Biographies

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life. Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, whatever it took, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what her mother called “calorie restriction”, weighing herself five times a day and ultimately shrinking down to 89 pounds. She endured extensive at-home makeovers using knockoff whitening strips, hot curlers, eyelash tint, and gobs of bleach to enhance her “natural beauty.” She was showered by her mother until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, an email account, and all her earnings. The dream finally comes true when Jennette is cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly and is thrust into fame. But for Jennette, the dream is a nightmare. Practically overnight, her fake smile and cheesy airbrushed hair-do is plastered on billboards across the country. And though her mom is ecstatic, ordering her to smile for the paparazzi (with whom she’s on a first-name basis) and sign endless autographs for fans who only know her by her character’s name, Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction and a series of unhealthy relationships.These issues only get worse when Jennette’s mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and coldly examining the relationship with her mother, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants. Told with raw honesty and equal parts gravity and humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is a a shocking, devastating, and ultimately inspiring story of resilience. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781982185831 • Author: Jennette McCurdy • Publisher: Simon & Schuster • Format: Paperback  • Pages: 320

A deeply moving and unforgettable portrait of an ordinary and yet an extraordinary teenage girl. First published over sixty years ago, Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl has reached millions of young people throughout the world. In July 1942, thirteen-year-old Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the occupation, went into hiding in an Amsterdam warehouse. Over the next two years Anne vividly describes in her diary the frustrations of living in such close quarters, and her thoughts, feelings and longings as she grows up. Her diary ends abruptly when, in August 1944, they were all betrayed. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780241657959 • Author: Anne Frank • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 372 • Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 2.2 cm

The mystery has haunted generations since the Second World War: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why? Now, thanks to radical new technology and the obsession of a retired FBI agent, this book offers an answer. Rosemary Sullivan unfolds the story in a gripping, moving narrative. Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teenaged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works – journalism, books, plays and novels – devoted to Anne’s story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years – and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door. With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents – some never before seen – and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilising methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest – and came to a shocking conclusion. The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behaviour of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects. All the while, she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy, educated, or careful you were, you never knew whom you could trust. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780008353872 • Author: Rosemary Sullivan • Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers • Format: Paperback • Pages: 416 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.6 cm

HMP Wakefield. ‘Monster Mansion’. Hell to be inside. Almost impossible to escape. This prison has seen some of the most infamous prisoners of all time pass through its cells – from Levi Bellfield to Harold Shipman, Ian Huntley and Charles Bronson. Jonathan Levi and Emma French are the perfect authors to give chilling insight into all the terrible men who have served time there. After detailing the shocking truth of life in Britain’s most high-profile psychiatric hospital in their bestselling book Inside Broadmoor, now they will take readers behind bars in this the UK’s most notorious prison. Inside Wakefield Prison will trace its long and intriguing history, from when it was first built in 1594 all the way up to the present day. Today, just over 750 of the country’s most dangerous offenders are kept there, including ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ Robert Maudsley, notorious killer Jeremy Bamber and former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins. Featuring all the sinister and truly horrifying stories that have emerged from the prison, as well as new unheard tales, this book will fascinate and shock readers on every page. Told with the help of interviews with staff, experts – and even in the words of the prisoners themselves – this is a no-holds-barred journey into the dark. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789467536 • Author: Jonathan Levi & Emma French • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2cm

The Blues Brothers hit cinemas on 20th June, 1980. Today, it ‘s recognised as one of the most significant films of the twentieth century. Its spotlighting of some of the world’s most legendary rhythm and blues artists – Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker – made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases. In The Blues Brothers, Daniel de Visé shares the history of this timeless movie, encompassing the colourful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by The Harvard Lampoon; the birth and drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live; and of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made. Based on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, The Blues Brothers illuminates in glorious technicolour, the making of an American masterpiece and the birth of modern comedy. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399621885 • Author: Daniel de Visé • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Pages: 400 • Format: Paperback • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm

