Gigorou


Book Description

'I laughed, shed tears and felt those goosebumps when you know your soul is being spoken to and nourished.' Chelsea Watego 'Searingly funny and fiercely feminist.' Jane Caro 'A book that breathes wisdom.' b>Paul Callaghan 'An important and beautiful story told with tremendous heart.' Mia Freedman 'If you've ever dimmed your light, hated how you look or searched for your beauty in all the wrong places, this book is for you.' Gigorou (jig-goo-roo) means 'beauty' or 'beautiful' in Jirrbal, the language of Sasha Kutabah Sarago's grandmother. Growing up, Sasha didn't feel gigorou. At a young age, she was told, 'You're too pretty to be Aboriginal'. Since then, she's been on a journey to reconcile her conflict with beauty. In this intimately fierce, funny and reflective book, Sasha retraces her footsteps as a beauty assistant, model and magazine editor to find the answers she's searching for. Through conversations with her matriarchs, and the creation stories gifted to her, Sasha unlocks an ancestral wisdom – the key to healing and reclaiming her femininity. In a time where the patriarchy obstructs women from the divine feminine, and sexism, racism and ageism violate our sovereignty, Gigorou invites us to explore the interconnectedness of Aboriginal culture to resolve our relationship with beauty and ourselves. 'Sasha writes with purpose and power. You'll wish your younger self read this book, and you'll thank Sasha for writing it. Gigorou is a gift.' Alley Pascoe 'Packed with grace, nostalgia and so much style ... a blueprint for how to step gloriously into your rightful space.' Justine Cullen 'A brilliant representation of the way we walk in two worlds from a young age, asking ourselves how we fit into western society when they don't accept us and we don't see ourselves reflected.' Elaine George




Kinky History


Book Description

Irreverent and provocative, this is a history of sex, from TikTok sensation Esmé Louise James. It's time to take your seat for a dinner party like no other. Discover the long, long history of the dildo. Hear James Joyce celebrate the beauty of his wife's farts. And you'll never guess Albert Einstein's thoughts on marital relations. Kinky History draws on Esmé Louise James's phenomenally successful series on TikTok, which explores scandalous stories in the ancient world and the saucy secrets of famous figures. Teaming up with her statistician mother, Dr Susan James, the pair have surveyed the nation for all of your intimate secrets – and the results are in. By placing the past in conversation with the present, we'll explore five 'kinks' that challenge our thinking about sex. How has the idea of sin shaped our sex lives? Why is masturbation so taboo? Where are our hidden queer histories? How do kinks and fetishes play with the idea of sex? And why does pornography have so much power over us? Kinky History aims to blow open our conversation about sexuality and gender. Strap yourself in (or on?) – let's build a more liberated, sex-positive future.




The One Thing We've Never Spoken About


Book Description

An investigation into the failings of Australia's mental healthcare system, grounded in a personal story of a mother–daughter relationship. Journalist Elfy Scott grew up in a household where her mother's schizophrenia was rarely, if ever, spoken about. For many years, this complex mental health condition was treated as an open secret. Over the past two decades, admirable work has been done to generate public dialogue about more common mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. But complex conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis have been left behind, as have many of the people who live with these conditions or who care for them. Part memoir, part deep-dive investigation, The One Thing We've Never Spoken About is filled with rage at how our nation's public discourse, emergency services and healthcare systems continue to fail so many people. It is also a work of care, telling the little-heard stories of people who live with these conditions and work at the front lines of mental health. Above all, this timely, compelling book is informed by hope and courage, breaking down taboos and asking big questions about vulnerability, justice and duty of care in modern Australia.




Words to Sing the World Alive


Book Description

Words to Sing the World Alive celebrates First Nations languages from across the continent. Forty First Nation writers and thinkers, journalists and lawyers, artists and astronomers come together to reveal their favourite and significant words. Words that evoke the power of childhood and the wonder of Country; that explore the essence of mother, of fire, of time. Words that are imbued with family and belonging, and that surprise with their connections. Join contributors including Kim Scott, Tara June Winch, Daniel Browning, Terri Janke, Jeanine Leane, Nardi Simpson, Dan Bourchier, Ellen van Neerven, Alice Skye, Bruce Pascoe, Anita Heiss, Thomas Mayo, Evelyn Araluen, Claire G Coleman and Mykaela Saunders as they share their words to sing the world alive.




The Secret Life of You


Book Description

'In this powerful meditation on aloneness – as opposed to loneliness – Kerri blends incisive journalism with critical thinking, research, wit and heartfelt storytelling ... For those burned out by busyness and connectedness, this book is life-changing' Ginger Gorman Why is it so scary to be alone with your own thoughts? When columnist and commentator Kerri Sackville decided to stop filling every idle moment with distraction and learn to be comfortable alone, her quality of life soared. From boosting creativity and productivity, improving self-awareness, building resilience and moral courage, to improving relationships and connection with others, a bit of alone time is vital to wellbeing. But with smart phones, social media, endless streaming and podcast options, as well as the demands of work, family and friends, spending meaningful time on your own can feel impossible, unnecessary, or even indulgent. In The Secret Life of You Kerri Sackville analyses society's attitude towards solitude – why is it okay to eat breakfast at a café on your own but faintly tragic to dine alone? She identifies the roadblocks in the way to unplugging, contemplates aloneness vs loneliness, and looks at the difference between true connection and mere connectivity. Finally, she provides practical advice on how to become comfortable in your own company, in order to enjoy – and even cherish – time alone.




This Is Where You Have To Go


Book Description

150,000 adoptions took place in Australia between 1950 and 1975. It is estimated that one in 15 was forced. Proud Dhunghutti woman, laywer, human rights advocate and former midwife Lynda Holden tells her own heartbreaking story and of her fight for justice. In 1970, Lynda was eighteen, unmarried and pregnant when she was forced to give her baby up for adoption. She was sent by a doctor to a Catholic girls' home for unmarried mothers, and told she'd have no hope of keeping her child because she was Aboriginal. After twenty-six years, Lynda was finally able to make contact with her lost son – but the much wished for reunion didn't go well. When she looked into the adoption records, she found a web of lies – lies about her family, the baby's father, her 'consent' for the adoption – and her Indigenous heritage had been completely erased. So began a quest for justice: Lynda took on the Catholic Church in an attempt to right the wrongs of the past. In this incredibly powerful memoir, she sheds light on the lasting impacts of forced adoption on mothers, children and their families, and gives voice to the countless women who have been silenced for generations.




A Nembe-English Dictionary


Book Description




Runaway Horses


Book Description

The second novel in the masterful tetralogy, The Sea of Fertility—and “a modern masterpiece” (The Baltimore Sun)—narrated by a judge in Osaka who believes he has met the successive reincarnation of his childhood friend Kiyoaki Matsugae. In 1932, Shigeuki Honda has become a judge in Osaka. Convinced that a young rightist revolutionary, Isao, is the reincarnation of his friend Kiyoaki, Honda commits himself to saving the youth from an untimely death. Isao, driven to patriotic fanaticism by a father who instilled in him the ethos of the ancient samurai, organizes a violent plot against the new industrialists who he believes are usurping the Emperor’s rightful power and threatening the very integrity of the nation. Runaway Horses is the chronicle of a conspiracy — a novel about the roots and nature of Japanese fanaticism in the years that led to war.