Australia Books

I first had this book read to me when I was in the first grade, now I am 25 and still remember the book! Recently I bought it to give to a friend as a baby gift. I read it again and loved it all over again. Its so creative I love it and would recommend it to everyone! Great for a gift for your own children or others.

I teach preschool and used this book as an introduction for our post office theme. The reading level is a bit high for my age group, but they really enjoy seeing the different types of mail that pull out of the "envelopes" in the book. Very interactive and fun to read.

I bought this for my daughter and later I bought it for friends' children. I'll probably search for it for my grandchildren too. You can probably guess that I like it! Buying for kids is such fun because you get the wow factor, and then you get to see whether they really take to it by reading/playing with it. Kids don't fib about this stuff, do they! I can report 100% success. The enthusiam they have for all the hidden messages, cards, games is so sweet. This truly is a gift that grows and grows on them. See also the Christmas Postman - 5 Stars!

Note - if you have to get a used one, verify all the bits are included. The book wouldn't work without those.

I had this book when I was a little girl and Ive been searching for it for 17 years. Its amazing drawings and creativity in the letters, opens up a little girls imagination so big!!! I absolutely love the story and all the characters. Its a MUST BUY!

The anniversary book is significantly larger than the original and so loses some of the charm. However this shallow dip in nursery fairy tales is fun for both the listener and reader. New shrink wrapped books include stationary and 'postage' to encourage the young to build a habit of writing and mailing notes. The story is from a UK perspective and follows a postman who delivers the mail in a community of fairy tale characters. Some of the humor is dated (good for grandparents). Children will enjoy having the book read to them and opening the many envelopes to extract their contents. This book was a favorite of my children back in the late 1980's.

I agree with all the reviewers of this book. For me the AMAZING thing about this book from an AIDS - ridden writer is the total absence of hatred, of spitefulness or anger. Specially from someone who is dying at such a young age. This is a book full of PURE and unconditional LOVE and acceptance. A love letter to put it simply, in book form. A Sad, gut-wrenching but WONDERFUL, uplifting read.

I have read this book twice and given it to many people to read. ALL LOVE IT! What an amazing true love story about two young men during their time at school and thier life together in Melbourne, Australia. Thier lives are what many gay men experience. The humour and laughs through the first half of the book will crack you up. The final chapter will bring tears to your eyes. This is such a powerful book....If you know anyone who is interested in the gay community and what happened durung the late 80's and 90's this book is a MUST READ. It was refreshing to read a book that tells it how it was and gives us hope that things have improved for gay community now. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK...

I just loved this book. It was an honest and beautiful love story. I intend to get my older teenagers to read this autobiography in the hopes of engendering some understanding in them about gay relationships. The book was beautifully written, and it is a shame that the author wasn't able to write anything further.

I can't recommend this true Australian story highly enough, it was the first gay book I ever bought as a teenager back in 1996 and it's still one of my favourites. Read the book, see the play if you can, then do it all again. Straight or gay, if it fails to move you, check your pulse!

Conigrave, Timothy. "Holding the Man", Cuttyhunk Books, 2007.

Beautifully Painful

Amos Lassen

As most of you can tell from my reviews, I love to read and I read a lot. I love the feeling that a good book places within and every once in a while I find a book that deeply affects me and stays with me for a long, long time Timothy Conigrave's "Holding the Man" is a book that I am not likely to ever forget and I feel like a better person having read it. Memoirs about AIDS are nothing new and I have read my share of them and it bothers me that they men that have written such stories have only had the chance to write one book because they were taken from us much too young and filled with talent. On the other hand, we are lucky to have, at least, one book.
"Holding the Man" is not only a wonderful memoir, it is beautifully written. Quite simply it is a love story, a coming-of-age story and a look at the horrible disease that took so many vibrant lives. On one hand it is heartbreaking and painful to read and, on the other hand, it is a celebration of life.
"Holding the Man" is a love story of two Australians, one the captain of a football team who met in the 70's while still in high school. As they came to the seal-realization that they loved each other and that they were gay, the faced the issue of learning how to accept themselves. Here we see the boys' bravery and their love for each other. We learn what the word "love" really connotes in ways that few have been able to explain the term. As we read about the boys, we are filled with the same emotions that they felt and we are left with an empty, drained feeling. We have embarked on a journey, a journey of life that gives us two new friends.
I cannot remember being so affected by a book and when we realize that this is Timothy Conigrave's swan song and that there will be no encore, we are deeply wounded. To read about love that is so deep and so pure shows even the most stern of skeptics that love is here and can be intensely real.
I do not think anyone can read this book without weeping. When the boys reach their mid-20's they are both diagnosed with HIV and they spend their few last years together and living each day knowing they were destined to die shortly. Conigrave wrote this after his partner, John, died when he was 32. He, himself, died soon after he finished the book which was originally published in Australia. His description of the love the two felt is just intensely amazing and when he writes his final farewell letter after John died, I had to stop reading and find my self-control to finish reading his memoir. Tim Conigrave's death in 1994 left us with a hole in our collective consciousness. At least he left this world having truly loved someone and was able to share that with us.

