MICHAEL SEXTON The Fox: Harry Hopman and the greatest dynasty in tennis history. Reviewed by Bernard Whimpress
At last, a wonderfully comprehensive biography of tennis legend Harry Hopman, who captained Australia’s Davis Cup teams to 16 wins from 21 Challenge Round finals. It is fortunate that Michael Sexton took on the task. A gifted writer, whose credits include the...
BRUCE MOORE The 1972 Parramatta Jail Glossary. Reviewed by Linda Funnell
Love a good word list? More than 50 years since it was first compiled, this glossary of prison slang is a fascinating window into the past. In the early 1970s, two researchers for the yet-to-be-published Macquarie Dictionary, Sue Butler and Vanessa Mack, asked the...
ANDREW FOWLER Nuked: The submarine fiasco that sank Australia’s sovereignty. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck
Andrew Fowler argues that the AUKUS submarine deal compromises Australia’s sovereignty and exposes the country to the danger of nuclear waste. Vassal state: a state with varying degrees of independence in its internal affairs but dominated by another state in its...
GEOFFREY ROBERTSON The Trial of Vladimir Putin. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck
Geoffrey Robertson argues that the United Nations needs to establish a new court in order to bring Vladimir Putin to justice. Geoffrey Robertson is an internationally renowned lawyer specialising in human rights, and is a champion of the role of the courts in...
NOVA WEETMAN Love, Death and Other Scenes. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
Nova Weetman’s memoir about the loss of her husband and its impact on her family is both intimate and surprisingly uplifting. Nova Weetman has written a beautiful book about death and being left behind. I was moved by the story of the passing of her partner,...
BRADLEY TREVOR GREIVE and CAROLINE LANER BREURE Broken Girl. Reviewed by Jessica Stewart
This memoir of a young woman’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury becomes an unputdownable detective story. Broken Girl, Caroline Laner Breure’s memoir written with Bradley Trevor Greive, opens with light, breezy snapshots of a young woman ready to burst forth...
MARY GARDEN My Father’s Suitcase. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
Mary Garden’s memoir reveals her physical and mental abuse at the hands of her sister – and an extraordinary case of plagiarism. Mary Garden has written a fascinating and brutally frank memoir of her troubled relationship with her sister and the impact it has had on...
RORY STEWART Politics on the Edge. Reviewed by Tom Patterson
Rory Stewart’s memoir of his ten years as a Conservative MP reveals the instability of UK politics in the decade to 2020. At the age of 36, after stints as the deputy governor of two provinces in Iraq, having founded a successful charity in Afghanistan, written a...
MELINDA HAM The Lucky Ones. Reviewed by Suzanne Marks
These stories of refugees who have found new lives in Australia encompass enormous suffering, courage, and determination to survive. ‘We are not numbers or statistics. We fled from our homelands because we were standing up for what we believed was right. We had...
SCOTT EYMAN Charlie Chaplin vs America. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck
Cancel culture is nothing new: Scott Eyman’s biography shows how Charlie Chaplin’s fame was no protection when the tide turned against him. I flip-flopped into success from being a frightened, lonely person … Success brought life into focus and showed me the...
CHRISTOPHER POLLON Pitfall: The race to mine the world’s most vulnerable places. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck
Renewable energy requires significant quantities of minerals. Can mining companies be trusted to supply them responsibly? Christopher Pollon is a Canadian journalist who has spent the past two decades ‘writing about natural resources, including the environmental and...
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