James Knight – författare

As a kid, Bernie Shakeshaft's mischievous and reckless behaviour led him to became known as the wild one of his devout Catholic family. It isn't surprising that his path led him to the Northern Territory, a place where people often go to either lose themselves or find themselves. Bernie, a searcher for his purpose in life, found himself.He had many jobs, firstly as a ringer on a cattle station owned by the Packer family, and later as a dingo trapper for the Parks and Wildlife Service. Throughout it all, he drank, he swore, he fought, and took chances with his own well-being. But, crucially, he also developed deep connections with the Indigenous people, and it was these connections that helped lay the foundations for what was to come. He worked for youth welfare organisations, and all the while he built up his knowledge about helping wayward youths, particularly those from Indigenous communities.Years later, Bernie was living in Armidale. He'd been visiting too many kids in prison and going to too many funerals. The usual methods weren't working so that reckless, mischievous kid inside him decided he could do better. He started a youth program called BackTrack, with three aims: To keep them alive, out of jail and chasing their hopes and dreams. For most, this was their last chance. Combining life skills, education, job preparedness with rural work, Bernie threw in one other factor: dogs! And it works. With the help of these working dogs, the lost boys (and girls) find their way back on track. These days, Backtrack youth tour the country competing in dog-jumping trials. Bernie and the BackTrack team are now supporting other communities in Lake Cargelligo, Broken Hill, Dubbo and Grafton, and have forged a new beginning for over 1000 young people. This one man is making a huge difference.In BACK ON TRACK, bestselling author James Knight tells Bernie's story and the stories of those whose lives he has saved. It is a powerful reminder that we should never give up on our kids.'This fella Bernie, he's a good fella, a bit of a genius really. What a great story.' - Russell Crowe

Between 1737 and 1746, James Knight a merchant, planter, and sometime Crown official and legislator in Jamaica wrote a massive two-volume history of the island. The first volume provided a narrative of the colony's development up to the mid-1740s, while the second offered a broad survey of most aspects of Jamaican life as it had developed by the third and fourth decades of the eighteenth century. Completed not long before his death in the winter of 1746-47 and held in the British Library, this work is now published for the first time. Well researched and intelligently critical, Knight's work is not only the most comprehensive account of Jamaica's ninety years as an English colony ever written; it is also one of the best representations of the provincial mentality as it had emerged in colonial British America between the founding of Virginia and 1750. Expertly edited and introduced by renowned scholar Jack Greene, this volume represents a colonial Caribbean history unique in its contemporary perspective, detail, and scope.

This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Bradt's Sierra Leone remains the only English-language guide dedicated to this unique West African destination, one of only three countries where the über-elusive pygmy hippo can be found and where coastal mountains and sheltered beaches are the stuff of daydreams and postcards. With Bradt's Sierra Leone you can explore the infamous diamond mines and rainforest-covered mountains; go in search of pygmy hippos or relax on the country's beaches and islands. Offering significantly more coverage than any other guide, it is an ideal companion for tourists, volunteers and international workers alike, and also covers newly declared eco-tourist sites as well as the trans-boundary 'peace park' of Gola Forest National Park, shared with neighbouring Liberia.This new edition also covers Freetown's new beach music festival, as well as details of everything from where to visit rescued chimpanzees to touring the traditional wooden-board homes of the Krio people, descendants of repatriated slaves from the Americas and Europe.Sierra Leone continues to be one of the best beach destinations in West Africa, and also one of the region's best trekking destinations, given the varied topography and the presence of Mount Bintumani, West Africa's highest peak. The country has seen a heartening recovery since emerging from civil war a decade ago and the Bradt guide is the first to take stock of the country's post-Ebola travel situation. Sierra Leone is proudly back on the tourism map for the adventurous, beach-loving, jungle-exploring, mountain-scaling and curious of heart traveller.

Thoroughly updated by a resident journalist, this new fourth edition of Bradt's Sierra Leone remains the only English-language guide dedicated to this unique West African destination, one of just three countries where the uber-elusive pygmy hippo can be found. One of Africa's last 'hidden gems', where coastal mountains and secluded beaches are the stuff of daydreams, Sierra Leone lives up to its nickname of 'Sweet Salone'. This welcoming country offers much natural beauty and culture, yet remains unsullied by mass tourism. In many places, local people are happily surprised each time they get visitors, and strive to make your stay the best possible. The country continues to be one of West Africa's best beach destinations and trekking zones, the latter thanks to varied topography and the presence of Mount Bintumani, the region's highest peak. Then there's Ma Dengn (a beach music festival); sanctuaries for rescued chimpanzees; tours of traditional wooden-board homes of the Krio people, descendants of repatriated enslaved people; and the UNESCO site of Bunce Island, a former fort for trading enslaved people, as a destination for heritage tourism. You can also visit the infamous diamond mines and rainforest-covered mountains; search some of the burgeoning ecotourist sites for those pygmy hippos; explore the transboundary 'peace park' of Gola Forest to track down the cave-dwelling picathartes birds; or simply relax on beach-blessed islands.The country has seen a heartening recovery since emerging from civil war and the subsequent Ebola outbreak. Following the Covid pandemic, there has been considerable investment in the tourism sector, which has resulted in a surge of new tour operators and hotels alongside improved roads connecting key towns - all of which is reflected in this fourth edition. Although the country's devastating past still informs many aspects of daily life, Sierra Leone is proudly back on the tourism map for the discerning, adventurous, beach-loving, jungle-exploring, mountain-scaling traveller, volunteer or international worker - and all those curious of heart. Offering significantly more coverage than any other guide, Bradt's Sierra Leone is the ideal travel companion to this up-and-coming African destination.