I watched THE NANNY and I like her performance a lot then I read this I know that show is the real her.

Fran Drescher is obviously an extremely talented woman. Sharp and witty, she was not only the star and co-creator of the '90s show The Nanny, but also served as one of its producers, writers and directors. Her book Enter Whining is a funny, gossipy tale of her ascent to the stratosphere of Hollywood stardom, but we're not talking Kitty Kelley here. Readers who already love Drescher will adore this book, as it's full of sweet, happy stories and profiles about the author's adventures as a struggling actress and her eventual success.

Drescher comes across as being very down-to-earth, still the starstruck chick from Queens who probably still has to pinch herself now and then, unable to quite believe how far she's come. She writes pretty much the way she speaks, with her occasional Yiddishisms and the trademark, "Meanwhile..." She offers an especially moving chapter about the rape she suffered early in her career, and while she refrains from providing the details, it's a harrowing read all the same. It's the only time in the book where she moves away from the lighthearted tone she adopts elsewhere, but she manages to seamlessly integrate it into her story without indulging in self-pity.

There's a lot of backstory about the making and filming of The Nanny, but readers seeking lots of behind-the-scenes anecdotes will be disappointed. This is Drescher's story -- and a good one at that -- so we'll have to wait for another book on The Nanny show itself, hopefully to be written by Drescher and Jacobson.

By the way, everyone knows that Drescher and Jacobson separated and then divorced in the late '90s, a few years after this book was published, so it does leave a somewhat bittersweet taste in one's mouth in the end. Drescher writes affectionately and lovingly about her husband, their long courtship and marriage; it's obvious they were devoted to each other and considered each other soulmates.

A great, quick read and a must for any Drescher fan.

This 1995 book tells the story of how Fran Drescher made it to the top of the TV sitcom business. Her humor and kindness come through very well in a writing style that evokes her very unique voice. Perhaps not as frank as her 2003 book about fighting uterine cancer, it still provides a lot of insight into what makes this woman tick. You feel that you would really enjoy knowing her.

This book is all about Fran Drescher's extremely interesting and unique life up to 1996.In it, she writes in a humorous vein about almost everything that happened in her life, from the highs like meeting and later marrying her husband, creating and starring in the hit tv show "The Nanny" and later meeting "God's gift to all little Jewish girls in need of a leader", Babs herself, to the lows like discovering a growth in her body.But with the help of family and friends, she didn't let the negative things get her down.We should all be strong enough to follow her example. She also provides some interesting tidbits like how "The Nanny" was produced and about talk shows and their hosts.Sure, she goes on quite a bit on her worries about her weight and her looks, but she's just human like the rest of us and a lot of people have the same worries.The book has some nice black & white photos of her, her family and her friends in almost all the chapters.I enjoyed reading the book very much even though it's short.I can't recommend this book highly enough to not just the fans of her work, but to all fans of comedy.

The book Enter Whining, by Fran Drescher, is a biography. To me this book was very entertaining, it told all about her life and how she got from being a little child to where she is at today. The book also has many pictures in it so you can see and picture what she is talking about while you are reading. The way it is written is like she was writing to herself in her own diary, but towards the end she addresses it to her mother.
How the book starts out is when she was little and how she first got started being on television. Fran started when she was around ten, she was in commercials at first then she moved up to be in the background of some movies. When she got to be in the background for the movies she always thought that she was actually in the movie so she got really excited, but it ended up that she was just in the background.She was still happy to be in the background though, intill one day when she was the actual star of the movie and that changed her whole life because then she got to star in any movie that she got a chance to. Ever since that first time starring in a movie then she moved on to being in a television show called ''The Nanny''.
Throughout the biography she writes about this guy that she has been seeing for a while now and she doesn't really mention his name at all intill she starts getting into detail about him. His name is Dave which come to find out, is her husband. Fran has been with Dave for most of her life now, she states that it is hard for her to have a husband and be moving all of the time. To me Fran has a very fun filled life and is happy with what she does for a living.

