Terry Irving Libri

A new and radically different biography of the Australian-born archaeologist and prehistorian, Vere Gordon Childe (1892-1957). In his early life he was active in the Australian labour movement and wrote How Labour Governs (1923), the world's first study of parliamentary socialism. At the end of the First World War, he decided to pursue a life of scholarship to "escape the fatal lure" of politics and Australian labour's "politicalism"; his term for its misguided emphasis on parliamentary representation. In Britain, with the publication of The Dawn of European Civilisation (1925), he began a career that would establish him as preeminent in his field and one of the most distinguished scholars of the mid-twentieth century. At the same time, his aim was to "democratise archaeology"; to involve people in its practice and to reveal to them 'What Happened in History' (1942), the title of his most popular book. Politics continued to lure him, and for forty years the security services of Britain and Australia continued to spy on him. He supported Russia's "grand and hopeful experiment" and opposed the rise of fascism. His Australian background reinforced his hatred of colonialism and imperialism. There is a direct line between Childe's early radicalism and his final and fatal political act in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. This is a book about the central place of socialist politics in his life, and his contribution to the theory of history that this politics entailed

Set against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal in 1972, a Vietnam veteran named Rick Putnam struggles to reclaim his life while battling haunting nightmares. His escape through motorcycle riding is disrupted when he becomes embroiled in a deadly conspiracy after picking up film from a crew interviewing a government worker. As both the crew and the witness are murdered, Rick finds himself targeted by the killer, forcing him to confront his past and fight for survival.

Set against the backdrop of the 1973 Wounded Knee siege, the story follows Rick Putnam and Eve Buffalo Calf as they navigate a perilous situation involving AIM militants, US Marshalls, and a mysterious attacking group. Rick embarks on a sacred mission to combat a cult threatening Eve's reservation, drawing on his Vietnam experiences. The narrative captures the tension of the 1970s, blending corporate, government, and cult conflicts, offering a thrilling, nostalgic ride that highlights the era's complexities and fears.