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Beautiful Chaos: On Motherhood, Finding Yourself and Overwhelming Love
by Jessica UrlichsThe Instant Sunday Times Bestseller'The words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary' - Giovanna Fletcher'Beautifully heartfelt, inspiringly poignant and therapeutically validating' - Anna Mathur Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children, and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood - capturing everything from pregnancy to school age. Upon becoming a mother, poet Jessica Urlichs was reminded that the everyday ordinary is extraordinary. Beautiful Chaos is a collection that chronicles it all - the highs, the lows, the confusion, the loss of identity, the becoming, and the brutal but beautiful ways our children hold up a mirrors to ourselves. This collection inspires vulnerability and will be a cathartic, healing read for anyone who needs it. These poems will remind you of a time gone by or ground you in the current moment. Either way, they will make you feel seen and comforted amid the beautiful chaos that is motherhood.
Train Lord: The Astonishing True Story of One Man's Journey to Getting His Life Back On Track
by Oliver MolThe astonishing true story of trust, pain, becoming lost, and finding a way back to yourself despite it all'An intimate preservation of a moment in time, full of personality' THE TIMES__________Life is beautiful - even in the dark . . .Oliver Mol was happily drifting through his twenties when the migraine exploded in his head.Suddenly, he could barely function. He felt marooned. Nothing helped. Yet he was desperate to save himself.Then he found the trains. The job of train guard has intense moments of strict, regimented activity in between periods of calm serenity. It was just what Oliver needed. Not only could he do this, but also it might be a way out.Train Lord is the story of Oliver's extraordinary recovery. A journey back into the light . . .__________'Tender, vital and quietly hopeful: a tale of remaking' Guardian'Rude, raw, visceral, painful and wildly funny' Saga 'Intense and humble, Train Lord won my heart' Australian Book Review
The Complete Review Guide to Contemporary World Fiction
by M. A. OrthoferThis user-friendly resource is the perfect reference for English-language readers who are eager to explore fiction from around the world. Profiling hundreds of titles and authors from 1945 to today, with an emphasis on fiction published in the past two decades, this guide introduces the styles, trends, and genres of the world's literatures, from Scandinavian crime thrillers and cutting-edge Chinese works to Latin American narco-fiction and award-winning French novels.The book's critical selection of titles defines the arc of a country's literary development. Entries illuminate the fiction of individual nations, cultures, and peoples, while concise biographies sketch the careers of noteworthy authors. Compiled by M. A. Orthofer, an avid book reviewer and the founder of the literary review site the Complete Review, this reference is perfect for readers who wish to expand their reading choices and knowledge of contemporary world fiction.
Tattooing the World: Pacific Designs in Print and Skin
by Juniper EllisIn the 1830s an Irishman named James F. O'Connell acquired a full-body tattoo while living as a castaway in the Pacific. The tattoo featured traditional patterns that, to native Pohnpeians, defined O'Connell's life; they made him wholly human. Yet upon traveling to New York, these markings singled him out as a freak. His tattoos frightened women and children, and ministers warned their congregations that viewing O'Connell's markings would cause the ink to transfer to the skin of their unborn children. In many ways, O'Connell's story exemplifies the unique history of the modern tattoo, which began in the Pacific and then spread throughout the world. No matter what form it has taken, the tattoo has always embodied social standing, aesthetics, ethics, culture, gender, and sexuality. Tattoos are personal and corporate, private and public. They mark the profane and the sacred, the extravagant and the essential, the playful and the political. From the Pacific islands to the world at large, tattoos are a symbolic and often provocative form of expression and communication.Tattooing the World is the first book on tattoo literature and culture. Juniper Ellis traces the origins and significance of modern tattoo in the works of nineteenth- and twentieth-century artists, travelers, missionaries, scientists, and such writers as Herman Melville, Margaret Mead, Albert Wendt, and Sia Figiel. Traditional Pacific tattoo patterns are formed using an array of well-defined motifs. They place the individual in a particular community and often convey genealogy and ideas of the sacred. However, outside of the Pacific, those who wear and view tattoos determine their meaning and interpret their design differently. Reading indigenous historiography alongside Western travelogue and other writings, Ellis paints a surprising portrait of how culture has been etched both on the human form and on a body of literature.