My son and I really enjoyed this story, and we have the paperback at home. His first grade teacher had been looking in bookstores for this book and couldn't find it, so we ordered it for her. We ordered the library binding, which is sturdier for all the little hands it will be held by! This book has good historical value, and the basic content is accurate, without scaring the children. It's the best "Jack and Annie" book!

I purchased this book in order to replace a damaged one. The transaction was smooth and the price was great!

Magic Tree House has done it again!! Jack and Annie are in for the adventure of their lives when they climb aboard the Titanic!! An unsinkable ship that hits an iceberg. What will Jack and Annie do when they dicover that the Titanic needed twice as many life boats as it had on deck?Jack and Annie find themselves just as sad as so many passengers when they realize that people could have survived if the people who planned the voyage had thought ahead. This is an amazing story that I couldn't stop reading! Women and children were put into the lifeboats first becuase men were brave and cared about their lives. More than 1,500 people lost their lives. Everything was explained clearly so that you don't get confused. After this tragedy, laws were made so that all ships would have enough life boats for all of its passengers and an INternational Ice Patrol was formed so that ships could be warned about severe ice conditions. In 1985 a scienctist named Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the ship under water. I reccommend this book to everyone that I know!!

Here is a summery of this book. There is two kids and they were playing in the woods when they found a tree house. So the kids decided to see in side. So read this book to find out what happens to the kids. The way I found out about this book is because my mom told me to read a book when I was in 5th grade. So I heard about this wonderful series of books. I would love to recommend you to read this book. Who can read this book you ask! Anybody can read this book. If they like to explore then you should read this book.

What did I like this book you ask! The thing I liked was the characters because they are young and they don't know what was going on. They are always getting in trouble and they don't know why they are in trouble. I also like the action in this book. There are so many parts. I don't know how to explain. There are some parts I don't like is the length of the book. It is to short.

I loved this book a lot because it is nice and cool. I really think you should read this book. So read this book.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

Absolutely everyone should read Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen! There is something in this book for everyone. Without reservation, I would recommend this book to every single one of my friends and family. This book is overflowing with boundless wisdom, delightful stories, and poignant memories. Remen's writing style exudes maturity, wit, and warmth. The content is brilliant, while the writing and presentation is equally engaging.

Remen's even cadence and steady, rhythmic style of writing lulls the reader into a calm and quiet state of mind - making it even easier to embrace and accept her thoughts and wisdom. Aside from the invaluable insight it offers, Kitchen Table Wisdom is beautifully written. Beyond her years of experience as a noted clinician, Remen should be recognized as a writer in her own right.

Remen's work pioneered a new genre of medicine - combining medical knowledge and experience with a psychologist's approach to healing. Kitchen Table Wisdom is a direct, accessible, and genuine account of her experiences as a practicing physician. Throughout the book, she heals her patients, not only in body, but in mind and spirit as well. While her book can't heal physical ailments, it will most certainly touch your heart and soul. Her work is astounding, and her direct, unwavering account of her experiences is both informative and eye-opening. Kitchen Table Wisdom is completely enthralling.

In short, this is without a doubt the best book I've read in a very long time. I dare you to try and read just one page. Once you open this book you'll be glued to it until the very last sentence.

There was a seeming dual purpose motivating the author to write this book. Remen is a medical doctor who basically tells the stories about how her professional experiences moved her closer to, rather than away from, emotional involvement with her clients particularly as it pertained to the connection between one's spirituality and recovery,amongst other things.
Remen also shares some very deep and moving stories that were shared with her by her clients once she became a therapist.
It's a wonderful read and will be helpful to anyone seeking spiritual enlightenment and motivation.

Beautiful sweet touching book that helped me get me through some tough times. Celebrates the human spirit.

