Penny Wong: The Biography by Margaret Simons

$0.00 AUD

Category: Biography | Reading Level: 3 Biography

Senator Penny Wong is an extraordinary Australian politician. Resolute, self-possessed and a penetrating thinker on subjects from workplace relations to foreign affairs, she is admired by members of parliament and the public from across the political divide. In this first-ever biography of Penny Wong, a cclaimed journalist Margaret Simons traces her story- from her early life in Malaysia, to her student activism in Adelaide, to her time in the turbulent Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments, to her leading role as a voice of reason and respect in the polarising campaign to legalise same-sex marriage. What emerges is a picture of a leader for modern Australia, a cool-headed, cautious yet charismatic figure of piercing intelligence and a personal history linking back to Australia's colonial settlers through to its multicultural present. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Penny Wong and her Labor colleagues, parliamentary opponents, close friends and family, this scintillating portrait of an Australian politician without precedence promises to be one of the most talked-about political biographies of the year. ...Show more

Commander in Cheat by Rick Reilly

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography | Reading Level: very good

'This book is dedicated to the truth. It's still a thing.' Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump is a fascinating on-the-ground and behind-the-scenes survey of Donald Trump's ethics deficit on and off the golf course.Renowned sports writer Rick Reilly transports readers onto the greens with Presid ent Trump, revealing the absurd ways in which he lies about his feats, and what they can tell us about the way he leads off the course in the most important job in the world. 'Golf is like bicycle shorts. It reveals a lot about a man.' Reilly has been with Trump on the fairways, the greens and in the rough, he has seen how the President plays - and it's not pretty. Based on his personal experiences, and interviews with dozens of golf pros, amateurs, developers, partners, opponents, and even caddies who have first-hand involvement with Trump out on the course, Reilly takes a deep and often hilarious look at how Trump shamelessly cheats at golf, lies about it, sues over it, bullies with it, and profits from it. 'Somebody should point out that the way Trump does golf is sort of the way he does a presidency, which is to operate as though the rules are for other people.' From Trump's ridiculous claim to have won eighteen club championships, to his devious cheating tricks, to his tainted reputation as a golf course tycoon, Commander in Cheat tells you everything you need to know about the man. 'You could write a book about what Trump's golf reveals about him. Here it is.' ...Show more

On a Wing and a Prayer: The Race that Stopped the World by Diane Websdale-Morrissey

$32.99 AUD

Category: Biography

In 1934, Melbourne's Lord Mayor announced a London-to-Melbourne air race to celebrate his city's centenary. The audacious plan captured imaginations across the globe: newspapers and magazines everywhere were filled with it; the world's pilots scrambled to get sponsorship; and the organisers scrambled t o get the rules straight and permission to fly in foreign air space.Sixty-four entrants from eleven countries signed up, but only twenty planes eventually took off on 20 October 1934. The winner arrived in Melbourne seventy-one hours later--but three planes crashed and two pilots died in the attempt. The world followed the progress and applauded the winners, Britain's Grovsenor House (outright) and The Netherlands' Uiver (on handicap), but the real climax of the story is the astonishing efforts by the town of Albury in saving the Uiver as it battled through a fierce thunderstorm with no navigational aids, guiding the tiny plane to an emergency landing in the middle of the town with the most quick-thinking, imaginative response to its terrifying predicament. This heroic race, considered the greatest single sporting event in the history of aviation, is a tale of eccentric characters, daring deeds and sublime courage. Di Websdale- Morrissey's page-turning account will have readers holding their breaths, just as the world did eighty-five years ago. ...Show more

Coventry by Rachel Cusk

$32.99 AUD

Category: Biography

After the publication of Outline, Transit and Kudos - in which Rachel Cusk redrew the boundaries of fiction - this writer of uncommon brilliance returns with a series of essays that offers new insights on the themes at the heart of her life's work. Encompassing memoir and cultural and literary criticism , with pieces on gender, politics and writers such as D. H. Lawrence, Olivia Manning and Natalia Ginzburg, this collection is essential reading for our age: fearless, unrepentantly erudite, both startling and rewarding to behold. The result is a cumulative sense of how the frank, deeply intelligent sensibility - so evident in her stories and novels - reverberates in the wider context of Cusk's literary process. Coventry grants its readers a rare opportunity to see a mind at work that will influence literature for time to come. ...Show more

Fair Crack of the Whip

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Ayoade on Top by Richard Ayoade

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography | Reading Level: 4 Non Fiction

At last, the definitive book about perhaps the best cabin crew dramedy ever filmed: View From the Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow.In Ayoade on Top, Richard Ayoade, perhaps one of the most "insubstantial" people of our age, takes us on a journey from Peckham to Paris by way of Nevada and other places we don 't care about. It's a journey deep within, in a way that's respectful and non-invasive; a journey for which we will all pay a heavy price, even if you've waited for the smaller paperback edition. Ayoade argues for the canonization of this brutal masterpiece, a film that celebrates capitalism in all its victimless glory; one we might imagine Donald Trump himself half-watching on his private jet's gold-plated flat screen while his other puffy eye scans the cabin for fresh, young prey. ...Show more

The Cuckoo's Egg - Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Cliff Stoll

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Before the Internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive U.S. citizen recognized its ominous potential. Armed with clear evidence of computer espionage, he began a highly personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatened national security. But would the au thorities back him up? Cliff Stoll's dramatic firsthand account is "a computer-age detective story, instantly fascinating and] astonishingly gripping" (Smithsonian). Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mysterious invader who managed to break into U.S. computer systems and steal sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a dangerous game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases -- a one-man sting operation that finally gained the attention of the CIA...and ultimately trapped an international spy ring fueled by cash, cocaine, and the KGB. ...Show more

