SHAKIRA HUSSEIN From Victims to Suspects: Muslim women since 9/11. Reviewed by Linda Funnell
Do Muslim women need saving by the West? How have attitudes in the West changed towards Muslim women since those planes flew into the Twin Towers? Shakira Hussein’s book opens with a description of a celebrity fundraiser in New York for Afghan women. It is February...
JOHN NEWTON The Oldest Foods on Earth: A History of Australian native foods with recipes. Reviewed by Jeannette Delamoir
Why don’t more Australians eat indigenous food? The Oldest Foods on Earth is a passionate and optimistic consideration of food, culture and ecology. John Newton’s long-standing interest in cuisine and culture has resulted in several awards and numerous...
ALAN SAMPSON Schools of Fish. Reviewed by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Alan Sampson’s memoir explores parenting, education, and the dangers of pursuing a narrow concept of success. This heartfelt winner of the 2015 Finch Memoir Prize is a well-paced story of parenting and career challenges, and the crisis that drove Alan Sampson to...
GERALD MURNANE Something for the Pain: A memoir of the turf. Reviewed by Bernard Whimpress
Horse racing provides an enthralling key to Gerald Murnane’s world. Whenever I try to explain Murnane’s literary work I begin by saying that while he sometimes writes about families, religion and racing, a lot is to do with grassy plains with a double-storey mansion...
ADRIAN SIMON Milk-Blood. Reviewed by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Adrian Simon’s Milk-Blood is a character study in grit. This dramatic memoir provides another perspective on the infamous true crime story of Warren Fellows, an Australian drug trafficker sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand – and Simon’s father. Reading...
ANDREW P STREET The Short and Excruciatingly Embarrassing Reign of Captain Abbott. Reviewed by Chris Maher
This unashamedly partisan account of Australia’s recent political history is part comedy, part reality check. It’s been said that on the night Tony Abbott lost power, you could hear the sound of a thousand comedians crying. And not only in Australia – tears were shed...
KATE BOLICK Spinster: Making a life of one’s own. Reviewed by Shelley McInnis
This dignified and lyrical memoir depicts the struggle for a convention-free spinster’s lifestyle. The anomalous spinster adorning the cover of this memoir shows Kate Bolick, looking gorgeous enough to be cast in Sex and the City, sitting alone on a lush settee,...
PETER SINGER The Most Good You Can Do: How effective altruism is changing the world. Reviewed by Suzanne Marks
Peter Singer’s recent book is an optimistic and persuasive look at how carefully planned giving can change the world. In a world that is getting ever wealthier and more unequal, yet where opportunities seem almost unlimited, Peter Singer’s book on...
ZOË NORTON LODGE Almost Sincerely. Reviewed by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Almost Sincerely is a hilarious and playful memoir of growing up and other random events in Sydney’s Annandale, offering a sophisticated depth that makes repeated readings joyful. Appearing at the recent Creative Non-Fiction Festival in Sydney, Zoë Norton Lodge said,...
NRB Editors nominate their favourite books of 2015
Over 2015 Jean’s penchant for dark and complex crime has once again been to the fore, while Linda has found a lot to like among the year’s debut fiction from Australian authors. As usual, the editors have failed to see eye to eye on...
JAMES FRY That Fry Boy. Reviewed by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
This memoir of a shattered childhood and teenage alcoholism reveals how any child might end up on the same self-destructive path. That Fry Boy opens in the mid-1990s in the Sydney suburb of Epping as 13-year-old James Fry sneaks into his parents’ bedroom to...
Recent Posts
MARK McKENNA The Shortest History of Australia. Reviewed by Bernard Whimpress9 July 2026Mark McKenna’s short history is both broad and nuanced, demanding a new [ … ]
JAMES O’LOGHLIN The Missing Piece. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck8 July 2026James O’Loghlin wanted to help a dying friend. He ended up running a campaign [ … ]
KRIS KNEEN Rite of Spring. Reviewed by Jessica Stewart7 July 2026The characters in Kris Kneen’s latest novel free themselves from the [ … ]
ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY Green City Wars. Reviewed by Robert Goodman2 July 2026The new novel from the award-winning author of Shroud brings together sentient [ … ]