The Brothers York


Book Description

Vicious battles, powerful monarchs, and royal intrigue abound in this “gripping, complex, and sensational” (Hilary Mantel) true story of the War of the Roses—a struggle among three brothers, two of whom became kings, and the inspiration for Shakespeare’s renowned play, Richard III. In 15th-century England, two royal families, the House of York and the House of Lancaster, fought a bitter, decades-long civil war for the English throne. As their symbols were a red rose for Lancaster and a white rose for York, the conflict became known as the Wars of the Roses. During this time, the house of York came to dominate England. At its heart were three charismatic brothers—King Edward IV, and his two younger siblings George and Richard—who became the figureheads of a spectacular ruling dynasty. Together, they looked invincible. But with Edward’s ascendancy the brothers began to turn on one another, unleashing a catastrophic chain of rebellion, vendetta, fratricide, usurpation, and regicide. The brutal end came at Bosworth Field in 1485, with the death of the youngest, then Richard III, at the hands of a new usurper, Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, progenitor of the Tudor line of monarchs. Fascinating, dramatic, and filled with vivid historical detail, The Brothers York is a brilliant account of a conflict that fractured England for a generation. Riven by internal rivalries, jealousy, and infighting, the three York brothers failed to sustain their power and instead self-destructed. It is a rich and bloody tale as gripping as any historical fiction.




The Brothers


Book Description

Look out for Masha Gessen's new book, THE FUTURE IS HISTORY, coming October 2017 “A gripping narrative and a stunning piece of investigative journalism… [that] gives us the human side to the story of two young men who must be understood as more than monsters” (Christian Science Monitor) On April 15, 2013, two homemade bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston marathon, killing three people and wounding more than 264 others. In the ensuing manhunt, Tamerlan Tsarnaev died, and his younger brother, Dzhokhar, was captured and brought to trial. Yet even after the guilty verdict and the death sentence, what we didn't know was why. Why did the American Dream go so wrong for two immigrants? How did such a nightmare come to pass? Acclaimed Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen is uniquely able to tell us. A teenage immigrant herself, she returned to Russia to cover firsthand the transformations that wracked the region from the 1990s on. It is there that she begins her astonishing account of the Tsarnaev brothers, descendants of ethnic Chechens deported to Central Asia in the Stalin era. Following the family in their futile attempts to make a life for themselves in one war-torn locale after another and then, as new émigrés, in an utterly disorienting new world, she reconstructs the brothers' struggle between assimilation and alienation, which incubated a deadly sense of mission. And she traces how such a split in identity can fuel the metamorphosis into a new breed of homegrown terrorist, with feet on American soil but sense of self elsewhere.










Brothers at War


Book Description

At the dawn of the Israeli state, the tragic sinking of the Israeli ship Altalena -- by Israeli commandos no less -- threatened to tear the new country apart, and has lessons still for Israeli politics and peace. The first book in English on this fascinating event, and the first by a historian, this book tells the story, and the present implications, of a moment in the birth of modern Israel that has angles and repercussions relevant to many issues today, in Israel and beyond.




The Tsarnaev Brothers


Book Description

An important story for our Era: How the American dream went wrong for two immigrants, and the nightmare that resulted. The facts of the tragedy are established: on 15 April 2013, two homemade bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding 264 others. The elder of the brothers implicated in the attack, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died in the ensuing manhunt; Dzhokhar's trial got underway in early 2015. What we don't know is why. How did such a nightmare come to pass? Bestselling Russian author Masha Gessen delivers a probing and powerful story of dislocation, and the longing for clarity and identity that can reach the point of combustion. She is uniquely endowed with the background, access, and talent to offer unprecedented insight into who the brothers were and how they came to do what they appear to have done. Most significantly, she reconstructs the struggle between assimilation and alienation that fuelled their apparent metamorphosis into a new breed of homegrown terrorist, with their feet planted on American soil but their loyalties elsewhere - a split identity that seems to have incubated a deadly sense of mission.




Bagpipe Brothers


Book Description

Following on from the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks, the author covers the ordeal of the massive number of funerals, the importance of recovering bodies in Irish American culture and the bagpiping ritual, both traditional and modern.




The Menendez Brothers’ Untold Story Family Secrets, Tragic Loss, and the Journey from Conviction to an Emotional Reunion After Years Apart


Book Description

Discover the dark secrets and shocking revelations behind one of America’s most infamous crime stories in The Menendez Brothers’ Untold Story: Family Secrets, Tragic Loss, and the Journey from Conviction to an Emotional Reunion After Years Apart. This compelling account delves deep into the lives of Lyle and Erik Menendez, exploring not only the brutal events that led to their conviction but also the tangled web of family dynamics, hidden trauma, and emotional devastation that haunted their upbringing. Through meticulous research and newly uncovered insights, this book takes readers beyond the headlines and courtroom drama, offering an intimate look at the Menendez family’s rise and fall. Follow José Menendez, a powerful Hollywood executive, and his wife Kitty as they create a seemingly perfect life, only to watch it unravel into tragedy. As allegations of abuse and hidden secrets emerge, readers are drawn into a story that challenges the boundaries between loyalty, desperation, and the extreme consequences of a family broken by betrayal. The Menendez Brothers’ Untold Story does not end with the trial; it continues into the decades that followed, exploring the brothers' time behind bars, their individual journeys of redemption, and the powerful reunion that brought them together once more after years of separation. This is more than a crime story—it’s a tale of resilience, reflection, and the enduring bonds of family, even in the face of unimaginable darkness. Perfect for readers of true crime, family dramas, and psychological narratives, The Menendez Brothers’ Untold Story offers a rare, empathetic perspective on a case that continues to haunt the public imagination. This book will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the Menendez brothers, their family, and the limits of justice.




Little Brother


Book Description

This intimate exploration of race and inequality in America tells the story of a journalist’s long-time relationship with his mentee, Jorell Cleveland, through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and investigates Jorell's tragic fatal shooting. In 2005, soon after Ben Westhoff moved to St. Louis, he joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and was paired with Jorell Cleveland. Ben was twenty-eight, a white college grad from an affluent family. Jorell was eight, one of nine children from a poor, African American family living in nearby Ferguson. But the two instantly connected. Ben and Jorell formed a bond stronger than nearly any other in their lives. When Ben met the woman who'd become his wife, she observed that Ben and Jorell were "a package deal." They were brothers. In the summer of 2016, Jorell was shot at point blank range in broad daylight in the middle of the street, yet no one was charged in his death. Ben grappled with mourning Jorell, but also with a feeling of responsibility. As Jorell’s mentor, what could he have done differently? As a journalist, he had reported on gang life, interviewed crime kingpins, and even infiltrated drug labs in China. But now, he was investigating the life and death of someone he knew personally and examining what he did and did not know about his friend. Learning the truth about Jorell and the man who killed him required Ben to uncover a heartbreaking cycle of poverty, poor education, drug trafficking, and violence. Little Brother brilliantly combines a deeply personal history with a true-crime narrative that exposes the realities of life in communities like Ferguson all around the country.