We cherish Scotland's right to roam but our freedom is a myth
Red Pockets: An Offering
Alice Mah
Allen Lane, £20
One of the most unusual and powerful books I've read in a long time. Chinese Canadian-British writer Alice Mah is Professor of Urban and Environmental Studies at the University of Glasgow. Red Pockets – the red envelopes used in China to give money to family and clan members – describes her return to her ancestral village in South China, and the reverberations of that disturbing visit. In a soul-searching narrative that charts her escalating despair over the global climate emergency, she addresses the ways in which the world's plight is connected with unresolved issues from the past. Drawing on the cultural and economic histories of China, Canada, England and Scotland, Mah navigates her own fretful response to her family history and her fears for the future. Clear-eyed and sensitive, Red Pockets is a moving and imaginative memoir of facing up to the wrongs of the past, at the same time asking what we owe to previous generations, and to those who will inherit this planet from us.
A Granite Silence (Image: free) A Granite Silence
Nina Allan
riverrun, £20
The murder in Aberdeen in 1934 of eight-year-old Helen Priestley horrified the nation and had a shattering impact on the over-crowded tenement community where she lived. In this closely researched account, Nina Allan creatively explores the many elements exposed by this dreadful crime.
Wild Fictions
Amitav Ghosh
Faber & Faber, £25
In the run-up to the Iraq War, Indian-born novelist Amitav Ghosh clashed with a well-known American editor, who refused to see the USA as anything but a benign and altruistic force. In the years since he has produced a drawerful of highly-researched pieces, now brought together in this collection. Covering some of the most pressing subjects in recent decades, from 9/11, the ongoing legacy of imperialism, Hurricane Katrina, the refugee crisis and disasters such as the 2004 Indonesian tsunami - the natural and the political cannot be separated, he argues - this is an unflinching portrait of our times from a refreshingly original perspective.
Room on the Sea
André Aciman
Faber & Faber, £12.99
Meeting while awaiting jury selection, New Yorkers Paul and Catherine covertly take stock of each other. She reading Wuthering Heights, he looking every inch the dapper Wall Street type. What starts as nothing more than a brief encounter becomes more serious, and soon a life-changing decision must be faced. André Aciman is a romantic with a melancholy soul and an eye for detail that makes his fiction read as if real.
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Of Thorn and Briar
Paul Lamb
Simon & Schuster, £20
'It is during the shortening days of the autumn months, when the September mists return and the morning dew settles on the pastures once more, that the hedger begins his work.' So writes Paul Lamb, for 30 years a hedgelayer in the west country, who lives in a converted horse box. An enlightening and beautifully told monthly journal of following an ancient craft, and the benefits it brings to the countryside.
Back in the Day
Oliver Lovrenski
Trans. Nichola Smalley
Hamish Hamilton, £14.99
On publication in Norway in 2023, Oliver Lovrenski's debut novel Back in the Day swiftly became a bestseller. Norway's Trainspotting is a deep dive into the chaos, terror and black humour of teenagers locked in a cycle of deprivation. Ivor and Marco, who live in Oslo, have been on the downward slope since they were 13, when they started getting high. At 14 they were dealing drugs, and a year later began carrying knives. This bleak tale, told with brio, offers a fresh take on what it is to be young in an environment where a positive future is but a dream.
Hitler and Mussolini (Image: free) The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini and a Murder That Haunts History
Thomas Harding
Michael Joseph, £22
Robert Einstein, Albert's cousin, lived with his family in a villa near Florence. One summer's day in 1944, while he was safely in hiding, a unit of soldiers arrived at the villa. When they left, 12 hours later, Robert's wife and children were dead. Their murder has never been solved, but in this scrupulously researched account, Thomas Harding takes on this notorious case, asking who ordered the killings, and why was no-one brought to account?
The Eights
Joanna Miller
Fig Tree, £16.99
In 1920 Oxford University finally admitted female undergraduates. Joanna Miller's debut novel follows a group of young women, all living in rooms on Corridor Eight, who become close friends. From varied backgrounds - privileged, hard-up, politically engaged - all are hopeful of what lies ahead. All, too, are scarred by the recent war. With an influenza pandemic terrorising Europe, their time in Oxford promises to be eventful.
