Natasha Walter - Böcker

Wife.Mother.Spy.Eighteen-year-old Laura Leverett arrives from America for a new life in England. At the side-lines of her cousin’s glamorous gatherings, Laura hungers for someone with whom she can discuss the new political ideas sweeping through London.Edward Last is the kindred spirit Laura has been waiting for. But the secret he is carrying will test Laura’s ideals to their limits and take them across oceans before tearing them apart…

'A fascinating story of courage, doubt and defiance across three generations' SARAH WATERS'A fierce and beautiful book' EDMUND DE WAAL'Heartfelt and upfront... A grieving daughter rediscovers her mother's political past' BLAKE MORRISON, Guardian'A compelling reconstruction of her mother's life as a young anti-nuclear activist defying her suburban parents' CATHERINE TAYLOR, Financial Times'Eloquent, piercing, gloriously humane' PHILIPPE SANDSAfter the sudden death of her mother at age 75, Natasha Walter was thrown into a time of bewilderment and sadness. It was only when she began to search back through Ruth's history, that she began to understand how her life led to death by her own hand. She learns that Ruth had been brought up to be a conventional young woman, but chose to take huge risks and even break the law for her beliefs in the nuclear disarmament movement of the 1960s. Reaching further back she explores the history of Ruth's parents, and the story of her grandfather who, as part of the anti-Nazi resistance in the 1930s in Germany, was imprisoned for three years and then went on the run across Europe, finally finding safety in England.Honest about loss, this memoir also searches for what is valuable in the legacy of a family who lived through some of the great crises of the twentieth century. Without false hope, and with honest passion, Natasha Walter shows us why, even when success is far from assured, it is always important to stand up for what you believe.

'A fascinating story of courage, doubt and defiance across three generations' SARAH WATERS'A fierce and beautiful book' EDMUND DE WAAL'Heartfelt and upfront... A grieving daughter rediscovers her mother's political past' BLAKE MORRISON, Guardian'A compelling reconstruction of her mother's life as a young anti-nuclear activist defying her suburban parents' CATHERINE TAYLOR, Financial Times'Eloquent, piercing, gloriously humane' PHILIPPE SANDSAfter the sudden death of her mother at age 75, Natasha Walter was thrown into a time of bewilderment and sadness. It was only when she began to search back through Ruth's history, that she began to understand how her life led to death by her own hand. She learns that Ruth had been brought up to be a conventional young woman, but chose to take huge risks and even break the law for her beliefs in the nuclear disarmament movement of the 1960s. Reaching further back she explores the history of Ruth's parents, and the story of her grandfather who, as part of the anti-Nazi resistance in the 1930s in Germany, was imprisoned for three years and then went on the run across Europe, finally finding safety in England.Honest about loss, this memoir also searches for what is valuable in the legacy of a family who lived through some of the great crises of the twentieth century. Without false hope, and with honest passion, Natasha Walter shows us why, even when success is far from assured, it is always important to stand up for what you believe.

Celebrating five decades of the feminist publisher, each of the Five Gold Reads represents an iconic moment in Virago's history, from the 1970s to today.I once believed that we only had to put in place the conditions for equality for the remnants of old-fashioned sexism in our culture to wither away. I am ready to admit that I was wrong.'Empowerment, liberation, choice. Once the watchwords of feminism, these terms have now been co-opted by a society that sells women an airbrushed, highly sexualised and increasingly narrow vision of femininity. Drawing on a wealth of research and personal interviews, Living Dolls is a straight-talking, passionate and important book that makes us look afresh at women and girls, at sexism and femininity.'This book marked a real feminist awakening for me . . . it might make you rage, but in a good, important way' Laura Bates, ELLE'Required reading for everyone who cares about our humanity, and that means all of us' Katherine Sheridan, IRISH TIMES'A must-read' Viv Groskop, GUARDIAN

