Books with author Andrew Kirk

The fascinating account of Rudy Giuliani’s rise to become Mayor of New York City and his eventful years as “emperor of the city”From longtime New York political journalist Andrew Kirtzman, the definitive biography of “America’s Mayor,” Rudy Giuliani, now a member of President Donald Trump’s legal team. The book begins with Giuliani's resignation as U.S. Attorney in 1989, and covers the time period through the immediate aftermath of September 11th. Deeply researched—relying upon numerous interviews with advisors, aides, and adversaries—Rudy Giuliani presents the ultimate look at the man who transformed New York City. Filled with surprising revelations about the Giuliani years, and insights into the man's character, this is political biography at its finest.

For three surreal weeks in the spring of 2000, Rudy Giuliani held the nation in suspense as he agonized over whether to continue in the race for the U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton. He'd been diagnosed with cancer; his marriage was crumbling amid reports of an extramarital affair; his wife tearfully lashed out at him in public. It was an excruciating private crisis played out before a national audience, and by the time Giuliani finally announced his decision in an extraordinary public performance, the world was again captivated by the drama centering around this unusual man.This is the story of Rudy Giuliani's rise to power, from the moment he and a small squad of ex-prosecutors set out to capture New York City's mayoralty in 1989 to the dramatic turning point in his race against the First Lady of the United States.When Giuliani took over as mayor in 1994, New York was slowly sinking into an abyss of deteriorating living conditions: It was the crime capital of the country, described by Time magazine as "The Rotting Apple"; it was filthy and dangerous, its streets and terminals overtaken by armies of homeless people. The city was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy again. Polls showed most New Yorkers wanted out.The public would soon get a taste of Giuliani's style. Each week brought a new brawl, with the new mayor egging his adversaries on. He threw Yasir Arafat out of Lincoln Center and sparked an international incident; he tried to evict the Brooklyn Museum after its directors staged an exhibition he deemed sacrilegious; he battled the Mafia, liberals, and leaders of his own party. The mayor snarled at the very mention of his critics -- and their numbers seemed to grow by the hour.Some viewed him as a savior; others called him a tyrant. But by the force of his will and little more, this man with no experience in municipal government ended up changing the face of his city.In this riveting portrait of his mayoralty, Andrew Kirtzman tells the story of Giuliani's zealous crusade to clean up, control, and shape New York City. Based on interviews with more than two hundred of the mayor's closest aides and fiercest adversaries -- and the author's own experience covering him for eight years -- Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City tells the behind-the-scenes story of his reign.Is Rudy Giuliani a hero, a danger, or both? What's it worth to be led by a strong man? How much power are we willing to give one person? Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City offers some answers as it tells the tale of one man's historic rise -- in all its dramatic, outrageous, and ultimately poignant detail.

During his reign as the mayor of New York, the controversial Giuliani has been called many names. But after September 11, 2001, New York had new words to descibe him.In this riveting and updating edition, political reporter Andrew Kirtzman tells the story of Giuliani's tireless mission to cleanup, control, shape, and -- most recently -- heal New York City.

Our dubious hero Biao wakes up to find himself in a helicopter being transported to a Chinese military base. His last espionage mission saved China from a nuclear retaliation, and the last he could remember was being picked up by Arab Bedouins after his helicopter went down. A few nuclear missiles had reached the front lines of battle, but did not destroy any Chinese cities. He wondered if his parents survived. They were two of the unlucky patriots that were drafted to fight in a war in which they were too old to fight. Biao becomes more and more intertwined with the future of China and the world, playing a major part in espionage tactics, and yet finding himself powerless in the newest wave of world's history. Would it last or be washed away as so many of humankind's previous "sand castles"? Strategy and scheming are awakened in people's hearts once more, and Biao finds himself just a piece on the chess board of ever increasing intrigue on a global scale.

Fee is a small-time thief, perfectly at home on the rooftops or helping herself to whatever she wants on the streets of her city. Her world is changing around her, war is coming and she must run away from her overprotective, social-climbing father who wants to turn her into a lady. She must also get beyond the reach of the sinister, demon worshipping Duke, who wants her to become his spy in his campaign to be king.But, far from home, a city girl is exposed to strange, new experiences. Fee loses her only friend, then loses her way in the unfamiliar terrain of the mountains. She meets a monster, a dragon who tries to persuade her that it needs her help to reach its underground home. It wants to use her skills to fight its enemies, except it doesn’t know who its enemies are, yet. It also has a the bad habit of eating the people it wants help from.She can never tell anyone what she sees or what she will be asked to do, because the dragon will kill anyone and everyone to keep himself and his kind a secret. Who would believe a thief like her, even if she could tell them?And her friend? Life is much more complicated for him since he met Fee, he would have been much happier reading and copying books in his master’s library, but now he has to find a way to prove that he didn’t murder her. To add to his misery, there’s a gang of thieves after him and he needs to avoid being beheaded or incinerated by a maniac warlord. Can they both reach home and what will be waiting for them when they get there?Praise for THUMBS:“Cracking pace, lovely characterisation and a really rich, visceral and believable reality. A right page turner, and an immersive and involving world. Lovely job!”DAN PARKINSON, LONDON.“...such a great story well written.”DEBBIE, EDUCATION & LITERACY CONSULTANT“Bloody loved it.”JAMES, LONDON.“And my younger brother loved it, too!”SAM CUTLER, NEW YORK.“intrigued by the concept...and I’ve enjoyed reading...some of your descriptions are lovely!”“...it’s got the lot! Many of us thought it would make a tremendous film... avidly awaiting the sequel...it was refreshing to have a lot of the action led by the feisty female character.”THE MILLENNIUM BOOK GROUPAbout the Author:Thumbs, Beasts & Thieves is Andy Kirk's first book in a trilogy about Fee and the world of Blessaeb. Making up tall stories for clients who own international brands has been an excellent apprenticeship for him, selling everything from chocolate biscuits and tea, to beer and mayonnaise. His ideas come from the places he visits and the fantastical things that he sees in nature, real life and from his keen interest in history. His head is full of useless information that he hopes will one day go into the melting pot for one of his stories.