In this series of essays, writers in Australia, the United States, and Britain find show that there is not a "Western" way of death shared by all, but major variations reflecting the different experiences and cultures of the people. The Aussies' tough stoicism, the Americans' denial, the Brits' reserve not surprisingly find expression in the death experience, as in life. Elements such as patriarchy, patriotism, and race are also touched on here, as well as issues around AIDS, bioethics, and grief.
Very interesting, and accessible to the general reader.
(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

I was handed this book and was told that it has some of our Family History in it.(i'm part koori) From the moment I opened this book till the last page I could'nt put it down.

If you're an Aussie, and the only history you got was from the high school text books about our economic and political life of wool, wheat, explorers and Governors. Then this book is for you.

Mal shows the real story that made us who we are today. Why, if 80% of us live in suburbia, are The Flying Doctors & A Country Practice (both rurally set as part of the bush myth) two of our top rating TV series? Where does the Aussie Ocker come from? Why are we both at once rebels against authority and the finest fighting men, what is the spirit of the ANZACs?

From the 'currency' lads and lasses, those bronzed, bare-toed children of the early convicts, who were the real, first white-Australians. Through the special relationship these youngsters had with the Aboriginal people who taught them how to live with the bush, how to love this seemingly inhospitable land, to embrace the bush as home.

Through the Gold Rush, the Shearer's Strike and World War One. To the effect that migrants have had on the our, truly unique identity as 'Us Aussies'.

If Britian had Pax Britannica, and the United States have their Truth, Justice and the American way. Then, in Australia we have Football, Meatpies, Kangaroo's and Holden Cars.

Mal finishes by looking at the faces of Australia, our war of independance fought not on a battleground so much as a sportsground, after all Australia only has two seasons - footy season and cricket season. From Sport to the Movies, Storm Boy, Breaker Morant, The Man from Snowy River & Crocodile Dundee.

If this fascinating account of our history, doesn't inspire you to a little pride in being an aussie. Well she'll be right mate, put another shrimp on the barbie, and bite into that Granny smith, just leave the money on the fridge....

Graeme Davison draws upon his experience and expertise as an historian and commentator on national celebrations, heritage, museums, and other forms of public history in The Use And Abuse Of Australian History. He presents a wide-ranging and perceptive survey of the many ways in which history enters into and becomes a part of contemporary everyday life in Australia. The past inspires, consoles, and condemns (sometimes all at once), and here highlighted is how Australians use (and sometimes misuse) the past in attending to such present concerns, issues and national discussions on everything from gun ownership to aboriginal rights. The Use And Abuse Of Australian History is highly recommended reading to students of Australian history, culture, politics, and international relations.

A book of to places London and Clocuster. The book is of to types one of a boy named Mesack who is not the brightest boy who lives in clocuster with his father. The other part is about two church boys.

Seminal, descriptive account of the vegetation of the Australian continent. Ecological notes and insights accompany exhaustive accounts of the major associations and alliances.

Very thorough book on the vegetation of Tasmania; more pictures would have been nice but the ones included are fantastic. This book is easy to read and very informative. This is a useful book that I did not have the desire to sell back, despite its heaviness. A beautiful book about an even more beautiful island.

Visual Ephemera: Theatrical Art In Nineteenth-Century Australia is a unique and impressive work surveying the history of Australian visual culture, theatrical performance legacy, and cultural peculiarities. A richly detailed, nicely illustrated, superbly well written, comprehensively researched and presented history is an engaging as it is informative and highly recommended to students of Australian popular culture, theatrical history, and non-traditional art forms.

I read an abstract of this one day in a Doctors waiting room 2-3 years ago and have been waiting for the oportunity to find the full book. Written in the trenches, this is the most graphic depiction anyone could imagine about the harshness of war (Galipolli).
An engrossing read I only put down because I came to the end, unfortunately.

A teenage boy flees from his East Coast home to Barrow, Alaska, to participate in an Eskimo whale hunt. He discovers his great grandmother was an Eskimo, a fact that has been hidden by racial prejudice. He also encounters reverse discrimination, some of which is healed by the successful hunt. A physical journey and one of self-discovery. Contains good black and white illustrations in this adventure story, and will be of interest to the 4th through the 8th grades.