Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life – Howard Sounes

Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life is the classic biography of Charles Bukowski, the hard-drinking barfly whose semi-autobiographical books about low-life America made him a cult figure across the globe. Extensive original research and unique contributions from friends, family and associates - including Mickey Rourke, Robert Crumb, Sean Penn, Norman Mailer and Allen Ginsberg - as well as personal photographs and drawings by Buk himself make this a must for Bukowski devotees and new readers alike

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography, Poetry, American
Publisher:  Canongate Books
Year: 1998
Rating: 5/5 

I discovered Charles Buokwski a few years ago. I was flicking through literature pages on Stumbleupon, and happened upon a page about Charles Bukowski. I had never heard of him before, yet the author of the page hailed him as an American literary legend. I didn't think much of it, until a friend posted a poem of his on Facebook. I fell in love. From there on in, I was hooked. 

I spent ages trawling the net reading Bukowski's poetry. I really don't have anything new to say about it, and am probably rehashing what many before me have said, but it spoke it me. Bukowski's poetry is raw and honest. It is gritty and to the point. It speaks of life how it is without embellishments. That is what I love about it. It is real. 

I have written a few reviews on Bukowski's novels, Ham on Rye and Post Office. His novels are just as enjoyable as his poetry (Ham on Rye was fantastic) and I couldn't recommend them enough. 

As a certified Bukowski fan, I felt it was time I indulged in a biography about his life. I had heard much about Bukowski's life before. His novels are semi-autobiographical and his exploits are infamous, but I wanted to read more. I wanted to know more about my man, Bukowski.

To be perfectly honest (and I have said this before) I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Bukowski. As much as I love his work, as a person I am not so sure. I saw a YouTube video of an interview once, and Bukowski kicked his girlfriend and called her a 'S'. That is just abhorrent. I makes me wish Bukowski were alive today so I can tell him how much I love his work, and then punch him in the face.

Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life by Howard Sounes was a great biography. Sounes is obviously a big Bukowski fan, because his love for his work and admiration of Bukowski as a poet and a person, flowed off every page. 

In one respect this was great, as I felt a camaraderie with Sounes while reading this book, and enjoyed it immensely. On the other hand, I felt Sounes built Bukowski up a bit and made him seem more noble and moral than he really was. 

Was Bukowski just a misunderstood soul who was misjudged? Was he really a good guy who did a few bad things out of character? Or was he a raging drunk with a bad temper? I personally always felt the later but Sounes makes it seems like the former. 

Despite that, this book is a worthy read for Bukowski fans. If you want to know more about his life and how he made his way from dorky nobody to famous poet, this is a great place to start. If you are looking for an objective piece of work, then this isn't for you. 

My only other criticism is Sounes took a lot from Bukowski's novels. He quoted, referred to and used the material from his novels as a basis for the 'facts' in this book. I can understand why, since Bukowski's novels were semi-autobiographical and they are important in researching his life, but Sounes seemed to use them as a crutch. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am pleased it now has pride of place on my shelves. That said,  I do look forward to reading a more researched and original work on Bukowski in the future, if it exists. 

I think I'll end this review with some poetry from the Buk.... cause how else can we celebrate such greatness without a word from the man himself? This is one of my personal favourites. Enjoy. 

blasted apart with the first breath

running
out of days
as the banister glints
in the early morning sun.

there
will be
no rest
even in our dreams.

now all there is to do
is reset broken moments.
when even to exist seems a
victory
then surely our luck
has run thin
thinner than a bloody stream
toward
death.
 

life
is a sad song:
we have heard too many voices
seen too many faces

too many bodies

worst have been the faces:
a dirty joke that no one
can understand.

barbaric senseless days
total in your skull;
reality is a juiceless
orange.

there is no plan
no out
no divinity no sparrow of joy.
we can’t
compare
life to anything
- that’s too dreary
a prospect. 

relatively speaking
we were never short on
courage
but at best the odds remained
long
and at worst
unchangeable.

and
what was worst:
not that we wasted it
but that it was wasted
on us:

coming
out of the Womb
trapped in light and darkness
stricken and numbed
alone in the temperate zone
of dumb agony
now running out of days
as the banister glints
in the early morning
sun.

– Charles Bukowski 1920-1994

Enduring Spirit : Convicts or Colonists : The True Story of Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes – Len P. Hedges

In 1783, Henry Cabell and Susannah Holmes found themselves in the fortress that was Norwich Castle. They had been imprisoned for stealing goods worth more than forty shillings, a crime that automatically drew sentence of death by hanging.

