1. Anhua Gao's parents were hailed as revolutionary heroes. In her early years she knew love and support and grew up in a privileged world. But when they both tragically died, all she was left with was her parent's fading reputation to guide her through the horrors of 20th century China. This is the story of how Anhua first struggled with and then against the ideological machine of Red China. It is a story of pain and horror, turmoil and tragedy. But most of all it is the story of a woman who found courage, hope and humour and who, against unbelievable odds, survived.

2. Hopeful Monsters tells the story of the love affair between Max, an English student of physics and biology, and Eleanor, a German Jewess and political radical. Together and apart, Max and Eleanor participate in the great political and intellectual movements which shape the twentieth century, taking them from Cambridge and Berlin to the Spanish Civil War, Russia, the Sahara, and finally to Los Alamos to witness the first nuclear test.

3. In a remote area of Vietnam, a guilt-ridden mother stands over a tiny, shallow grave. there are no flowers. No crowd of well-wishers. No shiny black limousines. She has just buried her baby boy, and she is alone. He wasn’t sick. He wasn’t injured. She has buried him alive.