I recently had the privilege of hearing the author speak. she is an amazing woman.

For years I refused to read this book after a friend's recommendation thinking that it would be another "feel good" attempt . Boy was I wrong! This book is one of the most extraordinary pieces of writing I have ever encountered. I have read it over and over again many times (the stories are short enough that allow you to read at your own pace). It has actually become sort of a "guide to Life" for me. Furthermore, as story-telling itself goes, is simply masterful. Dr. Remen is a powerful communicator and her wisdom goes beyond "new age". It is a groundbreaking work about mystery, awe and Life with a capital "L".

Rachel Naomi Remen believes in the healing power of stories. She trained as a pediatrician and expected to practice traditional medicine much as her father and other male members of her family had done before her, but something happened to change her carefully planned course.

In the introduction to Kitchen Table Wisdom, Remen tells how her male colleagues frequently knocked on her office door to ask for her help with a crying patient. They believed that she, as a woman, would know what to do. Though she knew no more than they, she felt flattered that they came to her and felt that this helped her be more a part of their exclusive "Old Boys Network." She began to spend more and more time listening to patients share their fears and feelings of living with a terminal disease.

Since the age of fifteen, Remen has suffered from Crohn's disease. As she listened to her patients, she began to feel less lonely and isolated. Probably, her guidance and uncanny understanding of her patients stemmed from her familiarity with physical and emotional pain.

Kitchen Table Wisdom is a compilation of eighty-eight poignant stories that Remen heard over many years, as well as stories of her own life. Her stories demonstrate her belief that a larger process is at work in all our lives and that human beings are "unfinished, a work in progress." She believes we come into the world whole but lose faith in our wholeness and become discouraged by feelings of not being pretty enough, smart enough, etc. " ... our wholeness exists in us now," she writes, "Trapped though it may be, it can be called upon for guidance, direction and most fundamentally, comfort."

No retelling of Remen's stories can do them justice. One of my favorites is "The Question"--a story told by a patient named Tim (now a cardiologist) of his experience at the age of fifteen with his father, who was in the last stages of Alzheimer¹s disease. At the time, his father had not spoken for ten years and was totally helpless. Tim and his brother were alone with their father when he suddenly slumped over and fell to the floor. The brother was calling 911 when both boys heard a voice commanding, "Don't call 911, son. Tell your mother that I love her. Tell her that I am all right." With those words, the man died. An autopsy later revealed that Tim's father's brain had been entirely destroyed by the disease. Tim never stops wondering who spoke those final words. He tells Dr. Remen, "Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed."

The author believes that talking about and sharing one¹s feelings revives memories that can lead to important new insights about one¹s life, bringing about a healing that formal treatment is unable to offer. She says that Shamans believe illness is a direct indication of soul loss. The soul, she explains, is that which is aware of the sacredness we carry and the sacredness that exists in the external world as well. Losing our appreciation for our sacredness, living with sadness, with feelings of unworthiness can manifest illness.

"Life is the ultimate teacher...," she writes. "It is through experience, and not scientific knowledge or expert academic training alone that we learn our deepest lessons." In her lectures and writings, Dr. Remen likes to tell of a sign on the wall of a room in Florida where the elderly come to play Bingo. It reads, "You Have to Be Present to Win." And so it is in life.

by Duffie Bart
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This book follows Tomorrow when the war began. It is Full of Adventure and romance, sharing real feeling, and the violence inside us all. it will be hard to let go of this book.

Ellie and company continue their fight to save their families and their homeland from foreign invaders. This part of the story shows just how creative, tough, and competent young people can be and that they are capable of doing well without adults. The encounter with Harvey's Heroes made me root even more for the teens hiding out in Hell. This book is as well written as the first one and makes the reader pine for the next volume in the series.

This book is great for readers that are interested in action and tons of excitement. Elie and her friends are some of the only people not captured in the small town they live in. There is a war that has become very fierce and deadly which makes it hard for them. They try to fight back whenever they can so that the enemies are weakened.

In the first book Elie and her friends were surprised that there was a war going on and hid a lot. In the second book, though, they were more familiar with how to handle things in the war and they moved into action by doing things like blowing up a bridge so it would be harder for the enemies to transport their supplies. This caught me of guard because I didn't know that Elie and her friends would be able to do that.

