Are Literary Panels a Bad Idea?

David Free believes that Literary Panels are a Terrible Idea By Craig Lawn In response to David Free’s article about literary awards in the SMH 9/7/21 https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/judge-a-literary-prize-no-thanks-they-re-all-a-giant-waste-of-time-20210706-p587cu.html As a commentator, David’s role is to engage the reader. He has done this by writing a polemic piece. He has been one-eyed and controversial, but he has […]

FLY: Financially Literate Youth by Marlies & Jai Hobbs

FLY: Financially Literate Youth (Penguin) is such a good idea for a book for high school students and those who have left school. It is a comprehensive and well set-out handbook that will help people make informed decisions about their financial future and also prevent them from falling into potholes. Thank you for speaking to […]

Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs

Book Review Fathoms: the world in the whale ‘The world as we once knew it has of course disappeared. Now too, quietly, the world as we don’t know it yet – a nature we’ve barely met – slinks away.’ (Fathoms) Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs (Scribe Publications) gives a powerful insight into whales but has ultimately […]

Healing Lives by Sue Williams

“For all of us, it’s about making women free from suffering.” Healing Lives is Sue Williams’ powerful and moving recount of the friendship and work of Australian Dr Catherine Hamlin and Ethiopian Mamitu Gashe as they save women’s lives in Mamitu’s African homeland. Catherine, and her husband Reg, operated many times on Mamitu, who came […]

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

By Bryan Stevenson Book Review Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (Scribe Publishing) is also a movie starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson and Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillan, the man Bryan tries to save from death row. Based on the powerful true story of young Harvard-educated African American […]

Three Brothers: Memories of My Family by Yan Lianke

Insight into life in China is particularly relevant in these times. Yan Lianke is one of China’s most notable contemporary writers. Amongst his awards, he has been twice shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize. His literary memoir, Three Brothers: Memories of My Family is translated by Carlos Rojas and published by Text Publishing. Yan […]

Rising Heart by Aminata Conteh-Biger

Thank you for speaking to PaperbarkWords, Aminata. Rising Heart is Aminata’s memoir (co-written with Juliet Rieden, published by Macmillan Australia). Aminata grew up in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and experienced the horrors of war, kidnapping and rape during the country’s 11-year civil war. She was brought to Australia as a refugee because her safety was […]

The Bible in Australia: A cultural history by Meredith Lake

The Bible in Australia: A cultural history concludes, “And while the church’s own record has been very mixed, and at times patently destructive, the Bible, variously interpreted, continues to appear in startling ways – as a source of inspiration, power and practical wisdom.” If you are looking for a great read and you enjoy history […]

Starting Secondary School: The Essential Handbook for every Australian family by Michael Carr-Gregg & Sharon Witt

Starting Secondary School (Penguin Random House Australia) by child and adolescent psychologist and founder of Canteen, Michael Carr-Gregg and experienced teacher and founder of the Resilient Kids Conference, Sharon Witt is a practical, easy-to-read guide. It is aimed at parents with a child entering Year 7 in secondary school but is also useful for parents […]

The Resilience Project by Hugh Van Cuylenburg

The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness Through Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness (Ebury Press, Penguin Random House Australia) is an inspiring book about creating happiness and well-being by practising gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. These three attributes, combined with listening, showing your own imperfections and vulnerability and other behaviours, can turn lives around. Hugh is an Australian who […]