My Brother's Keeper: The official Bra Boys story by Sean Doherty

Opening Sentence:I was sitting at Ma's place one day - I must've been about 20 at the time - when Jai's come flying into the kitchen laughing his head off.
Synopsis:Maroubra was a tough place to grow up. Ringed by a jail, a sewerage works, a rifle range and a housing commission estate, it was where the streets of Sydney met the beach. It was a place where the local boys surfed hard and partied harder. It was also a place where trouble easily found you.

Adopted by Maroubra Beach at a young age, the four Abberton brothers, all born to different fathers and a mother in the clutches of heroin addiction, grew up at a time when the area was shadowed by drugs and gang violence. Raised largely by their grandmother, Sunny, Jai, Koby and Dakota found solace in the surf, and solidarity with their mates, the Bra Boys.

The official biography of the Abberton brothers follows their story from a turbulent upbringing on the sands of Maroubra to international surf stardom, and the fateful events of 5 August 2003, when Jai shot dead Maroubra underworld figure and childhood friend Tony Hines, only to be acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. My Brother's Keeper is raw, gritty, from the heart...and everything you won't read about in the newspapers.
Genre:Biography
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:490
ISBN:978-0-7322-8554-8
Year:2009
Format:Paperback
Comments:Like most people, all I knew about the Bra Boys is what I read about in the papers or saw on TV. My Brother's Keeper opened my eyes to just how much the Bra Boys in general, and the Abberton brothers in particular, have been misrepresented in the media. Told in their own words, this is a no-holds-barred account of life on the streets and beaches of Maroubra. Sunny, Jai, Koby, Dakota and a few of their friends each give their own point of view on growing up in Maroubra. They each tell key points in their lives from the their earliest memories through to present times, including their side of events that were covered in the media.

Written in an easy to read down-to-earth style that generously treats the reader as a mate, the Abberton brothers tell the good, the bad and the ugly of life as a Bra Boy. They do not try to paint themselves as angels or victims, but simply as ordinary, everyday blokes, doing the best they could to survive the harsh, exacting yet loving embrace of Sydney's beaches.

What's Happening to our Girls? by Maggie Hamilton

Opening Sentence:In a few short decades almost every part of girls' lives has been transformed, bringing freedoms previous generations of girls could only dream of.
Synopsis:Why are girls as young as five years old concerned about their looks and addicted to shopping?

Why are they having sex and binge-drinking so young, responding to chat-room predators, and bullying their peers via email and text messages?

Why are depression, cutting and eating disorders on the rise, and why, with so much choice, do so many just want to marry young and have babies?

In a few short years our girls have become vulnerable - not just teen girls, but also young girls and baby girls. They are being forced to grow up faster than ever before. What a twelve-year-old girl experienced at seven is not what a seven-year-old girl is now struggling with. Many of the guidelines we offer girls no longer apply, or are contradicted by messages from media and advertising telling girls how to look, think, behave and feel.

Over two years Maggie Hamilton interviewed girls, teachers, school counsellors, psychologists, and law enforcement and medical personnel to get an insider's view on what girls are experiencing at present, from birth to the teenage years.

Informed, revealing, compassionate and at times shocking, What's Happening to our Girls? is a book for parents and all those who want to better understand and support girls.
Genre:Non-Fiction
Rating:@@@@
Pages:256
ISBN:978-0-670-07232-3
Year:2008
Format:Paperback
Comments:What's Happening to our Girls? is an interesting and informed study of today's girls and the lives they lead, and it is essential reading for any parent. The facts in this book are very scary. As a mother, I knew before reading this book that my daughters are growing up in a world far different from the one I grew up in. I knew that they are being marketed to. I knew girls are sexually active earlier. I knew that bullying is worse and the forms of bullying changing. I did not know just how bad it has become, or just how ill-informed many girls are as to the hazards of indiscriminate sex and drug-taking. That this is the case is a sad indictment of our society.

