Biographies and Autobiographies – Hellobooks.co.za

Churchill – Ashley Jackson

Anna Howcroft — Wed, 30 May 2018 09:16:34 +0000

Winston Churchill attracted far more criticism alive than he has since his death. He was, according to Evelyn Waugh, “always in the wrong, surrounded by crooks, a terrible father, a radio personality.” To others, he was the savior of the nation, even of Western civilization, “the greatest Briton” who ever lived. Whatever one’s view, Winston Churchill remains splendidly unreduced. He also remains enormous fun-a cartoonist’s and caricaturist’s dream on the one hand, one of the most powerful and successful statesmen in modern history on the other.

Globally famed for his role as a leader during the Second World War, this study resists the temptation to conflate Churchill’s post-war career with Britain’s demise on the international stage. Nor does it endorse the notion that Churchill became an anachronism as he lived and continued to work, at a prodigious rate, through his seventies and eighties. As well as being Britain’s most celebrated politician and war leader, Winston Churchill was a Nobel Prize-winning author. He was one of the most prolific writers of his age and his accounts of the momentous events through which he lived have indelibly marked the way in which modern British history has been conceptualized. Uniquely endowed with talent, energy and determination, Winston Churchill was, as a close wartime colleague put it, “unlike anyone you have ever met before.”

Ashley Jackson describes the contours and contradictions of Churchill’s remarkable life and career as a solider, politician, historian, journalist, painter, amateur farmer and homemaker. From thrusting subaltern to high-flying politician, Cabinet outcast to elder statesman, this is the eternally fascinating story of Winston Churchill’s appointment with destiny

Edith Venter – Heather Dugmore

Anna Howcroft — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 15:45:54 +0000

Edith Venter is a celebrity divorcee, mother, events organiser and fashionista. Known for her style and impeccable taste, she is a regular face in the society pages of local newspapers and magazines. She first came into the public eye as the Sunday Times Best Dressed Woman of 1989, but who is the private person behind the public persona, and why has Edith Venter remained an enduring and popular presence in the world of celebrity when others have faded into obscurity? This title will dispel the myth that rich, famous people have everything their own way, or that money can buy happiness. From extreme wealth to near-bankruptcy, from happiness to despair and back again, Edith’s story proves that the art of good living is about much more than a hefty bank balance. As inspiring, warm and funny as the woman herself

Wildlife Warrior – Richard Shears

Anna Howcroft — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:10:49 +0000

Steve Irwin’s sudden and tragic death made headline news around the world. Shock and grief followed. The world lost a man of heroic proportions. A man who as the Crocodile Hunter touched and changed lives everywhere. “Wildlife Warrior” charts Steve Irwin’s amazing life – from his childhood catching snakes in Victoria, Australia, through to his work in the wilderness and in his zoo. It follows his love story with his wife Terri and his rise to fame. A down-to-earth adventurer with a love of all animals, he was passionate about wildlife conservation, life and his family

The Secret Letters of Jan Van Riebeeck – Robert Kirby (editor)

Anna Howcroft — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 20:16:49 +0000

Long concealed by the authorities, Jan van Riebeeck’s surreptitious correspondence with his cousin in Holland reveals the often grotesque truth of what actually took place in the early Cape Colony

Slumdog Guttercat – Anoux Massey

Anna Howcroft — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 15:41:19 +0000

In “Slumdog Guttercat”, Anoux Massey’s unflinching insights and Tracy Robertson’s evocative photographs open a door to the gritty world of the township animal. Refreshingly unsentimental, the book is both a commentary and a guide: horrific neglect and abuse are highlighted, but the focus of the book in particular is what to do about it.
Having rescued herself from her own gutter of drugs and despair, Anoux describes her journey into the heart-wrenching world of township animal rescue and rehabilitation with honesty and practicality. The book reveals the astonishing difference that one small animal-rescue organisation can make, but also outlines the simple, practical steps anyone can take to help rescue an animal.
Informative chapters guide readers step-by-step through how to rescue an animal, common township animal illnesses and how to treat them, and general pet-care tips. An animal welfare organisation directory provides contact information and summarises the needs of a range of organisations around South Africa, and legislation regarding animals in South Africa is presented in an easy-to-read format for reference on animals’ and animal owners’ rights

Young Orson – Patrick McGilligan

Anna Howcroft — Sat, 11 Nov 2017 13:36:21 +0000

In the history of American popular culture, there is no more dramatic story—no swifter or loftier ascent to the pinnacle of success and no more tragic downfall—than that of Orson Welles. In this magisterial biography, Patrick McGilligan brings young Orson into focus as never before. He chronicles Welles’s early life growing up in Wisconsin and Illinois as the son of an alcoholic industrialist and a radical suffragist and classical musician, and the magical early years of his career, including his marriage and affairs, his influential friendships, and his artistic collaborations.
The tales of his youthful achievements were so colorful and improbable that Welles, with his air of mischief, was often thought to have made them up. Now after years of intensive research, McGilligan sorts out fact from fiction and reveals untold, fully documented anecdotes of Welles’s first exploits and triumphs, from starring as a teenager on the Gate Theatre stage in Dublin and bullfighting in Sevilla, to his time in the New York theater and his fraught partnership with John Houseman in the Mercury Theatre, to his arrival in Hollywood and the making of “Citizen Kane”. Filled with intriguing new insights and startling revelations—including the surprising true origin and meaning of “Rosebud”—Young Orson is a fascinating look at the creative development and influences that shaped this legendary artistic genius

Empire, War & Cricket in South Africa – Dean Allen

Anna Howcroft — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 14:03:59 +0000

This is the untold story of how James Logan was instrumental in developing the game of cricket in South Africa at a time when the country was heading towards war with the British Empire. Logan immigrated to South Africa in 1877 at the age of 19 and almost immediately began amassing a fortune through business, politics and his high-profile association with that most favoured of imperial pastimes. In Empire, war & cricket in South Africa, readers will learn how one of the first international cricket matches between South Africa and England took place at Matjiesfontein; explore the controversial 1901 South African cricket tour to England in the midst of the Anglo-Boer War; read the amazing story of how Logan once had the captain and manager of England’s cricket team arrested as they boarded their ship home; and discover Logan’s close relationship with Rhodes and how their shady dealings brought down the premier’s first government

The Vegas Diaries – Holly Madison

Anna Howcroft — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 12:21:00 +0000

When you’ve come out the other side of the bizarre, twisted world of the Playboy mansion, where do you land? If you’re Holly Madison… there’s no place like Las Vegas! After making the sudden decision to reclaim her life, Holly broke free from the sheltered, deceptive confines of the mansion (which meant exiting a hit television show) and was determined to start her life over… from scratch. Without the security of a job or relationship, she set out to reinvent herself on no one’s terms but her own. Deciding to roll the dice and begin again in the glamorous and dreamlike city of Las Vegas, Holly quickly realized that while she may have left her past in the rear view mirror, the labels and stereotypes that came from it weren’t so quick to leave her. With a fierce commitment to take charge of her own narrative, Holly dives headfirst into a journey of self-discovery

The Vegas Diaries – Holly Madison

Anna Howcroft — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 08:06:57 +0000

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow – Sophia Loren

Hellobooks — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 10:11:19 +0000

In her acting career spanning more than six decades, Sophia Loren became known for her striking beauty and dramatic roles with famed co-stars Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon, and Paul Newman. The luminous Italian movie star was the first artist to win an Oscar for a foreign language performance, after which she continued a vibrant and varied career that took her from Hollywood to Paris to Italy—and back to Hollywood. In “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”, Loren shares vivid memories of work, love, and family with winning candor.