This story follows the two young country folk struggling to survive the perils and squalor of a Georgian prison where they fell in love.

Susannah and her baby were sent to the hulks for transportation on the First Fleet to Australia. Henry was desperate but powerless to join her. When the captain refused to take the baby as it had been born in prison and had no papers, John Simpson, the humane turnkey, stepped in and the couple were reunited on the journey to the New World.

Henry was the first convict in history to sue the authorities, run a mail service, own a ship, become the Colony's first Chief Constable and make a fortune from sealing and whaling.

Genre: Non-fiction, Australian, Biography, Historical
Publisher: Olde Forge Publishing
Year: 2009
Rating: 3/5

This book, although based on fact, is written like a fictional account of the journey of Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes, from England to Australia on the First Fleet. Henry and Susannah are my great-great-I-don't-know-how-many-greats-grandparents. So this book was something I was excited to read.

I say this book was written like a fictional account because it is written like a story. Sure we have known facts and extracts from the journals of important people like Captain Arthur Phillip, but it is written as a narrative. I found this a little strange at first.... reading what Henry and Susannah where thinking, feeling and things they said, cause really, it's all speculation and guess work.

I also found it a little strange reading the sex scene. All I could think was "ooohhh great nanna!, naughty" LOL it's funny thinking of your ancestors as real, live people with hopes, dreams and desires. It was very different from reading old documents and historical accounts like I have trawled through in the past. It took some getting used to.

Hedges did a good job of bringing Norwich prison and the hulks of the ships to life. The conditions were terrible and honestly, I am surprised anyone survived that journey.

I was a little disappointed that this book only focused on their time in prison and their journey. I know that is an important past of their history, but I want to know more about what happened when they got to Australia.

As it states in the back-of-the-book-blurb, Henry was the first convict in history to sue the authorities, run a mail service, own a ship, become the Colony's first Chief Constable and make a fortune from sealing and whaling.

On top of that, when Henry and Susannah arrived in Australia, they were married in the first marriage ceremony to take place in the country, along with four other couples. They were the first wed out of the four, and the only couple from that ceremony to have children (eleven in all) and produce descendants. Some say that makes them the first family! They are often hailed as one of the founding families of the new colony.

During his lifetime Henry also owned a hotel called Ramping Horse, ran a brewery, owned a fair amount of property, and ran a retail store. Pretty good resume for a petty thief who was lucky to avoid the gallows!

It has also been said that when the First Fleet landed, Captain Arthur Phillip did not want to get his shoes wet, so a convict carried him to shore, ultimately being the first person to set foot in the new colony. Some say that person was Henry Kable. Although, the historical evidence on this seems a bit fuzzy.

Henry Kable's Grave. St. Matthew's Church of England, Windsor

All in all, I think my ancestors are pretty awesome. From crime and poverty to making something of themselves in the new colony. I will definitely have to get my hands on some more books written about the Kables.

Eating Animals – Jonathan Safran Foer

'This story didn't begin as a book. I simply wanted to know – for myself and my family – what meat is. Where does it come from? How is it produced? What are the economic, social and environmental effects? Are there animals that it is straightforwardly right to eat? Are there situations in which not eating animals is wrong? If this began as a personal quest, it didn't stay that way for long...' – Jonathan Safran Foer

Genre: Non-Fiction
Year: 2009
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
Rating: 5/5

I want to start by saying that I am a meat-eater. I am not a vegetarian, although I do enjoy vegetarian meals. I have a varied diet and did not pick up this book because I wanted to confirm any sort of decision not to eat meat, I decided to read this book because as a meat-eater, I think it is important to know what I am eating and where it comes from.

I am a firm believer that all the decisions we make in regards to how we live our lives should be well-informed, and well thought out. We should be held accountable for our choices and we should be comfortable with them. Not for any other reason than we are the ones who have to live with ourselves.

Foer explores the practices and issues surrounding factory farming and commercial fisheries. He takes an in-depth and well researched look at how these industries operate. Foer talks about fishing practices, the issues surrounding by-catch, the horrors of the factory slaughterhouse, the inhumane treatment of factory farmed animals which the US government condones by not outlawing, the environmental impact of the demand for more and more meat, and the health risks involved in eating animals that are pumped full of drugs. 

Can you say, UGH!?

