True stories of heroism, endurance and survival

With an introduction by Henry Marsh, author of Do No HarmMy brain, which had just let me down so badly, was perhaps never so active.

On Ken Follett's Facebook page Pan Macmillan created a storybank, as a place for readers to upload their own, real-life stories of World War Two.

Now a major motion picture, directed by George Clooney.

'A brilliant read.

'An epic story of hardship, friendship and faith.

A heartbreaking and moving true story of two sisters separated at birth, and their journey towards finding each other, celebrating the true meaning of family.

'To read this book is to understand Afghanistan as it exists today.

'A modern classic' - The Sunday Times'This story starts roughly in the 1970s, a few years after I was born, about the time when I began to have memories and my father's codename was already long established as "e;Andronic"e;, a name we learned about only last summer .

In 1959 13-year-old Eva Hoffman left her home in Cracow, Poland for a new life in America.

When disaster struck at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Dennis Smith was among the first to arrive on the scene.

On July 4, 1990, eighteen-year-old Stacey Lannert shot and killed her father, who had been sexually and emotionally abusing her since she was eight.

'If you say anything to your mother, I'll tell her it was your brother.

A young girl at the mercy of her abusive stepfather and the religious community that protects him - Bad Things in the Night is a moving true story of pain and triumph.

Dyslexia is a common diagnosable condition that is estimated to affect at least one child in ten.

Traumatised by a terrible event in her childhood, Carla van Raay entered a convent at the age of eighteen.

The mountain paths are as treacherous as they are steep the more so in the dark and in winter.

It seemed like any other season on Mount Everest.

'You'd tell me if Daddy touched your private parts, wouldn't you, Carolina?

Full of inspiring stories of patients who have achieved remissions and miraculous cures for illnesses such as mulitple sclerosis and cancer, Dr Siegel shows us how emotions such as love, hope, joy and peace of mind have strong physiological effects on each of us, as do depression and dispair.

Cry Salty Tears is the tale of a mother's survival and eventual triumph over almost unbelievable domestic hardship.

On 29 March 1912, as Scott and his two companions lay dying in their tent, elsewhere on the polar ice-cap six members of his ill-fated expedition were fighting for their lives.

____________________________________Liz Murray never really had a chance in life.

Badly wounded at the battle of Arnhem, and then spirited from his hospital bed by the Dutch Resistance, Brigadier John Hackett spent the winter of 1944 in Nazi-occupied Holland, hidden by a Dutch family, at great risk to their own lives, in a house a stone's throw from a German military police billet.

The Dari n Gap is a place of legend.

On the June 6, 2004, while on assignment in Riyadh, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner and cameraman Simon Cumbers were ambushed by Islamist gunmen.

From girl next door to the nation's sweetheart, this is the story of Chantelle's spectacular rise to fame and celebrity.

'In retrospect, I can see I was the perfect candidate for child abuse.

Power struggles - Lack of communication - Unconscious needs - Fear of rejection - Different interests - Out of date habits - Fear of intimacy - High expectations - Too busy.

'I heard a horrible screaming sound, like an animal being slaughtered .

I read somewhere that the decision to emigrate comes from a need to breathe.

An extraordinary true story of survival against all odds - and a fascinating eyewitness account of one of the darkest periods in human history.

Starting in the Gobi desert in winter, adventurer Rob Lilwall sets out on an extraordinary six-month journey, walking almost 5000 kilometres across China.

A book that everyone should read The TimesA harrowing, heart-rending first-hand account of the bombing of Nagasaki and the acts of human kindness left in its wake.

Abandoned by her parents, Sameem Ali spent six and a half years growing up in a children's home.

John Wimber's first book, POWER EVANGELISM describes the releasing of God's power today through signs and wonders to refresh, renew, heal and equip his people.

What can South Park tell us about Socrates and the nature of evil?

What can South Park tell us about Socrates and the nature of evil?

The Myth of Popular Culture In this fascinating examination of popular culture, esteemed cultural critic Perry Meisel shatters conventionally held notions about the division between high and low culture with the provocative theory that popular culture has sustained dialectical rhythms.

A "e;vivid, absorbing, and chilling"e; true-life account of surviving nearly a year of captivity in Iraq (Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes correspondent).

'Firefighters are a unique breed.

Rain is lashing down when Barby Keel is called out to an emergency unfolding at the gates of her animal sanctuary, deep in the Sussex countryside.

A heartwarming true animal story, for fans of A Dog's Purpose, A Street Cat Named Bob and Marley & Me.

A heartwarming true animal story, for fans of A Street Cat Named Bob and Marley & Me.

Meet Molly Polly, the diabetes alert dog whose round-the-clock job is to keep her two young owners healthy; Bailey, the Assistant Director of Seagulls, who keeps the pesky birds away from the heritage vessels at the Australian National Maritime Museum; and Daisy, the Collie mix who's a full-time guide dog for another dog.

A heartbreaking and inspiring collection of true fostering stories perfect for fans of Cathy Glass and Rosie Lewis.

Foster carer Maggie Hartley is used to receiving placements at short notice, but the arrival of seven-year-old Paris sees her handling one of her most heart-breaking cases yet.

When Maggie's latest placement arrives on her doorstep, it is clear that Sean, Dougie and their big sister Mary have been through unspeakable traumas in their short lives.

Fourteen-year-old Shazia has been taken into care after a conversation at school leads her teacher to suspect that the teenager's family are planning to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage.

Eleven-year-old Leanne is out of control.

A new challenge faces foster carer Maggie Hartley: this time it's not a child that's at risk, it's her mother.