Gordon Steinbrook uses old letters written home to recall the day to day events of his year in Vietnam. Steinbrook has one of the truly unique experiences of the war, serving with both US and Australian forces primarily as a forward observer and fire direction officer in artillery. Although his account does not include much 'combat', it does, none the less, give one a true picture of the way it was for many of us. .."long periods of extreme boredom punctuated by short intervals of extreme 'urgency'". I can personally testify to the accuracy of this work.

As an American participant in the association with the Australians and New Zealanders, and being a named individual in this book, I can attest to the accuracy and authentic descriptions of the events described by Steinbrook. The professional relationships established by this unique association of nationalities fostered friendships and respect that has endured for over 30 years despite the fact that many have not seen each other in that time. It was a magnificent undertaking by Steinbrook to record his observations during the most vivid and rewarding period of my military career and to mark for history a true example of on-the-scene bonding of individuals, most of whom were not career soldiers, dedicated to accomplishing a very difficult task.

El fasciculo en si, es bueno, aunque ciertamente no alcanza a cubrir las espectativas que el lector puede tener al momento de adquirir material procedente de la firma Osprey. Lo que resulta mas irritante son errores de traduccion, inaceptables para la cobertura de un conflicto de fecha tan reciente (1982), y que saltan a la vista por su obviedad, aun para cualquier lector de habla hispana; poniendo en entredicho el nivel de la obra ya desde las primeras paginas. Errores u horrores, tan banales como llamar al portaaviones "Veinticinco de Mayo", "Vicente de Mayo"; traducir "school" por "escuala" en lugar de "escuela"; y muchos otros pateticos ejemplos, que se podrian haber evitado con la simple inspeccion de un traductor o incluso de cualquier persona de habla hispana con nociones basicas acerca del conflicto. Salvando esos baches, la cobertura tecnico-descriptiva es simplemente excelente, tal como acostumbra Osprey siempre.

The author served along the British general in command of the Royal Marines Brigade in the Malvinas and later wrote Nine Battles to Stanley (published in 1999) that studied the ground war in much greater detail. Nicholas van der Bijl establishes that the 601st and 602nd Commando Units of the Argentine Army gave the British patrols a lot of trouble prior to the final battles. He sheds new light on the battle for Goose Green by proving that an Argentine company there was made up of tough hand-picked conscripts that had undergone Commando-training. I believe that this was the reason the Paras went through such a horrible time at Goose Green. I enjoyed this book for its colour plates and pictures of the elite RI 25. It is a good companion to his latest book Nine Battles to Stanley (click "Book Search" to find it or otherwise you will make no progress)in which he describes in great detail the ground war from the Argentine side, naming practically all the Argentine platoon commanders that saw action on Mount Harriet and Two Sisters, describing in detail the numerous Argentine platoon-sized nocturnal counterattacks that took place and which involved roughly 600 Argentine conscripts and regulars. The British commanders as his second books establishes, severely underestimated the Argentines, which resulted in higher (that could have otherwise been avoided)casualties among the British patrols and platoons that took the hills.

While the author Ken Duncan strongly advocates Creationism, this is one of the best picture books on Australia that I have come across! I am bit suprised it is out of print? He does has a great eye for taking pictures!

Ken Duncan is a famous photographer in Australia, with three galleries showing his work exclusively. A deeply religious man, Ken would rather use a picture of some natural wonder to try and prove the existence of God than to argue technical theology. But whether you agree with him or not about the source of his subjects, there is no denying that he has a unique ability to communicate the beauty of nature with his camera. If you can find this book, buy it--spend some time with it--and share it with your friends. I had it on my coffee table and it was difficult to have a conversation with anyone once they saw the book. Also, if you're ever in Australia, don't miss one of the Ken Duncan Galleries. There's one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, and another near his home near Terrigal. Ken has just released an even better book entitled, "The Great South Land," which is selling like crazy in Australia.

