Bøker utgitt av Allen & Unwin

A moving and original debut novel. Observant, warm and extraordinary. In the mid-1950s, a small group of Finnish migrants set up camp on Little Rat, a tiny island in an archipelago off the coast of Western Australia. The crayfishing industry is in its infancy, and the islands, haunted though they are by past shipwrecks, possess an indefinable allure. Drawn here by tragedy, Onni Saari is soon hooked by the stark beauty of the landscape and the slivers of jutting coral onto which the crayfishers build their precarious huts. Could these reefs, teeming with the elusive and lucrative cray, hold the key to a good life? The Islands is the sweeping story of the Saari family: Onni, an industrious and ambitious young man, grappling with the loss of a loved one; his wife Alva, quiet but stoic, seeking a sense of belonging between the ramshackle camps of the islands and the dusty suburban lots of the mainland; and their pensive daughter Hilda, who dreams of becoming the skipper of her own boat. As the Saari's try to build their future in Australia, their lives entwine with those of the fishing families of Little Rat, in myriad and unexpected ways. A stunning, insightful story of a search for home. 'There is an other-worldly quality about the Abrolhos which is beyond the reach of ordinary storytelling. Emily Brugman has captured them, staked them to the page in all their isolation and aridity and scoured indifference, because her storytelling is extraordinary.' Jock Serong, author, Preservation 'Beautiful, fresh, wise and true - startlingly good.' - Robert Drewe, author, Ned Kelly 'A beautiful, breathtaking, salty book about finding home on the far reaches of the continental shelf.' Marele Day, author, Lambs of God

The Age of Aquarius meets the Dawning of Divorce in an evocative novel of the 1970s. 'There's plenty of depth to Bloom's characters, who are smart, funny and relatable in today's modern world.' The Courier-Mail It's 1977, and bohemian Libby - stay-at-home mother, genius entertainer and gifted cook - is lonely. When she meets Carol, recently emigrated from London with her controlling husband, and Anna, who loves her career but not her marriage, the three women form an unexpected bond. Their husbands aren't happy about it, and neither are their daughters. Set against a backdrop of inner-city grunge and 70s glamour, far-out parties and ABBA songs, The Women and the Girls is a funny, questioning and moving novel about love, friendship, work, family, and freedom. 'The sustenance we gain from equal relationships is the heart and soul of this work.' - Living Arts Canberra 'Majestic... Overwhelmingly poignant, simply wonderful - this book should be on your reading pile.' - South Australian Book Review 'This is a different world to the present, if one that still seems within reach...But the '70s, as now, were transitional times. As we adjust to a pandemic-riddled world where some rules we thought were fixed are now negotiable, we are all facing similar challenges.' Newtown Review of Books

To be a good leader you first have to be a good follower, but to be a great leader you have to remember that being a good follower wasn't easy. Imagine having access to the planning, training and motivational secrets of Australia's most elite military operators; then imagine being able to adapt what they know to your own everyday life. This is what Bram Connolly gives us in this smart, surprising, optimistic and autobiographical manual for resilience, personal leadership and success. In sharing the tedium of training as a raw recruit and taking us into the pitch of battle during some of the toughest fighting in Afghanistan, Bram Connolly reminds us among other things that it is okay to be bored, that laziness can quickly become a habit, that there are advantages in being scared and that it's fine to let go. Clear-headed, honest and self-deprecating, The Commando Way offers powerful lessons that can be used in all aspects of life, no matter who you are. This book is an engaging and practical journey . . . a must read for leaders in any stage of their own leadership journey.

