Suggested Readings 2021
Here's our recommended reading lists
Newsouth Publishing
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Insightful non-fiction.
These insightful non-fiction books from experts in their field will intrigue, delight, and ignite discussion.
Australia & the Pacific: A history by Ian Hoskins
‘A fascinating history that shows how Australia’s relationships with the Pacific have shaped and informed each of our worlds.’ – Iain McCalman
The Best Australian Science Writing 2021 edited by Dyani Lewis, foreword by Cathy Foley
This much-loved anthology showcases the nation’s best science writing. New voices join prominent science writers and journalists, taking us to the depths of the ocean, the fuels of the future, and to the Ryugu asteroid and back.
Coming of Age in the War on Terror by Randa Abdel-Fattah
‘Randa Abdel-Fattah has produced an urgent book for our time. Coming of Age in The War on Terror is a story of injustice against those who suffer because of prejudice and manufactured fear. It is a vital work about us, Australians.’ – Tony Birch
‘This is the first authoritative book on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a constitutional Voice. It is a must read for all Australians as the nation prepares for a referendum.’ – Patricia Anderson AO, Alyawarre woman
‘At a time when many women are fighting to have their voices heard in Australian politics, this is a timely and important read.’ – Sarah Hanson-Young
The Missing Among Us: Stories of missing persons and those left behind by Erin Stewart
‘Illuminating, profound and wise. Stewart is a distinct new voice and her inquiry into the gaps and absences so many of us try to gloss over is intelligent, gentle and brave.' — Anna Krien
Reading Like an Australian Writer edited by Belinda Castles
‘A communal praise song to Australian literature in its many guises. I’ll be returning to these pages repeatedly.’ — Kathryn Heyman
Smuggled: An illegal history of journeys to Australia by Ruth Balint and Julie Kalman
‘A new, important way to tell our migration history, and a fascinating read.’ – Andrew and Renata Kaldor, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW
True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture by Terri Janke
‘True Tracks provides an authoritative guide that simplifies complex laws and cultural protocols, providing examples for those working in many sectors to enact key principles for Indigenous engagement, including respect and self-determination.’ — Anita Heiss
Wounded Country: The Murray–Darling Basin – a contested history by Quentin Beresford
‘One of the most important books to emerge in recent decades concerning both Australia's dangerous environmental mismanagement and the indivisible plunder of Indigenous society.’ — Charles Massy
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Fremantle Press
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Own voice poetry.
Poetry is a wonderful way to create intercultural and personal understanding and to explore issues of belonging and identity. This list includes diverse own voice writers representing First Nations, refugee, immigrant and queer communities.
‘Every poem here is like a little grenade, sometimes filled with sizzling rage, sometimes wry humour, but always with expansive wit and erudition. Vociferate is polemical, personal and political. Be prepared to be blown away!’ Alice Pung
Poems that do not sleep by Hassan Al Nawwab
Hassan Al Nawwab is a former Iraqi soldier who came to Australia after the war with his family 20 years ago. With devastating simplicity, these imagistic poems speak of war and...
Text Publishing
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The team at Text Publishing has long believed that Australia punches above its weight when it comes to crime fiction, and here's the list to prove it! From rural thrillers to slow-burn suspense, there’s something for everyone—even if you don’t fancy yourself much of a crime buff.
THE NIGHT WHISTLER by Greg Woodland
Nostalgic yet clear-eyed, simmering with small-town menace, Sydney author Greg Woodland’s wildly impressive debut populates the rural Australia of the 1960s with memorable characters and almost unbearable tension.
WHITE THROAT by Sarah Thornton
Sarah Thornton’s second novel featuring the feisty-yet-flawed Clementine Jones, White Throat is a nail-biting thriller set in an idyllic coastal town, where the leader of an...
Robert Watkins – Ultimo Press
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Australian writers who are doing things a little differently.
I’ve worked in Australian books and publishing for over 20 years, and I still get excited when I discover or read Australian authors who are writing provocative, thoughtful works. Some of my favourite books of the last ten years can be found in the list below:
Foreign Soil – Maxine Beneba Clarke.
An Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent, Clarke is an extraordinary wordsmith. I think these short stories are evocative, insightful and simply masterful.
This debut novel is so timely and clever – the way Reid tackles big issues like consent, class and power is deeply thoughtful without ever being preachy. Incredible!