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14
Oct

Killing for Country David Marr

 

Introduction:

  1. This is a richly detailed saga of
  2. …politics and power in the colonial world
  3. …of land seized, fortunes made and lost.
  4. The violence let loose as squatters and
  5. their allies fought for possession of the country.
  6. It is a war still unresolved in today’s Australia.

 

Conclusion

  1. Book is a of movement from Sydney to NT moving inland…
  2. …clients (squatters)  looking for grazing lands  for the merino sheep.
  3. They engage explorers to make pioneering  journeys with the Native Police
  4. crossing rivers and swamps looking for a stock route.
  5. Land is claimed….blacks are murdered or chased off the lands.

 

  1.  Many chapters  mention
  2. …Reg Uhr and his brother D’arcy Uhr.
  3. Why?
  4. David Marr wanted to tell the story of his own family’s
  5. bloody business with the Aboriginal people. 
  6. His ancestors were members of the force until
  7. the late 1860s.

 

  1. That led Mr. Marr into  the history of the Native Police.
  2. For 50 years the Native Police  operated without the intervention of
  3. judge, jury or the law as it went about its work.

 

  1. In conclusion…the Australian Native Police was
  2. “an armed, mobile wing of the government” (ch 25)
  3. that protected the settlers from the people whose
  4. country they were invading.
  5. Australian Native Police (info wikipedia)

 

Last thoughts:

  1. This book is one big history lesson
  2. …but so depressing and difficult to finish.
  3. Too many sheep and not enough grass on the land
  4. so…the powerful landowners must steal from the aboriginals!
  5. This feels like the ‘dark side’ of Australia, cringe worthy
  6. reading how the Aboriginal peoples were treated. Utter contempt.
  7. Chapters follow wikipedia information  but
  8. David Marr has inserted direct quotes from legal acts,
  9. from newspapers  The Gazette, The Monitor, The Australian, and
  10. reports about crimes committed with vivid details and
  11. witness accounts used during several trials.
  12. Mr Marr gets 5 stars for all the research he has done!

 

  1. PS: I’ve read many books
  2. about Australia (fiction) and cannot
  3. …remember ANY mention of  Australian The Native Police!
  4. Has anybody discovered  the Australian The Native Police
  5. …in other books?
  6. Please let me know in a comment.

 

Notes:

New Australian words:

  1. Blackbutt = Yarri  tree
  2. Paperbark – Broad-leaved medium-sized, fast-growing tree
  3. Peacocking. (Australian slang) – “to pick out the eyes”
  4. of the land by selecting or buying up the choice pieces and water-frontages,
  5. so that the adjoining territory is practically useless to any one else.

The important bureaucrats:

  1. Gov. Lachlan Macquarie (1762-1824) – Gov. NSW 1810-1821 – introducred reforms
  2. Rev. Samuel Marsden (1765-1838) – profits making while saving souls 
  3. John Bigge (1780 – 1843) English judge  – sent to NSW bring law and order
  4. Gen. Ralph Darling, (1772 – 1858) Gov. NSW  from 1825 to 1831 – “a tyrant…”
  5. Richard Jones (1786 – 1852) English-born politician/landowner  in NSW – “the boss…”
  6. Bishop William Grant Broughton (1788 – 1853) …another attempt to save souls
  7. Gen. Richard Bourke (1777 – 1855) Gov. NSW 1810-1821 – wanted the emancipation of convicts
  8. Frederick “Filibuster” Walker (1820 – 1866)  Commandant of the Native Police.

The masscres….just awful.

  1. Waterloo Creek massacre
  2. Gravesend station
  3. Myall Creek massacre
  4. Pallamallawa
  5. Myall Creek massacre
  6. Cullin-la-ringo massacre

 

12
Oct

Walkley Book Award 2023 longlist

 

  1. It turns out I have a busy few weeks ahead of me!
  2. Here are the nine longlisted books for the Walkley Book Award 2023.
  3. I’ve only read  Crossing the Line.
  4. Flawed Hero is about the same subject
  5. …but by the another investigative  journalist Chris Masters.
  6. The book is 700+ pages ….whew!
  7. Luckily I’ll be able to use these book for #NonFicNov 2023 and
  8. Australian TBR List (need to add some more books!)
  9. …Brona has said her 31 October end of 
  10. #AusReadingMonth23 @ This Reading Life (Brona’s Books) is fluid
  11. …so I can add a few reads to her master list in November.
  12. So many great NF books….where do I start?

