In the early spring of 1775; on a farm in Concord; Massachusetts; British army spies located four brass cannon belonging to Boston’s colonial militia that had gone missing months before. British general Thomas Gage had been searching for them; both to stymie New England’s growing rebellion and to erase the embarrassment of having let cannon disappear from armories under redcoat guard. Anxious to regain those weapons; he drew up plans for his troops to march nineteen miles into unfriendly territory. The Massachusetts Patriots; meanwhile; prepared to thwart the general’s mission. There was one goal Gage and his enemies shared: for different reasons; they all wanted to keep the stolen cannon as secret as possible. Both sides succeeded well enough that the full story has never appeared until now. The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War by historian J. L. Bell reveals a new dimension to the start of America’s War for Independence by tracing the spark of its first battle back to little-known events beginning in September 1774. The author relates how radical Patriots secured those four cannon and smuggled them out of Boston; and how Gage sent out spies and search parties to track them down. Drawing on archives in the United States; United Kingdom; and Canada; the book creates a lively; original; and deeply documented picture of a society perched on the brink of war.
#410417 in Books Salbi; Zainab/ Becklund; Laurie 2006-08-17 2006-08-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.99 x .80 x 5.32l; .55 #File Name: 1592402445304 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The pilot's daughter gets her wingsBy Little MeBetween Two Worlds is an autobiography. In part; it is also Salbi's tribute to her mother; a beautiful bird in an invisible cage. If the book teaches you anything; it's this: you can't leave the torments of your past behind. They follows you around like a shadow and only real freedom and true love can vanquish them. Freedom is the best ointment for decades spent under tyranny. Freedom is very comfortable; but it is not magical. Healing takes time. Emancipated people often need help along the road to independence. It's not easy for long-term prisoners to be fully functional outside the cell block. In that regard; Salbi has succeeded magnificently. I bought her book largely because of that success. She is the founder of Women for Women International; an organization which I support. This book was a lot more revealing than I expected. Salbi's past includes both psychological and physical abuse (including a bad first marriage). Look at the photo on the book's cover. Salbi's creamy complexion was first nourished by the lemon trees of Baghdad and then washed by a copious amount of tears as unfortunate events piled up in her adult life.The subtitle; Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam; is a bit inaccurate. Saddam was more than a shadow in her life. He was literally the house guest on her living room sofa; the hand on her shoulder; the audience at her informal piano recital; and her attentive guide to a pavilion on one of his palace lakes. Salbi's father was Saddam's personal pilot. Her knowledge of Saddam is direct or second hand from primary sources. Her descriptions of him and his methods read like a playbook for narcissistic psychopathic dictators: Take whatever you want; murder those who displease you; rape whomever you like (including vulnerable women who plead for your assistance); sow fear and distrust everywhere; use force regularly; create a personality cult; brook no refusal; keep a collection of "friends" who must respond like lap dogs to your every wish whether explicit or implied; bring war upon the earth; name infrastructure projects after yourself; forego the rule of law; employ tribal bodyguards whose loyalty is certain and reward them with sex and power; build lavish palaces; kill opposition leaders; be vainly selective with your wardrobe; violently oppress or deport any group not cut from the same cloth as you; engage in domestic spying and encourage snitching even among family members and school children; punish independent attitudes or actions no matter how small; obey no one; always follow your own inclinations; maintain a veil of dignity and respectability whenever possible; and treat your entire country as essentially your own private feeding ground.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An Enthralling ReadBy Amanda MFABULOUS! Very insightful and intriguing - an enthralling read. Sometimes I vacillate between whether or not we should have ousted Saddam; considering the mess Iraq is currently in. This book makes it clear that although the way we followed through was extremely poor; getting rid of that narcissistic lunatic was the right thing to do. Salbi's strength; determination and passion are nothing short of inspiring.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Such a Awesome Stong Woman who lived under the fear of Saddam HusseinBy Cindy EdwardsThis woman experienced so much at a young age and had to make some tough choices and lived through some choices other made for her. She experienced living under the fear of Saddam Hussein and the control her had over her parents and their life being her dad was the pilot for Saddam Hussein and he made his presence on a regular basis any time night or night or day.So you had to make yourself available to him and lived by what was expected under his control. She Zainab Salbi was a very strong woman to had experience so many things as a young girl and to come out of that life and wanting to help woman to not have to experience things that she went through and what the women she knew was being raped and abused to change and help women.This is a book that shares the life she Zainab Salbi lived under Saddam Hussein her father was his pilot.A great book to read.