'A fascinating story of courage, doubt and defiance across three generations' SARAH WATERS'A fierce and beautiful book' EDMUND DE WAAL'Heartfelt and upfront... A grieving daughter rediscovers her mother's political past' BLAKE MORRISON, Guardian'A compelling reconstruction of her mother's life as a young anti-nuclear activist defying her suburban parents' CATHERINE TAYLOR, Financial Times'Eloquent, piercing, gloriously humane' PHILIPPE SANDSAfter the sudden death of her mother at age 75, Natasha Walter was thrown into a time of bewilderment and sadness. It was only when she began to search back through Ruth's history, that she began to understand how her life led to death by her own hand. She learns that Ruth had been brought up to be a conventional young woman, but chose to take huge risks and even break the law for her beliefs in the nuclear disarmament movement of the 1960s. Reaching further back she explores the history of Ruth's parents, and the story of her grandfather who, as part of the anti-Nazi resistance in the 1930s in Germany, was imprisoned for three years and then went on the run across Europe, finally finding safety in England.Honest about loss, this memoir also searches for what is valuable in the legacy of a family who lived through some of the great crises of the twentieth century. Without false hope, and with honest passion, Natasha Walter shows us why, even when success is far from assured, it is always important to stand up for what you believe.

GLOBAL IN SCOPE, FEARLESS IN TONE AND DARING ABOUT WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN NEXT'The world is on fire, and this is the book we need in this moment' ANGELA SAINI, author of THE PATRIARCHS'Fantastic and timely . . . I highly recommend this book to all women' ZAHRA JOYA, author of THE VANISHING GIRL OF KABULAcross the world, women are facing backlash. Authoritarian states, online misogyny and climate breakdown are creating growing dangers for women, as their safety is being threatened and their freedoms are under attack.Today, feminism is trapped in a cycle of consumerism and sold to women as individual empowerment. The result is that women are struggling to build connections with one another and with the world around them.How can women defend their rights and freedoms in this dangerous world? In the urgent Feminism for a World on Fire, Natasha Walter moves decisively beyond individualism to build a vision of a rooted feminism that can connect women's liberation to other movements for equality and environmental protection. A world where women can thrive together on a flourishing planet may sometimes seem like a distant dream - but it is still within our grasp.With clarity and courage, in this passionate and compelling book, Natasha Walter finds a thread of real hope in the dark.

GLOBAL IN SCOPE, FEARLESS IN TONE AND DARING ABOUT WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN NEXT'The world is on fire, and this is the book we need in this moment' ANGELA SAINI, author of THE PATRIARCHS'Fantastic and timely . . . I highly recommend this book to all women' ZAHRA JOYA, author of THE VANISHING GIRL OF KABULAcross the world, women are facing backlash. Authoritarian states, online misogyny and climate breakdown are creating growing dangers for women, as their safety is being threatened and their freedoms are under attack.Today, feminism is trapped in a cycle of consumerism and sold to women as individual empowerment. The result is that women are struggling to build connections with one another and with the world around them.How can women defend their rights and freedoms in this dangerous world? In the urgent Feminism for a World on Fire, Natasha Walter moves decisively beyond individualism to build a vision of a rooted feminism that can connect women's liberation to other movements for equality and environmental protection. A world where women can thrive together on a flourishing planet may sometimes seem like a distant dream - but it is still within our grasp.With clarity and courage, in this passionate and compelling book, Natasha Walter finds a thread of real hope in the dark.

I once believed that we only had to put in place the conditions for equality for the remnants of old-fashioned sexism in our culture to wither away. I am ready to admit that I was wrong.'Empowerment, liberation, choice. Once the watchwords of feminism, these terms have now been co-opted by a society that sells women an airbrushed, highly sexualised and increasingly narrow vision of femininity. Drawing on a wealth of research and personal interviews, LIVING DOLLS is a straight-talking, passionate and important book that makes us look afresh at women and girls, at sexism and femininity - today.