This is a classic Upfield mystery, although Upfield's not at his best here. Bonarparte is sent to a bustling mining town, but doesn't do much of his usual bushman's work. Upfield portrays the life in this town well, but the murderer's motive is pretty weak this time.

Arthur Upfield's Bony books are a wonderful mixture of Australian life, natural history, and subtle humor. The Bachelors of Broken Hill is typical of his stories, though it is set in a remote mining town as opposed to his usual outback settings. Everyone where I live who reads one book reads them all. We pass copies back and forth as many are out of print and reread them aloud to each other. I keep a map of Australia handy to follow each story and have visited some of the places mentioned in his books. He brings alive a sense of intellectual curiousity as you follow Bony's clues to put enough evidence together for an iron clad verdict.

My son (age 8) was learning about the country of Australia in school and his teacher read them this book. He then had to express his thoughts about the book in the form of a shadow box. He expressed the "coolness" of the frog to drink all the water and the bright colors used in the book. He also thought that it was really neat in how they expressed him (frog) spilling all the water out once the two eels got entangled with each other and started to make different shapes which caused him to laugh and release all the water.

This book was on our library's recommended reading list for 2nd-3rd graders this summer. We got it just before school started, and my daughter ended up taking it in as one of her "favorite books" to discuss with her 2nd grade class. She laughed and laughed when the frog started dribbling water back out ("ew gross!") and when all the animals had to scatter.

Bring Larks and Heroes draws a stark and realistic picture of life in a penal colony.

It is overlaid with dread and a pervasive sense of doom. It is not an easy book to read, due both to the bleak subject matter and the convoluted writing style.Kenneally is a master craftsman, providing some stunning descriptive passages,the images evoking smells, sounds and sights with immense clarity. However his erudition at time leads to writing that is obscure and difficult to follow

The finely drawn characters span a range of diverse personalities, from the idealistic to the brutish and mindlessly cruel. The central character, Phelim Halloran, is intelligent, imaginative and spiritual.His response to circumstances did not seem satisfactory to our group and is one which sends him spiralling into disaster.

We are also presented with a range of social issues and viewpoints, set against a harsh,bleak backdrop of penal colony life.

Bring Larks and Heroes was a challenging read and one which elicited much lively and rewarding discussion.

Review by Glen Waverley 6 Book Discussion Group, Victoria Australia

The best way to review Keneally is to use the allotted thousand words to cite quotations from his work. Bring Larks and Heroes is an item within a well established genre - Irish writers conveying their intense feelings of who and where they are. In this case, however, the Irishman is a third generation Australian, the place is half-way around the planet and it's in the founding years of the Port Jackson prison colony.

Keneally's Corporal Phelim Halloran represents nearly every aspect of Irish traditions. He's even been jailed for taking part in a subversive meeting before shipment to Australia. He wasn't shipped as a felon, however, but as part of the guard contingent. Beset on all sides by the harshness of British military governance and the Australian environment alike, he's confronted with a succession of difficult choice s. Ann Rush is a fellow Irish Catholic who Halloran considers his "wife" even without the sanctity of a Church-mandated ceremony. Keneally gives her a subtle power to influence Halloran's thinking. She becomes a pivot point of his considered options. Confronted by a rebellion of Irish prisoners, who seem to be the only ones capable of organizing one, Halloran studiously avoids taking any lives. But a new opportunity arises, one promising a new kind of freedom. Halloran makes a choice; with eternal consequences.

Is it stereotyping to say that an Irishman remains Irish no matter where the British or Nature has driven or taken him? Keneally's ancestry gracefully emerges through his words. He is able to convey the mixture of Celtic traditions, Roman Catholicism under Anglican rule, felon and Marine interactions, brought together on the eastern shores of The Last Continent. While relating his tale of people embroiled in heart-rending events, Keneally remains able to convey the uniquess of the Australian environment. The morbid greyness of gum tree forests, sky and sea in collusion to overwhelm the senses, the sterility of the coastal soils, all conspired to bend the minds of the English exiles.

