A Promised Land by Barack Obama

$49.99 AUD

Category: Biography

In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of th e first term of his historic presidency - a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.  ...Show more

Sam Bloom: Heartache and Birdsong (HB) by Cameron Bloom; Samantha Bloom; Bradley Trevor Greive

$32.99 AUD

Category: Biography

The follow-up to the ABIA award-winning, internationally bestselling sensation Penguin Bloom. The heart-warming Australian story Penguin Bloom - the miraculous tale of a baby magpie that helped save a young mother and her family - is a homegrown and international bestseller; soon to be a major Hollywood movie, starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln. Sam's personal message at the end of the book has resonated powerfully with readers - where, pulling no punches, she writes about what it is really like to face life in a wheelchair. In Sam Bloom, Sam tells her own story for the first time - how a shy but determined Australian girl became a nurse and travelled across Africa. How she fell in love with a like-minded free spirit, raised three boys and built a life together on Sydney's Northern Beaches. And then, in a single horrific moment, how everything changed. Sam's journey back from the edge of death and the depths of despair is so much more than an account of overcoming adversity. Sam's captivating true story - written by close friend, New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive, and featuring extraordinary photographs taken by Sam's husband, Cameron Bloom - is humbling, heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure. A triumph of raw emotion and incredible beauty, Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong is a truly unforgettable book.         ...Show more

Stories of Hope: Finding Inspiration in Everyday Lives by Heather Morris

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Heather Morris, author of the internationally bestselling novels The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey, grew up on a farm in rural New Zealand. On her way back across the paddocks from school, Heather would visit her great-grandfather and listen to his experiences of war - stories he told only Heather. From a young age Heather discovered that people would tell her their stories if she stopped and listened. In Stories of Hope, Heather Morris will explore the art of listening - a skill she employed when she met Lale Sokolov, the Tattooist of Auschwitz. It was her ability to listen that led him to entrust her with his story. Stories of Hope will examine Heather's extraordinary journey, in the form of a series of beautifully rendered tales of the people she has met, the remarkable stories they have shared with her, and the lessons they hold for us all.   ...Show more

Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family by Bradley Trevor Greive; Cameron Bloom

$32.99 AUD

Category: Biography

PENGUIN BLOOM is a unique journey of recovery and an extraordinary celebration of life, featuring Cameron Bloom's exceptional photographs and a captivating narrative by NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive. Penguin the Magpie is a global social media sensation with over 113k followers on Instagram. People the world over have fallen in love with the stunning and deeply personal images of this rescued bird and her human family. But there is far more to Penguin's story than meets the eye. This is a true story of hope and courage. It begins with a shocking accident, in which Cameron's wife, Sam, suffers a near fatal fall that leaves her paralysed and deeply depressed. Into their lives comes Penguin, an injured magpie chick abandoned after she fell from her nest. Penguin's rescue and the incredible joy and strength she gives Sam and all those who helped her survive demonstrates that, however bleak things seem, compassion, friendship and support can come from unexpected quarters, ensuring there are always better days ahead. This plucky little magpie reminds us all that, no matter how lost, fragile or damaged we feel, accepting the love of others and loving them in return will help to make us whole.   ...Show more

You've Got to Be Kidding: A Shed Load of Wine and a Farm Full of Goats by Todd Alexander

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography

The steep-climb highs and free-fall lows of my rollercoaster rural life They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a new skill. Well, seven years (60,000 hours) since former city boys Todd and Jeff moved to the country they should have nailed this whole farming gig, right? Yes, they make lovely wine and h ave built beautiful accommodation, and they've even learnt how to look after their rescued farm animals. But they didn't really count on Mother Nature getting involved. Drought, bushfires, sick animals, failed crops, heatwaves, enormous changes in the two industries they rely on to make a living, snakes, the unstoppable breeding of peafowl, insurmountable debts and broken machinery ... Just when they think they're on top of things, the land throws another few hurdles their way. But with fierce determination to succeed, willingness to evolve and their ever-present senses of humour, these boys might be down for the count but they aren't quite ready to throw in the towel just yet. PRAISE FOR Thirty Thousand Bottles of Wine and a Pig Called Helga 'Never before have I felt the responsibility for someone's tree change ... Todd and Jeff's ups and downs made me laugh out loud, and "verjuice schmerjuice" says it all' Maggie Beer 'This joyously honest account will make you laugh till it hurts, and you'll shed more than a few tears . . . it's The Birdcage meets A Country Practice' Bradley Trevor Greive AM, internationally bestselling author of The Blue Day Book and Penguin Bloom 'Every man, woman and child on earth has toyed with this fantasy. Todd and Jeff are living the dream. And have not murdered each other . . . yet' Stephan Elliott, writer and director of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 'This book has it all - humour, heart, wine and crazy animals . . . A rollicking read for anyone looking to shake things up a little in their lives' Rachael Johns, internationally bestselling author 'If you're looking for a book that will make you chuckle, while challenging you and making you think differently about your life and your goals, then look no further - this is the book for you' Better Reading LONGLISTINGS 2020 Indie Non-fiction Book Award 2020 Booksellers' Choice Adult Non-Fiction Book of the Year ...Show more

