Historical Survival

Like Anne Frank, Flory Van Beek was a young girl caught in the ruthless Nazi occupation of Holland. But Flory survived to recount her extraordinary story of persecution and survival. Flory and her husband, Felix, endured the sinking of a ship bound for safety in the New World, the increasing danger of the occupation, and finally a life in hiding. This inspiring account vividly captures the terror of the Holocaust while telling a poignant story of love and courage.

Of all the books about 9/11 one has been missing until now - a panoramic narrative from the men and women caught up in the unprecedented human drama of that terrible day. The Only Plane in the Sky is nothing less than the first comprehensive oral history of 9/11, deftly woven and told in the voices of ordinary people grappling with extraordinary events. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents and new and archived interviews from nearly 500 people, historian Garrett Graff skillfully tells the story of the day as it was lived.

In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized "safety-bicycle" with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover 20,000 miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. He never made it....

1613: King James – sixth of Scotland, first of England, son of Mary, Queen of Scots - has unified both countries under one crown. But the death of his eldest son, Henry, has plunged the nation into mourning, as the rumours rise the prince was poisoned. Andrew Logan’s heard the rumours, but he’s paid them little heed. As one of the King’s Messengers he has enough secrets to guard, including his own. In these perilous times, when the merest suggestion of witchcraft can see someone tortured and hanged, men like Andrew must hide well the fact they were born with the Sight.

A maritime adventure novel set in the unforgiving seas around Kerguelen predominantly during the late 19th century. To Hell from the Sea is a visceral narrative plumbing the depths of a dangerous nautical journey, the gritty life of sailors, and the machinations of high society. Following the lives of worldly seamen and aristocrats alike, this novel delivers hard-hitting truths about survival, human resilience, and enduring love, no matter the odds or societal norms. The heart of the story revolves around the lives onboard the Albatross, a vessel on a treacherous voyage. Axel, a grizzled ...

The embodiment of the American hero, the man of action, the pathfinder, Daniel Boone represents the great adventure of his age - the westward movement of the American people. Daniel Boone: An American Life brings together over 30 years of research in an extraordinary biography of the quintessential pioneer. Based on primary sources, the book depicts Boone through the eyes of those who knew him and within the historical contexts of his 86 years.

Roman Halter was a spirited, optimistic schoolboy in 1939 when he and his family gathered behind the curtains to watch the Volksdeutsche (German Polish) neighbors of their small town in western Poland greet the arrival of Hitler's armies with kisses and swastika flags. Within days, the family home had been seized, 12-year-old Roman had become a slave of the local SS chief, and, returning from an errand, he silently witnessed his Jewish classmates being bayoneted to death by soldiers at the edge of town. So began his remarkable six-year journey through some of the darkest caverns of Nazi Europe....

A western novel set in the rugged terrains of the American West during the late 19th century. In the dust-choked valleys and towering mountains of the late 1800s, a quest for gold sends four men down a treacherous path that tests their limits and their souls. Cottonwood weaves a gripping tale of ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of desperate choices in an unforgiving landscape. As they search for wealth, the harsh realities of survival begin to fracture their fragile bonds, pushing each man to confront his darkest fears and deepest regrets. The narrative follows Ray Alistair, an ...

Shorty is a Haitian boy trapped in the rubble of a hospital when an earthquake shatters the world around him. Surrounded by lifeless bodies and growing desperately weak from lack of food and water, death seems imminent. Yet as Shorty waits for a rescue that may never come, he becomes aware of another presence, one reaching out to him across two hundred years of history.

In this gripping tale, legendary aviator Amelia Earhart survives her 1937 plane crash and washes up on a remote Pacific island. Stranded and presumed dead by the world, Amelia must summon all her courage, ingenuity and determination to endure on the mysterious island. As she explores her new surroundings, Amelia uncovers tantalizing hints of the island's hidden past — ancient ruins, ghostly whispers, and a secret community of castaways. Forging an unbreakable bond with her fellow survivors, Amelia finds a new sense of purpose and belonging amidst the island's many challenges.

