{"title":"Simon Akam","description":"\u003cp\u003eSimon Akam’s works offer insightful explorations into the complexities of contemporary institutions and the forces shaping them. With a keen eye for detail and a thoughtful approach, his writing bridges \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePolitics \u0026amp; Current Affairs\u003c\/em\u003e, inviting readers to reconsider established narratives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom probing analyses to nuanced storytelling, Akam’s books engage with themes of authority, tradition, and change. His ability to illuminate the intricacies behind power structures makes his collection essential for those curious about the modern world’s inner workings.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-changing-of-the-guard-by-simon-akam-9781922310279","title":"The Changing of the Guard","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Changing of the Guard\u003c\/em\u003e by Simon Akam is a revelatory, explosive new analysis of the British military today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Britain has changed enormously. During this time, the British Army fought two campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. This book questions why and provides challenging but necessary answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eComposed of assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews with many soldiers and officers who served, as well as the politicians who directed them, the allies who accompanied them, and the family members who loved and—on occasion—lost them, it offers a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of Britain's pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAward-winning journalist Simon Akam, who spent a year in the army when he was 18, returned a decade later to see how the institution had changed. His book examines the relevance of the armed forces today—their social, economic, political, and cultural role. This is as much a book about Britain, and about the politics of failure, as it is about the military.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Akam's beautifully written, from the inside out, account of the British Army's reluctance to engage with the realities of recent small wars, in Afghanistan in particular, is a must-read for every serious student of modern military history. At one level, it explains how and why we managed to turn victory over Al Qaeda in Afghanistan into defeat at the hands of the Taliban. But this book is about much more than the army in Afghanistan—it is a parable about failure, the failure of a revered institution, with a proud history and an uncritical public, to come to terms with a changed and changing world.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British ambassador to Afghanistan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Simon Akam has written a perceptive, challenging and passionate book that looks at modern soldiering. In doing so, Akam provides an invaluable look at how the British Army works—and how the changing world in the 21st century is asking new and complex questions for soldiers and military strategy alike.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Peter Frankopan, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Silk Roads\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'This brave, absorbing and prodigiously well-researched tour de force renders every previous account of the British Army in its disastrous recent campaigns obsolete. Akam makes an unanswerable case that we are no longer very good at fighting wars, building his arguments with panache and good sense. In doing so he has done his country, and the army, a great service—although the Generals may not see it quite that way just yet. Put away the self-serving autobiographies and the obsequious histories of in-house academics; this is the definitive account of the British Army in its 21st Century misadventures.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Frank Ledwidge, author of \u003cem\u003eLosing Small Wars\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850009923820,"sku":"9781922310279","price":70.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11513913482872.jpg?v=1759074712"},{"product_id":"always-take-notes-by-rachel-lloyd-9781804188866","title":"Always Take Notes","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFEATURING BRAND NEW UPDATED CONTENT EXCLUSIVE TO THIS EDITION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Inspiring' - Cathy Rentzenbrink\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Fascinating' - Joe Moran\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A very lovely book' - Kate Mosse\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBestselling and award-winning authors share the secrets to their success, and the hard lessons they have learnt along the way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhere do the best ideas come from? How do you stay motivated? What does it take to become a published author? And how do you actually make money from your writing? For over five years, the hosts of \u003cem\u003eAlways Take Notes\u003c\/em\u003e podcast have posed their nosiest questions to some of the world's greatest writers. The result is a compendium of frank and frequently entertaining guidance for living a creative life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFEATURING Alexander McCall Smith, Anne Enright, Candice Carty-Williams, Christina Lamb, Colin Thubron, Colum McCann, David Mitchell, Elif Shafak, George Packer, Hadley Freeman, Hollie McNish, Ian McEwan, Ian Rankin, Irvine Welsh, Jeffrey Archer, Joanne Harris, Kate Mosse, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Kit de Waal, Louise Doughty, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Maggie Fergusson, Mark Haddon, Marlon James, Max Hastings, May Jeong, Merve Emre, Monica Ali, Niall Ferguson, Nikesh Shukla, Oliver Bullough, Orlando Figes, Patrick Kingsley, Rory Stewart, Rosie Nixon, Ruth Ozeki, Ruth Padel, Sam Knight, Samanth Subramanian, Samira Shackle, Sara Baume, Sebastian Junger, Simon Lancaster, Simon Scarrow, Stig Abell, Terri White, Tessa Hadley, Tim Rice, Toby Young, Tracy Chevalier, William Boyd, William Dalrymple and many more ...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePLUS BRAND NEW BONUS INTERVIEWS WITH Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar, Bettany Hughes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47362509504748,"sku":"9781804188866","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/88f6de5e115a1cb8b8c9eb07373609f1.jpg?v=1772933316"},{"product_id":"always-take-notes-by-rachel-lloyd-9781804183182","title":"Always Take Notes","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere do the best ideas come from? How do you stay motivated? What does it take to become a published author? And how do you actually make money from your writing?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor over five years, the hosts of \u003cem\u003eAlways Take Notes\u003c\/em\u003e podcast have posed their nosiest questions to some of the world's greatest writers. The result is a compendium of frank and frequently entertaining guidance for living a creative life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the early failures that shaped them to the daily challenges of writing and the habits that keep them on track, literary luminaries of all genres offer guidance to inspire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47429749965036,"sku":"9781804183182","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781804183182.jpg?v=1774559953"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/simon-akam.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}