"The quality of our personal relationships has never mattered more. It isn't enough to have lots of friends on social media. Or to give 'everything' to work hoping that will validate your existence. When familiar certainties are dissolving, we need to give and receive closeness to feel fully alive. We also need self-trust to do far better than getting by. But how do we stay safe and open to others in a world that can seem harsh, indifferent - and unpredictable in the extreme? Stephanie Dowrick's Intimacy and Solitude starts with the most fundamental relationship of all: how you understand and care for your own self - knowing this will inevitably mirror all your most needed relationships. Using her exceptional gifts as a storyteller, as well as decades of work with people of all ages and cultures, Dr Dowrick brings to life the most profound and persuasive insights psychology offers - and much more. Through timeless wisdom and many moving examples, Dowrick shows that we can leave behind the anguish of insecurity, loss or loneliness. We can claim the self-understanding essential for loving others. We can look at our own lives with fresh appreciation, going forward into a life that's richer, calmer and far more secure."--

'Feeling overwhelmed is just part of the deal, right? *breathes into a paper bag*.' - Turia Pitt 'The woman still shoulders the lion's share of all the other unpaid work required. She pays a high price for this . . .' - Jane Caro There's never been a better time to be a woman - we can have it all! That's what feminism promised, didn't it? When Felicity Harley, founding editor of Women's Health magazine and whimn, felt really off kilter, she started talking to other women about their overwhelm. The floodgates opened. Turns out her girlfriends, colleagues and other mums at the school gate were also drowning in feminist guilt while trying to keep everything afloat; plagued by perfectionism, riddled with doubt, ruled by screens and hurtling towards burnout. As we juggle the roles of partner, boss, friend, mother and employee (plus a side hustle), balance has never been more crucial. We're obsessed with 'wellness', yet women's mental health and wellbeing are in decline. Using her own experiences, research and insights from leading Australian experts in health, sociology and feminism, and wisdom from smart women like Tanya Plibersek and Fifi Box, Felicity calls out the crap in 'cult wellness'. In her warm and inspiring way, she shows how you can cut through the B.S. to find clarity in the chaos, shed some of your mental load, and feel truly empowered in the middle of your wonderfully messy life.

The extraordinary true story of an Australian nurse's work at the forefront of global medical emergencies. In 2015, Amanda McClelland was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, in recognition of an extraordinary career dedicated to making a difference. As a nurse and a humanitarian aid worker she has battled against extreme poverty, disease epidemics and natural disasters, helping to rebuild broken lives and strengthen communities across the globe. From nursing in remote Indigenous communities in Australia's Top End to re-building villages after the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami in Aceh, from fighting famine in Sub Saharan Africa to facing kidnapping on the war-torn streets of Mogadishu, from battling cyclone damage in PNG to heading up the Red Cross's West African Ebola response, Amanda has faced huge challenges and collected incredible stories along the way. Emergencies Only is not a compendium of tragedy, but an eye-opening life-lesson in practicality, compassion and good humour, written with empathy and an eye for detail, and filled with the human stories that lie behind the headlines.

"Life is not defined by the bad things that happen to us. It certainly isn't for me." Written for her young son so that he would know what had happened to his mother, Cynthia Banham's inspiring family memoir uncovers a true picture of what survival means: "This book tells a story that I tried to write many times before, but couldn't. For a long time, it was too painful to tell. It is also one I hadn't known how to tell. It had to be more than a story about surviving a plane crash, a random event without intrinsic meaning." Unable until now to write her own story, Cynthia found that the lives of her Italian grandfather, Alfredo, and his intriguing older sister, Amelia, resonated with her own. Discovering their sacrifice, joy, fear, and love, from Trieste to Germany and America, and finally to Australia, their stories mirror and illuminate Cynthia's own determination and courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. From a remarkable writer, and told with unflinching honesty and compassion, A Certain Light speaks to the heart of what really matters in life.

"The answer to our success was family." In 1935, the Australian family confectionery company, Darrell Lea, was a sensation. Delicious chocolates, marshmallows, nougat, and much more were displayed colorfully and plentifully in line with the family's motto, "Stack 'em high, watch 'em fly." It was at this time that Montague Lea met the vivacious and confident Valerie Everitt. Although still a young woman, Valerie knew exactly what she wanted from life. Monty fell hard for her and, despite strong family opposition on both sides, they later married. Valerie was keen to have a family and, despite difficult pregnancies, Val gave birth to four children. But these children seemed neither to satisfy her desire for a large family nor her notions of child rearing. In 1947 she adopted the first of three more children who were designated to be playmates for her own. Rocky Road is the story of this chocaholic family and the woman who dominated. Behind the irresistible sweetness of Darrell Lea Chocolates lay a family who made bitter sacrifices to succeed at the candy business.