TRIVIA

  1. I will make a predictions today (13.09.2023)  having looked at the longlist
  2. carefully…that the short list will be:
  3. Ghosts of the Orphanage – Christine Kenneally
  4. The Palestine Laboratory – Anthony Loewenstien
  5. Flawed Hero – Chris Masters
  6. Am I right?

 

The nine books longlisted for the 2023 Walkley Book Award

  • Jackie Dent, The Great Dead Body Teachers, Ultimo Press
  • Christine Kenneally, Ghosts of the Orphanage
  • Antony Loewenstein, The Palestine Laboratory
  • Chris Masters, Flawed Hero: Truth Lies and War Crimes
  • Nick McKenzie, Crossing the Line, Hachette Australia
  • Ben Schneiders, Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality, Scribe Publications
  • Tracey Spicer, Man-Made: How the Bias of the Past is Being Built into the Future, Simon & Schuster Australia
  • Chris Wallace, Political Lives, NewSouth Publishing
  • Brendan Watkins, Tell No One, Allen & Unwin

Three shortlisted finalists will be announced on November 2.

The winner of the Walkley Book Award will be announced on November 23.

12
Oct

Australian Political Book Award Shortlist 2023

  • Australian TBR List
  • #AusReadingMonth23 @ This Reading Life (Brona’s Books)
  • Trivia: Australia’s China  Odyssey is the 4th book
  • …on the Australian Political Book of 2023  that I just finished.
  • I will wait until Thursday, 12 October to see the shortlist (TODAY!)
  • .…hopefully I’ve read some of the selected books.

 

  1. Well here it is…the shortlist!
  2. Good news:  My book selections were close to the official jury
  3. …I’ve read 3 of the books already.
  4. Bad news: One of my favorites is missing
  5. The Passion of Private White by Don Watson.
  6. That’s a shame…it is a wonderful book.
  7. Not all the great books make it to the shortlist.
  8. So what do I do now?
  9. I’ll order Russell Marks book today and for the first time
  10. …complete a  a shortlist for a book award
  11. …before the prize announcement on 25 October 2023.
  • CONGRATULATIONS NIKI SAVVA! 🏆
  • We are thrilled to announce that Niki Savva has won the
  • 2023 Australian Political Book of the Year Award for ‘Bulldozed’
  • published by
    @scribepub

 

 

11
Oct

Australia’s China Odyssey

  • Author: James Curran (Prof. History at Sydney University)
  • Title: Australia’s China Odyssey  (320 pg)  2022
  • Genre: Non-fiction
  • Australian TBR List
  • #AusReadingMonth23 @ This Reading Life (Brona’s Books)
  • Trivia: This is my 4th book on the Australian Political Book of 2023
  • I will wait until Thursday, 12 October to see the shortlist
  • .…hopefully I’ve read some of the selected books.
  • I have looked carefully at the rest of the books (6) and there is not one book that
  • I really want to read. 
  • I’ve done my best…and now it is time to move on to another
  • NF book….recently published a real “blind date”.

 

 

Good news: The book was very good…very informative. Mr. Curran walks us through the AUS-CHINA foreign policy. In the 1960s  PM’s R. Menzies, H. Holt, J. Gorton and B. McMahon had to face the world without Britain and an America burnt by defeat in Vietnam. Those jolts lead China  to flex their strategic muscles, sensing American weakness.

 

Good news:  I’m reading about China …..from Australia’s point of view. An Australia that was not afraid to “push back” against USA’s foreign policy was refreshing to read about.

 

Bad news: Book starts out like a college lecture….just a quickscan of Australian foreign policy about China.  Where’s the hook? Nothing new here.  I considered not reading any further in  the book…but #AusReadingMonth23 challange kept me focused. I’m glad I did not give up on this book!