Keneally is Australia's bard. In fact, he's the Bard of the English language. His prose echoes the the beauty of the best bardic poetry. He has no peers as a storyteller, building characters from minimal sources. He's done it with THE PLAYMAKER, WOMAN OF THE INNER SEA, GOSSIP FROM THE FOREST and many others. Even his works dealing with more contemporary events present us with people we come to know intimately by the end of the story. Of all the historical fiction he's done only THE PLAYMAKER displays his talents more fully than does BRING LARKS AND HEROES. This book is truly a paean to his abilities and it's time and location mustn't deter you sampling what he can accomplish. He is a man of feeling, and without making his characters into something artificial, he can impart those feelings through them. If you haven't experienced Keneally, this is a fine place to start. There's a price, though. Like me, you may find you won't stop with this and your shelf will be filled with all his work you can find.

This small book tells the story of a poor boy who get a chance to own a very beautiful hourse. He loves it and it loves him as well. The boy begins the journey by riding the hourse without any apparatus. But one day, he wants to enter the hourse-riding competition. He tries to use the saddle and that changes the whole thing overly.
This is a beautiful story for children. The most impressive part is the end. For me, it likes "Stand by me". The boy lost something which might be very important, but he discovers the self and be mature
Read this book

It's been a while since I read this book, but I'll do my best here: I found this book when I had read "the marvelous mongolian" (also by J. Aldridge) and I think it shows you what true love between man and his horse really is about. The boy teach his horse everything on his own, and a very strong connection grows between the two of them. Everyone is imprest of the boys work with his totally wild pony and all he ever wanted from the beginning was to show them that he can do it! And so he do! Boy and horse is totally happy with everything until the day when he decides to enter a contest with his horse. After that nothing will ever be the same again...

(Ok, maybe my english isn't so great, but I've done my best.)

The Burnt Stick is about what most of the stolen generation went through when they were taken away. The tribes were desperate to keep their children from the authroities. I think that this leaves the readers with the ever growing knowledge that the Abourignies of Australia have been terribly mis-treated in the past and still are in the present.

This story is about a young boy named John. He is Aboriginal but has light coloured skin because his father was white. His mother becomes very worried when their is word of a man coming to take all the white children from the Aboriginal camp, to teach the children the white ways. The mother decides to use a burnt stick to make her sons skin dark. Will this work? This story touched me and i think it will touch you or your childs. the story is wonderfull and so are the illustrations.

This is an interesting, if long-winded, account of the events leading up to Gough Whitlan's election as Australian prime minister--and his subsequent dismissal from office. Written by his former press secretary and close adviser/friend, it is extremely sympathetic to Whitlam and his strong socialist agenda.Its major weakness is that it fails to explore, much less describe in detail, the chief reason for the Labor Party's great schism, namely, the Communist takeover of so many unions and its influence in the Labor Party. end review

The definitive account, by Whitlam's speechwriter, of the turbulent events of Gough Whitlams' primeminstership and government. Arguably, one of Australia's most interesting, and turbulent political periods, the drama and immediacy of the times rings true in this superb account.

Steven doesn't remember much about his childhood. What he does remember are bits and pieces of memories, which he can't string together: being left alone on a road in the middle of nowhere when he was young, an unfamiliar name which suddenly seems familiar, a house with strangers in a strange city far from where he lives now. His mother avoids answering his ever-increasing questions as she tries to cope with the own stress and shreds of her own life. Her boyfriend, Darryl, abandoned them and stole their car, leaving their lives in chaos. Steven is then forced to take on responsibility for his mother and baby brother Dylan. Steven discovers the secrets of his past when his mother has to go into the city to recover their stolen car. The lives of this small family then start to fall in place.

This book is about a boy who gets his car stolen. I liked the book because it involves a mystery. I also like it because it is interesting and a short story. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes mysteries and interesting stories.