Why Wouldn't Ya? by Jess Eva

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Jess Eva wants to change your life. She can't promise to make you rich, quick-fix your relationships or help you lose weight. But she is going to show how to relax, get out of your own head (and others') and start to see life as one big adventure. Instead of focusing on what you should be doing, she'll show you how to do all those things you really want to - because why wouldn't ya? As Jess will show you, through her humour, mad stories, and down-to-earth wisdom, the worst that could happen is you'll end up with a bloody good story to tell. ...Show more

Heroes Next Door by Johnson, Samuel & Hinton, Hilde

$24.99 AUD

Category: Biography

From bestselling authors Samuel Johnson and Hilde Hinton comes a moving, funny, irreverent, inspiring and big-hearted book that shows us all that resilience and kindness are what make the difference, and that you don't have to travel far to find good people ... often they are right next door. When Samu el Johnson unicycled around Australia, he met some awesome people. And before we had to lock down, he and his other sister, Hilde, were travelling the country talking at schools, community groups and at the side of busy streets to spread their message about how to kick cancer in the face hole. But in the process they connected and listened as people shared their own stories - not just about how cancer impacted them, but about love, fighting fires, making families out of choice not blood, knitting, being there and being surprised by life and finding solace from strangers. They decided those stories should be shared and the idea for Heroes Next Door was born. The result is a moving, funny, irreverent, inspiring and big-hearted book that shows us all that resilience and kindness are what make the difference, and that you don't have to travel far to find good people ... often they are right next door.  ...Show more

Growing up Disabled in Australia by Carly Findlay

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography

'My body and its place in the world seemed quite normal to me.' 'I didn't grow up disabled, I grew up with a problem. A problem those around me wanted to fix.' 'We have all felt that uncanny sensation that someone is watching us.' 'The diagnosis helped but it didn't fix everything.' 'Don't fear the labe ls.' One in five Australians have a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature. Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt, poetry and graphic art, as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness. Contributors include Dion Beasley, Astrid Edwards, Jessica Walton, Carly-Jay Metcalfe, Gayle Kennedy and El Gibbs. ...Show more

Honey Blood by Kirsty Everett

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Untwisted: The Story of My Life by Paul Jennings

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Honest, insightful, funny - a brilliant memoir about writing and teaching and life from one of Australia's most loved children's authors. Sometimes, rather than making you laugh or cry out in surprise, a story will instead leave you wondering about human fragility. In the telling of his own tale, childr en's author and screenwriter Paul Jennings demonstrates how seemingly small events can combine into a compelling drama. As if assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, he puts together fragments, memories and anecdotes to reveal the portrait of a complex and weathered soul.Untwisted is revealing, moving and very funny.   ...Show more

Rising Heart by Aminata Conteh-Biger; Juliet Rieden (As told to)

$34.99 AUD

Category: Biography

'Rising Heart will never leave you; searing, powerful, disturbing, hopeful.' The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO The astonishing tale of a woman determined to turn her trauma into the power for good in the world. In 1999, Sierra Leone teenager Aminata Conteh-Biger was kidnapped from her father's ar ms during the brutal eleven-year civil war in her country. Violence, amputation and the rape of young women and girls were all weapons deployed in the bloody conflict; in this environment, Aminata was held captive for months. On release, the UNHCR recognised that Aminata's captors still posed a serious threat to her safety. Barely twenty years old, she was put on a plane, flown to Australia - a land she had barely heard of - and told to start again Refusing to let her trauma define her, she eventually built a life for herself, but a near-death experience during the birth of her first child turned her attention to the women of Sierra Leone, where mothers are 200 times more likely to die having a baby than in Australia. So she set up the Aminata Maternal Foundation, and went back to help. 'An incredible story of hope and transformation, one that we can all learn from.' Emma Isaacs, Founder and Global CEO, Business Chicks 'Aminata's courage in sharing this intensely personal story is rewarded with the power of inspiring hope. Rising Heart has refuelled my sense of perspective and purpose.' Yael Stone, actor and activist ' Rising Heart is a gripping story of courage, survival and redemption. I could not put it down.' Wendy McCarthy AO ...Show more

A Life Lost by Cathy Glass

$16.99 AUD

Category: Biography

Jackson's mother, Kayla, can no longer cope. Having tragically lost her husband and son, Kayla is crippled with grief and unable to manage Jackson's challenging behaviour. Aggressive, confrontational, and often running away, Jackson's mother puts him into foster care.   He remains volatile. Cath y, his carer, encourages Jackson to talk about what has happened but he won't engage. His actions continue to test and worry everyone. Adrian, Cathy's son, fears for her safety.   Then in a dramatic turn of events, the true reason for Jackson's behaviour comes to light, and it's far darker than Cathy could ever have imagined... ...Show more