 

Good news: The book makes glaringly clear that the world changes especially China, Australia and USA! Australia has realized that China’s policy toward Australia has been “hostile” since 2017.  Australia is  very much in Xi Jinping’s cross-hairs!  Australia is privately concerned that its great power ally (USA) might not be there to protect them from a rising Asian menace.

 

Personal:

It is clear that the Chinese are masters….near-geniuses and coldblooded analysts of the balance of power. Sentiment is not something they are concerned with.  PM Anthony Albanese must set a new tone to Australian diplomacy to protect Australian interest and values.

 

Last thoughts:

  1. For political history buffs this is a great book to add to your library.
  2. Will this book win Australian Poltical Book of the Year?
  3. I see this book on the shortlist
  4. …it is a fine piece of political history.
  5. James Curran can only be happy that his  longlist nomination
  6. …puts his book at least in the spotlight.
  7. Win?  I don’t think so.
  8. The writing is excellent, scholarly…
  9. …but the book caters to a niche market
  10. …specific group of history lovers…of which I am one!
  11. PS: I can name ALL  the Australian
  12. …Prime Ministers from 1972 – 2003!

 

9
Oct

The Passion of Private White AusPolBook

 

Introduction:

  1. A Vietnam veteran anthropologist and an Arnhem Land community
  2. have worked together for over 40 years.
  3. Don Watson tells their story.
  4. An intimate portrait of Donydji, a remote,
  5. traditional Indigenous Homeland in North-
  6. East Arnhem Land in the far north of Australia.
  7. The book is also the remarkable story of.
  8. Neville White, a genetic anthropologist
  9. In 1974 he went to Donydji to research a PhD.
  10. In effect he has never left.
  11. Spending part of each year on the Homeland.

 

 

Conclusion:

  1. This was a slow burn….but worth every minute I
  2. spent reading it.
  3. I’ve read several fiction/memoir/non-fiction
  4. books about the Australian bush and the aboriginals…
  5. …but this is by far the best one!
  6. At the end of the book I felt I knew several of the
  7. clan’s elders, women and “young bucks” roaming the village.
  8. Don Watson has done an excellent job telling Neville White’s story.
  9. The writing is clear and crisp…nothing is slick or shallow.
  10. Deep learning  about the plight of the Yolgnu/Donydji clan…yet plain in its address.
  11. Watson’s book is challenging (…keep reading even through very detailed chapters)
  12. Watson’s book is intellectually  stimulatiing by encouraging the
  13. …reader to question assumptions, explore new ideas….
  14. …but never hangs heavy, it is an uplifting reading experience.

 

Last Thoughts:

  1. Will this book win Australian Poltical Book of the Year?
  2. It will definitely be shortlisted.
  3. Win?  I hope so!
  4. I think it is the best non-fiction I’ve read so far
  5. …on the longlist Australian Political Book of  2023!
  6. BIG THUMBS UP!!

 

 

Favorite quotes:

  1. Part I, ch 5  
  2. …to explain what anthropologiy should do…
  3. “…training one’s heart to see the humanity of another.
  4. Part II, ch 8  
  5. …Neville knew he was fighting the tide of history.
  6. You have to fight the tide if you want to save folk from drowning.

 

 

Quick-Scan  12 chapters …for those who are interested.

Part I

  1. Ch 1 – Arrival – Tom Gunaminy Bidngal (senior at Donydji) picks Neville up from Nhukunbuy and
  2. …they ride to a forsaken part of  Arnhen land, about 3 hours by car
  3. …from Nyhulunbuy along the central Arnhem road.
  4. Ch 2 – Backstory Neville White – Army draft – 9 Platoon Viet Nam – start La Trobe University
  5. Ch 3 – Backstory of Neville and a band of Viet vets – helping build a school at Donydji
  6. …they all suffer from PTSD.
  7. Ch 4 –Backstory – the Makassans (Indonesian traders), missionaries, cattlemen and miners
  8. …changed the (NT) East-Arnhem Land, zooming in on the Yolngu people.