This book was confronting. From learning about appalling the living conditions of these animals, to their deaths – "cows are consistently bled, dismembered, and skinned while conscious" – to the waste management issues at pig factories, and the amount of hormones and drugs that are pumped into chickens.... well, it certainly left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I do not understand how this sort of practice can be legal? I really don't.

I am glad that I live in Australia and not the US. Although we do have factory farms here, it isn't as big as in the US. We still have plenty of real farmers who breed, rear and slaughter their own animals. We also have stronger laws surrounding animal cruelty and farming practices, but that is not to say that this kind of stuff does not go on here. To think that would be naive. 

I am not going to declare that I am never going to eat meat again, after reading this book. That would be a lie and it would be hypocritical of me. I have no problem with eating meat, but I do not want to eat factory farmed animals. Like the non-factory farmers Foer interviews in this book, I believe in eating meat.. but from animals that are given good lives, are looked after properly, are healthy (not full of drugs) and are given humane deaths. But where do I find that? Where is the disclosure by meat sellers, so consumers can make informed choices about what they are eating?

How do I know which meat comes from where? Do I avoid the supermarket as they probably get their meat from factory farms, as it is cheaper? Do I shop at my local butcher more often, as he may get his meat from a farm? Or, do I stick to shopping at my monthly local farmers market, and buy my meat direct from the farmer? What about when I eat at a restaurant?

This book has raised so many questions for me and I am certainly going to look into this further.. I need to do some serious research on factory farming, and farming practices, in Australia. I want to know what I am eating. I want choice.

This book isn't all disturbing. Foer also talks about the cultural and social meaning of food, and how food often provokes memory. We relate what we eat, to family, friends and good times. That is so true. I have always been a big believer in meal time being a social occasion. For my family, get togethers always mean good food, good conversation and happy memories. It's nice to see we are not alone in that respect.

This book is a must read for all meat-eaters. Some of the practices and descriptions in this book are quite frankly, horrifying. It will certainly have you thinking twice about if you really want to eat chicken for dinner...  But I would rather know these things so I can change my shopping habits, rather than continue to eat this kind of meat in ignorance. I can also safely say, although I will not be cutting out meat altogether, I have a feeling there will be more meat-free meals in my weekly shop, while I research this issue further. 

Want to grab a copy of this book? Try Book Depository or Amazon!

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books – Azar Nafisi

In Iran in the late 90s, Azar Nafisi and seven young women – her former students – gathered at her house every Thursday to discuss forbidden works of Western literature. Shy and uncomfortable at first, they soon began to open up, not only about the novels they were reading but also about their own dreams and disappointments. Their personal stories intertwine with those they are reading – Pride and prejudice, Washington Square, Daisy Miller and Lolita – their Lolita, as they imagined her in Tehran. Azar Nafisi also tells her own story, back to the early days of the revolution when she first started teaching at the University of Tehran, amid a swirl of protests and demonstrations.

Azar Nafisi's luminous tale offers a fascinating portrait of the Iran-Iraq war and gives us a rare glimpse, from the inside, of women's lives in revolutionary Iran.

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Literary Criticism
Year: 2003
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Rating: 5/5

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, is so exquisitely written that at first I hesitated to write about it. What could I possibly say, that would give justice to a book so full of passion, heartbreak and beauty? Azar Nafisi has a gift, her writing is eloquent and vivid. A blend of memoir and literary criticism, this book really is a pleasure to read.  

Nafisi tells her story of what it was like to live in The Islamic Republic of Iran during the revolution. She talks about her life as a university professor of literature and the obstacles she had to overcome as students took over Tehran university, and disapproved of her teaching methods and chosen novels. 

 She discusses how the introduction of the veil, and other new laws surrounding the public conduct of women, impacted on her life and the lives of the women around her. She analyses the revolutionaries and their actions, and the consequences of those actions. 

 Finally, Nafisi talks about the relationship she formed with seven of her former students. Intelligent, eager to learn and passionate about literature, these women came to her house every Thursday to read works of banned Western literature and discuss them. 

Nafisi's memoir style account of these turbulent times was gripping. I am not sure I have read any literature or memoirs about Iran before, so I found it interesting to learn about her life and her struggles.   

Within her memoir, Nafisi weaves in her opinions and ideas regarding some great works of Western literature. This book is divided into four parts – Lolita, Gatsby, James and Austen – and within these sections, Nafisi blends her love of these authors and novels, with her personal story.

