Jeff Pearce – författare

The poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice.Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a post-war Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst his mother was forced to steal bread to feed her starving children. Life was tough and from the moment Jeff could walk he learned to go door to door, begging rags from the rich, which he sold down the markets. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, and found himself, before the age of thirty, a millionaire.Then, after a cruel twist of fate left him penniless, he, his wife and children were forced out of their beautiful home . . .With nothing but holes in his pockets, Jeff had no alternative but to go back down the markets and start all over again. Did he still have what it took? Could he really get back everything he had lost?A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams is the heartwarming true story of a little boy who had nothing but gained everything and proof that, sometimes, rags can be turned into riches . . .______________'An inspirational tale of hard work and determination' 5* reader review 'I just loved this book from the first chapter - I was gripped' 5* reader review

In the summer of 1839, HenryLayard—just twenty-two years old—left England for eastern Europe and distantlands of the Ottoman Empire. He had never set foot in these regions before andwasn’t fluent in their languages. But he would experience one dramatic adventureafter another, narrowly escaping death, combatting murderous thieves, ridingwith Bakhtiari warriors in Persia, and going on secret missions for the Britishembassy in Turkey. Layard made some of the most importantarchaeology discoveries ever, uncovering the ruins of Nineveh in 1845, as wellas the lost Assyrian capital of Ashur. It’s thanks to his secret efforts thatscores of Yezidi refugees were saved from persecution. When he returned toEngland, his personal account of his finds at Nineveh became a bestseller. Hewent on to witness the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, investigated theIndian Mutiny, and as Britain’s diplomat, he played a key role in savingIstanbul from destruction and looting during a war. Real-life Indiana Jones meets Lawrenceof Arabia in Winged Bull, the first biography in half acentury to tell the story of Henry Layard and his daring adventures. While youmay not know his name, you likely have seen his work. The winged bulls, lionsand priceless treasures of art and jewellery that he found make up permanentcollections in institutions such as the British Museum, Britain’s NationalGallery and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.Layard may have also been the first “archaeologist with a conscience.”While better known figures either stole their discoveries or bribed their wayinto ruins, Layard sought formal permission from local authorities. His booksand letters draw a picture of a man who deeply respected the lands and cultureshe explored.Using Layard’s own letters as well as archival materials andnever-before-published documents, author Jeff Pearce captures the life of a manwho was never at rest, whether galloping off with tribal rulers or standing upfor the poor and downtrodden as a British MP. Discover the life of Henry Layardin this gripping tale of astonishing discoveries, swashbuckling exploits, andpolitical intrigue.

“The West will begin to understand Africa when it realizes it’s not talking to a child—it’s talking to its mother.”So writes Jeff Pearce in the introduction to his fascinating, groundbreaking work, African Ideas: How a Continent and Its People Changed the World.We learn early on in school how Europe and Asia gave us important literature, science, and art, and how their nations changed the course of history. But what about Africa? There are plenty of books that detail its colonialism, corruption, famine, and war, but few that discuss the debt owed to African thinkers and innovators. In African Ideas, we meet Zera Yacob, an Ethiopian philosopher who developed the same critical approach and several of the same ideas as René Descartes. We consider how Somalis traded with China, and we meet the African warrior queens who still inspire national pride. We explore how Liberia’s Edward Wilmot Blyden deeply influenced Marcus Garvey, and we sneak into the galleries and theaters of 1920s Paris, where African art and dance first began to make huge impacts on the world. Relying on meticulous research, Pearce brings to life a rich intellectual legacy and profiles modern innovators like acclaimed griot Papa Susso and renowned economist George Ayittey from Ghana. From the ancient Nubians to a Nigerian superstar in modern painting and sculpture, from the father of sociology in the Maghreb to how the Mau Mau in Kenya influenced Malcom X, African Ideas is bold, engaging, and takes the reader on a journey of thousands of years up to the present day. Past works have reinforced misconceptions about Africa, from its oral traditions and languages to its resistance to colonial powers. Other books have treated African achievements as a parade of honorable mentions and novelties. This book is different—refreshingly different. It tells the stories behind the milestones and provides insights into how great Africans thought, and how they passed along what they learned. Provocative and entertaining, African Ideas at last gives the continent its due, and it should change the way we learn about the interactions of cultures and how we teach the history of the world.