in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, military activities in the South China Sea and Western measures against Chinese companies have only exacerbated tensions. While the great powers of East and West battle over hegemony, the world is being led inexorably towards a new Cold War.During his time as a Cabinet minister attending National Security Council meetings, Oliver Letwin realised that there was no agreement among Western politicians and academics on how to conduct a peaceful long-term relationship with China. China vs America traces the contours of history, both ancient and modern, to explain how China has emerged as a challenger to American power in the twenty-first century and why this has created such uneasiness in the West.In this robust and controversial assessment, Letwin argues that the international rules-based order is completely ill-equipped to foster a positive relationship between China and the United States and that the global community must act now to correct the collision course these two behemoths are currently on before it's too late.

Book of the Day - The Guardian"e;Well-researched well-written even-handed balanced."e; - Baroness Hoey, The Critic"e;Red Knight is well written and researched and, I think, pretty fair."e; - Daniel Finkelstein, The Times"e;Ashcroft has done his research and he does tell us important things about Starmer."e; - The Independent"e;Well-researched, fair and objective Lord Ashcroft's book is a great aid to answering questions [about Starmer] and posing a few more."e; - TCW"e;Comprehensive."e; - The Tablet"e;Surprisingly sympathetic."e; - MoneyWeek***Sir Keir Starmer has played many parts during his life and career. He went from schoolboy socialist to radical lawyer before surprising many by joining the establishment, becoming Director of Public Prosecutions, accepting a knighthood and then, in 2015, standing successfully for Parliament. At Westminster, he was swiftly elevated to the shadow Cabinet, and in April 2020 he became the leader of the Labour Party.Michael Ashcroft's new book goes in search of the man who wants to be Prime Minister and reveals previously unknown details about him which help to explain what makes him tick.Starmer was the architect of Labour's second-referendum Brexit policy, which was considered a major factor in its worst electoral defeat for nearly a century. Is he the man to bring back Labour's lost voters? Is he the voice of competence and moderation who can put his party back on the political map? Or is he just a member of the metropolitan elite who is prepared to say and do whatever it takes to win favour?This meticulous examination of his life offers voters the chance to answer these vital questions.

George Orwell once said that the British love a really good murder. He might have added that the only thing the British love more than a good murder is a really good scandal, and best of all are the sexual and political scandals that take place behind the gilded doors of Britain's royal palaces. From Edward II's intimate relationship with Piers Gaveston to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's dramatic exit from the royal family, the royal residences have seen it all.This glorious romp of a book contains new information on well-known and not-so-well-known scandals, including those that have only recently been revealed through the release of previously secret official papers. Exploring surviving palaces such as Kensington as well as long vanished residences including Whitehall, Scandals of the Royal Palaces is the first in-depth look at the bad behaviour of not just the royals themselves but also palace officials, courtiers, household servants and hangers on.Delving into the bitter hatreds that generations of King Georges nursed for their eldest sons, Queen Victoria's opium fuelled rages and Edward VII's near-miss perjury conviction, royal expert Tom Quinn reveals that scandal and the royal family have always been bedfellows. And if the behaviour of today's royals is anything to go by, the glittering palaces will continue to house intriguing, embarrassing and outrageous scandals for centuries to come.

The definitive guide to the twists and turns of Brexit from start to finish by one of its most consistent observers.

In politics there are no prizes for second place. Packed with advice and practical examples, this guide reveals the insider secrets and skills you need to make sure you're a winner on election day. In easily digestible bite-sized chapters, seasoned campaign professionals Mark Pack and Edward Maxfield share successful tactics from around the globe to help steer you on the course to power. Learn to hate trees, always have more people than chairs and never, ever, forget the law of the left nostril - heed these lessons and win that election.

Volume Four in the wildly popular series of political counterfactuals.

Bitter and unforgiving, The Father is a devastating settling of accounts; a son's 'hate letter' to his father in Hell.

A fascinating, evocative portrait of occupied Paris that proves that life is often stranger than fiction.

Ever wondered what life is really like for today's teachers? Reasoning that it's either laugh or cry, this author does both while intoning a mantra of 'July, July, July' and praying for a minor heart attack in return for a foot in the door to early retirement. From fending off inspectors to dealing with the alarming rise in mental health issues and increasing alienation of young people, it's fair to say the job has never been more difficult.Written by an anonymous author working in a state secondary school, this uproariously funny, desperately necessary book takes us inside the classroom to see morale at rock-bottom and a system on its knees. Hilarious, heartbreaking and impassioned, Class War is about the importance of good schools and talented teachers at a time when they have never been more essential. Painting a heartfelt portrait of the profession and an education system where no one should be left behind but too many are, this book reveals there is laughter to be found even as a river of effluent is sluicing down the pipe.

The year is 1987. Having made history by becoming the UK's first female Prime Minister and then driving out the most left-wing manifesto the country has ever seen, Margaret Thatcher faces a climactic third election campaign.Her eight years in power have been pivotal in guiding the UK back onto the path towards prosperity, and as he surveys the scene, David Young, Secretary of State for Employment, can see the fragile seeds of Thatcher's government beginning to grow. But this third election threatens to destroy it all, plunging the nation back into the chaos of union militancy, the three-day week and the Winter of Discontent, when Britain ground to a halt and even the bodies lay unburied. Drafted in to run the campaign, Young knows one thing for certain: the country cannot afford to go back.Written in lucid, powerful prose, Young's remarkable diary of the election that set the UK on course for the next thirty years invites readers into the room with the key players, including the Prime Minister herself. Full of gut-wrenching claustrophobia, tension and paranoia, Inside Thatcher's Last Election reveals the personality clashes that threatened to derail the campaign from the beginning and presents a very different woman from the Thatcher we think we know. For those in the eye of the storm, there was little doubt about what was at stake: the future of Britain's enterprise.

In a quest to redress the balance in what is usually a hopelessly partisan debate, author Simon Dolan looks behind the media hyperbole to offer a very different take on Donald J. Trump, exploring the achievements and traits that appealed to voters in their millions.

Drawing on four years of groundbreaking research among voters across the United States, Lord Ashcroft examines the success of Biden, the appeal of Trumpism, and the prospects for the next chapter in American politics.

A clever and insightful analysis of one of the most curious and complicated forces in national European football.