The definitive biography and ultimate origin story of Ange Postecoglou, one of the most-talked about Premier League manager and instigator of the ‘Angeball’ phenomenon that has taken the football world by storm. Now updated in July 2025 after Ange Postecouglou’s sudden sacking from Tottenham Hotspur. It took no time at all for fans of Tottenham Hotspur to fall completely in love with Ange Postecoglou and his ‘Angeball’ brand of front-foot football. But after he delivered Tottenham Hotspur’s first trophy for seventeen years, winning the Europa Leauge in 2025, Ange Postecoglou was sacked just sixteen days later. Drawing on dozens of interviews with Postecoglou and his players, Angeball delves into the heart and soul of a man who has reshaped the football landscape. Vince Rugari follows the Greek immigrant through his journey starting in football management at his boyhood club, becoming a marauding left-back in the Australian National Soccer league, and then as Tottenham Hotspur’s unique and exciting head coach. Explore the dynamics behind his coaching brilliance, his complicated relationship with the game in his homeland, and the profound impact he has had on fans worldwide, fuelled by an unshakeable belief in himself and his ideas. This is the story of more than just a man, this is the story of ‘Angeball’. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781035417216 • Author: Vince Rugari • Publisher: Hodder Headline • Format: Paperback • Pages: 368 • Dimensions: 19.79 x 13.51 x 2.41 cm

At the age of thirteen, she became Lady Diana Spencer. At twenty, Princess of Wales. At twenty-one, she earned her most important title: Mother. As she fell in love, first with Prince Charles and then with her sons, William and Harry, the world fell in love with the young royal family - Diana most of all. With one son destined to be King and one needing to find his own way, she taught them lessons about royal tradition and also real life. 'William and Harry will be properly prepared,' Diana once promised. 'I am making sure of this.' Even after her tragic death, the strength of her love for her sons remains an enduring inspiration, not only for the two princes, but for the entire world. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529160642 • Author: James Patterson & Chris Mooney • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 464 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm

Every family has its secrets, but some are worse than others. Lynn’s mother wanted the world to see the perfect family. An immaculate house, three well-dressed children and a charming husband. But behind closed doors it was a different story. Abused by her father from when she was just a baby, Lynn would scream for her mother, who ignored the little girl’s cries. Nothing was going to shatter her perfect life. Threatened by their parents, Lynn and her brother never told anyone in fear of being separated, but the trauma of their past followed them throughout their lives, with devastating consequences. Now as Lynn tries to piece together and come to terms with her past as an adult, she discovers she wasn’t the only one with a secret. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529988505 • Author: Toni Maguire & Lynn Murray • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm

Johnny Herbert was one of the most brilliant natural talents to emerge in motor racing, but for all his bravery and prowess, he's lucky to be alive. After becoming British Junior Karting Champion (losing part of a finger in the process), then the Formula 3 title for Eddie Jordan in 1987, he was all set for a glittering debut season in Formula 1 when he was caught in a mass pile-up at Brands Hatch. That horrific crash threatened to end his career, but Herbert made a miraculous recovery, was a hugely popular winner of the British Grand Prix in 1995, and enjoyed 25 years of competitive motorsport, becoming the only British driver to win the 24 hours of Le Mans followed by a Grand Prix. And all that despite driving every pace in extreme pain; in fact, as the first and only disabled driver in F1 history. While chronicling an extraordinary life behind the wheel with cheer and his trademark cheeky humour, What Doesn't Kill You... contains a wealth of stories from the hard end of Formula 1: on Johnny's team-mate Michael Schumacher, legends like Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, his fellow British adversaries Damon Hill, Martin Brundle and Nigel Mansell, and of course all those gruesome accidents. With an encyclopaedic knowledge and love of the sport, Johnny Herbert's autobiography, much like the man himself, delivers brilliance from the back of the grid. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781911754541 • Author: Johnny Herbert • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.7 x 1.9 cm

One of the most loved - and loving - father-and-son duos in the land, Harry and Jamie Redknapp are football royalty. Football runs through their veins. Both have enjoyed stellar careers on the pitch, in managerial dug-outs and in our television studios. But how did it all start, and what drove them on to be the football fanatics that they so passionately are today? A Family Obsession is the fascinating result of Harry and Jamie sitting round the kitchen table, where they discuss, debate, select and celebrate all aspects of the game that have inspired them. Who are the men who impacted their careers and fired that all-consuming passion for football? This is a deep dive into the matches, the players, the managers and the changes that have spanned their two generations. With amusing anecdotes, Harry and Jamie reveal the individuals who have set their pulses racing, opened their minds, enriched their football lives and stimulated their respective love affairs with the sport. From childhood idols to role models in young adulthood, from beloved team-mates to bitter rivals, from genius managers to the game's great mavericks - from Pele and Maradona to Bobby Moore and Lionel Messi via Steven Gerrad and Pep Guardiola - all are brought to life by two of the country's most knowledgeable, animated and beloved football obsessives. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781408721742 • Author: Harry Redknapp & Jamie Redknapp • Publisher: Little Brown • Format: Paperback • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 19.56 x 12.7 x 1.52 cm

