The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell

 

 

An exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.
 
Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists, the “Bomber Mafia,” asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal?  
 
In contrast, the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war was the brainchild of General Curtis LeMay, whose brutal pragmatism and scorched-earth tactics in Japan cost thousands of civilian lives, but may have spared even more by averting a planned US invasion. In The Bomber Mafia, Gladwell asks, “Was it worth it?”
 
Things might have gone differently had LeMay’s predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. Hansell believed in precision bombing, but when he and Curtis LeMay squared off for a leadership handover in the jungles of Guam, LeMay emerged victorious, leading to the darkest night of World War II. The Bomber Mafia is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war.

 

It's Always Been You (Wedding Planners) by L.L. Diamond and Carol S. Bowes

 

 

All Ellie ever dreamed of was the perfect vacation.Ellie Barrett’s first glimpse of the island resort is everything she dreamed when she planned her long-awaited tropical getaway—sun, sand, and miles of brilliant aquamarine water. She’d made it! Two whole weeks to explore paradise. What could possibly be better?Perhaps an athletic man in board shorts with a body to die for and a pair of stunning blue eyes? On her first evening, she meets William. Intelligent, amazing to talk to, and hot as sin, he’d never be interested in her, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the view while it lasted!But perfection isn’t bound to last. What if William isn’t everything he seems? When love persists over all obstacles, is it enough? How can Ellie trust William and protect her heart at the same time?

Return to the Streets (Children from the Streets) by Maria Gibbs (Author), R E Hargrave (Editor), Tammy Clarke (Illustrator)

 

 

From the outside, Marcos and Jasmine Martinez seem to have everything. Their days are filled with dream jobs, perfect health, and untold wealth, yet underneath it all, something is broken. Something money won’t fix, but neither have a clue as to what will.Honourable to a fault, Cristian Matos is trapped in a loveless marriage to his best friend’s sister. A siren, Leticia Martinez fulfills his desires whilst making him feel dirty. Leaving her is very much on Cristian’s mind, as are his relationships with Marcos and Jasmine, but what kind of man would take the steps he’s considering when his wife is so emotionally unstable?The fun-loving celebration of Carnival is over. As we return to the streets of Rio, love, lies, and betrayal rock the Martinez family once again. With so much devastation, surely all that’s left now is destruction, especially when vengeance brings the family full circle.Can enough happiness still be found to overcome all their heartaches? Or is the Martinez family forever cursed?