Victory '45: The End of the War in Six Surrenders
James Holland and Al Murray
Bantam, £22
To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, James Holland and Al Murray have joined forces to illuminate how peace was finally achieved. Between May and September 1945 there were six surrenders: four in Europe, two in Japan. Describing the events leading to each, and telling the stories of the people involved, from generals and political leaders to service men and women and civilians, Victory '45 memorably brings history, and those who made it, to life.
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The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Iconic comedy star signs up for Celebrity Gogglebox – and will be joined by his hilarious wife
AN ICONIC comedy star has signed up for Celebrity Gogglebox - and he will be joined by his hilarious wife. The Sun can exclusively reveal a very famous star from a legendary TV show will be gracing our screens in the new series of the Channel 4 show. 3 3 3 We can reveal that The Inbetweeners star James Buckley will be on the new series of Celebrity Gogglebox. In our exclusive clip, James is joined by his equally funny wife Clair to announce their big TV news. The comedian tells fans: "Hi guys, how's it going? "We are joining the Gogglebox family. "We're going to be watching some great TV and some not so great TV. "And you'll be able to join us on Friday on Channel 4 at 9pm." The couple are known for their hilarious banter on their podcast, At Home With The Buckleys, so they are bound to keep viewers entertained. James and Clair have been happily married since 2012, and in that time have welcomed two kids. Speaking about BECOMING A COMEDY STAR James shot to fame in his role as Jay Cartwright in E4 hit comedy, The Inbetweeners, in 2008. Despite initially receiving a bad reception, The Inbetweeners has been described as one of the most successful British sitcoms of the 21st century. The series continued till 2010 and released a movie the following year. A sequel of The Inbetweeners Movie arrived in August 2014
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Twins raised 7,000 miles apart meet 17 YEARS after violent kidnap as harrowing legacy of ‘child snatchers' is laid bare
Shuangjie Zeng's missing twin was found living in Texas after being snatched from her birth family THE LOST GIRLS Twins raised 7,000 miles apart meet 17 YEARS after violent kidnap as harrowing legacy of 'child snatchers' is laid bare AS Marsha Frederick put her adopted daughter to bed every night in Texas, she felt peace of mind that she had rescued the toddler from abandonment. But little did she realise, more 7,000 miles and 13 time zones away in rural China, a small girl desperately wondered if her twin was ever coming home 8 Esther and Shuangjie were able to reunite after being separated for years Credit: Daughters of The Bamboo Grove 8 The twins meeting for the first time in 2019 Credit: Daughters of The Bamboo Grove 8 Shuangjie Zeng had been cruelly separated from her twin Fangfang -renamed Esther - by China's loathed family planning bureaucracy that used inhumane methods to enforce the "one-child" policy. Severe cases saw countless mothers forced to abort their babies, while millions were sterilised. But in an almost unbelievable twist in the twins' story, they were eventually reunited thanks to journalist Barbara Demick, who outlines the extraordinary story in her new book: Daughters of The Bamboo Grove. From 1979 to 2015, untold numbers of Chinese families had to give up their beloved babies - born or unborn - by ruthless enforces. Some corrupt officials even claimed youngsters had been abandoned and sold them through orphanages to American parents - who were none the wiser. One mother who fell victim to the process was Yuan Zanhua. Terrified of the notorious family planners, Yuan - who already had two children - gave birth to identical twin girls with "plump cheeks and button noses" hidden in a bamboo grove in September 2000. But at just 21 months, Esther was with her aunt when men stormed her home and snatched the toddler with no explanation. Intruders held Esther's aunt back as others tore the youngster away as she desperately clung onto the hem of her skirt. The toddler was taken to an orphanage, where she was later adopted by an unsuspecting American couple from Texass in exchange for a sizeable donation. Shocking true story behind Netflix's Into the Fire as mom seeks missing daughter Aundria Bowman 35 years after adoption Back in a poor village in Hunan province, Esther's family spent years wondering if she was even still alive. Then in 2009, Demick interviewed Esther's biological parents and many others for a report for The Los Angeles Times. Against all odds, the writer managed to track down their missing twin an ocean away in the US - but Esther's adoptive family did not want to talk. Grappling with a moral dilemma, Demick decided to let Esther's birth family know she was alive and well - but concealed her exact whereabouts. It wasn't until several years later that the author received a Facebook message that made her bolt upright - Esther's