We all need to stand up and say NO MORE!!! It is time we put our foot down. Refuse to spend your money on inappropriate items, and write to the manufacturers, expressing your displeasure. Companies are only able to market sex at our girls because we allow them to. Remember, the power is in the hand of the consumer - there have been many products withdrawn due to consumer pressure. Additionally, we should overcome our embarrassment and ensure our girls are informed. Teach them to recognise when they are being marketed to. Give them the confidence and support they need to withstand peer pressure and bullying. Allow them to use you as an excuse if they need to. Find someone closer to their own age group to talk to them about drugs and sex - oral sex is not a safe option, as many girls seem to think.

Ensure your daughters have other trusted adults in their lives. We all need someone other than our parents to talk to! Make sure that your daughter knows the difference between intimacy and sexuality. Teach her that a relationship where she suppresses her own sexuality to please her partner is not a healthy one. Be willing to discuss what she wants when she needs to. There can be no taboo subjects if you want to keep your daughter safe. Teach your sons to respect girls, and that they have needs within a relationship as well as boys. Above all, be there there for your children.

Growing up has changed dramatically. The way we parent must evolve to meet the challenge if our girls are to survive.

The Eccentric Mr Wienholt by Rosamond Siemon

Opening Sentence:Empire was Arnold's lodestar.
Synopsis:Arnold Wienolt – MP, lion hunter and intelligence agent – was a larger-than-life action hero whose eccentricities were legendary. He once hired a circus tent when campaigning for parliament and offered to box all-comers in the ring. On his first hunting expedition to Africa he recklessly pursued a wounded lion and ended up scarred for life.

Schooled at Eton and on his family’s vast holdings in Queensland, Wienholt fought for Empire during the Boer War and was an early exponent of guerrilla warfare. Decorated for bravery in the First World War, he died in mysterious circumstances spying behind the lines in northern Africa in 1940.Ros Siemon’s engrossing tale has to read about to be believed.
Genre:Biography
Rating:@@@@
Pages:311
BCID:xxx-6572725
ISBN:o-7022-3498-2
Year:2005
Format:Paperback
Comments:This was a very interesting biography about a very interesting character in Australian history. From his role in the squattocracy to serving in Queensland's Parliament; from hunting lions in Africa to serving in three wars (Boer War, WWI & WWII) and spying behind enemy lines; Arnold Wienholt certainly led a full and colourful life of adventure. Most of us are not brave enough to stand by our convictions in the face of almost total opposition and ridicule. Most of us are not brave enough to 'walk the talk'. Most of us crave adventure from home but are not brave enough to pursue it. Arnold Wienholt did all of these things and more - he faced down his enemies with the courage and dignity he felt became a member of the Empire. Despite never having heard of Arnold Wienholt before, this book was an absolutely riveting read.

The Henson Case by David Marr

Opening Sentence:Wednesday 21 May, 2008: Morning
Synopsis:On Thursday 22 May 2008, Bill Henson was waiting to open his latest exhibition in Sydney. But that afternoon a ferocious media campaign led police to shut down the show. They raided the gallery, seized photographs of naked adolescents and threatened to charge Henson, one of Australia's greatest living artists, as a child pornographer.

Politicians across the country turned on Henson. The Prime Minister called his pictures 'absolutely revolting'. Galleries stripped them from their walls. While the artist remained silent, a debate raged about art, children, censorship, paedophilia, the internet, the police and the media.

In The Henson Case the acclaimed journalist David Marr tells the story of a great national uproar that's already passing into myth. This is a remarkable investigative essay in which Bill Henson breaks his silence for the first time. Drawing on key documents, and the revealing testimony of principal players, Marr writes of a country divided and a witch-hunt that went wrong.

The Henson Case features details of eight photographs from the controversial Sydney show.
Genre:Non-Fiction
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:143
BCID:xxx-7325741
ISBN:978-1-921520-03-7
Year:2008
Format:Paperback
Comments:No-one living in Australia could have possibly escaped the controversy surrounding Bill Henson's photography of nude teens. It seemed like no-one was left on the fence. Everyone had an opinion, heavily coloured by media coverage of events. Even the Prime Minister had his say. But do any of us really know the full story?