Sacred Exchanges: Images in Global Context (Columbia Themes in Philosophy, Social Criticism, and the Arts)
by Robyn FerrellAs the international art market globalizes the indigenous image, it changes its identity, status, value, and purpose in local and larger contexts. Focusing on a school of Australian Aboriginal painting that has become popular in the contemporary art world, Robyn Ferrell traces the influence of cultural exchanges on art, the self, and attitudes toward the other.Aboriginal acrylic painting, produced by indigenous women artists of the Australian Desert, bears a superficial resemblance to abstract expressionism and is often read as such by viewers. Yet to see this art only through a Western lens is to miss its unique ontology, logics of sensation, and rich politics and religion. Ferrell explores the culture that produces these paintings and connects its aesthetic to the brutal environmental and economic realities of its people. From here, she travels to urban locales, observing museums and department stores as they traffic interchangeably in art and commodities. Ferrell ties the history of these desert works to global acts of genocide and dispossession. Rethinking the value of the artistic image in the global market and different interpretations of the sacred, she considers photojournalism, ecotourism, and other sacred sites of the western subject, investigating the intersection of modern art and postmodern culture. She ultimately challenges the primacy of the "European gaze" and its fascination with sacred cultures, constructing a more balanced intercultural dialogue that deemphasizes the aesthetic of the real championed by western philosophy.
Prime Ministers in Power
by Mark BennisterTony Blair and John Howard appear to be incongruous choices for comparative analysis. Howard was from the ideological right of Australian politics, with a leadership style based on experience and an uncharismatic, cautious, bureaucratic persona. Blair was the charismatic, new progressive centre-left leader with an emotional, thespian style, stressing vision and moral imperatives. Yet, it is possible to identify both personal and institutional similarities. This book argues that both leaders stretched the institutional resources available to them and enhanced their own personal capital. Over time, the political capital generated by each inevitably fell away to the extent that they both (although for contrasting reasons) left office in 2007. Prime Ministers in Powerinvestigates prime ministerial predominance in Britain and Australia. It is a timely addition to the scholarly material on political leadership, adding a comparative dimension by using case study analysis of two prime ministers in similar political systems. How did these two prime ministers establish such predominant positions? How far can prime ministers stretch the institutions within which they work and how much of an impact does the office-holder have on the office? What conclusions can be drawn from the comparison of the two prime ministers? What are the consequences and costs of such predominance? This book addresses these questions, offering a comparative perspective on the nature of prime ministerial leadership.
Regulating Statehood: State Building and the Transformation of the Global Order
by Shahar HameiriShahar Hameiri argues that state building interventions are creating a new form of transnationally regulated statehood. Using case-studies from the Asia-Pacific, he analyzes the politics of state building and the implications for contemporary statehood and the global order.
Katherine Mansfield and the Modernist Marketplace
by Jenny McdonnellKatherine Mansfield had a career-long engagement with the literary marketplace from the age of eighteen. This book examines how she developed as a writer within a range of book and periodical publishing contexts, reconsidering her writing's enactment of a commercially viable modern aesthetic in her experimentation with the short story form.
What Is Contemporary Art?
by Terry SmithWho gets to say what counts as contemporary art? Artists, critics, curators, gallerists, auctioneers, collectors, or the public? Revealing how all these groups have shaped today's multifaceted definition, Terry Smith brilliantly shows that a historical approach offers the best answer to the question: What Is Contemporary Art?
The Australian Political System in Action
by Narelle Miragliotta Wayne Errington Nicholas BarryThe Australian Political System in Action blends practical (detailed examination of politics institutions) with theoretical (explanations of theory and its application). It does this by sectioning each chapter into two parts. The first provides a comprehensive overview of the political institution under examination (form, function and nature), using plenty of real-world of examples and discussion of comparative political systems to interest students. Part two investigates a contemporary issue relevant to the particular institution, again using lots of examples. This section links the practical elements to the broader theoretical framework and encourages students to delve deeper into the topics and the issues and debates that surround them.
A Short History of Tasmania
by Lloyd L. Robson Michael RoeThis is a concise and lively history of Tasmania from its earliest times to the late 1990s. It is also a case study of British colonization in Australia, tracing the rocky path from invasion to modernity, from the rigors of Van Dieman's Land to the Franklin Dam controversy. For this new edition, Michael Roe has added two new chapters which provide a history up to 1996.
Power Sharing: Language, Rank, Gender and Social Space in Pohnpei, Micronesia
by Elizabeth KeatingLinguistic anthropologist Elizabeth Keating went to the island of Pohnpei, in Micronesia, and studied how people use language and other semiotic codes to reproduce and manipulate status differences.