adoptive family were ready to speak. After years of longing for her twin, Shuangjie was able to finally reconnect with Esther, first via message and later by video call. Eventually, after years of sporadic messaging - the sisters were reunited in person in 2019 in an extraordinary twist to their story. Demick told The Sun: "The trip to China was very gratifying. As a journalist and as a person. "I'd first stumbled onto this story in 2009, a full decade before the reunion took place. "Over the years, I'd felt bad that I hadn't been able to tell the Chinese families more about the whereabouts of their missing daughter. "And I knew that my discovery of the kidnapping was initially very painful for Esther and her adoptive family. "The book deals with some of the ethical questions raised by the situation." 8 Shuangjie on a video call with Esther Credit: Daughters of The Bamboo Grove 8 A photo of Fangfang - renamed Esther - pictured as a toddler Credit: Daughters of The Bamboo Grove 8 A billboard promoting the one-child policy in China Credit: Alamy Esther was taken in the midst of China's controversial 36-year "old child" policy - and after Beijing had opened international adoptions in 1992. It fuelled an undercover black market for trafficked children - with Western families believing they were saving youngsters from desertion. That was true in the case of Esther's adoptive parents, Marsha and Al Frederick, who were told the toddler had been found abandoned at the gate of a bamboo factory in Shaoyang City. Demick fears there could be many more stories like Esther and Shuangjie's. "With 160,000 adoptees around the world, statistically speaking, there must be hundreds of separated identical twins," she said. "Usually both were adopted. "I mention some funny stories in the book: a young woman at her freshman orientation for college was approached by a student who said she looked exactly like one of his high school friends. "The friend dismissed it as racism. ("Oh, you know, all Asians look alike," she would remember thinking). They turned out to be identical twins. "Esther and Shuangjie are intriguing because one is American, the other Chinese, and they offer a rare glimpse into the cultural influences that form our identity. "A prominent psychologist once likened identical twins raised apart to the Rosetta Stone, the Egyptian stele that allowed linguists to decipher ancient languages-- though here, it is the eternal question of nature versus nurture. "When I started this project, Esther and Shuangjie was the only case I knew of where one twin remained with the birth family in China and the other was adopted abroad, but recently two others have emerged. China's one child policy CHINA introduced the one-child policy in 1979 as a population control measure to try and slow down the growth of the country. Enforced by the Chinese government, it restricted most couples to having only one child. But rural families and ethnic minorities were often given different rules - such as allowing a second child if the first was a girl. Families that complied were entitled to benefits such as better housing, education, and healthcare - and those who didn't stick to the policy faced fines and job losses. The enforcement of the policy varied across the country and sometimes involved forced abortions and sterilisation. While the policy helped reduce China's population growth, it also led to significant challenges. These included a rapidly ageing population, a shrinking workforce, and a skewed gender ratio due to a preference for boys - resulting in sex-selective abortions and killing of baby girls. In response to the growing problems, the policy was relaxed in 2015, allowing couples to have two children. By 2021, the government eased restrictions even further - allowing three children per family to address demographic imbalances and declining birth rates. "Thanks to the rise of commercial DNA testing and social media, adoptees are finding genetic relatives at a rapid rate. "I'm sure we will hear more about children who were snatched from their birth parents like Esther. As well as more stories of separated twins." International adoptions were banned by China in 2024 - eight years after officially ending its one-child policy due to concerns over its ageing workforce and economic stagnation. It was replaced by a two-child policy, which was then expanded to three-child in 2021. But Demick believes it could be too late to undo the damage inflicted. "Who would believe it? China is running out of people," she added. "Once the most populous country in the world (a title it has recently ceded to India), its 1.4 billion population is expected to drop in half by the end of this century. "There aren't enough of those cheap young workers who transformed China into an industrial powerhouse, staffing the assembly lines that produced our Christmas toys and smartphones. "Apart from the economic fallout of the population drop, there are the social consequences. In some areas, seven boys were born for every five girls, which has created a pool of bachelors unable to find partners. "Sexually frustrated young men are not conducive to social stability. "Rural men, who are less desirable on the marriage market, have had to import brides from Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Nepal, which in turn has led to bride trafficking and kidnapping. "The Chinese government lifted the one-child policy in 2015. "Almost comically, the same cadres who used to force women to have abortions or get sterilised, are now offering rice cookers and water bottles and sometimes cash as incentives for having more children. "But it's hard to reverse course. Those births that didn't take place in the late 20th and early 21st centuries have left China without enough women of child-bearing age to replenish the population." 