Les Williams Libri

People make history in the place they call home. This book briefly describes the lives of twenty-nine Brummies, native and adopted, who shaped, influenced and made Birmingham the cosmopolitan city it has become today. In some cases, their impact was not only local, but national or global. Their lives are seen within the context of Birmingham's development from a Middle Age settlement in Deritend to Britain's second city. Virtually all are forgotten or barely known today. They include: John Rogers, martyred for his beliefs; James Brindley, father of the canals; William Hutton, Birmingham's historian; Joseph Priestley, who provoked a four day riot; Thomas Attwood, universal suffrage campaigner; Josiah Mason, big-hearted philanthropist; Peter Stanford, Birmingham's first black minister; Austen Chamberlain, overshadowed Nobel Prize winner and Hilda Lloyd, women's health care pioneer, along with twenty other Forgotten Brummies.

The narrative explores the tumultuous journey of the Kennedy family, revealing how their pursuit of wealth and power led to a series of tragedies often attributed to the so-called "Kennedy Curse." It delves into the lives of Joe Kennedy's nine children, detailing the impact of their father's relentless ambition and the dangerous enemies they made. Each tragedy is examined in context, highlighting a pattern of cause and effect rather than a supernatural curse. Ultimately, the book questions whether the family's sacrifices were justified in light of their immense losses.