Australia Books

Based on long field research in Dugum village in the early 1960es, this book deals with all aspects of the culture of the Grand Valley Dani. It is excellent and comprehensive, and will always remain the standard book written on this most famous of West Papuan ethnic groups.
See also Grand Valley Dani: Peaceful Warriors by the same author, which also covers recent changes/developments that have taken place since this book was written!

Dumbest Criminals compiled by Wendy Lewis is the best collection of humorous tales where the not so bright criminals' plans don't come off quite the way they thought they would or worse the low IQ one ends up dead. I have read many similar books in this genre such as the Darwin Awards Trilogy and various urban legend books and have to say Dumbest Criminals is easily the funniest with the most comprehensive coverage of all of them. One of the best books I've read in a while, I couldn't put it down until I finished. Can't wait for a sequel!

This is a fascinating autobiography, full of adventure in the Australian outback that is never quite what you expect. Griselda's decision to go into the deserts with her husband, taking their kids rather than stay at home where it would be safe, is inspirational and these adventures become the centerpiece of the book. An easy and very enjoyable read, recommended for anyone interested in the outback or women's achievements.

Steve Kilbey is the talented vocalist, lyricist and bass player for the Church, an overlooked supergroup from Australia who are a hybrid of vintage Pink Floyd, U2, Radiohead and the Byrds. Priest-Aura, Sometime Anywhere and Uninvited Like The Clouds are their masterpieces. As an enlightened author, Kilbey specializes in esoteric, existential, spiritual and surreal prose and poetry that mixes fiction and nonfiction. He is a very evocative and talented author that expands the minds of his readers. KIlbey's a sage and his "Time Being Blog" is another gem to read. In addition to being a music star and author, Steve Kilbey is a very talented painter/artist and a diehard vegetarian who awed the crowd at the Australian 2006 Vegan Festival with a stunningly sublime acoustic performance.

Thomas Gladwin introduces the society of the islanders of the Caroline atolls with an indepth look at their society and how it is centered on their sea-faring tradition. These fascinating people roll with the punches as new western ideas and influences confront them, but the tenuously hang on to their traditions and, especially in the case of Puluwat, make some of the finest sialing canoes in the islands.
For a book this size Gladwin thoroughly introduces the sailing tradition of these islanders and enables European minded folks to understand the intricasies of their complex sailing tradition. Even with a limited background in sailing you learn how people can navigate small craft over long distances successfully without using any more modern technology than the compass,and even that being a recent addition.
Using star courses passed down through the generations navigators are able to travel to all the neighboring islands and even some quite far away. In this day of reliance on ever more complex technology much can be learned from these people who can travel long distances entirely without electronic instruments.
This book is pleasant to read and surprisingly free of technical jargon. It is particularly remarkable for its frank portrayal of a culture so different from most people's experience, but in a way that you feel you know them as friends anbd neighbors by the end of the book. Quite fascinating.

I am a THM major, and this is a required coure that I am taking this semester. This book makes the topics very clear, easy, and simple to understand. I would recommend this book to anyone that takes a Ecotoruism class.

Edge Of The Diaspora: Two Centuries Of Jewish Settlement In Australia by Suzanne D. Rutland (Senior Lecturer in Jewish Civilization, Department of Semitic Studies, University of Sydney, Australia) is a comprehensive and informative historical survey of Australia's Jewish community, beginning from when Australia was first used as a prison for convicts; through the Holocaust era; and down the modern day -- which has seen an increase in immigration by Jews from the former Soviet Union and South Africa. An extensively researched and thoughtfully detailed examination of a vivacious Jewish community and their enduring legacy in Australia, Suzanne Rutland's Edge Of The Diaspora is a seminal and welcome contribution to Judaic Studies reference collections and history reading lists.

Tacey's book "Edge of the Sacred" is a brilliant assesment of Australia's spiritual future and the future of reconciliation with Australia's indigenous peoples. He recounts his experiences of living in Central Australia as especially "heavy", a spirituality unknown to many Australians who perch on the edge of the huge continent in an attempt to avoid the spiritual potency of the Australian landscape. Tacey uses his background in Jungian psychology to identify with both the Aboriginal religious tradition, and the difficulty with which non-indigenous Australians identify to country. He does this with insight and clarity, and is not afraid of speculation or going 'too deep' in his analysis. His treatment of Aboriginal conerns is sensitive and well-considered. Unlike other writings of this genre, Tacey does not encourage direct appropriation of the Aboriginal world-view (realising this would be both impossible and a sort of neo-colonial theft), but rather that Australians allow themselves to be inspired by the Dreamtime to forge a relationship with the Australian land. It is on this spiritual, land-based level that non-indigenous Australians will be able to reconcile completely with its original inhabitants. Tacey's book is a tight, compelling read. It is both realistic and hopeful, and cannot fail to set the reader thinking more deeply about soul, spirit, and the planet. A highly recommended read.

Simon Marginson, a well known Australian Professor specialising in Higher Education, has written an excellent history of Australian education since 1960. Among the many virtues of the book are its rich statistical and historical detail and the theoretical approach which Marginson takes - concentrating on the shift from education as building social citizenship to the present obsession with markets plaguing Australian education at all levels. This is a politically engaged and highly readable academic history and should be compulsory reading for anyone concerned with Australia's future.

Articulate and well structured, this book provides a critical appraisal of key policy areas.

Marginson, who is highly respected for his perceptive comment on Australian education, does not disappoint. The themes of:

resources and outcomes,

productivity and efficiency,

economic policies,

preparation for work,

markets in education and

private and public education, while examined within the Australian context, are of international interest