Killing My Own Snakes: A Memoir

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There is also an unforgettable encounter with the soi-disant First Lady of Fleet Street, Jean Rook, whom one has always suspected was a quite shocking old bag, and who indeed turns out to have been just that. Bought this after going to an in conversation night with Dame Leslie - it is an excellent read - fun, inspiring, heartbreaking and heart warming.

A marvellous memoir of great insight and wit from one of Britain's most formidable and accomplished journalists. For more than 40 years, Leslie has wandered round the globe meeting some of the most interesting, and shocking, people on the planet.Her mother was living proof of the need for feminism: an extremely intelligent woman, "considered a beauty and a wit", barred from pursuing a career simply by her gender.

Since you’ve read this far, I’m assuming you are one of the “good ones” that are willing to learn a thing or two, so let’s go!I’ve been teaching people about snakes for a while now, and I know full well that there are people who are ready to change and people that aren’t. There is a great deal of name dropping, particularly in the early chapters - inevitable I suppose, given Ann was Show Business editor, but it becomes tedious and uninteresting. Although extensive name-dropping chapters about important people she has interviewed or reported on make up the core of the book, it is those near the beginning and end that in many ways are the most interesting.

Unfortunately, although there was quite a lot of interesting facts in this memoir, like a lot of autobiographies of people in the media, it came across as one big ego trip. After graduating she began her career at the Manchester office of the Daily Express, where the news editor took an instant dislike to her - she was a southerner, educated and - worst of all - female. A vivid, absorbing book which, like Leslie's best journalism, conveys what it's like to live through wars, civil conflicts, oppression and historic change.Read more about the condition New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. A daughter of the Raj, she was born in India and the strongest influence on her early life was an illiterate Pashtun bearer, who saved her life during Partition.

Ann Leslie has been one of our top journalists for over three decades and has come across a myriad of people in her time. We give people around the world the opportunity to contribute to the circular economy, earn money and protect the planet, by trading their unwanted books and media.A poor condition book can still make a good reading copy but is generally not collectible unless the item is very scarce. To my considerable pride, I’ve gotten the coolest of the Student Nominations three years running (best story teller, most unpredictable, most dramatic). I vehemently disagree with many of Leslie's political views, but she is more liberal than her stereotype suggests. Despite knowing nothing about sport she developed a strong rapport with Pele and Mohammed Ali (especially after she hit him on the jaw to gain his attention).