If you like the Alex Rider series then you should like this series, too. It's one of my favorites because there is action and suspense that makes me want to keep reading on. Also the characters all have their special pros and cons which makes them seem more realistic. For instance, Elie is brave and a leader who can make decisions and Kevin depends on others to make decisions for him. The characters also change from the first book by taking different roles which makes it fun and exciting to read because new things happen. There is one major twist in the book which really surprised me but I don't want to give it away so you'll have to read the book to find out what it is!

The author ended the book by including the start of the third book in the series. This is an example of why you should read the first book in the series before this one because all the books tie together and you need to know the story lines to understand and enjoy the books better so be sure to read the entire series!

This book is great for readers that are interested in action and tons of excitment. Elie and her friends are some of the only people not captured in the small town they live in. The war has become very fierce and deadly which makes it har for them. They try to fight back when ever they can so that the enemies are weakened a little bit.

Elie and her friends are now familar with what they do and what they need to do so they don't hesitate any more; they just move into action. They make big advancements in this book which caught me off guard because I didn't know it could happen.

This is so far one of my favorite series because I like the action and thriller it has just like I think it has in the Alex Rider series. I would consider this a great follow up book to the first one because it starts off with what it ends with in the previous book. I like that because it reminds you of what happened last. The characters all have thier special prons and cons which makes the book more realistic. There is one major twist that suprised me deeply. I never thought of it happening which made the book take a different turn. The characters also change and take different roles which is fun and exciting because you get to learn more and have new things happen. The author does this in a way so that they change by doing different actions, leaderships, and bravery.

This is just the second book of the series so don't forget to check out the rest of the books!

I loved this series when I was younger and I love it now that I'm an adult. I re-read the entire series probably once a year. It is absolutely fantastic writing - Marsden deals with issues realistically and completely and somehow manages to make this scenario seem entirely real.

Every book in this series is on my favorite books list. If you are an avid reader, you MUST read this series.

This book follows the dead of night. it is also full of action, but less romance. a lot more action. is this book the charecters go through more death and a lot of destruction. they suffer a new kind of pain.

This entry in the Tomorrow series starts a little shaky, but tightens up into another high octane adventure. Ellie and her friends continue to defy the odds and fight for their country, proving yet again that young adults are capable of anything they put their minds to. They test themselves as they take out their next target, a tactical stronghold, Cobbler's Bay.

This was a great story for teens that would inspire them to read it. The story is called "A Killing Frost" which is the third part of the Tomorrow series. It is the sequel to "Tomorrow When the War Began" and "The Dead of Night." The story is by John Marsden who is one of Australia's best known writers for young adults and has received a lot of criticism around the world. This book should teach teens how great it is to overcome huge amounts of odds.
Now how John Marsden includes foreshadowing, he makes you wait to the end for the main point so he keeps you reading till the end. Basically it starts out with a teenage girl named Ellie and her friends coming back from a camping trip. By now after 6 months an invading army has came attacking Australia. Ellie and her friends are shocked and disgusted. The bands of teenagers decide to make their own little guerilla style army to fight back against the invading armies. The young Guerilla fighter's main goal is to destroy the port at Cobler's bay, which is one of the main harbors supplying the invading army. Ellie and her violent friends continue to outsmart the enemy, which causes them to defeat the army little by little. Everything is going good for the young violent fighters as they continue to steal supplies but then it happens.
The story takes a bad turn when the teenagers are captured and are taken to a Maximum security prison. After being certain that they would be sentenced to death, many of the teens start to get down on themselves and hoped this would have never have happened. Then good prevails or I should say sort of because war is not a good thing so something bad happens to Ellie and the young Guerilla fighters. Now it's your job to read the book and see what happens to them.
This book was great to read in my opinion except for the Australian slang. Yes if your Australian you might understand this but if you are American then you wouldn't understand it. Even with the slang dictionary it is still tough to understand what it says because you could mess up with what the text means. Otherwise this was a good book for young adults to read.

"A Killing Frost" is easily the strongest literary piece of Marsden's Tomorrow series. This third piece of the puzzle is emotional and extravagant and the resolution readers seek in literature is finally found.

