In this prehistory of the 2001 war in Afghanistan, Steve Coll, a Washington Post editor, pieces together the alliances, intrigue, and failures of intelligence that allowed Al Qaeda to get a foothold in that country. He chronicles the disturbing role of America's supposed ally, Saudi Arabia, in building up Osama bin Laden. And he examines the ...
In January 2002, Rory Stewart survived a walk across Afghanistan by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. In this memoir, he writes about heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders and foreign-aid workers as he makes tangible the forces of tradition, ideology, ...
This powerful memoir chronicles Caputo's hitch in Vietnam as a Marine lieutenant, describing his transformation from an idealistic young soldier into a ruthless killer, and then to a cynical critic of war's sickening waste and madness.
The author's Westernized Chinese family in Shanghai was wealthy but dysfunctional. In this painful memoir, she writes about the cruelty she endured and her eventual emigration to the U.S., where she became a doctor.
From the bestselling author of "In Harm's Way" comes a spectacular, harrowing, true-life soldiers' tale of struggle and triumph in the wake of the September 11 attacks. b&w photographs.
An acclaimed National Public Radio reporter takes a dramatic journey along China's Route 312 from its start in the boomtown of Shanghai to its end on the border with Kazakhstan. Along the way, he poses crucial questions regarding China's future as a super power.
The confluence of Western science and Eastern philosophy is the subject of this book. Capra uncovers some of the amazing parallels that exist between Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, and major scientific discoveries.
The acclaimed author of "River Town" offers a rare portrait of 21st-century China. Hessler tells the story of this modern-day country and its growing links to the Western world as seen through the lives of a handful of ordinary people.
For the first four months of 1942, U.S., Filipino, and Japanese soldiers fought what was America's first major land battle of World War II, the battle for the tiny Philippine peninsula of Bataan. It ended with the surrender of 76,000 Filipinos and Americans, the single largest defeat in American military history. The defeat, though, was only the ...
The #1 national bestseller--an indispensable document for anyone interested in the Vietnam War. McNamara's controversial book tells the inside and personal story of America's descent into Vietnam from a unique point of view, and is one of the most enlightening books about government ever written. This new edition features a new Foreword by ...
The #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author provides a shocking analysis of the crisis in Pakistan and the renewed radicalism threatening Afghanistan and the West.
Author Matthiessen documents his travels in Nepal with naturalist George Schaller, including his attempts to come to grips with his wife's death from cancer, and his general pondering of questions of life and death. The snow leopard becomes a symbol to Matthiessen of the elusive silence of the peace of Zen.
This highly critical report on America's foreign policy sounds a warning call that there may be a price to pay for what the author sees as a long-standing imperiousness by which the United States conducts itself among nations.
Indulge yourself with tasty and satisfying foods like pasta dishes, stir-fries, curries, risottos, noodle dishes, and sushi, all washed down with a glass of wine or beer. Stay active but don't bother with a formal exercise regimen, and set aside time every day to relax and unwind. You may find it hard to believe, but eating and living this way can ...
In this straight-from-the-shoulder account, a veteran of more than 1,000 combat missions tells the electrifying truth about the helicopter war in Vietnam, offering an astounding personal story of men under fire. Includes a new Afterword. Photos.
This entertaining memoir, a quietly persuasive classic of its kind, is about the journey of a young martial arts-obsessed American to China, where he teaches English to Chinese medical students and studies with a kung fu master.
By the author of "The Price of Admiralty", this book approaches the war from a thematic and periodic standpoint. The course of the war is divided into six passages and attached to each is an analytical narrative of a battle, which exemplifies a mode of warfare special to this war, such as city sieges, an air battle, an airborne operation, an ...
Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit priest who went to China in 1577 and who wrote a book on memory in Chinese for the Ming court. Historian Jonathan Spence uses Ricci's memory book, and four images, to convey the history of European-Ming dynasty relations.
More populous than any other country on earth, China also occupies a unique place in our modern world for the continuity of its history and culture. In this sumptuously illustrated single-volume history, noted historian Patricia Ebrey traces the origins of Chinese culture from prehistoric times to the present. She follows its development from ...
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy and the End of the Republic
