Books - Just A few More

The end is in sight - at least for this month only!

Apprentice in Black Stockings - A Nursing Memoir 1949 - 1953 by Norma Sim

"Apprentice In Black Stockings is Norma Sim’s intriguing account of training as a ward nurse in the Sydney Hospital from 1949 to 1953. Norma draws you into her professional and private adventures, describing the daily routine of an apprentice ward nurse alongside her descriptions of her social life and romantic flirtations. The story of Norma and other trainee nurses is also interspersed with historical flashbacks to the life of Lucy Osburn and her five Florence Nightingale nurses, who came to Sydney in 1868 to set up a revolutionary nursing practice in the same hospital. Norma also discusses how little nursing and society had changed, when compared to her training more than 80 years later."

Mountain Tails by Sharyn Munro

"Before Sharyn Munro was The Woman On The Mountain, she was delighting people with the Mountain Tails of her extraordinary existence. Living alone in a solar-powered mud-brick cabin in remote NSW, Sharyn has spent years sharing the forest with an ark’s worth of native animals. Unsurprisingly, all those quolls, snakes, frogs, kookaburras, kangaroos and koalas have provided her with a wealth of material, which she has captured here in both words and drawings. How would you feel if your neighbours ate your roses, copulated on your lawn and took over your shed? Sharyn reveals exactly what it’s like to live so close to nature – both the good and the bad – as well as the lessons she continues to learn."

The Necklace - How Thirteen Women Changed Each Others Lives by Cheryl Jarvis

"Diamond necklaces are a girl’s best friend. But when Jonell McLain couldn’t afford one, she took the extraordinary step of persuading 12 friends to contribute. Thus a necklace-sharing club was born. The feel-good story of the year, it tells of how the necklace became priceless as it went from weddings to work … to skydiving. It also reveals club rules, like, ‘wear it whilst making love.’"

Purple Dandelion - A Moslem Woman's Struggle Against Violence & Oppression by Farida Sultana

"Before she migrated to New Zealand with her young daughter, Moslem woman Farida Sultana endured domestic violence and oppression. Farida grew up in Bangladesh where her education was restricted due to the Islamic culture. At 18, she was forced into an arranged marriage with a doctor, who took her to war-torn Iran. Farida’s experiences with violence drove her to open a branch of Shakti AID in New Zealand to help other migrant women who experienced domestic violence and emotional abuse. Purple Dandelion reveals the struggles of the courageous women who were supported by Shakti. It also includes a foreword by Helen Clark, the former New Zealand Prime Minister, who works for the United Nations."

A Whole Load of Front by Maria Venuti

"Maria Venuti is a showbiz legend who has wowed audiences in Australia and around the world for half a century. A Whole Load Of Front is her exuberant life story. Complete with colour photos and a foreword by Australian TV presenter Bert Newton, it tells of Maria's experiences performing in Kings Cross nightclubs, TV shows, films and theatres. She also shares her memories of being a migrant during World War II, and reveals the famous faces she has rubbed shoulders with, including gangsters and tycoons. As well as being a story of an Australian celebrity, this memoir offers a glimpse into the changes that have occurred in the Australian entertainment industry over the last 50 years."

The Locust & The Bird by Hanan Al-Shaykh

"Celebrated writer Hanan al-Shaykh brings to the page a powerful and heartbreaking story of love, loss and freedom, based upon the life of her mother, a true heroine. Kamila was nine when she moved from her poverty-stricken Lebanon village to Beirut. Illiterate and desperate to learn, she was a young girl passionate about stories, poetry and film – and a beautiful and charming boy called Muhammad. But then Kamila was forced into an arranged marriage at 14, and had two daughters within four years. Despite this, Kamila and Muhammad kept seeing each other in secret, risking their lives for their love. It took Kamila eight years to find the courage to divorce her husband – a decision that meant leaving her children behind."

Mary McKillop's Sisters - A Life Unveiled by Anne Henderson

"Always interesting and sometimes surprising, this meticulously researched book reveals what happened to Sister Mary MacKillop’s order; the Sisters of St. Joseph. Mary MacKillop became Australia’s first saint in December 2009. She was an inspiration to others, just like the nuns you’ll meet in this book, who talk honestly about their religious vows, charity work and day-to-day lives."

Elizabeth Taylor - The lady, The Lover, The Legend 1932 - 2011 by David Bret

"Acclaimed biographer David Bret has written the most revealing and definitive life story of Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor. It couldn’t be published until after her death due to fear of litigation. When Elizabeth died in March 2011, the world mourned. David Bret believes that she was the very last of the Hollywood greats. But he doesn’t shy away from revealing her not-so-flattering points in this book. He also includes controversial interviews. Amongst the many scandalous revelations, Bret discusses Elizabeth’s father’s homosexual affairs, her mother’s lesbian affairs and those with directors to get parts for Elizabeth, her ex-husband Richard Burton’s bisexuality and much more. "

Beautiful Thing - Portrait of a Bombay Bar Dancer by Sonia Faleiro

"Part memoir, part journalism, Beautiful Thing captures the life of a young bar dancer in heartbreaking and intimate detail. When Australian journalist Sonia Faleiro set out to report on Bombay’s bar dancers, she meets Leela, a young woman who has been dancing in bars since she was 13. Due to her sharp wit, charisma and stubborn optimism, Leela is the best-paid dancer in a bar on the notorious Mira Road. She has a ‘husband’ (who is already married), a few lovers whose names she can’t remember, an insufferable mother camping out in her flat and an adored best friend, Priya. But when an ambitious politician shuts downs the city’s bars, Leela is forced into the most risky kind of sex work … "

A Long Way From Paradise - Surviving the Rwandan Genocide by Leah Chishugi

A Long Way From Paradise is Leah Chishugi’s story of being an eyewitness to a massacre that claimed over 800,000 lives. Leah grew up in eastern Congo but, when she was 17, she moved to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to work as a model. She then married and had a son. In 1994, she became caught up in the horrors of the Rwandan Genocide. She escaped only after being left for dead under a pile of corpses ...   Leah fled with her son to Uganda, then South Africa where she was miraculously reunited with her husband whom she believed dead. Leah finally settled in the U.K. where she was granted asylum and became a nurse. She then decided to set up a charity to help victims of continuing war atrocities. "