Teacher by Gabbie Stroud

$29.99 AUD

Category: Memoir

A powerful and moving memoir about how the current system is letting down children and parents, and breaking dedicated teachers. Devastating, heart-breaking, enraging.  'Gabbie's story needs to be shouted from the rooftops. She very eloquently shows us why and how education needs to change... Teac her made me laugh and cry. I loved it!' - Kathy Margolis, former teacher and activist. Watching children learn is a beautiful and extraordinary experience. Their bodies transform, reflecting inner changes. Teeth fall out. Knees scab. Freckles multiply. Throughout the year they grow in endless ways and I can almost see their self-esteem rising, their confidence soaring, their small bodies now empowered. Given wings. They fall in love with learning. It is a kind of magic, a kind of loving, a kind of art. It is teaching. Just teaching. Just what I do. What I did. Past tense. In 2014, Gabrielle Stroud was a very dedicated teacher with over a decade of experience. Months later, she resigned in frustration and despair when she realised that the Naplan-test education model was stopping her from doing the very thing she was best at: teaching individual children according to their needs and talents. Her ground-breaking essay 'Teaching Australia' in the Feb 2016 Griffith Review outlined her experiences and provoked a huge response from former and current teachers around the world. That essay lifted the lid on a scandal that is yet to properly break - that our education system is unfair to our children and destroying their teachers. In a powerful memoir inspired by her original essay, Gabrielle tells the full story: how she came to teaching, what makes a great teacher, what our kids need from their teachers, and what it was that finally broke her. A brilliant and heart-breaking memoir that cuts to the heart of a vital matter of national importance. ...Show more

Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee

$29.99 AUD

Category: Memoir

Damien Cave: (New York Times bureau chief in Sydney & friend of Bookoccino) "This debut from a former Queensland judge's associate breaks the silence around sexual assault and all the ways Australia's court system tries to silence victims. If you're wondering why Australia's #metoo movement hasn't gained more momentum, this memoir will add some clarity."   A well-established legal doctrine that a defendant must 'take their victim as they find them'. If a single punch kills someone because of their thin skull, that victim's weakness cannot mitigate the seriousness of the crime. But what if it also works the other way? What if a defendant on trial for sexual crimes has to accept his 'victim' as she comes: a strong, determined accuser who knows the legal system, who will not back down until justice is done? Bri Lee began her first day of work at the Queensland District Court as a bright-eyed judge's associate. Two years later she was back as the complainant in her own case. This is the story of Bri's journey through the Australian legal system; first as the daughter of a policeman, then as a law student, and finally as a judge's associate in both metropolitan and regional Queensland-where justice can look very different, especially for women. The injustice Bri witnessed, mourned and raged over every day finally forced her to confront her own personal history, one she'd vowed never to tell. And this is how, after years of struggle, she found herself on the other side of the courtroom, telling her story. Bri Lee has written a fierce and eloquent memoir that addresses both her own reckoning with the past as well as with the stories around her, to speak the truth with wit, empathy and unflinching courage. Eggshell Skull is a haunting appraisal of modern Australia from a new and essential voice.  ...Show more

Calypso by David Sedaris

$29.99 AUD

Category: Memoir

'Unquestionably the king of comic writing . . . Calypso is both funnier and more heartbreaking than pretty much anything out there' Hadley Freeman, Guardian If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso . You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's writing has never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future. This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best. ...Show more

Waiting for Elijah by Kate Wild

$35.00 AUD

Category: Memoir

Some witnesses to the shooting say otherwise, though, and this act of aggression doesn't fit with the sweet, sensitive, but troubled young man that Elijah's family and friends knew him to be. The shooting devastates Elijah's family and the police officer alike. So what happened in that Armidale laneway - and how could it have been avoided? Waiting for Elijahis the culmination of journalist Kate Wild's six-year investigation - an investigation that not only seeks to answer these questions, but also poses some vitally important ones of its own- Why is it still taboo to talk about mental illness in our society? Is it fair to expect police to be first responders in mental health crises? If the community insists this job belongs to police, how can these interactions be improved? Written with clear-eyed compassion and a compelling narrative drive, Waiting for Elijahis an account of a tragedy that didn't have to happen. It is also an intense, forensic deconstruction of the extended legal proceedings that followed, and a heartbreaking portrait of a family's grief. ...Show more

Unfollow: Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church by Megan Phelps-Roper

