This month we had a very
interesting and lively discussion at book club.
KERRIE: SEARCHING FOR CHARLOTTE: The fascinating story of Australia’s first children’s author by CHARLOTTE ATKINSON
This book was published by two of her relatives who were both female writers. The writing tradition had been passed down through the generations. Her two great-great grandchildren were interested in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte came from a literary family, and she had a well to do upbringing. In 1826 she came out from England to work as a governess for Macarthur’s children. She married in 1827 and when Charlotte’s husband died in 1834, she nearly lost her property and her children. She took the case to court and won. It was the first time in history. Her second marriage was to an overseer who was a dreadful man. Charlotte was determined to get on in life and although she had made some bad choices, she tried to make the best of them. She went on to write children’s books. Kerrie enjoyed the book.
ED: MY LUCKY LIFE in and out of show business by DICK VAN DYKE
Richard Van Dyke was born in 1925. He is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His work spans screen and stage. He won many awards and was recognized as a Disney Legend in 1998. He was in the Dick Van Dyke Show, a CBS television sitcom, from 1961 to 1966 which made him a household name. He starred in movie musicals such as Bye, Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang. Van Dyke is a Dutch surname, although he also has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. Ed enjoyed the read.
JO: ENCOUNTERS WITH ANIMALS by GERALD DURRELL
The family went to different countries getting animals for his zoo. There were many encounters with animals. Jo loved it and said it was a very interesting to read.
JOAN: HILLBILLY ELEGY - A MEMOIR OF FAMILY AND CULTURE IN CRISIS by J. D. VANCE (Pub 2016)
This was a national USA bestseller. It is a personal story of growing up in a poor rural community and climbing out to become Donald Trump’s Vice-Presidential running partner for the 2024 USA elections.
PRUE: SIDNEY KIDMAN, THE FORGOTTEN KING by JILL BOWAN
She did three years of research and travelling to write this book, her first one. It was like a jigsaw puzzle without any information. There was so little information even in the family. He didn’t start making a name for himself in business until his brother died. He was a thinker. He had sheep and cattle in South Australia on land bigger than the British Isles. Although Prue has not read much, she said she was really drawn in and will read the whole story.
THERESA: HAPPIEST REFUGEE by ANH DO
Although a happy book, it started off with the very sad journey out of Vietnam. In the 70’s everything became easier. He got a scholarship to a good school. His mother was a very hard worker for the family as she had great love for her children. Theresa also read The Happiest Man on Earth by Edi Jaku. This was very sad but also uplifting. He was unique as nothing ever got him down. She said both men were very intelligent. Although she enjoyed both books, she enjoyed the Happiest Man on Earth the most.
SHEILA: Her choice of biography was a book was about Sir Paul Hasluck, Governor General in 1960’s. He was born to English parents who moved to Western Australia. Paul loved Australia. She hasn’t had time to read it yet.
KRIS: THE SHAPE OF DUST by LAMISSE HAMOUDA with HAZEM HAMOUDA
This is a riveting book. It is the story of an Australian /Egyptian citizen, Hazem Hamouda who disappeared at Cairo airport after arriving for a family holiday in 2018. His daughter Lamisse, who was born in Australia, was working in Egypt. She arrives to pick him up, but she cannot find him or find any information about him. After quite some time they discover he was taken to a police station and eventually to the notorious Tora prison. He is put in a cell with many other prisoners, both political and criminal. His daughter Lamisse is frantic in her quest to help him but is constantly thwarted. It is an extraordinary and painful story. We share the long journey with Lamisse as she comes close to a breakdown. It’s a must read.
JUDY J: THE LAST BUSHRANGERS by MIKE MUNRO (Channel 9 Sixty Minutes Journalist)
When Mike Munro was in his late twenties, he was called to see his very ill father. His mother had been separated from this man for many years, he was an alcoholic and gambler. Because he was dying, there was something Mike needed to know. His name was not really Munro, but Kenniff. His father had changed it to hide the family humiliation and shame that their uncles were Patrick and Jimmy Kenniff, Australia’s last bushrangers. Ned Kelly had been hung in 1880, Captain Thunderbolt killed 1870, Captain Moonlight also hung in 1880. The Kenniff brothers were always being chased by the police and for many years had avoided being arrested, but there was never any violence in their actions. When they were finally caught and made an example of, they were sent to trial. In many respects they didn’t receive a fair trial. Good story.
ROSEMARY: MY JOURNEY TO THE WORLD CUP by SAM KERR
It was a simple story, but not well written. There were interviews with friends and family. Rosemary said she didn’t learn a lot about Sam Kerr. Kerr didn’t want to play soccer but took it up when she couldn’t play AFL because she was a girl. Sam is a great person, player and captain but the book was not terribly informative.
BEV: BELIVE by SALLY PEARSON
This is an autobiography written in 2013. Bev said it was interesting. She was an only child to a single mother. Her teacher encouraged her. She was a fast runner. They moved to the Gold Coast where she trained in gymnastics and then changed to Little Athletics. The woman running it turned out to be her coach throughout her career. She accepted and believed that, with hard work, she could be a good runner and athlete. This was written after the Olympic Games in Britain in 2012 where she won a gold medal for 100m hurdles. Bev said it was interesting and worth reading. There are statistics of all her races at the back of the book.
JUDY A: HOW TO SAY BABYLON by SAFIYA SINCLAIR
This is a memoir of a girl brought up in Jamaica in a Rastafarian family. The Rastafari movement began in Jamaica during the 1930’s following a prophecy made by Marcus Garvey, a black political leader who led an organisation whose intention was to unify blacks with their land of origin. His prophecy was to “Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be your Redeemer.” This statement became the foundation of the Rastafari movement. The prophecy was rapidly followed by the crowning of Emperor Hall Selassie 1 in Ethiopia in 1930. There was a crisis of faith when he was deposed by the military in 1974, placed under house arrest and died mysteriously in 1975. Safiya realised there was no accepted gospel among Rastafari. She was the eldest of 4 children brought up by her father who adhered to a strict patriarchal, misogynistic style. Although their mother was subjugated to her husband, who ruled by violence, she made sure the kids were well educated. Judy said it was enjoyable to read.
PAT: HEIDA, A Shepherd at the Edge of the World by STEINUNN SIGURDARDOTTIR
Heida is a solitary farmer with a flock of 500 sheep in Iceland’s highlands. She was one of four daughters. She changed tyres, did all the work the men did and was never told she couldn’t do something because she was a woman. She went to boarding school, did some modelling for a while but she found it superficial and wanted to return to farming. In 2001 at age 23 she took over the operations of the family farm in partnership with her mother, as she owned the land. Her father had cancer. At 46 she is still on the farm and is still single. She is a loner. Although Pat found it interesting, she got bored with farm life and did not finish it.
MARGARET: OLD RAGE by SHEILA HANCOCK
This book is contemporary. It’s her latest book Sheila rages about Brexit and what is happening in Britain. She talks about her early life, her wartime childhood, how her schooling was disrupted and her desire to perform. Margaret enjoyed the read and wanted to read more so she read The Two Us. It’s a memoir of Sheila’s marriage to John Thaw (Morse) her second husband. It was a No 1 bestseller. They had a holiday home in France. It was very interesting. Then Margaret read Just Me. Sheila rediscovered herself as “just me.” She travelled to different places, met interesting people and faced her prejudices.
October: We will be reading Historical Fiction