A novel is not an allegory, I said as the period was about to come to an end. It is a sensual experience of another world. If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the characters and become involved in their destiny, you won't be able to empathize, and empathy is at the heart of the novel. This is how you read a novel: you inhale the experience. So starting breathing.

Nafisi discusses Lolita and Nabokov with such passion that I feel like I need to get my hands on that novel, as I have not yet read it.  She analyses how Humbert Humbert stole Lolita's identity and her life, making her dependant on him, and she compares this to the treatment of Iranian women under the regime.  

We then visit Gatsby (a personal favourite of mine and a novel I have taught myself), and it's theme of the corruption of the American Dream, which Nafisi discusses in relation to the goals and corruption of the regime. Some of her students take such offense to this work of American literature, that they demand she stops teaching it at once. Instead, Nafisi holds a 'mock trial' and gives her students a chance to condemn or defend this book.   

This is followed by James, in which Nafisi talks about the Iran-Iraq war and her relationship with a man she calls 'The Magician'. The Magician is a literary academic whose identity we never come to know, but who has a great impact on Nafisi's personal and professional life. She also talks about Daisy Miller, a novel with a protagonist her students feel they can relate to on many levels.  

 Lastly, we have Austen. Here Nafisi talks about her decision to leave Iran, and how she must come to terms with her feelings about her country which she once loved but has had such a negative impact on her as a person. This is blended with an analysis of Pride and Prejudice.  

Chronologically, this book jumps back and forth, which got a little confusing at times. I had to keep reminding myself which timeframe we were currently experiencing. That, however, did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.  

I enjoyed reading the literary criticism aspects of this book just as much as I enjoyed reading about Nafisi's life, and the lives of the women (and a few men) around her. I also found the political aspects of this book fascinating, and shared Nafisi's outrage as the new laws were imposed upon her. From an Australian perspective, these laws are outrageous (women being reprimanded for wearing pink socks under their chador, or eating an apple too 'seductively'!?) but, at one time Iranian women never even imagined that they would be subject to such treatment. It shows that the freedoms we take for granted are fragile.  

This book also reawakened my goal of becoming a university professor of literature. As a high school English teacher I am lucky enough to spend my days discussing literature. Combined with my blog and my writing about literature over at Suite 101, I am blessed to be able to spend so much time talking, living and breathing books. When I first started my teaching degree, it was with the goal of doing my PhD and becoming a professor but in the last few years of teaching, I'd lost sight of that. Life got in the way. This book was a great reminder that I need to follow my dreams. 

 I took so much away from this book, as you can see. If you are passionate about literature, love learning about different cultures and enjoy memoirs, then I highly recommend this book.  

Want to read this book? Grab a copy from Amazon or Book Depository!

Shanghai Tango: A Memoir - Jin Xing

A while a go I posted about a remaindered book sale I came across, while out shopping with my mum. We both picked up a pile of books each. Shanghai Tango is one of the books my mum bought.

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir, Chinese
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Year: 2005
Rating: 3/5

This unusual memoir describes how China's foremost male ballet dancer (and colonel in the People's Army) underwent China's first sex-change operation and became the Shanghai Ballet's prima ballerina.

I enjoy reading memoirs. I find they are a great way to see what other peoples lives are like, people who have had very different lives to myself. When I first read the blurb on the back of this book I was immediately fascinated. Can it get any more different that a Chinese ballet dancer and army colonel having a sex change?

Jin Xing has been feminine since he was a child and loves to dance. He has a natural talent and because of this, he is recruited by The People's Liberation Army Dance Corps. Seeing this as his best shot to achieving fame, Jin Xing accepts and starts his training as a soldier and dancer. 

This memoir follows Jin Xing through his childhood and teenage years, into adulthood Dancing is the most important thing in his life and he is relatively happy, but something just isn't right. It isn't until Jin Xing becomes an adult, and travels around the world, that he begins to realise who he really is. 

He has a few gay relationships and although attracted to men, he does not feel 'gay'. He feels as if he is a woman, trapped in a mans body. So he does the only thing he can do, he returns to China in order to have sex reassignment surgery. 

This memoir was an honest account of how some of us are unlucky enough to be born into the wrong bodies. Imagine knowing you are a woman but when you look down, you are all man? I am so grateful that I was born a woman and know I am a woman. Makes life a lot simpler.

Jin Xing, although silently suffering, does not let this control his life or get him down, he takes a positive attitude to all that happens to him, which is refreshing.

