SEPTEMBER: BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

ROSEMARY: Cadence, Travels with Music: - A memoir by Emma Ayres

Emma has told her story of growing up in a broken home in London, and her developing love of music. In 2000 she cycled from England to Hong Kong with her viola, Aurelia strapped to her back. She structures her memoir around musical keys, and writes of her own musical adventures and loves. She meets an amazing range of people, she avoids danger in many risky situations, and she gives impromptu concerts along the roadway to a variety of individuals.

Rosemary found it a very interesting book, although she thought some of the musical references to be too complicated and tedious. She is looking forward to reading the follow-up book.

BEV: Open by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi is today recognized as a very successful tennis player, winning 4 Grand Slams. But he says he hated tennis and describes his career as like 30 years in prison.

His father was determined that he would succeed, and was brutal in his training and expectations. As a teenager, Andre would rebel, fighting, drinking and way-out clothes and hair.

He is now married to former tennis player, Stephi Graff and they both devote much of their time to helping underprivileged children.

An interesting story, but it did get bogged down in results of matches and statistics.

CLAURENE: Able: Gold Medals, Grand Slams and Smashing Glass Ceilings by Dylan Alcott

Dylan is an amazing young man who is currently known as a Wheelchair Tennis Champ. But he previously represented Australia in the Para Olympics in Wheelchair Basketball. He now has great exposure on TV, is a motivational speaker and the recipient of many awards.

JULIA: Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life by Michael Caine

The title comes from one of his best known movies, The Italian Job. The book is full of quotes, anecdotes about meeting interesting and famous people.

Julia loved it and thought it great fun to read.

JUDY J: Jack Charles: A Born Again Blakfella by Jack Charles

Jack Charles has worn many hats throughout his life – actor, cat burglar, musician, heroin addict, drunk, Indigenous activist, potter, a gay man, Senior Victorian of the Year and most proudly, Aboriginal Elder. Much of this is the huge price he paid for being part of the Stolen Generation.

His book tells many of these sad, amusing, embarrassing, and shameful moments of his life and were elaborated on in his recent visit to the Hawkesbury Library.

JUDY De la T: Breaking Bad: How I Worried Myself Sick by Georgie Dent

The author was a top law student who began her career at a prestigious law firm. Within a year she had suffered a crippling nervous breakdown. Judy didn’t find the story uplifting and her impression of the author was as a ‘pampered princess"

VAL A: Unbreakable by Jelena Dokic

The story of another tennis player who was abused mentally and physically by their father. The family had emigrated from Serbia, and it is unbelievable how Jelena’s father treated her. In the book she seems bitter that people knew what was going on (bruises etc) but did nothing about it.

JO: Stationary Ark by Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durrell is the author of many books about animals. This one tells how he set up a zoo on the Isle of Jersey as a model for a more humane way of treating animals. Unfortunately, the book was very dry and did not contain the humour of his previous ones.

PAT: Born to Run by Cathy Freeman

Cathy was born in far north Queensland and grew up to become the fastest 400m runner in the world.

Her stepfather, who was white, was a great influence on her life and always encouraging to achieve her goals.

An interesting read.

KRIS: Lucky Man, A Memoir by Michael J Fox

Michael J Fox was a successful actor in the 1980s, but in 1998 he stunned the world by announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

The book tells of his childhood and early success as an actor. He also explains that as an actor he had lived a very self indulgent life style. Since his diagnosis he has been forced to change this around to cope with and accept his condition. Hence the title, A Lucky Man.

He now devotes much of his time to raising money for research into the disease.

A very interesting book.

CLAURENE: Ian Frazer: The Man Who Saved a Million Lives by Madonna King

Ian Frazer is a Scottish born immunologist, who along with his co-worker Jian Zou developed and patented the basic technology behind the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer Unfortunately, there was a delay of many years before they could begin producing the vaccine as a claim to its discovery was disputed by American scientists!

JUDY de La T: Carry a Big Stick by Tim Ferguson.

Tim Ferguson was a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars, telling his life story including his diagnosis of MS.

The Unexpected Adventures of Martin Freeman by Neil Daniels

A good actor but a boring book!

PAMELA: BORN TO BE POSTHUMOUS the Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery

Pamela thought it a stupid title, Gorey was very eccentric but achieved a great many things in life. He wrote over 100 books and was a successful illustrator for authors such as T S Elliot, Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll.

CONNIE: My Life by David Jason

His early childhood during war time was spent playing among the bombed out sites in London. Connie enjoyed this part as she had recollections of this as well.

He always wanted to be an actor, but trained as an electrician. While working at this, he became involved in amateur plays which eventually led to professional work. Ronnie Corbett, his great friend and mentor pushed him all the way.

He’s had a good life: happy marriage and family, a successful career.

VAL: How Shall I Tell the Dog? by Miles Kington

Miles Kington was a humorist, who when dying of caner, wrote letters to his friends proposing absurd ideas for books he might write about his illness. It is not an easy read. Val finished it, but still doesn’t know whether he told the dog.

JUDY A: Eggshells Skulls by Bri Lee

Bri completed a law degree and began working as a judge’s associate in the Brisbane District Circuit Court, hearing endless sexual abuse and assault cases. It’s during this time that Bri’s memories are triggered and she remembers an incidence that occurred when she was only primary school aged. This eventually led to her leaving the law and a two-year battle to bring this person to account. A gripping but moving book.

CHARIS: Walking Free by Munjed Al Muderis

In 1999, Munjed Al Muderis was a young surgeon working in Baghdad at the time of the rule of Saddam Hussein. When military police marched into the operating theatre and ordered the doctors to cut the ears off prisoners, the head of the surgical team refused and was shot. Munjed hid, ran away and eventually fled by boat to Australia. Hoping for freedom, he spent 10 months in Curtin Detention Centre in Western Australia, not being freed until late 2000.

Today he is one of the world's leading osseointegration surgeons, transforming the lives of amputees (including victims in war zones) with a pioneering technique that allows them to walk again,

A poignant read which gives a good account of the lives of refugees and what they had to endure to get to Australia.

WENDY L: Becoming by Michelle Obama

The book has 3 parts – becoming me ~ about her childhood, becoming us ~ about meeting Barak and thirdly, becoming more ~ their political life together.

They are two very different people, she very organized and he more laid back.

She is a very intelligent woman, coming from a family who valued education.

But all the way through the book, was the recurring theme of “am I good enough?”.

CLAURENE also read it. She thought it was a wonderful book and admired Michelle for admitting her faults.

COLLEEN: Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

Born without arms and legs, this amazing and gutsy man has lived his life by learning to accept what he could not control, only what he can. His zest for life is unbelievably infectious.

DIANN F: This is Gail by Juliette O’Brien

After the death of her husband, the surgeon Chris O’Brien, followed a short time later by the death of their son, Gail returns to work as a physio and later became very involved in the setting up and running of the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse cancer centre.

It is a moving and emotional story about a woman finding her place in life and she is always in the forefront of the book.

TAM: True Spirit by Jessica Watson

In 2009 Jessica became the first girl to complete a southern hemisphere solo circumnavigation at the age of 16. Her family has always been involved in sailing, but she still showed amazing maturity to do what she did.

She tells her story interspersed with entries from her diary giving you insights into her day to day activities.

She is inspiring to all ages to get out and do something.

JUDY de LA T: Jennifer Saunders

The best biography she’s read!

OCTOBER BOOK CLUB ~ Seafaring

Choose your own titles and come along!