8 Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick by Granta Books comes out on June 5 Credit: Daughters of The Bamboo Grove
The Review Geek
11 hours ago
- The Review Geek
The Librarians: The Next Chapter – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review
And The Ghost Train Episode 3 of The Librarians: Next Chapter begins with Vikram attempting to get up to scratch with real and fictional figures through history over the last hundred of years. While he and Charlie are working, the former is surprised when he finds Lysa and Connor working together and bringing in a computer to the Annex. After moving the boxes, Connor broaches the idea of using the doorway to go and visit Caucaslyvia with Lysa. Charlie feels left out and wants to join them, and thus the group are split off on a new adventure. While Lysa grills Charlie for info at a cafe, Connor and Vikram use the doorway and stop by a train parked up in a trainyard. Here, Connor reveals a story regarding someone called King Kavod. Apparently he went missing back in the day and as they explore, the clock turns anticlockwise, sending them back through time and onboard a ghost train. The train is running on time energy, and there are numerous loops running across the train. They need to make sense of the order and try to figure out how to undo it. This day happens to be the exact time that Kavod went missing. The ghost train seems to be following the ghost tracks that were laid at the time, and Vikram is convinced that these ghouls can do them no harm. Now, King Kavod was doing dealings with a British spy by the name of Ava Ryba (real name Bella Goodridge) who happens to be having an affair with Kavod's double, Nikolai, onboard the train. Bella traded an artefact with Kavod called the Scythe of Time, allowing one to talk to their past self and change history. This is a very powerful artifact, and Bella hid the scythe somewhere on the train but we're not sure where. The tale plays out with Nikolai shot when Bella refuses to reveal the scythe's whereabouts for this man, and unfortunately, she fell off the train while trying to move across the carriages. Charlie and Lysa track down Bella in the real world (who is thankfully still alive) and bring her aboard the train. In doing so, it turns her back to her younger self. Time is of the essence here (no pun intended) and they need to stop the train. Bella retrieves the scythe, which is hidden in plain sight inside the clock face. As she grabs it, Kavod approaches and takes control. Realities have started to bleed together, with Kavod now aware of the group onboard the train and determined to get this artifact once and for all. Kavod has control of the scythe but when Vikram steps forward, he manages to brush over the Scythe, which is enough for him to send a message back to his past self, grabbing a vial of the Nectar of Niobe. Earlier in the episode we saw that Kavod froze a time sprite, turning it to rock and leaving it to its fate. With the Nectar in hand, Vikram manages to get the sprite back in working order again. Time energy doesn't work against a time sprite and Kavod is defeated by this little Tinkerbell. Bella goes to Nikolai and gets some closure from her long-lost love, saying goodbye properly and thus, stopping the train before anybody is hurt. Back at the Annex, Connor speaks to Vikram and encourages him to open up sometime about his past dealings. Connor empathizes that it must be difficult to be displaced out of time and away from Anya. It's a nice moment, and one that's given a bit more gravity when we find out that Vikram actually has the Scythe of Time in his possession. What will he use it for? The Episode Review So another episode of The Librarians: Next Chapter rolls round and along with seeing a more vulnerable side of Charlie and her awkward demeanour, we also get a simple but effective chapter involving time and lost love. This obviously has connotations for what's happening with Vikram. The chapter has just the right amount of comedy and drama, alongside the family-friendly fun. The episode itself is enjoyable, and splitting the team up is a nice idea to try and build the comradeship between characters. This works reasonably well in the grand scheme of things, although there's not too much else here to write home about. A decent chapter but nothing too remarkable; hopefully the episodes ahead can pick up a bit. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