Part II

  1. Ch 5 –  Delves deeper into Neville’s work as an “biological antropologist“
  2. …How the social, cultural and environmental differences influence the biology of people.
  3. Ch 6 – Magic was the key to the underlying reality, the poetic truth in things in Yolgnu country
  4. Ch 7 – Neville suggests that the Yolngu apply  for inclusion of
  5. …their lands on the Register of National Estates. Promises were made
  6. …but promises to the clans were latyer dishonoured.
  7. Ch 8 – In 1980 Neville dragged in the caravan fitted out as a laboratory
  8. …make an intensive study of nutrition and health.

 

Part III   (short summary of Part III)

  1. Neville White he suffers flashbacks to the Vietnam War.
  2. His PTSD is so extreme he has no option but to resign.
  3. He decides to concentrate his efforts on building infrastructure
  4. and helping with community development at Donydji.
  5. Neville devises a scheme whereby the Veterans he served with in Vietnam
  6. and the young men of Donydji work together
  7. to build the infrastructure needed on the Homeland.

 

  1. Ch 9 – Such a depressing chapter
  2. …Neville tries so hard to help the people in the Donydji homeland
  3. …and it feels as if  it is a sisyphean endeavour
  4. .... a task as seemingly endless and futile
  5. …you keep doing it but it never gets done.
  6. Ch 10 – Road trip in the direction of  Arafura Swamp.
  7. Neville brings Don (author) with him and the aborigianl guides to seek out
  8. sacred and protected lands with cave paintings.
  9. Absolutely beautifully described by Don Watson!
  10. Ch 11 – Continuing struggle with bureauacy to get supplies/teachers/tools
  11. to help Donydji.
  12. Ch 12 -A funeral takes place.
  13. Nights of singing and ceremony brought such a haunting peace to the camp.
  14. Coda – Neville found Donydji in good shape (July 2022).
  15. Now a shady hamlet nestling in the vast savanna
  16. The place gave the impression of tranquility, order and permanence.
  17. Abidingness, perhaps.

 

Neville White 

biological anthropologist, is an Emeritus Scholar at La Trobe University, Melbourne

 

  1. Just had to add this fella to my review
  2. …Australian koel!
  3. He was mentioned very often in the book.
  4. PS: koel = great word for scrabble!

 

6
Oct

Jon Fosse My prediction in 2017 !

 

Angel Walks Through the Stage and Other Essays (Norwegian Literature)
by

Jon Fosse,
Milan Jesih
Nancy‘s review

Feb 19, 2017 · edit
it was amazing

bookshelves: 2017

I wish all essays were written like this
…clear, heart-to-heart and poignant.
Jon Fosse is the next Nobel Prize winner literature….I guarantee it!
6
Oct

Bulldozed WINNER AusPolBook 2023

 

  • CONGRATULATIONS NIKI SAVVA! 🏆
  • We are thrilled to announce that Niki Savva has won the
  • 2023 Australian Political Book of the Year Award for ‘Bulldozed’
  • published by
    @scribepub

 

Introduction:

  1. If you asked me who are renowned  American female political commentators,
  2. authors, and columnists whose books are well worth reading I would say:
  3. Carole Leonnig
  4. Susan Glasser
  5. Jane Mayer
  6. Now I know NOTHING about Australain politics but after reading
  7. …a little about Niki Savva and her books I’m sure I’m about to learn a lot.
  8. Niki Savva is one of the most senior correspondents
  9. …in the Canberra Press Gallery.

 

Conclusion:

  1. Doing my best to stay engaged with the book.
  2. There is a lot of  election backroom dealmaking to decide on
  3. the best candidate to run in local elections.
  4. But …ya can’t tell the players without a scorecard!
  5. I keep Google open  so I can at least put a face on a name.

 

  1. Ch 1-3 – As I read the first chapters describing Morrison’s political leadership
  2. …I have to rub my eyes and
  3. …check if I am not reading about Trump.
  4. The similarities are mind boggling.
  5. Morrison and Trump have the same problem:
  6. …they view everything through
  7. …the prism of politics, not principle.

