Non-Fiction

History

Idiots, Follies and Misadventures by Mikey Robins

Reviewed by Richard Tutin We often forget that recorded history has many dimensions. While many complain that they have only be taught or shown one side of historical events – usually that of the winners – it doesn’t take long before other stories begin to emerge. Some of these other stories are very serious and

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Non-Fiction

Bathurst: 60 Years of the Great Race by Steve Normoyle

Reviewed by Richard Tutin  Every year the hills around Bathurst in country New South Wales come alive to the sound of revving engines – lots of revving engines. The city’s famous Mt Panorama race circuit holds various events – some of which are eagerly anticipated by motor racing fans from all over Australia and the

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Non-Fiction

The Good Death Through Time by Caitlin Mahar

Reviewed by Richard Tutin All humans know that at some point we will die and no longer walk this earth. This does not mean that we go around ready to embrace it. It is more the opposite. We spend a lot of time trying to avoid it as much as possible. Then comes the time

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Non-Fiction

Powering Up by Alan Finkel

Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Energy is a hot topic and the world is moving so fast that most of us can’t keep up. Our news feeds are crammed with battery technology, electric vehicle sales graphs, fuel cells and even different colours of  hydrogen, but how do we know which ones will rule the future? We

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Non-Fiction

Trump’s Australia by Bruce Wolpe

Reviewed by E. B. Heath I am not a fan of dystopian literature, but the title implied the genre:  Trump’s Australia.  I stared at the book’s cover: the outline of that head, with its yellow hair and orange face, and the map of Australia for a mouth.  Non-fiction Noir.  How might another Trump Presidency, a

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Non-Fiction

On The Ashes by Gideon Haigh

Reviewed by Gerard Healy Gideon Haigh could theoretically open the batting for Australian cricket writers and the bowling for the English cohort, he’s that good. He’s also a very versatile writer full stop. In this collection of writings about the cricket tests between Australia and England starting in 1882, he covers an eclectic range of

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Non-Fiction

Blurb Your Enthuiasm by Louise Willder

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Looking for a new book to read is not easy. Within our favourite genres, there is so much choice. How can we decide before forking out our hard-earned cash and then find that our choice wasn’t as inspired as we thought it was? The answer lies in in a paragraph or

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Non-Fiction

Formula One Down Under: Australian Grand Prix History

Reviewed by Richard Tutin It’s always interesting when a governing sports body calls its prize event a circus. It can mean one of two things. They may be referring to the event’s peripatetic nature as it travels the world through the year, or it could refer to the behind-the-scenes dramas and semi-dramas that assist the

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Non-Fiction

Crickonomics by Stefan Szymanski and Tim Wigmore

Reviewed by Richard Tutin I don’t think Australian cricket lovers have really come to grips with the depth and diversity of the modern form of the game. Though they are familiar with the traditional cycle of tests, one day internationals and now T20, they may not be aware of how many countries field teams and

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Non-Fiction

Greatest Moments in Australian Sport by Mark Beretta

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Australians love their sport. Television and streaming networks pay big money to get the rights to broadcast all forms of sport from cricket and football through to car racing and the summer and winter Olympics. Some networks specialise their focus on one or two different formats. Others such as the Seven

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Non-Fiction

Wildlife in the Balance by Simon Mustoe

Reviewed by E. B. Heath Animals aren’t commodities; they are the sole mechanism that delivers human life support.  Conservation can’t succeed until we’ve had this conversation, until everyone learns this. In The Foreword to Wildlife in the Balance, Ian Redmond OBE, Ambassador to the UN Convention on Conservation, writes:  Wildlife in the Balance is perhaps

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Non-Fiction

How Many More Women? by Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida

Reviewed by Gail McDonald This is a powerful book which details the many examples of what happens once a woman makes a complaint of sexual assault. The authors looked at the incidence of these happenings around the world with many of those noted in the book being very high-profile cases. The authors also note that,

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Non-Fiction

The Quicks by Robert Drane

Reviewed by Richard Tutin  It is often said that cricket is a gentleman’s game. Whoever believes that doesn’t understand cricket’s true nature. When an opening batter takes their crease, and they look up waiting for the bowler to send one down, it is not a quiet sedate ball that will come towards them. It will

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Non-Fiction

ABC of Australian Cricket by Ken Piesse

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Cricket is much more than just a game that we watch. To some it’s a way of life. In the ABC of Australian Cricket Ken Piesse tells some of the stories, real and apocryphal, that demonstrate the love and passion that cricket lovers have for their favourite game. These stories have

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Non-Fiction

Daughters of Durga by Manjula Datta O’Connor

Reviewed by Margaret Elizabeth Today, right now, you could be living or working next to a woman suffering from domestic violence. A woman who needs your help. Daughters of Durga: Dowries, Gender Violence and Family in Australia (2022) exposes the causation of dowry-based violence perpetrated against women from Southeast Asia. Women living in Australia. Professor

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