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Comrades
Comrades
Oct 5, 2024 9:21 AM

Author:Rosita Boland

Comrades

'I was fascinated, moved and entertained by every page. This is the kind of book the world needs right now' DONAL RYAN

_______________

'My dictionary's first two definitions of 'comrade' are:

A close companion.

An intimate associate or friend.

The third one is:

A fellow soldier.

My friends have been all those things to me.'

In this stunning essay collection, award-winning journalist Rosita Boland explores the many friendships that have shaped her life. Surprising and beautiful, she writes about the imaginary friends of early childhood, books that have provided companionship and joy, kindred spirits met while travelling, the friend she hoped might become something more, and also the friendships that become lost over time.

Life-affirming, affecting and wise, Comrades is a powerful exploration of what it is to live, to connect, and to be human in this world.

_______________

'An absorbing journey along life's tracks and trails.' THE SUNDAY TIMES IRELAND

'A moving, beautiful and deeply felt meditation on friendship, loyalty and connectedness in a disconnected world' HILARY FANNIN

Reviews

'Fascinating and warm-hearted essay collection...a moving meditation on friendship and the deep-seated need to find and retain human connections.'

—— IRISH INDEPENDENT

'Boland says she endeavours as a journalist to be as empathetic, responsible and ethical as possible. Comrades is an exceptional example of all three. She writes with a lightness of touch and robust integrity. Reading her book has been an immensely enjoyable experience, like getting into a bubble bath that's the perfect temperature. It's one that I will re-read and give as a gift to many friends of my own.'

—— Irish Times

'Comrades is a wonderfully constructed, moving and honest book.'

—— PATRICK FREYNE

'Chatty, thoughtful and entertaining - an absorbing journey along life's tracks and trails.'

—— THE SUNDAY TIMES IRELAND

'A gift of a book.'

—— THE GLOSS

[Magdalena] is a rallying cry to save the Magdalena from the destructive effects of industrialisation, but it also aims to reset our impressions of the country as a whole... [Davis's] passion for Colombia is better expressed in the depth of information he delivers - and the poetic way in which he captures its extraordinary landscape. Those pondering a trip will be inspired to veer off the tourist path

—— Jenny Coad , The Times

Davis is a powerful, penetrating and immensely knowledgeable writer

—— Charles Nicholl , Guardian, *Book of the Week*

Davis suffuses his reportage with a visionary tinge. But his subject more than warrants it

—— Boyd Tonkin , Financial Times

Magdalena is a revelatory and often enchanting book

—— Economist

This book is the culmination of a lifetime's work in the country and is suffused with a love and knowledge that only such long acquaintance can bring

—— Hugh Thomson , Spectator

Passionate and profoundly engaged... [Davis'] presentation of the great river as Colombia's Mississippi, its fountain of music, the source of its many contradictions...generates an impact that few travel books can muster.

—— Brian Morton , Tablet

Music and myth, commerce and colonialism, indigeneity and identity: Magdalena is as impressively exploratory in approach as it is encyclopaedic in scope

—— Oliver Balch , Times Literary Supplement

With the skill of a twenty-first-century mother juggling numerous professional and caring responsibilities, Sarah Knott's Mother expertly pulls off a delicate balancing act. Knott's poignant personal memoir of pregnancy, birth, feeding and beyond encapsulates its bloody, milky, hormonal immediacy, whilst, at the same time, she finds in each moment an echo of history, a thread situating her among women - their bodies, communities and cultural practices - across centuries and continents.

—— Dr Rachel Hewitt

This lyrical book-one-third memoir, two-thirds history-guides us through centuries of pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care. Knott stitches her personal story to vignettes from the past and shows us how everyday mothering differed in time and place. With stunning prose, she gives us the sensory shorn of the sentimental. A riveting read

—— Joanne Meyerowitz, author of 'How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States'

An original and important account of a universal but neglected experience. Mother powerfully conveys the thrilling, bewildering, and fuzzy-headed atmosphere that surrounds pregnancy and childbirth, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of our mothering predecessors.

—— Herald

A useful corrective that brings us closer to a more accurate history of Western science - one which recognises Europe, not as exceptional, but as learning from the world

—— Angela Saini, author of Superior

The righting of the historical record makes Horizons a deeply satisfying read. We learn about a fascinating group of people engaged in scientific inquiry all over the world. Even more satisfyingly, Horizons demonstrates that the most famous scientists - Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein among them - couldn't have made their discoveries without the help of their global contacts

—— Valerie Hansen, author of The Year 1000

A provocative examination of major contributions to science made outside Europe and the USA, from ancient to modern times, explained in relation to global historical events. I particularly enjoyed the stories of individuals whose work tends to be omitted from standard histories of science

—— Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures

A wonderful, timely reminder that scientific advancement is, and has always been, a global endeavour

—— Patrick Roberts, author of Jungle

This is the kind of history we need: it opens our eyes to the ways in which what we know today has been uncovered thanks to a worldwide team effort

—— Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds

An important milestone

—— British Journal for the History of Science, on Materials of the Mind

The freshest history of the strangest science

—— Alison Bashford, author of Global Population, on Materials of the Mind

Ambitious, riveting, Poskett tracks the global in so many senses . . . vital reading on some of the most urgent concerns facing the world history of science

—— Sujit Sivasundaram, University of Cambridge, on Materials of the Mind

Terrific . . . [Makes] a substantial contribution to understanding the universalizing properties of science and technology in history

—— Janet Browne, Harvard University, on Materials of the Mind

Horizons forces me to think outside my Eurocentric box and puts science at the centre of world history

—— David Reynolds , New Statesman, Books of the Year 2022
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