Keeper Of The Flame

THE WOMAN HE LOVED WAS SWORN TO GUARD THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT LEADER—HE WAS HONOR-BOUND TO DESTROY IT... The governor of a New England state has died suddenly in an unwitnessed automobile accident. He was the coming man, widely mentioned for the presidency, a champion of the underprivileged, and especially of the younger generation, who had formed Robert Forrest clubs the country over. The shock and the sorrow over his death is nationwide. Steve O’Malley, ace war correspondent, whose passion for truth has got him kicked out of all the warring countries abroad, is at a loose end at home and is assigned by his paper to the job of writing the life of the man as he really was. Disastrously, he falls in love with Forrest’s young wife. What he finds, the development of the love affair, the rumble of great events in the background, make a tale of rare intensity.

The life of Nina Simone is one of blocked paths and surprising detours. Some people are born to an obvious destiny, only to find that society, circumstance, and chance steer them onto an entirely different course. Had Nina been born at a different time, she could very well have been a superstar of classical music at an early age. However, the severe oppression of African Americans in the United States during the 1950s forced her to find her fate down a different road. That she did so with flair, grace, and brilliance speaks to the resilience of the oppressed spirit. Though she battled terrible oppression, the greed of managers and lovers, and her own mental illness, she refused to allow the trials of life to stand in her way. What she left behind is a testament to the power of the human spirit, beautifully recorded in song. This book tell her incredible story.

"If one organization is synonymous with keeping hope alive, even as a faint glimmer in the darkness of a prison, it is Amnesty International. Amnesty has been the light, and that light was truth—bearing witness to suffering hidden from the eyes of the world."—from the Preface The first in-depth look at working life inside a major human rights organization, Keepers of the Flame charts the history of Amnesty International and the development of its nerve center, the International Secretariat, over forty-five years. Through interviews with staff members, archival research, and unprecedented access to Amnesty International's internal meetings, Stephen Hopgood provides an engrossing and enlightening account of day-to-day operations within the organization, larger decisions about the nature of its mission, and struggles over the implementation of that mission. An enduring feature of Amnesty's inner life, Hopgood finds, has been a recurrent struggle between the "keepers of the flame" who seek to preserve Amnesty's accumulated store of moral authority and reformers who hope to change, modernize, and use that moral authority in ways that its protectors fear may erode the organization's uniqueness. He also explores how this concept of moral authority affects the working lives of the servants of such an ideal and the ways in which it can undermine an institution's political authority over time. Hopgood argues that human-rights activism is a social practice best understood as a secular religion where internal conflict between sacred and profane—the mission and the practicalities of everyday operations—are both unavoidable and necessary. Keepers of the Flame is vital reading for anyone interested in Amnesty International, its accomplishments, agonies, obligations, fears, opportunities, and challenges—or, more broadly, in how humanitarian organizations accommodate the moral passions that energize volunteers and professional staff alike.

A warrior, a maiden…and a passion that could set the whole world aflame. Despite the fact he is the largest of his half-dragon brothers and better suited to fighting, Hugh has been sent on an undercover mission. Forced to stay in human form, he must discover if the land of Helios is truly the Draconian ally it pretends, or something more sinister. When he witnesses injustice in the form of a misshapen baby gryphon kicked out into the cold, he cannot remain in the shadows and watch the child suffer. All he can hope for is that his act of kindness will go unnoticed so his mission can continue. But someone does notice. When Lera cautiously approaches Hugh, she is drawn to his strange, foreign magic. She is entranced by its irresistible allure—until assassins come calling and reveal her true identity. She is Valeria, queen of Helios, Keeper of the Flame. And she has been betrayed. Together they must risk everything to uncover the traitors and re-forge the alliance between their lands. Yet beneath their blazing passion, both are still keeping secrets. Secrets that the Sacred Flame will reveal—if their love survives its cleansing fire. Please Note: When a dragon prince and a Flame Keeper come together, the conflagration is definitely too hot to handle! The Dragon Knights series consists of: Daughters of the Dragon 1. Maiden Flight 2. Border Lair 3. The Ice Dragon 4. Prince of Spies The Novellas 5. The Dragon Healer 6. Master at Arms 7 Wings of Change Sons of Draconia 8. FireDrake 9. Dragon Storm 10. Keeper of the Flame 11. Hidden Dragons The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy 12. Sea Dragon 13. Dragon Fire 14. Dragon Mates 15. The Captain’s Dragon

Literary biography is an endlessly fascinating form, not least because of the fierce controversies that attend the question of how much of a writer's real life ought to be related to readers. Ian Hamilton, a first-rate biographer who encountering his share of adversity in writing the life of J.D. Salinger, is the perfect chronicler of such controversies in this brilliant study, first published in 1992, which charts the course of literary biography from Donne and Shakespeare to Plath and Larkin.'Such a compelling read.' Antonia Fraser, Times'Lively and informative, powerfully and humorously written.' Anthony Burgess, Observer'Surely the funniest book ever written on the doom-laden issue of posthumous literary fame.' Jonathan Keates, Independent