James O'Brien

The Division was created as part of the 1944 expansion of the Waffen SS and was rooted in Hitler’s policy of divide and rule that he implemented even among his closest confidants. It was Hitler himself who made the decision that the division should be manned using volunteers from the Sturm Abteilung (SA) and bearing the name of the SA ‘martyr’ Horst Wessel, knowing that this would be anathema to Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS. Virtually no volunteers were forthcoming, which resulted in the division being fleshed out using ethnic Germans from the Hungarian/Yugoslav border regions, built around the 1st SS Motorised Infantry Brigade, a notorious ‘Anti-Partisan’ unit.The history of the Division offers a new perspective on the war in the East precisely because the unit was not feted, was not famous. Its equipment and training were inadequate. The assault guns earmarked for the Panzer Battalion were re-allocated to the 12th SS Panzer Division ‘Hitler Jugend’ and the Panzerjäger Battalion was trained using ‘Hetzer’ tank destroyers but was issued with unfamiliar Stug III assault guns on the eve of battle. For most of the war the Division conducted a fighting retreat until final capitulation in Czechoslovakia. Through meticulous research in primary sources, James O’Brien adds significant new insights into the war on the Eastern Front.

"Dazai's brand of egoistic pessimism dovetails organically with the emo chic of this cultural moment and with the inner lives of teenagers of all eras." -Andrew Martin, The New York Times Best-known for his novels No Longer Human and The Setting Sun, Dazai was also an acclaimed writer of short stories, experimenting with a wide variety of styles and bringing to each work a sophisticated sense of humor, a broad empathy for the human condition and a tremendous literary talent. The twenty stories in this collection include: Memories - An autobiographical tale in which Dazai relates episodes from his own childhood and adolescence, showing his relationship with his family and his tendency towards introspection and self-dramatization On the Question of Apparel - A comic tour-de-force in which Dazai examines the hold that fashion has over him and how it relates to his own pathetic self-image A Poor Man's Got His Pride - A retelling of a story by 18th-century master of burlesque fiction Ihara Saikaku, about a fallen samurai who lives in poverty The Sound of Hammering - A love story set against the backdrop of the rebuilding of Tokyo after the city was totally destroyed during World War Two And sixteen other stories! By turns hilarious, ironic, introspective, mystical and sarcastic, these stories present a fully rounded portrait of a talented writer who tried several times to take his own life and ultimately succeeded. An introduction by translator James O'Brien gives the background to Dazai's life and shows how the stories in this book, whether autobiographical or fictional, contribute to an understanding of one of Japan's greatest writers. **Recommended for readers 16 years & up. Not intended for high school classroom use due to adult content.**

There's no point having a mind if you're not willing to change it James O'Brien has built well over a million loyal listeners to his radio show by dissecting the opinions of callers live on air, every day. But winning the argument doesn't necessarily mean you're right. In this deeply personal book, James turns the mirror on himself to reveal what he has changed his mind about and why, and explores how examining and changing our own views is our new civic duty in a world of outrage, disagreement and echo chambers. He writes candidly about the stiff upper lip attitudes and toxic masculinity that coloured his childhood, and the therapy and personal growth that have led him question his assumptions and explore new perspectives. Laying open his personal views on everything from racial prejudice to emotional vulnerability, from fat-shaming to tattoos, he then delves into the real reasons -- often irrational or unconscious -- he holds them. Unflinchingly honest, revealing and funny, How Not to Be Wrong is a tonic for a world more divided than ever and a personal manifesto for a better way of thinking and living. Because after all, if we can't change our own minds we'll never really be able to change anyone else's.