Author: George J. Marrett File Type: epub They flew low and slow, at treetop level, at night, in monsoons, and in point-blank range of enemy guns and missiles. They were missions no one else wanted, but the ones all other pilots prayed for when shot down. Flying the World War II-vintage Douglas A-1 Skyraider, a single-engine, propeller-driven relic in a war of fast-movers, these intrepid US Air Force pilots, call sign Sandy, risked their lives with every mission to rescue thousands of downed Navy and Air Force pilots. With a flashback memory and a style all his own, George J. Marrett depicts some of the most dangerous aerial combat of any war. The thrilling rescue of Streetcar 304 and William Joness selfless act of heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor are but two of the compelling tales he recounts. Here too are the courages Jolly Green Giant helicopter crews, parajumpers, and forward air controllers who worked with the Sandys over heavily defended jungles and mountains well behind enemy lines. Passionate, mordantly witty, and filled with heart-pounding adrenaline, Cheating Death reads like the finest combat fiction, but it is the real deal its heroes, cowards, jokers, and casualties all have names and faces readers will find difficult to forget.**ReviewMain Selection of the Military Book Club It is a great read for everyone and a must book for all aviation enthusiasts.C. E. Bud Anderson, World War II triple ace and author of To Fly and Fight That others may live was their motto and each of us who flew in that war knew should our luck run out they would be there. I cannot recount the times pilots were plucked out of enemy territory, or out of the jungle trees of Laos by those brave men whose call signs were Sandy and Jolly Green. Often they gave their own lives to save another. Greater love hath no man than that. To each of them I give my everlasting respect, admiration, and deep affection. Reach into your hearts as you read this book and understand the lengths to which men can love and support one another in the times of stress. It will make you just a bit prouder to be an American.Robin Olds, retired general and triple ace About the Author George J. Marrett flew 188 combat missions on the Douglas A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam and tested more than forty types of military aircraft in twenty-five years as a test pilot for the Air Force and Hughes Aircraft Company. He lives in California.

Author: Nilüfer Göle File Type: epub For many in the West, Islam has become a byword for terrorism. From 911 to the Paris attacks, our headlines are dominated by images of violence and extremism. Now, as the Western world struggles to cope with the refugee crisis, there is a growing obsession with the issue of Muslim integration. Those Muslims who fail to assimilate are branded the enemy within, with their communities said to provide a fertile breeding ground for jihadists. Such narratives, though, fail to take into account the actual lives of most Muslims living in the West, fixating instead on a minority of violent extremists.In The Daily Lives of Muslims, Nilufer Gole provides an urgently needed corrective to this distorted image of Islam. Engaging with Muslim communities in twenty-one cities across Europe where controversies over integration have arisen from the banning of the veil in France to debates surrounding sharia law in the UK the book brings the voices of this neglected majority into the debate. In doing so, Gole uncovers a sincere desire among many Muslims to participate in the public sphere, a desire which is too often stifled by Western insecurity and attempts to suppress the outward signs of religious difference.

Author: Peter Messent File Type: pdf Mark Twain is a central figure in nineteenth-century American literature, and his novels are among the best-known and most often studied texts in the field. This clear and incisive introduction provides a biography of the author and situates his works in the historical and cultural context of his times. Peter Messent gives accessible but penetrating readings of the best-known writings including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He pays particular attention to the way Twains humour works and how it underpins his prose style. The final chapter provides up-to-date analysis of the recent critical reception of Twains writing, and summarises the contentious and important debates about his literary and cultural position. The guide to further reading will help those who wish to extend their research and critical work on the author. This book will be of outstanding value to anyone coming to Twain for the first time.

Author: Carl Einstein File Type: pdf