In The Henson Case journalist David Marr chronicles events from beginning to end, bringing to light many facts that were missed in the media feeding frenzy. Throughout the whole sorry mess, I argued to anyone that would listen that nudity does not equal pornography. In my opinion, this book vindicates my position.

So, what is your view? Is Henson's work art or porn? Is Henson artist or pedophile? Don't base your opinion on sensationalist reporting. Read the facts, then decide.

Grim Crims & Convicts: 1788 - 1820 (Fair Dinkum Histories) by Jackie French

Opening Sentence:It was an incredible idea - to found a colony of convicts eight months' sail away from Great Britain.
Synopsis:Telling it like it really was - true-blue Aussie history!

It was the craziest, wildest and most daring expedition the world had seen. Eleven ships with nearly 1500 people travelled 25 000 kilometres to the other side of the world. But what did they find when they arrived?

Come with Jackie French and Peter Sheehan on a voyage of discovery. History has never been so much fun.
Genre:History
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:198
BCID:xxx-7132824
ISBN:978-1-86504-871-0
Year:2008
Format:Paperback
Comments:If your kids know more about American history than they do their own, this is the perfect book to remedy the situation. Grim Crims & Convicts deals with the early history of Australia from 1788 to 1820. It is aimed at young adults and the information is basic enough for them to understand without losing out on the details. Humorous illustrations throughout aid understanding and add an extra element of enjoyment for children. There is a lot of information in here that I had either forgotten or never knew and I found this to be a very interesting book indeed. Highly recommended!

Haunted Australia by John Heffernan

Opening Sentence: Sometimes they actually appear to people, clear as day - and even speak with them.
Synopsis:'Ghosts, spirits, spectres, spooks, apparitions, ghouls, banshees, min mins, Quinkans, feather-foots, poltergeists and doppelgangers. They come with a host of different names. But if you ever actually meet one, what you call it will be the last thing on your mind.'

Come with author John Heffernan on a terrifying tour of Australia, and read spooky tales from the city and the bush, from olden times to the present day.

Sometimes scary, sometimes funny...but always mysterious.
Genre:Non-Fiction
Rating:@@@
Pages:155
BCID:xxx-7132840
ISBN:1-86504-826-7
Year:2005
Format:Paperback
Comments:I know this is aimed at a young audience, but it's a little too sensationalised for my taste. I prefer a book that says 'These are the facts as they were presented' and let you judge for yourself. I don't mind some emotion and fear factor, but using double-printed text and scattering words like 'spooxperts' and 'ghost-codes' throughout is a bit much. Having said that, there are some very interesting accounts included here, and I like the fact they are all from Australia. There's even one in my own town. Worth reading for the information, but be prepared for some sensationalism.

How to be Comfy by Shannon Lush & Jennifer Fleming

Opening Sentence:How to be Comfy is about making your house a home.
Synopsis:Your house is Spotless and you have time to enjoy it because you know how to Speedclean. Now discover How to be Comfy.

Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming are back with a new guide for comfy living packed with clever ideas and affordable inspiration to help turn your house into a home.

From the entrance hall to the kitchen, the kids' rooms to the backyard, How to be Comfy is brimming with practical information for women and men of all ages to transform a living space into something welcoming and comfy - from how to use colour to create moods to how to arrange flowers; from how to iron a shirt to how to pack a suitcase; from how to fix a leaking cistern to how to darn a sock. There are craft ideas galore and even delicious recipes - plus helpful advice about buying and keeping all kinds of foods.

From cover to cover, How to be Comfy features hundreds of new ideas, hints and tips - making it another must-have guide for modern living from Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming.
Genre:Home & Garden
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:367
ISBN:978-0-7333-1933-4
Year:2007
Format:Paperback
Comments:I moved out of home when I was very young and knew very little about housekeeping. Therefore, I find books about how to clean and decorate incredibly helpful. How to be Comfy is the best book I've read so far in this genre (I haven't read Spotless or Speedcleaning yet, but I sure will be now!). It is packed full of helpful tips about how to make your home a place you you want to spend time rather than just the place you sleep and eat.

In addition to the main text, there are hint and tip boxes which are very helpful, and some interesting little peeks into cleaning in days gone by. I found the tips on how to iron interesting and the entire section on choosing and storing food was incredibly helpful - up to now I'd just been guessing (wrongly in some cases).