The Winding Road - Secrets of an Outback Entrepreneur by Alice Mabin

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography

This book is a game changer! The Winding Road is witty, charming and makes you think twice about the way "life has to be done". Alice Mabin's unfailing persistence and tenacity is inspiring. She is right - life is too short not to do what you love. The Winding Road reminds us, that if you are prepared t o take a risk and see an opportunity to redesign your life, you have an obligation to yourself to see it through.Yet again, Alice has delivered something unique - The Sealed Section is nothing short of gold. Resist your urge to tear it open first; read it last for the greatest impact!As a renowned rural photographer, Alice has astonished readers with her best-selling publications and photographs that celebrate the rich tapestry of life in the Australian Outback.But life for Alice hasn't always been as exquisite as her photography. After leaving her family in search of a plentiful life, Alice has travelled an undulating paper-road to success, chasing an abundant life filled with stories worth telling. 'After all,' she says 'Life is not a dress rehearsal. Your story is your masterpiece.'?Intertwining the adventures and revelations of life in Al's typical cheeky style, The Winding Road uncovers what it really takes to be successful in an everchanging environment.Inside The Winding Road discover Al's secrets to uncovering your brilliance, fulfilling your dreams and creating success, even when you don't know how.   ...Show more

The Accidental Tour Guide by Mary Moody

$35.00 AUD

Category: Biography | Reading Level: 3 Biography

Eat, Pray, Love meets The Year of Magical Thinking in this powerful memoir of love, loss and taking risks from a true adventurer The irrepressible Mary Moody knows better than anyone the joy of breaking new ground and discovering new frontiers. She is the bestselling author of Au Revoir and Last Tango I n Toulouse, and her life as a journalist, TV and radio presenter, popular gardening guru and inveterate traveller has been an inspiration to thousands of women for decades. But when Moody loses two of the people she loves most - her beloved husband and the half sister she had only just been reunited with - her world is turned upside down. Part of her journey to recovery is her decision to boldly go where she has never been before - both in her travels as a tour guide and in her everyday life. This leads to exploring uncharted territories in Morocco and a wrenching move from her beloved mountain home and garden to make a fresh start while rediscovering her passions - travel, gardening, food, family and the joy of new adventures. A warm, heartbreakingly moving and thoroughly entertaining story of how to rebuild your life without the people who matter most. ...Show more

Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life by Valerie Taylor

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography

 At 83 years old, Valerie Taylor has lived a big, bold adventurous life. Born in Australia, Valerie spent a great deal of her childhood in New Zealand. A talented artist, she dropped out of school when she contracted polio and was saved by Sister Elizabeth Kenny's treatment plan; it was two years b efore she could walk unaided. When Valerie was fifteen, she found work as an animator and moved back to Australia with her family. All the while she thrived on being close to the ocean, and was a keen spear fisher. In the 1950s, she met Ron Taylor and then her real adventures started. Together they sailed all over the world, photographing and filming their travels for magazines, TV and movies, and making many documentaries. Valerie and Ron became interested in conservation, and focused on sharks in particular. They did all the shark work on Jaws, and James Cameron decided he wanted to become a filmmaker because of Valerie and her husband. Valerie is working with the brilliant Ben Mckelvey to share her story of falling in love with the ocean and with her husband, Ron. From trainee animator to Spielberg, from JAWS to BLUE LAGOON, this is the remarkable story of an incredible woman.     ...Show more

Maurice Blackburn: Champion of the People by David Day

$49.99 AUD

Category: Biography | Reading Level: 3 Biography

Maurice Blackburn brought into public life a rare character, complete indifference to personal consequences, an uncommon scholarship, great zeal for humanity, and a firm belief, which I am happy to share, that men are immeasurably more important than laws. - Robert Menzies Maurice Blackburn served the people who suffered injustice . . . He pleaded their cause, and he engaged in the study of how best he could serve them . . . He would allow nothing to turn him from what he considered to be the right, and however unpopular he might become, however discomforting his attitude might be to his colleagues, the divine monitor within him impelled him to stand for what in his soul he believed.- John Curtin After his father died when Maurice Blackburn was a child, he was brought up by a mother who was descended from Melbourne's gentry and was determined to raise him as a gentleman who would achieve greatness as a judge or a prime minister. However, Blackburn had humbler aims. With the support of his wife, he wanted instead 'to make life better for the ordinary men and women of the country'. He went on to do so, defending the rights of working people as a leading barrister in the courts and as a politician in the parliaments of Melbourne and Canberra, and became much loved and admired across the political spectrum. A socialist and internationalist all his life, who was twice expelled from the Labor Party for his principles, Blackburn became a leading opponent of conscription in both world wars, a supporter of rights for women, an advocate for peace, and a tireless campaigner for transforming Australia so that it served the interests of all its people. Part love story, part gripping political thriller, the poignant story of the much-lauded Maurice Blackburn exposes a time when influence-peddling was rife, when political possibilities seemed limitless, and when a man of principle could still make a big difference to the course of Australian politics. ...Show more

Means of Ascent by Robert A. Caro

$55.00 AUD

Category: Biography

'The greatest biography of our era ... Essential reading for those who want to comprehend power and politics' The Times Robert A. Caro's legendary, multi-award-winning biography of US President Lyndon Johnson is a uniquely riveting and revelatory account of power, political genius and the shaping of tw entieth-century America. In this second instalment we witness a momentous turning point in American politics- the tragic last stand of the old politics versus the new. Following Johnson through his service in the Second World War, it describes the foundation and the myths of his long-concealed fortune. The explosive heart of the book is Caro's revelation of the shocking true story of the fiercely contested 1948 senatorial election, which Johnson won with the the '87 votes that changed history'. ...Show more