Ashes in the Air by Ali Alizadeh 1 Reply

I do not read much poetry but I was interested in this collection after reading two previous books by this author. The poems are mostly autobiographical covering Alizadeh’s early childhood in Iran, growing up in Australia and his life as a student and later as an adult and a father. I felt his unhappiness as a ‘pudgy’ child wanting acceptance and as a teenager with a heavy accent who was not attractive to the girls at his high school. I felt empathy for his immigrant experiences and his…Continue

Tags: Australia, Immigrants, Refugees, Iran

Started by Lindach in Non-fiction. Last reply by Lindach yesterday.

The Arab Spring edited by Toby Manhire

This book clarifies the uprisings of the Arab world - the chain reaction that is changing the political landscape of North Africa and the Middle East.  Written by journalists and bloggers, it has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer and online.  For all interested in our changing world.…Continue

Started by Read, Review & Win in Non-fiction yesterday.

The Golden Land by Barbara Wood

A sweeping historical Australian saga and love story.  A light romance featuring many Australian landmarks, Uluru, the Nullabor, Gundagai, Coober Pedy.  The theme is how young ladies arriving in Australia overcome hardship and adversity to take their place in this golden land, Australia.…Continue

Started by Read, Review & Win in Historical yesterday.

Kim / by Rudyard Kipling

I figured it was about time that I read the novel whose title is my namesake, and I wonder why it took me so long.  India has been an interest of mine for years, and the only explanation I can figure for putting off reading Kim has been my notion that it was a children’s book.  This story of British India is certainly not for kids; it takes a great deal of discipline to read because it requires you to cut through a lot of jargon in both dialogue and descriptive passages.  Kim is a an orphaned…Continue

Started by Kim Allen Scott in Fiction A-Z (General) on Thursday.