US President John F. Kennedy's killing in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963, sent a shockwave around the world. The charismatic young Democrat was seen as a beacon of hope in the West, but his liberal reforming policies had made him many powerful enemies at home. For sixty years, numerous theories have swirled around this key event in American - and world - history. Yet whatever the conclusions of the official Warren Report - that the President had been assassinated by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald - many people doubt that to be true. Indeed, President Nixon later admitted on tape that the report was 'a hoax committed on the American people.' John Hughes-Wilson, a former colonel in British Intelligence, has sifted through the millions of words and thousands of pieces of evidence, to put together an intelligence assessment of what really happened that dreadful high noon in Dallas in 1963. Reading this astounding book, no one can be in any doubt that JFK's death was not at the hands of a lone deranged gunman, but a deadly plot to remove a President who threatened vested interests at home and abroad.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781789467376 • Author:  John Hughes-Wilson • Publisher:  John Blake • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  368 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.1 x 19.8 cm   

Oasis were a band like bands used to be. Hard-drinking and substance abusing. If they liked you, they loved you. If they didn't, you had to be prepared for confrontation. Iain Robertson is used to tough jobs - after retiring from the Parachute Regiment, he took on jobs guarding George Harrison, Gary Moore and Johnny Rotten. But keeping Oasis on the rails after debut album Definitely Maybe ignited their rise toward global superstardom would be the toughest gig of them all. Oasis would explode into public consciousness and have the world at their feet in the wake of their epic first album and a huge world tour. Iain was side-by-side as their road manager and minder, twenty-four hours a day, eight days a week, as they took on the world and won. No one was closer. Now updated with new unpublished material to celebrate the thirty year anniversary of Definitely Maybe and ahead of their upcoming reunion tour, this story is the defining chronicle of life on tour with Oasis. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789467512 • Author: Iain Robertson • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.1cm

FATHOMLESS RICHES is the Reverend Richard Coles’ warm, witty and wise memoir in which he divulges with searing honesty and intimacy his pilgrimage from a rock-and-roll life of sex and drugs in the Communards to one devoted to God and Christianity. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399628457 • Author: Richard Coles • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 288 • Dimensions: 20.32 x 12.7 x 2.29 cm

Billed as 'the ultimate fighting machine', the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is a US-designed close-support aircraft in service in the UK with the Army Air Corps (AAC). Apache at War is a senior British pilot's vivid and uncompromising account of flying this and other combat helicopters in action. Tautly, often graphically written, here is a memoir of the author's service flying close-support helicopters with the AAC, from patrolling 'Bandit Country' in Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland, in the late 1990s, to taking out Taliban fighters in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in the mid to late 2000s, with active service in the Balkans and Iraq along the way. Besides combat flying, Steve Jones was also a qualified instructor on the Apache, and helped to teach the then 'Lieutenant H. Wales' - Prince Harry - to fly and fight the aircraft. He tells of mentoring the hard-living prince, of equipping him with skills that would later bring out the best in him in Afghanistan, offering insights into Harry the soldier and pilot far removed from the media figure of today. The first-person narrative is immediate, often dramatic, and peppered with military insights that give it great authenticity. Laced with laconic humour, it is a testament to the vital work of combat helicopters, as well as an intimate salute to a truly remarkable aircraft. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789467734 • Author: Steve Jones • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback • Pages: 400 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.5 cm

The extraordinary story of Olympian who was imprisoned in Auschwitz and survived to tell his story. Alfred Nakache, a Jewish child from Constantine, never imagined that he would one day swim for France at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, nor than he would achieve a world record, as he did in 1941. As a child he was petrified of the water and yet, somehow, through sheer willpower and determination, he rose to become one of the very best swimmers in the world. That was until 1943, when he was banned from the pool - and in the same year, deported and sent to Auschwitz. Not knowing if he would ever see his wife and daughter again, Alfred battled on, through the humiliation and the pain, even defying the guards by swimming in the water reserves of Auschwitz. Somehow - miraculously - he survived, swimming every day until the end of his life. The Swimmer of Auschwitz is the unique, true story of a forgotten hero, told with remarkable power and simplicity. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781800962965 • Author: Renaud Leblond • Publisher: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 272 • Dimensions: 12.6 x 19.6 x 1.8 cm