I think this is why he was able to take the brave step of allowing himself to become the first person to have sex reassignment surgery in China, a risky operation, that ultimately changes his life and helps him to become the person he always knew he was. 

This memoir also gave an interesting look into The People's Liberation Army and it's dance corps. Imagine dancing to spread propaganda?

Although very simply written, this was a good read. I found the writing to be quite plain and expression was minimal. I wonder how much of this was to do with the translation?

All in all, it is worth the read if you like memoirs and you enjoy reading about people who have very different lives. If anything, it will put your problems into perspective. As bad as some things in your life may be, at least you are you!

Note: I understand that Jin Xing is a she, but for the purpose of this review (and because she was a man for the majority of this memoir) I have used the pronoun, he. It would just get too confusing if I tried to use both.

The Fiftieth Gate - Mark Raphael Baker

The Fiftieth Gate by Mark Raphael Baker,  is part of the "History and Memory" elective for the HSC advanced English course. In an effort to keep myself up to date with all the prescribed texts for the HSC (and it is a long list, let me tell you) I read this book.

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir, Historical
Year Published: 1997
Publisher: HarperCollins
Awards: NSW Premier′s Literary Award 1997
Rating: 2.5/5

A love story and a detective story, a study of history and of memory, this spellbinding new work explores a son's confrontation with the terror of his parent's childhood. 

Moving from Poland and Germany to Jerusalem and Melbourne, Mark Raphael Baker travels across the silence of fifty years, through the gates of Auschwitz, and into the dark bunker where a little girl hides in fear. As he returns to the scenes of his parents' captivity, he struggles to unveil the mystery of their survival. 

The Fiftieth Gate is a journey from despair and death towards hope and life; the story of a son who enters his parents' memories and, inside the darkness, finds light.

I picked up this book as a teacher and read it as a teacher. Being a prescribed text, I read it looking for links to the syllabus and HSC module it relates to. I don't know if that coloured my perception of this book somewhat, as I  did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. 

This book is written in two ways. Half as a stream of memory from Baker's parents and half an academic, historical perspective from Baker's own research on the holocaust. Because of this, I found the text quite disjointed and hard to read.  I struggled to get through the first half of this book, although the second half seemed easier to read.

The stories of Baker's parents were very sad and are both very important. I am a firm believer in teaching and reading much about the atrocities of the holocaust as it was such a dark time in the history of the world and like all tragic and horrible events, people don't like to talk about it, because it is too painful. I can understand that, but I also feel that to prevent something like this happening again, people need to be aware. 

That said, I do find reading about the holocaust and survivor accounts difficult. This was no exception. Baker takes his father back to Auschtwitz, where he walks his son through his ordeal. This was pretty heavy reading. But, as I stated earlier, important. 

This book is the perfect text for the "history and memory" elective as it highlights both historical facts and personal memory of the holocaust. It also asks the question of how reliable is memory? and what is more important, getting the "facts" or hearing someone's perspective on what happened?

From a educational perspective, this is a valuable text and I respect Baker and his parents for having the courage to create this book. 

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat, Pray, Love (one woman’s search for everything) by Elizabeth Gilbert is a memoir of her travels and spiritual journey across 3 countries. Recently divorced (and a bad divorce at that), Elizabeth is feeling depressed and lost. So she decides to travel for 12 months, spending 4 months at a time in Italy, India and Indonesia, in an effort to find some balance in her life.

Elizabeth is in her thirties, settled in a large house with a husband who wants to start a family. But she doesn’t want any of it. A bitter divorce and a rebound fling later, Elizabeth emerges battered yet determined to find out what she’s been missing.

So begins her quest. In Rome, she indulges herself and gains nearly two stone. In India, she finds enlightenment through scrubbing temple floors. Finally, in Bali, a toothless medicine man reveals a new path to peace, leaving her ready to love again.

This is one of those rare gems of a book that although an enjoyable read, funny and entertaining, it really holds a very important message for us all. We live in a world where discontentment is like a disease. Most people seem to suffer from this disease at some point during their lives and need to find ways to get around it (or in some cases resign themselves to their fate) but Elizabeth wants none of that and takes drastic steps to try and find peace. Yes, she travels to some wonderful countries, makes lots of really great new friends and has some amazing experiences, but in the end she learns, peace and contentment can only be found in one place – within.

