No catches, no fine print just unadulterated book loving, with your favourite books saved to your own digital bookshelf.
New members get entered into our monthly draw to win £100 to spend in your local bookshop Plus lots lots more…
Find out more
Jon Walter is inspired by the power of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. A former photojournalist, he took pictures of the people we rarely get to see, and as a writer he listens out for the quieter voices of those that don't get heard. Here, inspired by the suffragette movement, he explores how it was the everyday decisions of women over their own lives that made its success inevitable. Jon's previous books, Close to the Wind and My Name's Not Friday, were also published by DFB, and have been shortlisted for numerous awards.
Photo credit - Katie Vandyck
Both Clara and Nancy are very much the victims of a pre-World War 1 society dominated by men. Clara the eldest has fought her way out of the family home and out of the clutches of an abusive father but cannot escape her guilt at leaving Nancy to take her place and face an unwanted pregnancy, a painful birth and the wrench of giving her child away. Clara is proud to have found a job which also provides accommodation and now sees this as the solution for her sister too. Life as a prison guard in Holloway is certainly challenging not least because of the new category of political prisoners- the Suffragettes- many of whom are on hunger strike. The author paints a very vivid picture of the restricted life of women in 1913 and the brutality of prison life for guard and prisoner alike. Whilst Clara is the one who thinks most about the issues of women’s rights and independence it is to be the gentle, shy Nancy who gets swept up into the movement when she becomes obsessed with one particular prisoner: “The Duchess” and while Clara pursues her career rather than her feelings for her boyfriend, Nancy impulsively follows her heart and the Duchess into violent protest. It is all about making difficult choices. Having the courage to make a stand for justice. Realising that following your heart can mean the loss of your freedom. This gripping novel really makes the reader think about the wider roles of women and the personal as well as the political aspects of emancipation. One cannot help but see the ironic juxtaposition of the notorious “Cat & Mouse” treatment of the prisoners on hunger strike and Clara’s treatment of her suitor and again with Nancy’s capitulation to capture and imprisonment for arson and Clara’s eventual acceptance of marriage even at the cost of being “given away” by her abusive father. Thought provoking, shocking and insightful this is a very rewarding read indeed and one which will be very valuable to students of history and women’s studies.
Clara and Nancy, two sisters working in Holloway Prison in 1913, find themselves face-to-face with imprisoned suffragettes: women fighting for the same freedoms they want for themselves. Soon Nancy is drawn to one inmate in particular - the enigmatic `Duchess' - and decides to follow her into the fight. But Clara is torn by the very laws her sister has chosen to try to change. She's fallen in love, and yet marriage would mean giving up the job she loves, and losing her independence forever. How can she possibly choose between the two sides of her heart and not lose a part of herself?
Samuel ist bei Gott. Seltsam nur, dass es im Himmel stockdunkel ist, die Vogel trotzdem singen und dass er gefesselt ist. Als er vor Gottes Angesicht tritt, sieht der eher aus wie Der Teufel. Und Der Teufel nennt ihn Freitag und verkauft ihn als Sklaven an einen weien Jungen, der gerade mal so alt ist wie Samuel. Fur 600 Dollar. Er kommt auf eine Plantage in Mississippi, wo es keinen interessiert, wer er ist, dass er lesen kann, dass er zu seinem kleinen Bruder muss. Aber der Burgerkrieg ruckt immer naher - und damit auch die Hoffnung auf Freiheit.
Samuel's an educated boy. Been taught by a priest. He was never supposed to be a slave. He's a good boy too, thoughtful and kind. The type of boy who'd take the blame for something he didn't do, if it meant he could save his brother. So now they don't call him Samuel anymore. And the sound of guns is getting ever closer . . . Jon Walter's second novel is a beautiful and moving story about the power of belief and the strength of the human spirit, set against the terrifying backdrop of the American Civil War.
When word came to "e;Old"e; Walnut Ridge that the railroad was coming, Col. Willis Miles Ponder moved the entire settlement a few miles, cleared a site for a depot, and platted the new town in 1874. Not long after, Hoxie was formed when Henry and Mary Boas offered a right-of-way for another railroad through their land just south of Walnut Ridge. Born by the railroads, the towns have been joined at the hip ever since. By 1889, there was a mule-drawn streetcar connecting the two towns, replaced by an electric streetcar in 1904. Hit hard by the Depression, the towns were saved in part when Walnut Ridge was selected as the home of a World War II Army Air Field, resulting in an influx of 4,000 people. This facility is now used as a city airport, industrial park, and home of Williams Baptist College. Images of America: Walnut Ridge and Hoxie illustrates the boom times and the struggles of these towns through their first 100 years.
Ein Land im Burgerkrieg. Eine Hafenstadt in Flammen. Nur ein einziges Schiff nimmt noch Fluchtlinge auf. Doch der Preis fur die Uberfahrt ist fur die meisten viel zu hoch. Wie sollen Malik und sein Opa an Bord kommen? Und wird Maliks Mutter es rechtzeitig zu ihnen schaffen?Malik muss all seinen Mut zusammennehmen, damit ihm die Flucht gelingt. Sein Erfindungsreichtum, eine streunende Katze und Opas besonderer Zaubertrick sorgen dafr, dass er dabei nie die Hoffnung verliert. Ein erstaunliches und zutiefst menschliches Debt ber Krieg und Hoffnung, Flucht und Heimat - erzhlt durch die Augen eines Jungen.
This boy has bought me. This white boy who don't even look as old as I am. He owns me body and soul, and my worth has been set at six hundred dollars. Samuel's an educated boy. Been taught by a priest. He was never supposed to be a slave. He's a good boy too, thoughtful and kind. The type of boy who'd take the blame for something he didn't do, if it meant he could save his brother. So now they don't call him Samuel anymore. And the sound of guns is getting ever closer...An extraordinary tale of endurance and hope, Jon Walter's second novel is a beautiful and moving story about the power of belief and the strength of the human spirit, set against the terrifying backdrop of the American Civil War.
A war torn country - a town that is burning. A single ship waits at the port for those who can escape. How can a boy and his grandfather hope to get on board? And will they find his mother before it leaves? When Papa meets two old friends, he makes a deal that could save them all. But this is only the beginning of the journey for Malik. If he is to escape he will need all of his courage, his sense of right and wrong and a magic trick that he must practice till it's perfect.
A war torn country - a town that is burning. A single ship waits at the port for those who can escape. How can a boy and his grandfather hope to get on board? And will they find his mother before it leaves? When Papa meets two old friends, he makes a deal that could save them all. But this is only the beginning of the journey for Malik. If he is to escape he will need all of his courage, his sense of right and wrong and a magic trick that he must practice till it's perfect.
If this is your author page then you can share your Twitter updates with your readers right here on LoveReading
Find out moreIf this is your author page then you can share your Facebook updates with your readers right here on LoveReading
Find out more