 

  1. Chapter 6  was particulary interesting:
  2. Former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate vs PM Scott Morrison.
  3. A wronged woman with a razor-sharp mind and
  4. meticulous records is a dangerous creature.
  5. It appears Scott Morrison is deaf to women.
  6. But that was not the end of the scandals Ms. Savva highlights:
  7. Brittany Higgins (…see Google for more info)

 

  1. Ch 9- 10 –   book takes a “dip”  b/c there was just
  2. too much micromanaging details of bills to be passed/or not in parliament.
  3. For a non-Australian it was too much to absorb
  4. ….my eyes glazed over.

 

  1. Ch 13 – 20 were ALL excellent.
  2. Finally we read about Anthony Albanese and  his campaign strategy,
  3. ….reporting about election night results and
  4. …Ms Savva’s first interview with the new PM.
  5. The BEST chapter was  ch 20.
  6. Just a great summation of the lessons learned throughout
  7. …the campaign and election.

 

Last Thoughts:

  1. Will this book win Australian Poltical Book of the Year?
  2. It will definitely be shortlisted.
  3. Win?  It has a good chance…
  4. …but I must read the rest of the longlisted books.

 

5
Oct

#Nobel Prize Literature 2023 Jon Fosse

Finally!!

 

4
Oct

Crossing the Line AusPolBook 2023

 

 

 Introduction:

  1. This book was explosive and meticulously researched for 5 years.
  2. War is brutal.
  3. But there are lines that should never be crossed.
  4. In mid-2017. there were whispers of executions, and cover-ups
  5. within Australia’s most secretive and elite military unit.
  6. This book delves into these allegations.

 

Conclusion:

  1. Part 1 ( ch 1-11) sets up the backstory of what happened in Afghanistan.
  2. McKenzie alternates chapters with  “then” and “now”.
  3. To be honest I was not looking forward to reading about
  4. war crimes that occured….so I needed to skim these chapters
  5. Part 2  (ch 12-26) very interesting….it tells us about the initial report by
  6. sociologist Dr. Samantha Crompvoets
  7. who was commissioned …in 2015 by the Defense Department to report
  8. on the culture within the Special Forces.
  9. Also we follow the detailed investigation carried out by
  10. investigative journalists  Nick McKenzie ..and Chris Masters.
  11. Part 3 (ch 27-48) was the legal warfare. (court case and testimony of the witneses)

 

Last Thoughts:

  1. I have mixed feeling about the book.
  2. There is no doubt that Nick McKenzie can write a
  3. thrilling narrative….but I found the court case (part 3)
  4. dragged on a bit too long.
  5. It was hard enough to stay engaged with a story about war crimes
  6. …so by page 300+ I was hoping the book would end soon.
  7. That’s not a good sign.
  8. The verdict in the case has been  public knowledge since 01 June 2023
  9. …so that took a lot of the tension out of the last chapters.
  10. The best part was the investigation by the journalists.
  11. Will this win the Australian Political Book of 2023?
  12. I don’t think so…just my humble opinion.
  13. So time to move on to more books on the #AusPolBookAward longlist.
  14. You can find it on X formerly known as Twitter @auspolbookaward
  15. The shortlist will be announced on October 12th.

 

 

30
Sep

#AustralianReadingMonth23 starts tomorrow!

 

  1. Best time of the year….#AusReadingMonth23 starts tomorrow
  2. You can still sign up  on website This Reading Life @ (aka bronasbooks).
  3. I’m getting ready to read as many  NF books as I can.
  4. The Walkley Book Awards  always has a great selection of NF books.
  5. I read three of the finalists for Walkley Award 2022.
  6. These are some of the best non-fiction books from Australia 2022
  7. I’m sure you can find something you would like for
  8. #NonFicNov23 challenge!
  9. The longlist for  – Walkley Award 2023.   has not been announced yet!

Read:

  1. Currowan
  2. Indelible City
  3. The Lucky Laundry. (…this was an eye-opener!)

    1. Another favorite of mine is the Australian Political Book of the year.
    2. Here is the 2023 longlist:

 

  1. Here is the 2022 longlist…I still have a few to read!
  2. Read:  Telling Tennanat’s Story

 

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