In the upside-down world of the Covid-19 pandemic business have closed or are running with skeleton staff, queues of newly unemployed people have stretched around the block from Centrelink offices and people have stopped spending money. Well-functioning economies require a healthy population. The economy declines if a rampant disease is affecting society. In times like these … [Read more...] about Australian & NZ Publishers Release New Histories During Covid-19
Book Reviews
Review: The Art of Time Travel by Tom Griffiths
The Art of Time Travel: Historians and their craft is a very readable exploration of the writing of history in Australia since World War II. Written by highly respected historian, Tom Griffiths, The Art of Time Travel examines the work of fourteen influential historical writers who have developed the way we understand history in Australia. Each chapter focuses on a different … [Read more...] about Review: The Art of Time Travel by Tom Griffiths
Review: Waging Peace by Anne Deveson
Anne Deveson was a highly regarded journalist, film-maker and human rights activist who died late last year. Her last book was a memoir titled Waging Peace and was published in 2013. Anne Deveson was a groundbreaker in many ways. She helped Australian society grapple with serious issues that people experienced silently such as mental illness, poverty and abuse. As I expected … [Read more...] about Review: Waging Peace by Anne Deveson
Review: South Australia on the Eve of War
South Australia on the Eve of War paints a picture of life in South Australia before the outbreak of World War I. Its ten chapters, each written by a different historian, are easy to read overviews of various aspects of life in South Australia before the outbreak of war. These chapters provide an introduction to topics such as South Australian politics, families, the lives of … [Read more...] about Review: South Australia on the Eve of War
Review: The Anzacs by Patsy Adam-Smith
The fog rolled down the river and engulf our house. The cold and damp penetrated the walls and windows. Our only view, an opaque whiteness. Through the stillness, the sound of a lone bugler playing the Last Post reached us from the nearby cemetery. Another old soldier had died. This was the house our family was living in when Patsy Adam-Smith published The Anzacs, her iconic … [Read more...] about Review: The Anzacs by Patsy Adam-Smith