Brave Audiobook

[Tammara Freimark]

Iam a huge fan of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I have read the novel at least 10 times. I find it incredibly relevant to society today. I quote it more often than I should, I compare news stories to it far more often than I ever thought I would. It is truly a masterpiece of fiction. So, when I was contemplating having another listen to Brave New World, I stumbled across this audiobook. This was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 back in 2016. It features a full voice cast and is a dramatization of the novel.

When I was a new mom, I did not feel very brave. I felt incredibly tired, incompetent, emotional, and way out of my element. I realized, after connecting with many other new moms in therapy and in my personal life, that this is a really common experience and very few of us have enough preparation or emotional support during those first months as a mom.

I want to introduce you to my book, Brave New Mom. I wrote this book as a way to share some tools for getting through the postpartum phase so you can feel better about yourself through it. I hope the book will feel like a warm blanket or a safety net for any other new moms who need more care and support. The book is about practicing a new way of thinking about yourself, accepting and allowing your feelings, and working toward validation and compassion for yourself during this really difficult emotional time.

The book is based on research and practice, so there are lots of opportunities to reflect and journal about yourself and your experience, so that you can get better acquainted with yourself in this new role in motherhood.

Brave New Mom is a mindfulness-based approach for supporting new moms that gives permission to see, feel, and celebrate your bravery and your amazing abilities, to take time to care for yourself, and to gather the support you need to feel the best you can about this awe-inspiring journey.

Kargil: Untold Stories from the War takes you into the treacherous mountains where some of the Indian Army's bloodiest battles were fought. Interviewing war survivors and martyrs' families, Rachna Bisht Rawat tells stories of extraordinary human courage, of not just men in uniform but also those who loved them the most. With its gritty stories of incomparable bravery, Kargil: Untold Stories from the War is a tribute to the 527 young braves who gave up their lives for us - and the many who were ready to do it, too.

First-hand reports of the most riveting anti-terror encounters in the wake of the 2016 surgical strikes, the men who hunted terrorists in a magical Kashmir forest where day turns to night, a pair of young Navy men who gave their all to save their entire submarine crew, the Air Force commando who wouldn't sleep until he had avenged his buddies, the tax babu who found his soul in a terrifying Special Forces assault on Pakistani terrorists, and many more. Their own stories, in their own words. Or of those who were with them in their final moments.

In February 1999, Pakistani Army personnel, disguised as jehadi militants, infiltrated mountainous Kargil and occupied key vantage points. Their intrusion triggered off a limited war between the world's newest nuclear states. It was a bitter battle, and one that throws up important lessons for India's defence preparedness, as also its responses to flare-ups such as this. This book is also a reminder of the unparalleled heroism that was on display during those grim weeks, heroism that has become a benchmark for bravery.

The Army major who led the legendary September 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC; a soldier who killed 11 terrorists in 10 days; a Navy officer who sailed into a treacherous port to rescue hundreds from an exploding war; a bleeding Air Force pilot who found himself flying a jet that had become a screaming fireball...their own accounts or of those who were with them in their final moments.

The Brave takes you to the hearts and minds of India's bravest soldiers, all of whom won the Param Vir Chakra, India's greatest military honor. With access to the Army, families, and comrades-in-arms of the soldiers, Rachna Bisht Rawat paints the most vivid portrait of these men and their extraordinary deeds.

How hard is it to fight at 20,000 feet in sub-zero temperatures? Why did Captain Vikram Batra say, "Yeh dil maange more"? How do wives and girlfriends of soldiers who don't return cope? What happens when the enemy is someone that you have trained? How did the Charlie Company push back the marauding Chinese? How did a villager from Uttar Pradesh become a specialist in destroying tanks?

Marco Polo is a toy mouse who used to be a Christmas tree ornament. Now he is one of the Book Buddies, toys that can be checked out of the library just like books. Marco Polo may be tiny, but he is also a brave explorer looking for an adventure. He finally finds the right match in Seth, a boy who wishes he could be more brave as he goes on his first sleepover. Marco Polo is the perfect size to hide away in Seth's sleeping bag. An unexpected adventure awaits both boy and mouse.

"The series' second title gently explores children's fears and sensitivities. The message of empathy is reinforced by Graegin's soothingly retro art.... A charming balm for anxious small fry." Kirkus Reviews

The "Look, Listen, Remember" inserts throughout the book include links so readers can learn more about Judaism and actually listen to former Kindertransport children talk about their lives (one remembers growing up across the street from Hitler). The rich "Look, Listen, Remember Resources to Explore" includes links to websites about anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and Jewish History, other rescue efforts, and oral histories and articles as well as a Bibliography of books, interviews, and newspaper articles. The dozens of archival photographs that fill the book range from treasured family photos of the Kindertransport children and their families to photos of Nazi Storm Troopers, firebombed synagogues, and mobs burning banned books.

The children who came on the Kindertransport had to be exceptionally brave. While some were teens, others were barely in grade school. Most came alone, leaving all their family behind. They traveled with a few precious possessions to a country where almost none of them knew the language. The book also shares the stories of several of the rescuers, including Norbert Wollheim. In his 20s and newly married, he helped save 7,000 of the Kindertransport children, escorting them to London and then returning to Germany to help another group on their long journey.

Children watch as synagogues and Jewish homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals are burned and looted and family members and friends are beaten. They recount the terror of having their homes invaded by armed men who destroyed all the family's possessions. Nazi Storm Troopers march through a town singing, "And when Jewish blood spurts from the knife then all is really well." Some children learn the fate of families who stayed behind: that they died in extermination camps or were rounded up and shot.

Parents need to know that Deborah Hopkinson's We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport tells the true stories of some of the 10,000 children from Nazi occupied countries who were rescued and sent to Great Britain during 1938 and 1939. (There are a few mentions of kids who were sheltered in France, but theh focus here is on those sent to Great Britain.) Using interviews, memoirs and letters, Hopkinson paints a vivid and sometimes terrifying portrait of life for Jews in Europe as the Nazis rose to power, the heartbreak of parents making the decision to send their children to safety as they stayed behind, and the courage of children who found themselves suddenly alone in a new country. Synagogues and Jewish homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals are burned and looted and innocent people are beaten and shot. Nazi Storm Troopers march through a town singing, "And when Jewish blood spurts from the knife then all is really well." Some children learn the fate of families who stayed behind: that they died in extermination camps or were rounded up and shot. Although the publisher has aimed the book at ages 8-12, but the violent historical content may be more suited to kids 10 and up. The gripping story and dozens of archival photos make it a compelling and important read for teens and parents, as well.

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