The series builds up to the content of this book. The story climaxes on different levels several times. The complex plot is easy to grasp and carries the reader along. One can be caught in Ellie's emotional struggles and relationships one moment and find himself fighting along physically the next. Marsden continues to use his words to describe fear and courage in a realistic and amazing manner.

The thing that makes "The Killing Frost" stand above the other books in the series is that it can easily be viewed as a part of the series, but also manages to stand as a whole by itself. There is a complete story told in one book. It benefits readers who are unfamiliar with the series by concentrating on details of the present as well as informing the reader of the charachters' past experiences. For those who are familiar with the series, such attention to past events will bring back the memories and emotions of the previous two books.

Tom Braden, in his book Eight Is Enough, suggests that the worst thing you can do if you have good books you want your children to read is to put these books on a shelf and then suggest to your children that they read them. Rather, what you're supposed to do is forbid the reading of the books or put them on the highest shelf and then say to your children that the books are very private and you hope they will not read them.

I'm not sure this is a comment on the waywardeness of children as much as it's a comment on the wisdom of children in wanting to preserve the element of discovery that's part of finding a really good book. In any case, I came across John Marsden's "invaded Australia" series by accident.

I'd picked up a copy of A Killing Frost, the cover caught me, and I found I was reading the third book in a series. This book is still the one in the series I would choose as best. I find this is often the case: that I like to discover I'm entering a series in the middle and that the book I enter a series with turns out to be what I would choose as best. This was certainly the case with C. J. Cherryh's Invader and Nevernever by Will Shetterly.

With his "invaded Australia" series, I think Mr. Marsden meant to quit after three books but then sacrificed excellence to a demand for more. Like Sherwood Smith with Crown Duel. What a wonderful book that could have been. It pays to know when to quit.

John Marsden's "invaded Australia" series is way to old and violent and explicit for you.

I forbid your reading of these book.

Absolutely not.

Don't read them...

I gotta say one thing; WELL DONE BRYCE!!!! first, i didn't cry; i'm not real sentimental, but i was very touched and i think that damon was a man of steel; going through 24 years of pain and suffering. i wanted to cry when damon's friends came over. well done, courtenays.

This book affected me so deeply and has stayed with me since I first read it years ago. Having lost a loved one to AIDS I could relate to Bryce Courtenay's pain and I could feel the anger and passion he felt writing this book. Through Bryce's amazing talent for telling a story I felt I really knew Damon and his family. When I got to the last page I let out a deep sigh and cried for Damon, for my own loved one and for everyone affected by AIDS. I thank Bryce for having the courage to write this important book and for sharing Damon's life with us all.

I've read several of Bryce Courtenay's books and every one is a gem. I'm only disappointed that his books are not published in The United States and not readily available in our local bookstores.

I highly recommend this book to everyone and I know you'll be hooked on Bryce forever afterward.

I am a fan of Bryce Courtenay, and have read all his books. This one tells the true story of his last son, Damon, who was born with haemophilia and went through a very hard life, still one full of love and joy. I found myself crying for what happened to Damon, from the purple head episode in hospital to the AIDS he caught during a blood transfusion. And I do completely agree with what Damon said, whatever your problem is, HEALTH is a gift, the most precious one we possess, together with LOVE. The book is about love against the odds, the prejudice, the injustice of a health and political system in Australia in the 1980s; it is full of details and vivid images, and I can imagine how hard it was for the author to write about his own experience, and the suffering in trying to explain in a clear way what exactly happened to him and his family those days. Everyone who has been through a quite serious illness will love this book, as I did. Thanks, Bryce.

I bought this book when we lived in Australia from 1993/1994. I have since read the book over and over again and have lent it to family and friends under the strict mandate that they must return it to me upon completion. This is the most moving book I have ever read and it will be one that I will keep forever. I cried, I laughed, I cheered and I was inspired by Damon's courage and determination to not only live a normal life but to overcome the stigma associated with HIV/AIDs. Bryce Courtney has written a beautiful testimonally to his son's life. I hope every parent loves their child as much as the Courtney's did to not only let him live his life but to also allow him to die with dignity. His girlfriend, Celeste, was also amazing. How many of us could stand by our significant others knowing what she did about the ultimate outcome.