Spring, 1846: Douglas Allen Deeds dreams of starting a new life out West. When the opportunity to join the Donner Party Expedition arises, he leaves the life he's known behind to set out on the nearly 2,000-mile trek from Independence, Missouri to sunny California. But progress is slow. Brutal heat, poisoned water, and rough terrain slows the expedition down. Soon they have a choice: continue on the known but grueling trail, or take a shortcut that would cut 350 miles from their journey-but take them through unknown territory.

In the current wave of seafaring literature, no fictional sailor's story can match this true real-life adventure. With Charles Tyng's Before the Wind we roam the world of the early 19th century: visit Lord Byron in Italy, King Tamehameha in Hawaii, and skirt Napoleon's prison isle of St. Helena. We learn to siphon rum from the captain's cask, relive the historic battle of The Bulwark and The Chesapeake, and witness an encounter with a mermaid.

Toto Koopman - beautiful, mixed-race, bisexual Vogue cover girl in 1930s Paris and lover of the all-powerful press baron and wartime cabinet minister Lord Beaverbrook. Coco Chanel, brilliant couturier and parfumier, rich beyond dreams and friend of Winston Churchill, the greatest-ever Briton. Both the toast of Parisian and London high society.

Saint? Missionary? Scientist? Explorer? The titles given to David Livingstone since his death are varied enough to seem dubious—and with good reason. In view of the confessions in his own journals, saint is out of the question. Even missionary is tenuous, considering he made only one convert. And despite his fame as a scientist and explorer, Livingstone left his most indelible mark on Africa in an arena few have previously examined: slavery. His impact on abolishing what he called “this awful slave-trade” has been shockingly overlooked as the centerpiece of his African mission. Until now.

It doesn't matter if you are a history buff or if you love human interest stories, I've found this book to be the most unexpected page turner that I've read in a very long time. It's the story of Charles Pierce who lived through six, terrifying years of being a slave to the Nazis facing death most virtually one minute after the next and...miraculously surviving. Then, having the courage to build a lasting, loving and happy marriage with a woman he would call his bride for over a half century.

A historical romance book set in the American West during the mid-19th century. "Western Gold" follows the adventures of Nat Raines, a rugged hunter, and Carla May Rangel, a young girl traveling to Pike's Peak with her family in search of gold. Set against the harsh, untamed landscapes of the American West during the mid-19th century, this historical romance explores themes of survival, love, and redemption. The novel opens with Nat Raines encountering a struggling emigrant family on their way to Pike’s Peak. Among them is Carla May, a resilient young girl whose beauty and spirit catch ...

Bloodied and barely conscious, a teenage boy wakes up at the side of a railway track in the middle of nowhere. It’s night and the dead of winter–bone-chillingly cold. Where he is and how he got there, he doesn’t remember. Nor does he remember anything else for that matter–not even his own name. The only clue left behind is a backpack covered in a foot of snow lying next to him. The one thing he knows for sure is that if he doesn’t get up and start moving, he’s going to freeze to death.

One girl yearning to prove herself. Another desperate to escape pain. A dog trying to save them both. Penny Brighton despises being treated like a baby. Now that Papa is sending her to Alaska to stay with her uncle during the waning days of the Great Depression, she's thrilled by the chance to prove she's strong and capable. But her excitement turns to dread when she reaches Juneau and there's no one to meet her. Refusing to panic, she follows a deaf bull terrier to a boarding house and agrees to wash dishes in exchange for room and board while searching for her uncle. But when she meets ...

One of the earliest known autobiographies by a woman, this is the extraordinary tale of Catalina de Erauso, who in 1599 escaped from a Basque convent dressed as a man and went on to live one of the most wildly fantastic lives of any woman in history. A soldier in the Spanish army, she traveled to Peru and Chile, became a gambler, and even mistakenly killed her own brother in a duel. During her lifetime she emerged as the adored folkloric hero of the Spanish-speaking world. This delightful translation of Catalina's own work introduces a new audience to her audacious escapades.

Deception Everywhere -- Rye Tyler was told he couldn't just walk away from his destiny and he'd never be able to trust anyone in his life. A devious MasterMind has led Rye Tyler and Blanche Davis, his true love, into a wagon train massacre on the Wyoming Plains and a kidnapping in the high mountains. Who can Rye Tyler and Blanche Davis trust? Will they survive? The second book in the 'Road Through Hell' series, Fight for Survival, is a riveting Western that keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. The book fits the excitement of books from other Western storytellers such as Louis ...