The Old Lie – Claire G Coleman
The Old Lie is a war story, framed by Wilfred Owen’s famous poem, of Australian soldiers, Indigenous Australian soldiers it turns out, part of a larger force fighting in the mud and ruined habitations of distant lands.
Fire Country – Victor Steffenson
Delving deep into the Australian landscape and the environmental challenges we face, Fire Country is a powerful account from Indigenous land management expert Victor Steffensen on how the revival of Indigenous fire practices, including improved ’reading’ of country and undertaking ’cool burns’, could help to restore our nation.
Victor developed a passion for traditional cultural and ecological knowledge from a young age, but it was after leaving high school that Victor met two Elders who became his mentors, particularly to revive cultural burning. Developed over many generations, this knowledge shows clearly that Australia actually needs fire – with burning done in a controlled manner – for land care and healing.
Victor’s story is unassuming and honest, written in a way that reflects the nature of yarning. And while some of the knowledge shared in his book may be unclear to western world views, there is much evidence that, if adopted, it could benefit all Australians.
Hardie Grant will donate $1 to Firesticks for every copy sold, which empowers Indigenous fire management practitioners to revive cultural burning.
The Tall Man – Chloe Hooper
In 2004 on Palm Island, an Aboriginal settlement in the "Deep North" of Australia, a thirty-six-year-old man named Cameron Doomadgee was arrested for swearing at a white police officer. Forty minutes later he was dead in the jailhouse. The police claimed he'd tripped on a step, but his liver was ruptured. Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley, a charismatic cop with long experience in Aboriginal communities and decorations for his work, was the main suspect.
The Fire next time – James Baldwin
A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave a passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document. It consists of two "letters, “written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation that exhorts Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism. Described by The New York Times Book Review as "sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle...all presented in searing, brilliant prose, "The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of our literature.
The Barefoot Investor – Scott Pape
This is the only money guide you'll ever need.
That's a bold claim, given there are already thousands of finance books on the shelves. So what makes this one different? Well, you won't be overwhelmed with a bunch of 'tips' or a strict budget (that you won't follow). You'll get a step-by-step formula: open this account, then do this; call this person, and say this; invest money here and not there. All with a glass of wine in your hand.
This book will show you how to create an entire financial plan that is so simple you can sketch it on the back of a serviette ... and you'll be able to manage your money in 10 minutes a week.
Against all odds – Craig Challen and Richard Harris
The inside account of the breathtaking rescue that captured the world. ‘I just want to warn you. You’re going to dive to the end of the cave. You’re going to see these kids. They’re all looking healthy and happy and smiley. Then, you’re going to swim away, and they’re probably all going to die.’
In June 2018, the world watched and held its breath for seventeen days as the Wild Boar soccer team was trapped deep in a cave in Thailand. Marooned beyond flooded cave passages after unexpected rains, they were finally rescued, one-by-one, against almost impossible odds, by an international cave-diving team which included Australians Dr. Richard Harris and Dr. Craig Challen. These two men were chosen for their medical expertise and cave diving knowledge, but this dangerous rescue asked so much more of them. They had to remain calm under extreme pressure and intense scrutiny, adapt to constantly changing circumstances, and importantly, build trust among the rescue team and with the young boys and their coach, whose lives were in their hands. Here is the story of these two Australian men who became international heroes – it is a story of determination, cunning, and triumph that will long be remembered.
Link to blackfulla book club for more reads