Set in Penang in the years just before and during the Second World War, this début novel explores the consequences of love and duty. Philip Hutton, born to a British father and a Chinese mother, finds himself drawn to a mysterious Japanese diplomat and aikido master, and soon becomes his devoted student. But their friendship—described in romantic, even erotic terms—is called into question when the Japanese invade the island and Philip must decide whether to join the resistance or collaborate with the occupying army.
This social and historical exploration traces the history of sugarcane from its home in New Guinea to Shakespeare's England. Fascinating sugar lore and anecdotes are included, such as how Queen Elizabeth I became so partial to hippocras (mulled wine), sugared almonds, and pastilles that her teeth turned completely black. Explored are the political and sociological impacts of sugar on the world and the tremendous riches available to the unscrupulous few who grew and sold it. The days of manual processing are described, when fortunes were built on the backbreaking labor of slaves. The resulting wars and geopolitical shifts that have shaped the modern world are discussed in detail.
Added by: JustGoodNews | Karma: 4306.24 | Fiction literature | 13 March 2011
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The Gulag Rats
A page turning thriller about the wartime exploits of these prisoners freed from the Gulag on condition that they fought in the front line in punishment battalions, always given the most dangerous assignments with no retreat or the slightest wavering allowed. It's quite a horrific book, with killings and woundings on all sides graphically described, most horribly those of the Dirlewangers, an SS group of notorious criminals whose atrocities appalled even the head of the SS in occupied Poland.
This work offers a social and cultural history of Victorian medicine "from below," as experienced by ordinary practitioners and patients, often described in their own words.
The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture
It's a photocopy version! The Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture--so massive that it comes in its own plastic carrying case--is one of the rare publishing events that lives up to its hype. The book showcases 1,052 buildings completed since January 1998 with thousands of well-chosen color photographs plans, elevations, and cross-sections. Major elements of each project are described in elegantly succinct texts. Rather than simply pay lip service to the concept of "world" architecture, this book ranges throughout 75 countries on six continents.
