When Vladimir Putin, an unimportant, low-level KGB operative, was rushed to power by a group of Oligarchs in 1999, he was a man without a history. Within a few brief years, Putin had dismantled the country's media, wrested control and wealth from the country's burgeoning business class, and decimated the fragile mechanisms of democracy. Virtually every obstacle to his unbridled control was remo…
Siapa tak mengenal Barack Obama? Namanya telah tercatat dalam sejarah sebagai presiden Amerika pertama dari kalangan kulit berwarna. Ia menjadi tumpuan kekaguman dan harapan bagi banyak orang yang mendambakan perubahan, toleransi, kesetaraan hak, dan perdamaian. Namun, tak banyak yang tahu proses yang dilalui seorang Obama hingga ia menjadi seorang tokoh besar dan berpengaruh. Inilah satu-satun…
Bocah berusia lima tahun itu terus menggigil di ranjang tidurnya. Tapi bukan karena demam. Ia melihat jarum magnet, yang gerakannya seolah-olah dipengaruhi oleh kekuatan tersembunyi. Jarum itu membangkitkan rasa ingin tahu yang memotivasinya kelak, seumur hidupnya. Ayahnya memberi tahu bahwa benda menakjubkan itu bernama kompas. Belasan bahkan puluhan tahun kemudian, Albert Einstein—lelaki k…
When Manchester City’s owners appointed Roberto Mancini in late 2009, the message was clear: this was the man who would overtake the Blues’ illustrious neighbours and restore the club to the pinnacle of English football. The former Italy playmaker swiftly repaid their faith, following up an FA Cup triumph in his first full season with the Premier League title – won in the most heartsto…
Kisah Sir Alex Ferguson yang penuh anekdot dan selalu blakblakan berawal di Govan, distrik galangan kapal di Glasgow: dengan kejujuran dan keterbukaan, dia merenungkan kembali perjalanan hidupnya yang luar biasa serta perjalanan kariernya sebagai manajer yang menghadirkan kesuksesan di tingkat Eropa bagi Aberdeen dan 27 tahun penuh kejayaan bersama Manchester United. Selama seperempat abad t…
Malcolm X's blazing, legendary autobiography, completed shortly before his assassination in 1965, depicts a remarkable life: a child born into rage and despair, who turned to street-hustling and cocaine in the Harlem ghetto, followed by prison, where he converted to the Black Muslims and honed the energy and brilliance that made him one of the most important political figures of his time – an…
Bulosan's America Is in the Heart is one of the few books that detail the migrant workers' struggles in the United States during the 1930s through the 1940s, a time when signs like "Dogs and Filipinos not allowed" were common. The struggles included "beatings, threats, and ill health". In this book, Bulosan also narrated his attempts to establish a labor union.
Recently named "Woman of the Century" in a survey conducted by the National Women's Hall of Fame, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote her hugely popular syndicated column "My Day" for over a quarter of that century, from 1936 to 1962. This collection brings together for the first time in a single volume the most memorable of those columns, written with singular wit, elegance, compassion, and insight—ever…
Saya sedang mengajar di salah satu kamar di dalam ruang bawah tanah milik sebuah keluarga, ketika salah seorang wanita di rumah itu berteriak panik. Taliban datang! Saya meminta para murid bertiarap di lantai dan melarang mereka bersuara. Lampu pun dimatikan. Dalam kegelapan, terdengarkan suara langkah kaki di atas kepala kami. Negara tragedi itu bernama Afghanistan. Selama puluhan tahun,…
Anne Moody’s autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, follows Anne throughout the stages in her life from childhood, to high school, then to college, and ends with her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout the novel, the reader has the pleasure of seeing Anne tell us her story through events, conversations, and internal, emotional struggles. In comparison to others that f…