Funny true stories about the everyday dramas that can make or break friendships, cooking, housekeeping and the domestic chaos that always threatens to get the upper hand, written in the tradition of Nora Ephron. 'A glorious account of how the little things of life are, of course, the big things' -Richard Glover 'Every failed domestic goddess will rock with laughter.' Shona Martyn My mother wasn't much of a housekeeper. She wasn't much of a cook either, although she tried. She longed to live a more unconventional life. Admirably high-minded, but it meant I never learnt to fold a towel. In these funny, sometimes poignant, stories, award-winning feature writer Fenella Souter celebrates the highs and lows of domestic life - from her attempts to run the house like a grown-up, to lessons in good cooking; from accidentally killing her wisteria, divorcing the cat and shirt-fronting bossy tradies, to wondering if the 'hostess gift' is still a thing or why some people have impeccable taste. With their distinctive wit, they will leave you smiling with recognition at the everyday dramas and dilemmas that can make or break friendships and marriages, turn a house into a home, or let chaos get the upper hand. 'Chuck out all your self-help guides to gratitude, mindfulness and finding meaning. This book is all you need.' - Charlotte Wood 'Sweet, wise and very funny.' - Danny Katz

Australia's best-loved film critic shares the movies which are his personal favourites of all time, as well as titbits and insights from the leading directors and actors he has met over half a century. Wondering what to watch next? Discover a new movie or a new director among David Stratton's personal favourites! These are the movies Australia's best-loved film critic, David Stratton, has watched again and again. There are dramas, comedies, thrillers, musicals, westerns and arthouse classics from a century of filmmaking. From Casablanca to The Big Sleep, On the Waterfront to Lorenzo's Oil, and Jaws to Animal Kingdom, here are hundreds of hours of great entertainment. Each movie is reviewed, with details and behind-the-scenes stories that will enhance your experience of movies you have seen before. David has met many of the directors and actors, and he includes anecdotes and memories you won't find anywhere else. Keep David Stratton's My Favourite Movies on your coffee table, and you'll find yourself dipping into it time and time again.

At the end of WWI 45,000 Australians had died on the Western Front. Some bodies had been hastily buried mid-battle in massed graves; some were mutilated beyond recognition. In some cases their next of kin had been informed of the death of their loved ones; but in most instances men were listed as 'Missing in Action', because nobody knew for sure. Now that the guns were silent, a loud clamour arose from Australia for information and for the dead to be buried respectfully. But the men put in charge of this exercise and those engaged in 'body divining' were deeply flawed men, many of them with their own personal reasons for preferring to remain in France unearthing bodies rather than being demobilised and sent home. In the end there was a great scandal, with allegations of 'body hoaxing' and gross misappropriation of money and army possessions. There were two highly secretive inquiries. This is the untold story of those dark days and darker deeds. It makes for a compelling narrative by one of our best literary sleuths and story-tellers, Marianne van Velzen.

A thrilling and provocative account of unfolding tensions between China and the West, filled with the people, stories and sticky situations from Bill Birtles' five years as Australian Broadcasting Company correspondent. 'People abroad always thought things were much scarier in China than they really were. What threw me, though, was the urgency of the diplomats in Beijing. They live it, they get it. And they wanted me out.' Bill Birtles was rushed out of China in September 2020, forced to seek refuge in the Australian Embassy in Beijing while diplomats delicately negotiated his departure in an unprecedented standoff with China's government. Five days later he was on a flight back to Sydney, leaving China without any Australian foreign correspondents on the ground for the first time in decades. A journalist's perspective on this rising global power has never been more important, as Australia's relationship with China undergoes an extraordinary change that's seen the detention of a journalist Cheng Lei, Canberra's criticism of Beijing's efforts to crush Hong Kong's freedoms, as well as China's military activity in the South China Sea and its human rights violations targeting the mostly Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang province. Chronicling his five-year stint in China as he criss-crossed the country, Birtles reveals why the historic unraveling of China's relations with the West is perceived very differently inside the country. The Truth About China is a compelling and candid examination of China, one that takes a magnifying glass to recent events, and looks through a telescope at what is yet to come.