This book is a must-have in any home and I will be obtaining it for my personal collection.

Opening Sentence:The first day Lockie Leonard saw this town it was raining.
Synopsis:Lockie Leonard, hot surf-rat, is in love. The human torpedo is barely settled into his new school, and already he's got a girl on his mind. And not just any girl: it has to be Vicki Streeton, the smartest, prettiest, richest girl in class.

What chance have you got when your dad's a cop, your mum's a frighteningly understanding parent, your brother wets the bed and the teachers take an instant dislike to you and then you fall in love at twelve-and-three-quarter years old? It can only mean trouble, worry, mega-embarrassment and some wild, wild times.
Genre:Young Adult
Rating:@@@
Pages:132
BCID:xxx-5449769
ISBN:o-14-036651-2
Year:1993
Format:Paperback
Comments:Lockie Leonard: Human Torpedo delves into the mind of an adolescent boy in the throes of his first relationship, while trying to cope with a new town, a new home and a new school. It is well-written and the characters, while a bit cliche, are still convincing enough to hold our interest. This is a decent example of Australian Young Adult fiction, but it does not persuade me to continue with the series.

Opening Sentence:I was born in the year 1894 at Maidstone in Victoria.
Synopsis:This is the extraordinary life of an ordinary man. It is the story of Albert Facey, who lived with simple honesty, compassion and courage. A parentless boy who started work at eight on the rough West Australian frontier, he struggled as an itinerant rural worker, survived the gore of Gallipoli, the loss of his farm in the Depression, the death of his son in World War II and that of his beloved wife after sixty devoted years - yet felt that his life was fortunate.
Genre:Autobiography
Rating:@@@@@
Pages:323
ISBN:o-14-008167-4
Year:1986
Format:Hardcover
Comments:A Fortunate Life is a first hand account of events that most of us have only read about in history books. Albert Facey has lived the kind of life that would have broken a lesser man. From the time he lost his father to Typhoid on the goldfields, through his time as an illiterate child working for horse thieves, the Depression and both World Wars, Albert has had more than his fair share of tragedy. Yet all through this book he downplays his negative experiences, focusing on the positive and relaying his life in a fresh, humorous style that is both pleasant to read and hard to put down.. This is a uniquely Australian piece of literature and I found myself disappointed when I came to the end. A Fortunate Life is a must-read for all Australians.

The Life of Riley by Steve Wright

Opening Sentence:As he stumbled and cursed his way up the flinty slope of Mount Mornington beneath a remorseless summer sun, Joseph Cornelius Riley experienced the painful delusion that he was not twenty miles inland from the breeze-sweetened coast of Central Queensland but was rather in some scorched suburb of Hades, whereupon reaching the summit he would surely shake hands with the devil himself.
Synopsis:Each Christmas the Rileys gather at 'Little Mornington', the family home outside Melbourne. But this year their declining 96-year-old matriarch, Maude Acacia, sets her family a quest.

Each of them must achieve happiness - or they're out of the will. And given that the family fortune began with a mountain of gold and just got bigger, that's quite an incentive.

How difficult a task could it be?
Genre:Australian Literature
Rating:@@@@
Pages:372
BCID:xxx-6131665
ISBN:o-09-183451-1
Year:1998
Format:Paperback
Comments:According to the cover, The Life of Riley is "A family story about the quest for happiness...and sex, greed, gluttony and revenge." This is true, but this story is also about learning to know oneself. It is about knowing what you want from life and having the courage to reach for it.

In the beginning of this book, none of the Riley's are truly happy. Why? Because they are shuffling along, leading the lives they've landed in without ever once stopping to take note of whether it is what they truly want. When Maude Acacia, the Matriarch of the family gives them a financial incentive to do so, most of them find the courage to follow their hearts.

This book is easy to read. It is amusing and the characters are people we can relate to because, despite their riches, they face the same everyday problems as us. As with most families there is jealousy, envy and rivalry, but in essence what this book is really about is happiness and the journey we take to get there.