True West is a new crime novel by David Whish-Wilson set in late 1980s Perth against the backdrop of hate crimes associated with Jack van Tongeren’s Australian Nationalist Movement that included the firebombing of Asian businesses, as well as the dog-whistle comments made by then federal Liberal opposition leader John Howard associated with ‘slowing down’ Asian immigration. In the novel Lee Southern has fled to Perth after he betrayed the Knights bikie gang in Geraldton. Lee works as a rogue truck driver but before too long he finds himself captured by neo-nazis and must do their bidding if he is to protect those last few things he holds dear.
In the last edition of Classroom Express we shared some inspiration form the library team at Bunbury Catholic College on how to create a book display project worthy of entry into our Creative Classrooms competition.
NAIDOC Week takes place in the first week of July each year, which this year is Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 July 2019, and recognises the culture, history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a great opportunity to show support for your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Dr Antonio Buti is a professor of law at UWA and MLA for Armadale. His latest book, A Stolen Life: The Bruce Trevorrow Case, explores the story of the only member of the Stolen Generations to win compensation for his removal from his family.
I think it is important for fictional characters to live in real places, which is why I have set my stories in locations I have visited. Often an interesting-looking town – or island, in this case – can be the spark that inspires the whole story. The Cocos Islands, approximately 2,750 kilometres north-west of Perth, is one of the settings for my latest adventure story, The Wreckers’ Revenge.
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of Australia’s first major military action and is also a national day of remembrance that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. From women war artists to home-front heroes, memoir to picture books, we’ve put together a list of 10 books that recognise the contribution and suffering of all those who served or who lived through those turbulent times.
In this episode of the Fremantle Press Podcast, Holden Sheppard speaks to Anne-Louise Willoughby about her biography of Australia’s first official female war artist and first female Archibald Prize winner, Nora Heysen: A Portrait.
Teach Australia’s colonial history through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy embroiled in one of the greatest criminal underworlds in the Gold Rush era. Or start a discussion around grief and loss in young people with a beautifully written literary novel.
Each book in Dianne Wolfer’s Light trilogy of picture books for older readers, about young girls and boys living through World War I, has now been given the nod as a CBCA Notable Book.