First Elizabeth travels to Italy where she indulges in pleasure. Much pizza, pasta and wine later she is much happier… and fatter! But that’s ok because she then travels to India where she spends her time living in an Ashram. Here she is assigned the job is scrubbing the temple floors, the rest of the time she takes part in Yoga and meditation. Here, through the help of her guru and her new found friend, Richard from Texas, she learns how to find inner peace and enlightenment.

Finally, Elizabeth travels to Bali. Many years before, she traveled to Bali for a writing assignment for a magazine and met an Indonesian medicine man who told her she must come back to Bali one day to teach him English and he would teach her meditation. So that’s exactly what she does. Meeting some wonderful people and finding new love all while enjoying her new found peace with herself.

This book is broken up into 3 chapters (one for each country) and 108 tales (to symbolise the 108 beads on a japa mala – beads used in Indian meditation). This format makes it easy to read and easy to put down when you need to. Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing style is relaxed, funny and very conversational, making this the sort of book you can read quite quickly.

I really loved reading about Elizabeth’s journeys. I must admit I struggle to get through the first chapter of this book. I love Italy and I really want to travel there someday but I found it difficult to stay interested in the copious amounts of pasta she was eating.. I don’t want to read about that.. I want to DO IT! There was only so much self-indulgence I could take and I got a little bored after a while.. but then she went to stay in the Ashram in India and this was, for me, where the book got really interesting!

I found her experiences whilst meditating and the lessons she learned quite profound and fascinating. It reminded me how much I love to meditate and how much I used to love Yoga – it’s inspired me to get back into it. I think this was the most important chapter of the book and it really spoke to me. In the end, contentment with our lives and ourselves can only by found within and it’s important to strive towards that with mindfulness.

Lastly, Elizabeth spends her final four months of travel in Bali. This chapter was also very interesting as it was nice to see that she was able to find peace and learn to love again. Everyone loves a happy ending right!?

I recommend this book to anyone who loves travel memoirs and stories of other people’s spiritual journeys.

Rating 4/5

Australian Tragic - Jack Marx

Jack Marx, an Australian journalist felt that the official version of Australian history that we are taught in schools and that which is talked about in the media was boring, so he decided to write a book focusing on the darker, more tragic side of our history. From this he created Australian Tragic, a collection of weird, disturbing and sad short stories that deal with aspects of Australian history that we don’t normally hear about.

Here are stories from Australia’s dark heart: of catastrophe and misfortune, intrigue and passion, betrayal and tragedy. Some you may think you know – others, you have never heard of – but all will capture your imagination.

They range across our past and present: the heartbreaking story of the fire at Luna Park; the unstoppable opportunist who snatched innocent men and women from Palm Island to be part of P.T. Barnum’s ‘Greatest Show on Earth’; a world-class boxer who lost his battle with alcohol and ended up in an unmarked American grave; Steve Irwin, who was written off as a joke by the media, only to be hailed as a hero on his sudden death; and a man who heroically survived a war to find himself crushed and defeated by events much closer to home.

Heartbreaking and shocking, gothic and weird, these fascinating stories are all true, and told to remind us of the Australia we don’t know, the one that simmers with love and hate, of hopes raised and futures dashed, unheralded and unnoticed… until now.

This book contains 30 short true stories. Some are from the past, back when this country began, other are recent. Some are about celebrities or well known Australians, others about ordinary people. I learnt a lot reading this book…. About a man who basically kidnapped Aborigines from Palm Island to put then in a freak show in an American circus where they were hailed as savages. The story of a woman who lost her whole family in the ghost train fire at Luna Park. A story about the childhood of a boy who was picked on for being intellectually slow and how he lost all the people he loved,only to grow into a young man who committed one of the worst crimes in Australian history. The story of an old man who is still searching for his daughter’s rapist and murderer after 20 years… the group of people in a Victorian country town who murdered a woman while trying to rid her of demons.. who still walk among us today, and the doctor from Dora Creek who transplanted money testicles into old men, giving them a new lease on life, whose findings were lost upon his sudden death.

There are so many more interesting stories in this book that I could talk about all of them for hours… some of these stories I did know of, others I had never heard of and I found these ones the most shocking of all. In most of the stories the person who Marx is talking about is identified, sometimes even interviewed for the story if they are still alive, but in some cases Marx does not reveal who the person in question is, leaving the reader to wonder and speculate which public figure was part of this particular tragedy or bizarre event.

This was a really interesting read, a bit depressing at times, knowing that these horrible things really happened to real people, but it really did show a side of Australian history that no one talks about. A must read for any Australian interested in our past and a different take on our national history.

Rating 4/5