Worry Warts
by Morris GleitzmanWorried because his parents' constant fighting has been aggravated by their financial troubles, twelve-year-old Keith decides to solve the problem by running away to pick up a fortune in the Australian opal fields.
Misery Guts
by Morris GleitzmanThe adventures of twelve-year-old Keith as he tries to cheer up his parents in many different ways include painting their shop in bright colors and convincing them to move from gloomy England to a place called Paradise.
Whale Rider
by Witi IhimaeraEight-year-old Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny. Her people claim descent from Kahutia Te Rangi, the legendary "whale rider." In every generation since Kahutia, a male heir has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir, and the aging chief is desperate to find a successor. Kahu is his only great-grandchild--and Maori tradition has no use for a girl. But when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of the Maori tribe, it is Kahu who saves the tribe when she reveals that she has the whale rider's ancient gift of communicating with whales.
Blabber Mouth
by Morris GleitzmanSet in Australia, this humorous and touching story of the misadventures of a clever girl who cannot speak and her social misfit of a father will delight readers.
Stranded
by Jeff ProbstA New York Times Bestseller! As seen on The Today Show, Rachael Ray, and Kelly and Michael. From the Emmy-Award winning host of Survivor, Jeff Probst, with Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life co-author, Chris Tebbetts, comes a brand new family adventure series! A family vacation becomes a game of survival! It was supposed to be a vacation--and a chance to get to know each other better. But when a massive storm sets in without warning, four kids are shipwrecked alone on a rocky jungle island in the middle of the South Pacific. No adults. No instructions. Nobody to rely on but themselves. Can they make it home alive? A week ago, the biggest challenge Vanessa, Buzz, Carter, and Jane had was learning to live as a new blended family. Now the four siblings must find a way to work together if they're going to make it off the island. But first they've got to learn to survive one another.
The Year the Maps Changed
by Danielle BinksWolf Hollow meets The Thing About Jellyfish in Danielle Binks’s debut middle grade novel set in 1999, where a twelve-year-old girl grapples with the meaning of home and family amidst a refugee crisis that has divided her town. "Timeless and beautiful, and it deserves to be read by people of all ages." —Printz Award-winning author Melina MarchettaIf you asked eleven-year-old Fred to draw a map of her family, it would be a bit confusing. Her birth father was never in the picture, her mom died years ago, and her stepfather, Luca, is now expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. According to Fred’s teacher, maps don’t always give the full picture of our history, but more and more it feels like Fred’s family is redrawing the line of their story . . . and Fred is feeling left off the map.Soon after learning about the baby, Fred hears that the town will be taking in hundreds of refugees seeking safety from a war-torn Kosovo. Some people in town, like Luca, think it’s great and want to help. Others, however, feel differently, causing friction within the community.Fred, who has been trying to navigate her own feelings of displacement, ends up befriending a few refugees. But what starts as a few friendly words in Albanian will soon change their lives forever, not to mention completely redrawing Fred’s personal map of friends, family, and home, and community.
Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Kangaroo (I Can Read Level 1)
by Jennifer BovéExplore the lives of kangaroos with Ranger Rick in this Level One I Can Read with vivid color photos!What if you wished you were a kangaroo and then you became one? Could you eat like a kangaroo? Move like a kangaroo? Live in a kangaroo family? And would you want to? Find out!This Level One I Can Read answers questions for beginning readers about kangaroos. This format engages young readers by comparing and contrasting the life of the kangaroo to the life of the reader. In call-outs, Ranger Rick asks the reader things like: Can you hop like a kangaroo?Did you know that some kangaroos are great swimmers? Did you know that kangaroos are really fast and can hop up to 40 miles per hour? From Tree Kangaroos to the Rock Wallaby to the more familiar Red Kangaroos, young Ranger Rick explorers will love this Level One I Can Read that helps beginning readers dig a little deeper into the amazing lives of kangaroos.Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Kangaroo is complete with fascinating facts, vivid photographs, a Wild Words glossary, and a hands-on activity where you find out how far you can jump—just like a kangaroo!This Level 1 I Can Read story is perfect for children ages 5 to 7 who are ready to read independently. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.
