Tracy Mackness has always had a flair for business - if not all of it legal. She started work as a youngster on her dad's fruit and veg stall in Romford Market in the early 1970s, preferring grafting to going to school, but by the time she was a teenager she'd fallen in with a fast crowd and spent much of the next 15 years ducking and diving, and partying. The 1980s was a time of conspicuous excess, and Tracy took bigger and bigger risks - whilst sporting bigger and bigger hair - fraternising with gangsters, gypsies, prize fighters and the Essex criminal underworld. From Essex country clubs to Magaluf, Tracy was there, living life large. It was only when she was sent down for 10 years for conspiracy to supply cannabis, after being caught with 'a lorry load of puff' at a motorway service station off the M25, that she was able to turn her life around. Despite being banged up with some of the UK's toughest female prisoners, she proved to be a model inmate, and found her forte working on the prison farm. Never shy of hard work, Tracy left prison with numerous qualifications in pig husbandry and set up her own business, The Giggly Pig, which has become a huge success selling sausages at farmers' markets and festivals up and down the country. With her shrewd business acumen and bubbly personality, Tracy has come through the bad times with a hugely entertaining story to tell and a new life to live.

This is the entertaining memoir of an Essex bad girl who did time in jail but turned her life around to become a successful farmer.

Defining Hybrid Heroes: The Leadership Spectrum from Scoundrel to Saint defines the hero (and his or her journey) from a hybrid perspective, exploring the spectrum from scoundrel to saint. It utilizes a more dynamic and situational outlook, regarding heroism not only as a personal characteristic, but also as a series of heroic acts within a given situation. The book examines the hybrid hero from several distinctive points of view, e.g. through lenses dominated by fiction, business, politics and psychology, and paints a new, more complex portrait that takes full advantage of the authors’ varied backgrounds. Inge Brokerhof has an academic background in psychology and has studied the impact of narrative fiction on workplace variables, such as career identity, employability and moral leadership. Stephan Sonnenburg has studied Joseph Campbell and the impact of the hero’s journey on creativity and innovation management. Greg Stone is a communications consultant who teaches executives and professors how to explain their work in clear and compelling language.

James Berry's book, 'My Experiences as an Executioner,' delves into the dark and morbid world of capital punishment through the eyes of a seasoned executioner. Berry's writing is straightforward and devoid of unnecessary embellishment, reflecting the harsh realities of his profession. The book provides a glimpse into the psychological toll of taking human lives in the name of justice, offering a unique perspective on a controversial practice. Set against the backdrop of a time when public executions were common, Berry's narrative serves as a chilling reminder of the consequences of violence and the cost of administering justice. His stark prose and attention to detail create a haunting account of life and death in the executioner's domain. James Berry's personal experiences as an executioner shape the narrative of his book, shedding light on the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by those who carry out society's most unforgiving duties. His insights into the inner workings of the executioner's mind reveal the complexities of a role often shrouded in secrecy and taboo. With 'My Experiences as an Executioner,' Berry challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about the justice system and the individuals tasked with enforcing it. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the historical and psychological aspects of capital punishment, offering a rare glimpse into a world few dare to explore.

Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries.

Reproduction of the original: In Darkest England and the Way out by General William Booth

Candide is a French satire by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply Optimism) by his mentor, Pangloss. The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not rejecting optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds". Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism. As expected by Voltaire, Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal. Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté. However, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it. Today, Candide is recognized as Voltaire's magnum opus and is often listed as part of the Western canon; it is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature. It was listed as one of The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written.