Funny and poignant stories from the labour ward and from the frontline of campaigns for women's reproductive rights, from Australia's best known obstetrician.

He was a legend of Australian rock, the front man who lived as hard and as wildly as he performed . . . this is his story

Following a lifetime observing Australia and its people, Tom Keneally turns inwards to reflect on what has been important to him. 'When I was born in 1935 I grew up, despite the Depression and World War II, with a primitive sense of being fortunate . . . The utopian strain was very strong . . . if we weren't to be a better society, if we were simply serfs designed to support a system of privilege, what was the bloody point?' Thomas Keneally has been observing, reflecting on and writing about Australia and the human condition for well over fifty years. In this deeply personal, passionately drawn and richly tuned collection he draws on a lifetime of engagement with the great issues of our recent history and his own moments of discovery and understanding. He writes with unbounded joy of being a grandparent, and with intimacy and insight about the prospect of death and the meaning of faith. He is outraged about the treatment of Indigenous Australians and refugees, and argues fiercely against market economics and the cowardice of climate change deniers. And he introduces us to some of the people, both great and small, who have dappled his life. Beautifully written, erudite and at times slyly funny, A Bloody Good Rant is an invitation to share the deep humanity of a truly great Australian. Praise for A Bloody Good Rant: 'Keneally enchants with beautiful prose . . . Moving, funny, angry and explorative, this book is far more than a series of rants, in the sense of mindless shouting. Keneally's breadth of interests, and the energy with which he involves us in them, makes for a volume of great interest. The reader may wish to engage with it more than once.' -Canberra Times 'This book stirs the emotions . . . This book is, at times, deeply personal and will be controversial.' -The Australian 'A Bloody Good Rant charms and beguiles in equal measure. Ranting Keneally is a marvellous creation.' Sydney Morning Herald 'insightful and entertaining . . . Keenly perceptive, wise and witty' -The Chronicle 'The problem with Tom Keneally's latest book is where to stop. After several starts and stops, this reviewer is convinced that the best solution is to ration it out to yourself: at a few chapters a week, it will last two months. And you will need that time to absorb his philosophy. Not because it is dense or presented in convoluted prose, but because he raises so many interesting explanations of current or historical events.' -Tintean

From the bestselling author of Drugs, Guns & Lies, comes Keith's story of what it was really like to be a tactical police officer in the violent and corrupt eighties

Confronting, confessional and wildly entertaining, Sunshine lays bare the business of stripping and what goes on in the backrooms of 'gentlemen's clubs'.

This is not a self-help book or a memoir. It's definitely not the Australian Devil Wears Prada.

Generous, erudite, optimistic and candid...Hugh Mackay encourages us to find the best in ourselves and in our society in both good and troubled times.

Passionate and compelling, Greg Sheridan, bestselling author of God is Good For You, examines the role of Christianity in our modern world.

Kate Kelly has always been overshadowed by her famous brother Ned, but the talented young woman was a popular public figure in her own right. This moving biography tells her astonishing story in full for the first time.

He escaped from Singapore's Changi prisoner of war camp to become one of Australia's great World War II guerrilla fighters.

Set in rural Tasmania from the 1920s to the 1990s, The Sisters' Song traces the lives of two very different sisters. One for whom giving and loving are her most natural qualities and the other who can never forgive and forget.

Long-buried family secrets surface in a compelling new novel from the author of The Teacher's Secret...

An incredible and moving account of one man's journey into the world of lions, why they are fast disappearing and what can be done to save them from extinction and thus save Africa, whose delicate ecosystem depends on these apex predators to keep everything in balance.

Anthony 'Harry' Moffitt spent more than twenty years in the SAS. His decades of service and his multiple tours in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan made him one of the regiment's most experienced and recognised figures.

On January 10, Ben touched the hearts of Australians with the reading of his poem To My Country in response to the Australian bushfires. This gorgeous 4 colour book combines Ben's heartfelt words with stunning illustrations by Bruce Whatley.

Hitmen for hire, drugs for sale. Inside the dangerous world that lurks beneath the bright, friendly light of your internet screen