The Treasure of Mad Doc Magee
by Elinor TeeleA rip-roaring puzzle box of an adventure about grit, guts, and gold, from Elinor Teele, the acclaimed author of The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin.The small, run-down town of Eden is the only place Jenny Burns has ever called home. The roots of the trees are in her bones, the air of the mountains is in her breath, the lakes and rivers are in her blood. And that’s why, when her father loses his job and tells Jenny that they may have to move on from Eden, she knows she can’t let that happen.The fever of New Zealand’s gold rush still runs in the veins of Eden, and everyone knows the legend of Doc Magee: how he found the largest gold nugget anyone had ever seen and hid it somewhere in the hills before he disappeared.Jenny and her best friend, Pandora, know that if they can find the gold, it’ll solve all their problems. But the way is fraught with mysteries, riddles, and danger—and those are just the threats they know about. Before her quest is over, Jenny will have to face challenges from within as well as from without.
Savage Harvest
by Carl HoffmanThe mysterious disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in remote New Guinea in 1961 has kept the world, and even Michael's powerful, influential family, guessing for years. Now, Carl Hoffman uncovers startling new evidence that finally tells the full, astonishing story. On November 21, 1961, Michael C. Rockefeller, the twenty-three-year-old son of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, vanished off the coast of southwest New Guinea when his catamaran capsized while crossing a turbulent river mouth. He was on an expedition to collect art for the Museum of Primitive Art, which his father had founded in 1957, and his expedition partner--who stayed with the boat and was later rescued--shared Michael's final words as he swam for help: "I think I can make it."Despite exhaustive searches by air, ground, and sea, no trace of Michael was ever found. Soon after his disappearance, rumors surfaced that he'd made it to shore, where he was then killed and eaten by the local Asmat--a native tribe of warriors whose complex culture was built around sacred, reciprocal violence, headhunting, and ritual cannibalism. The Dutch government and the Rockefeller family vehemently denied the story, and Michael's death was officially ruled a drowning. While the cause of death was accepted publicly, doubts lingered and sensational stories circulated, fueling speculation and intrigue for decades. The real story has long waited to be told--until now.Retracing Michael's steps, award-winning journalist Carl Hoffman traveled to the jungles of New Guinea, immersing himself in a world of former headhunters and cannibals, secret spirits and customs, and getting to know generations of Asmat. Through exhaustive archival research, he uncovered hundreds of pages of never-before-seen original documents and located witnesses willing to speak publicly for the first time in fifty years. In Savage Harvest Hoffman finally solves this decades-old mystery and illuminates a culture transformed by years of colonial rule, whose people continue to be shaped by ancient customs and lore. Combining history, art, colonialism, adventure, and ethnography, Savage Harvest is at once a mesmerizing whodunit and a fascinating portrait of the clash between two civilizations that resulted in the death of one of America's richest and most powerful scions.
Joker
by RanulfoIt spits, snarls, screams, curses, and laughs at the world. It mocks leaders and followers. Restores our faith in love and security or drives us mad. Australian author Ranulfo has cracked open the story of Hamlet. This is what he's glued back together.
Snow, Fire, Sword
by Sophie MassonOn the island of Jayangan, old beliefs and magic exist side by side with new pop songs and motorcycles. . . . Adi is a fisherman's son, proud to be studying with the greatest of traditional sword makers. Dewi is the daughter of a healer, curious about the world beyond her quiet village. Neither Adi nor Dewi is prepared for the sudden violence that transforms their lives. Both are propelled into an epic battle in which even the mystical spirits of Jayangan are threatened and helpless. Charged with a desperate quest to find the mysterious Snow, Fire, and Sword, Adi and Dewi know only that if they fail, their beloved homeland will fall to an evil shrouded in impenetrable darkness. Can two children of the modern world succeed where the most powerful and ancient spirits cannot? Set against the backdrop of a mythic Indonesia, Sophie Masson's gripping fantasy will leave readers breathless.
What About Tomorrow
by Ivan SouthallIn Australia during the Depression, a fourteen-year-old boy runs away from home after a bike accident and sets in motion events that will determine his future.
Stealing Stacey
by Lynne Reid BanksA riveting story about a young girl Stacey whose life is nothing to write home about. School is a bore, friends are appalling while her dad ran off! She lives in a poky flat alone with her mom. Out of nowhere, her glamorous grandma who she's never met shows up to visit -- all the way from Australia. Stacey is relocated to Australia in the heat, dust, flies, and even scorpions and snakes, of the outback. Will all this (plus -- yuck! -- an outside toilet) prove too much for Stacey the city-girl? And is her flashy, rich gran quite who she seems...?