$32.99 AUD

Category: Memoir

'For anyone who enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or Educated, Unfollow is an essential text' - LOUIS THEROUX 'A beautiful, gripping book about a singular soul, and an unexpected redemption' - NICK HORNBY As featured on the BBC documentary, 'The Most Hated Family in America' It was an upbringing in many ways n ormal. A loving home, shared with squabbling siblings, overseen by devoted parents. Yet in other ways it was the precise opposite: a revolving door of TV camera crews and documentary makers, a world of extreme discipline, of siblings vanishing in the night. Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church - the fire-and-brimstone religious sect at once aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoiceful for AIDS and natural disasters, and notorious for its picketing the funerals of American soldiers. From her first public protest, aged five, to her instrumental role in spreading the church's invective via social media, her formative years brought their difficulties. But being reviled was not one of them. She was preaching God's truth. She was, in her words, 'all in'. In November 2012, at the age of twenty-six, she left the church, her family, and her life behind. Unfollow is a story about the rarest thing of all: a person changing their mind. It is a fascinating insight into a closed world of extreme belief, a biography of a complex family, and a hope-inspiring memoir of a young woman finding the courage to find compassion for others, as well as herself. ...Show more

Songs of a War Boy (Young Readers Edition) by Deng Thiak Adut; Ben Mckelvey

$16.99 AUD

Category: Memoir | Reading Level: near fine

Deng Adut was six years old when war came to his village in South Sudan. Taken from his mother, he was conscripted into the Sudan People's Liberation Army. He was taught to use an AK-47 then sent into battle. Shot in the back, dealing with illness and the relentless brutality of war, Deng's future was b leak. A child soldier must kill or be killed. But, after five years, he was rescued by his brother John and smuggled into a Kenyan refugee camp. With the support of the UN and help from an Australian couple, Deng and John became the third Sudanese family resettled in Australia. Despite physical injuries and ongoing mental trauma, Deng seized the chance he'd been given. Deng taught himself to read and, in 2005, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws at Western Sydney University. Songs of a War Boy is the inspirational story of a young man who has overcome unthinkable adversity to become a lawyer, refugee advocate and NSW Australian of the Year. Deng's memoir is an important reminder of the power of compassion and the benefit to us all when we open our doors and our hearts to those fleeing war, persecution and pain. ...Show more

Before I Forget by Geoffrey Blainey

$45.00 AUD

Category: Memoir | Reading Level: 3 Biography

Now in his late-eighties, and listed by the National Trust as a 'Living Treasure', in Before I Forget Geoffrey Blainey reflects on his humble beginnings as the son of a Methodist Minister and school teacher, one of five children, and a carefree childhood spent in rural Victoria, from Terang to Leongatha , Geelong to Ballarat. From a young age these places ignited for Blainey a great affection for the Australian landscape, and a deep curiosity in Australia's history. He longed to travel, and would climb atop the roof of their home to stare out at the Great Dividing Range and imagine the world beyond. His mother created gardens wherever they went and had literary ambitions of her own; his father spent more on books than he could ever afford, and the library travelled with the family. Blainey's devotion to the Geelong Football Club began in Newtown from where he'd watch his team play at Corio, and as a newsboy he developed an early interest in current affairs, following the dramas and triumphs of the Second World War and the political careers of local identities John Curtin and Robert Menzies. With a burning desire to see Sydney but barely a penny to his name, he hitched there with a schoolfriend to see the harbour that greeted the First Fleet, and visited the national theatre of Parliament House on the way home to see Billy Hughes, JT Lang, Arty Fadden, Arthur Calwell, Enid Lyons and hero Ben Chifley in action. The course of Blainey's life changed when he was awarded a scholarship to board at Wesley College in Melbourne - an opportunity that instilled in him a great love of learning, under the tutelage of a group of inspiring teachers. This flourished further at the University of Melbourne, first as a wide-eyed student at Queen's Collage, where he was lectured by Manning Clarke, and later as a professor of history. Later he and Manning Clarke became great friends, both sitting on the Whitlam Government's new Literature Board. Hours spent at Melbourne?s State Library as a student poring over the country's old newspapers cemented his calling to become a professional historian. Like Clarke Blainey has always been compelled to visit the places of our historical interest, including places of archaeological and Indigenous significance. Now the author of over forty books, Geoffrey Blainey claims he has discovered Australia's history his own way - and is still learning. Warm, insightful and lyrically written, Before I Forget recounts the experiences and influences that have shaped the astonishing mind of Australia's most loved historian. But in this book Blainey has given us something more - a fascinating and affectionate social history in and of itself. ...Show more

Godspeed: A Memoir by Casey Legler

$27.99 AUD

Category: Memoir | Reading Level: 3

'I swim for every chance to get wasted - after every meet, every weekend, every travel trip. This is what I look forward to and what I tell no one: the burn of it down my throat, to my soul curled up in my lungs, the sharpest pain all over it - it seizes and stretches, becoming alive again, and is the o nly thing that makes sense.' At fifteen, Casey Legler is already one of the fastest swimmers in the world. She is also an alcoholic, isolated from her family, and incapable of forming lasting connections with those around her. Driven to compete at the highest levels, sent far away from home to train with the best coaches and teams, she finds herself increasingly alone and alienated, living a life of cheap hotels and chlorine-worn skin, anonymous sexual encounters and escalating drug use. Even at what should be a moment of triumph - competing at age sixteen in the 1996 Olympics - she is an outsider looking in, procuring drugs for Olympians she hardly knows, and losing her race after setting a new world record in the qualifying heats. After submitting to years of numbing training in France and the United States, Casey can see no way out of the sinister loneliness that has swelled and festered inside her. Yet wondrously, when it is almost too late, she discovers a small light within herself, and senses a point of calm within the whirlwind of her life. In searing, evocative, visceral prose, Casey gives language to loneliness in this startling story of survival, defiance, and of the embers that still burn when everything else in us goes dark. ...Show more