This book is a must read on everyone's list, I am only sorry that it is out of print.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY was the hardest book Bryce Courtenay ever wrote, and it's also one of the hardest books I ever read. I started it (the first time) on a Friday evening and did nothing but read (and occasionally try to sleep) until I had finished it -- I couldn't imagine stepping out of the middle of the story into my own life. I've read this book, given it away, bought it again, several times: it's not a book you can forget.

Courtenay's son Damon was born in Australia with severe haemophilia. Along with the moving story of an afflicted but strong-spirited boy, Courtenay paints a bitter and angry picture of the Australian medical community at that time, steeped in paternalism and political expediency.

Several times a week Damon would bleed into his joints, and his father would take him to the hospital for infusion of Factor VIII to induce clotting. In other countries families were allowed to stock Factor VIII and infuse at home, minimizing both disruption to the family and permanent damage to joints. This was not permitted in Australia, to the extreme detriment of haemophiliacs and their families.

Worse than this, the screening and fractionation of donated blood in Australia did not at that time meet safety standards known and required in other countries. Damon contracted AIDS from the contaminated Australian blood supply and died of that disease on April Fool's Day in 1991.

The book is saturated with the author's bitterness, and the reader can't fail to walk his angry path with him. You WANT it to have been different, you WANT to find a justification or at least an exculpation for the medical mismanagement of Damon and the entire cohort of haemophiliacs in that time and place.

You'll find a celebration of Damon's spirit and his family's faithful support. You'll find love that fights tooth and nail for Damon. But you won't find forgiveness or exoneration, and if you're like me you'll think you should, and keep reading the book again looking for it -- in yourself if not in the author.

Courtenay's work (THE POWER OF ONE, TANDIA, WHITETHORN, etc) appears not to be well known in the United States, although he's highly regarded in his birth county (South Africa) and adopted country (Australia). APRIL FOOL'S DAY should be more widely known. It's a challenging read with a personal message the reader has to translate and tease apart. Read it for that challenge.

You can't read this book without cracking up. The wombat battles with a flat furry creature invading his territory ( it was just a welcome mat!)
Ha ha ha! The wombat likes to sleep alot, but when he is not sleeping always seems to be getting into trouble.

I think everyone should read this book. You will love it.

CB

when people ask me "what animal would you wanna be?"

i would always say a wombat - READ THIS AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY

oh, and it was delivered early too!

I first saw this book at an open house. It was part of the staging for the unit but once I saw the book, I stopped looking around the property and had to read it. I was all smiles from the first page.

This book is great for both children and adults. The text and the illustrations are of equal quality (excellent) and make me laugh every time I read the book. It is obvious that the author has spent a lot of time with wombats and has observed their behavior with humor. The words and pictures capture the quirkiness and cuteness of wombats perfectly. Another thing I liked about this book was that the text is shown as if the wombat was scribbling in his diary (same look as how the title is written). I keep this book displayed on the shelf at all times in my room so whenever I look in that direction there is something to brighten my day. If you like animals, you will love this book.

We just discovered this book at the library, and our six year old son thought it was great. He's had us read it with him over and over. We might have to buy our own copy.

What a sweet book! The illustrations are wonderful. I just wanted to read the book over and over again!

You can't read this book without cracking up. The wombat battles with a flat furry creature invading his territory ( it was just a welcome mat!)
Ha ha ha! The wombat likes to sleep alot, but when he is not sleeping always seems to be getting into trouble.

I think everyone should read this book. You will love it.

CB

when people ask me "what animal would you wanna be?"

i would always say a wombat - READ THIS AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY

oh, and it was delivered early too!

I first saw this book at an open house. It was part of the staging for the unit but once I saw the book, I stopped looking around the property and had to read it. I was all smiles from the first page.

This book is great for both children and adults. The text and the illustrations are of equal quality (excellent) and make me laugh every time I read the book. It is obvious that the author has spent a lot of time with wombats and has observed their behavior with humor. The words and pictures capture the quirkiness and cuteness of wombats perfectly. Another thing I liked about this book was that the text is shown as if the wombat was scribbling in his diary (same look as how the title is written). I keep this book displayed on the shelf at all times in my room so whenever I look in that direction there is something to brighten my day. If you like animals, you will love this book.

We just discovered this book at the library, and our six year old son thought it was great. He's had us read it with him over and over. We might have to buy our own copy.

What a sweet book! The illustrations are wonderful. I just wanted to read the book over and over again!