'If I had to choose between betraying my friend and betraying my country, I hope I should have the courage to betray my country.' E. M. FORSTER People have betrayed their country, or their friends, for all kinds of different reasons - conscience, conviction, love, as well as pride, vengeance and greed. The stories in Traitors range from the faith-inspired terrorism of Guy Fawkes to the non-violent White Rose gang of students who defied Hitler; from patriotic rebels such as Roger Casement to ambivalent ideologues such as Lord Haw-Haw and the Cambridge spy Kim Philby; and from femmes fatales such as Mata Hari to unwitting victims such as Lady Jane Grey. Those found guilty of treason have usually faced the same penalty: death. But as these thoroughly researched and grippingly told tales of treachery show, one man's traitor may sometimes be another man's hero . . . Product Information: • ISBN: 9781529440010 • Author: Ian Crofton • Publisher: Quercus Publishing plc • Format: Paperback • Pages: 304 • Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm

'Don't leave me here! Please, don't leave me.' What possesses a mum to kidnap her own child? That's what Maggie asks herself when she's asked to foster 13-year-old Saskia, the subject of a bitter custody battle between her parents. When Saskia's mum Rosa fears the courts are going to favour her ex-husband, James, she takes matters into her own hands. With Rosa facing criminal charges, and Saskia refusing to live with her dad, her future looks uncertain. Will Maggie be able to step in and discover the bombshell that will tear this family apart? From Britain's best-loved foster carer, a new and inspiring true story of secrets and hope. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781399629256 • Author: Maggie Hartley • Publisher: Orion Publishing • Format: Paperback • Pages: 256 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm

A gripping compendium of some of the world's most infamous and shocking mass murderers, such as John Wayne Gacy, the Boston Strangler, the Moors murderers and Harold Shipman, as well as some lesser-known figures. Who was the Zodiac Killer? What drove Jeffrey Dahmer to dismember his 17 victims? How many women really fell prey to Ted Bundy? Maybe it's because our animal instincts draw us to dangerous situations; maybe it's because reading about predators allows us to learn about their behaviours in a safe setting. Whatever the reason, serial killers and their crimes have fascinated us for centuries. This true crime compendium not only relates the disturbing events that transpired but also delves into the psychology of the perpetrators. The stories within are shocking and often difficult to comprehend, but with this deep dive into the world of the macabre, readers may gain a greater understanding of the motivations and thought processes of these murderers. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the psychology of crime and the human mind. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781837991228 • Author:  Jamie King • Publisher:  Summersdale • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  304 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.7 x 2.2 cm

In this extraordinary work of non-fiction, we hear the unforgettable stories of everyday heroes who look after our families, our friends and ourselves in the most challenging circumstances imaginable. When we're at our worst, nurses are at their best. Around the clock, highly skilled and compassionate men and women sacrifice and struggle for us and our loved ones. You have never heard their true stories. Not like this. From big-city and small-town hospitals. These are stories told from the heart. This book will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you understand the importance of the work they do. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781804955604 • Author: James Patterson & Matt Eversmann • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd • Format: Paperback • Pages: 320 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.9 cm

From the Sunday Times bestselling author and Royal correspondent, Robert Jobson - with his extensive connections within the royal household - this revelatory new biography tells the full story of how Catherine, the Princess of Wales, became the woman she is today. Kate Middleton's life's story seems like a modern-day fairy-tale. An attractive, clever, and ambitious girl from unexceptional beginnings meets and falls in love with a wealthy prince destined to be King when they are both university undergraduates. Now, with the British monarchy in transition, Catherine is Princess of Wales and is set to become Queen. Since her wedding on 29 April 2011, Catherine has endeared herself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth and worldwide on her extensive travels, with her infectious smile, sense of style and down-to-earth nature. Her self-deprecation, willingness to laugh at herself, solid work-ethic - along with her husband, William, warmth, and accessibility - this royal family's dynamic duo have become the most popular members of the Royal Family. But it's not come without its fair share of commentary and scandal, particularly with recent revelations on the relationship of the 'Fab Four' with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as well as her own health scares. As interest in the royals continues to gain legions of new, younger fans, there is increasing interest in their histories and back stories of the principal players in this story. This book aims to discover, through talking to close sources both on and off the record within the royal household, what has made Catherine the woman she is today. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789468960 • Author: Robert Jobson • Publisher: Bonnier Books UK Limited • Format: Paperback  • Pages: 336 • Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.9 x 2.2 cm