Fake: A Startling True Story of Love in a World of Liars, Cheats, Narcissists, Fantasists and Phonies by Stephanie Wood

$34.99 AUD

Category: Memoir

Women the world over are brought up to hope, even expect, to find the man of their dreams, marry and live happily ever after. When Stephanie Wood meets a sweet man who owns a farm and property, she embarks on an exhilarating romance with him. He seems compassionate, truthful and loving. He talks about t he future with her. She falls in love. She also becomes increasingly beset by anxiety at the lavish three-act plays he offers her in the form of excuses for frequent cancellations and no-shows. She begins to wonder, who is this man? When she ends the relationship Stephanie switches back on her journalistic nous and uncovers a story of mind-boggling duplicity and manipulation. She also finds she is not alone; that the world is full of smart, sassy women who have suffered at the hands of liars, cheats, narcissists, fantasists and phonies, men who are enormously skilled at deception. In this brilliantly acute and broad-ranging book, Wood, an award-winning writer and journalist, has written a riveting, important account of contemporary love, and the resilience of those who have witnessed its darkest sides. ...Show more

A Lot With A Little by Tim Costello

$45.00 AUD

Category: Memoir

In this evocative memoir, Tim Costello explores the people and experiences that have shaped him into a socially active fighter for the world's most challenging issues. Tracing each defining stage of his life with stark insight and honesty, Tim untangles his ongoing struggle to align his self-perception s with his choices and what his life represents.    More than a simple life story, this is a book about individual and community, public and private, spiritual and material, equality and liberty - and, most of all, about faith and its power to sustain in the face of the world's big issues. Challenging and thought provoking no matter what your beliefs, this is a book to savour and re-read. Praise for Tim Costello and his bestselling books, Hope and Faith: 'Tim has an extraordinary moral compass and sense of how the world needs to change.' -- Paul Ronalds, CEO, Save the Children 'He just lives it [his faith].' -- Nick Xenophon 'Made me stop and self reflect.' 'Costello's passion for spirituality, justice, and peace are evident, and his dedication to the struggle for equality and universal human rights is rooted in his faith. The quick, punchy chapters, accented with personal anecdotes, are a treat, and the narrative style is inviting and clear. This is a must-read for Christians looking to reconsider how faith affects lives on the most basic levels.' -- Publishers Weekly 'Reading Faith is just like sharing an evening with Reverend Tim Costello - an evening rich with stories, wide-ranging, warmly engaging and infused with Tim's spirit of generosity and curiosity. Tim shares insights from years of travels across the world, as he encounters humanity at its best and its worst. Perhaps it's because his deep Christian faith has been tested and challenged in so many ways, Tim's reflections speak powerfully to the lives of seekers and believers alike. Whenever Tim's at the table, there's always space for another person - so pull up a chair!' -- Tim Dixon, Managing Director Purpose.com, board member of Sojourners, co-founder of The Syria Campaign and More In Common 'I've known Tim Costello to be a man of faith who always speaks his mind - often as a powerful, prophetic voice for God's concern for justice and for the poor. Tim's thoughtful honesty is on display in his latest book, Faith, as he mines his life experiences to bring out how our beliefs shape us and enable us to makes sense of and engage in an often confounding world.' -- Richard Stearns, President, World Vision U.S. 'Tim Costello is one of the clearest and most prophetic thinkers and voices on the relationship between faith and public life that we have in our world today. Faith is a compelling account of his personal journey and, through it, a remarkable portrait of the true meaning of faith.' -- Jim Wallis, New York Times bestselling author of America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, president of Sojourners, and editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine.   ...Show more

Who Am I, Again? by Lenny Henry

$32.99 AUD

Category: Memoir

Sir Lenny Henry is one of the UK's best-loved comedians with a career spanning over forty years. Here he writes about his youth for the first time. A child of the Jamaican diaspora, Lenny Henry was one of seven children in a boisterous, complicated family. With honesty, tenderness and a glorious sense of humour, he conducts a jam session of memories - growing up in the Black Country, puberty, school, friendship, family secrets and unashamed racism. With his mother's mantra of 'H'integration' echoing in his ears, Henry set out on a glittering career - but at every stage wondering: Am I good enough? Is this what they want? Who am I, again? This book answers those questions. ...Show more

Out There by Kerri Sackville

$29.99 AUD

Category: Memoir