Hachette Australia – serie

AS SEEN IN THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SBS AND HBO MAX DOCUMENTARY WE ARE JENI - this is the unforgettable memoir from a woman who refused to be silenced. Jeni Haynes is an inspiration and her bravery and determination to live shows how MPD or DID saved her life. It is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.Don't be fooled. The girl on the front cover of this book is not me, Jennifer Haynes. She is, in fact, Symphony . . . Symphony knows silence protects abusers. That's why we have to speak up, we have to tell our story, we have to scream and shout for all the children who don't yet have the words.Jeni Haynes is an inspiration. That she survived the unimaginably sadistic physical, psychological and emotional abuse and sexual crimes detailed in this book is testament to the extraordinary strength of Jeni's mind.What saved Jeni was the process of dissociation - Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) - a defence mechanism that created over 2500 separate personalities, or alters, who protected her as best they could. This army of alters included four-year-old Symphony, teenage motorcycle-loving Muscles, elegant Linda, forthright Judas and eight-year-old Ricky.It would take years, but with her army and the support of her psychiatrist, Dr George Blair-West, Jeni fought to create a happy life for herself and bring her father to justice for the crimes he committed against her.The Girl in the Green Dress is a harrowing, unforgettable and ultimately inspiring memoir from a woman who refused to be silenced. Including powerful and fascinating insights from Dr George Blair-West, Jeni's psychiatrist and an expert in DID who worked with her for over twenty years, this is a unique and profoundly important book for victims of abuse, their families, clinicians, police and anyone interested in the complexity of the human mind. It is proof that survival is possible and joy can be found after the darkest of times.

For the people who lived in the desert between Marree and Birdsville, contact with the outside world was hard and sporadic - but one man was their lifeline: Tom Kruse. For more than twenty years he was the connection with the outside world for the families, station workers and others who lived along the Birdsville Track.Tom delivered everything from the mail and newspapers to fuel and food - whole communities waited in anticipation for him to drop off their supplies. But it was a hard life, from regularly making running repairs to his truck to unloading and reloading tons of stores so that he could ferry his cargo across flooded creeks. Come sandhills, hell or high water, Tom Kruse kept faith with the locals up and down the Track.Tom was a real Australian hero - and no matter what happened, the mail always got through.

Each chapter of this absorbing memoir explores a particular species of tree, layering description, anecdote, and natural history to tell the story of a scrap of forest in the Sunshine Coast hinterland - how the author came to be there and the ways it has shaped her life. In many ways, it's the story of a treechange, of escaping suburban Brisbane for a cottage on ten acres in search of a quiet life. Of establishing a writers retreat shortly before the Global Financial Crisis, and losing just about everything. It is also the story of what the author found there: the literature of nature and her own path as a writer. Some of the nature writing that has been part of this journey is woven through the narrative arc. The Language of Trees is about connection to place as a white settler descendent, and trying to reconcile where the author grew up with where the author is now. It is her story of learning to be at home among trees, and the search for a language appropriate to describe that experience. That journey leads Inga to nature writing, to an environmental consciousness, to regenerating this place and, ultimately, to learning Gubbi Gubbi and Wiradjuri.

"Brodie is whip smart; merging pop-culture references with vulnerable, personal experiences to create a collection that reads like a hilarious catch-up call with an old friend. What a pleasure to hear from this fresh, extremely relevant point of view." Abbi Jacobson, CO-CREATOR / WRITER / STAR of BROAD CITY"I wish Brodie was the voice of my inner monologue; narrating me through life with her fierce intelligence and never-ending pop culture references. Instead, I'll just settle for this extremely relatable, unashamedly funny, powerful and beautifully vulnerable book No Way! Okay, Fine." - Courtney Barnett, ARIA award winning and Grammy nominated songwriter and musician.'I identified early on that my role in relationships was the sidekick, the platonic female cast member in an all-male production, or the friend who was relied on selectively when other options were unavailable. I was the comic relief or the stand-in, never the lead. I knew this, I felt it, I wrote it down, but I didn't dare say it aloud because that would prove that I cared and caring wasn't cool.'From the small town in regional Australia where she was told that 'girls can't play the drums' to New York City and back again, Brodie has spent her life searching screens, books, music and magazines for bodies like hers, girls who loved each other, and women who didn't follow the silent instructions to shrink or hide that they've received since literal birth. This is the story of life as a young woman through the lenses of feminism and pop culture.Brodie's story will make you re-evaluate the power of pop culture in our lives - and maybe you will laugh and cry along the way.'Brodie Lancaster is a thoughtful and patient writer, and this book is a generous, deep dive into her psyche. Brodie's thoughts about her body, her friends and lovers, her choices and fears are all presented with the same staccato blast of pop culture touchstones, and if you love boy bands/the internet/reality television/the Gilmore Girls/literally every other thing that is good in the world, you will adore this book.' - Emma Straub, bestselling author of THE VACATIONERS and MODERN LOVERS.

FINALIST FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARDS 2019WINNER OF THE NSW PREMIERS LITERARY AWARDS MULTICULTURAL NSW AWARD 2019'Bani Adam thinks he's better than us!' they say over and over until finally I shout back, 'Shut up, I have something to say!'They all go quiet and wait for me to explain myself, redeem myself, pull my shirt out, rejoin the pack. I hold their anticipation for three seconds, and then, while they're all ablaze, I say out loud, 'I do think I'm better.'As far as Bani Adam is concerned Punchbowl Boys is the arse end of the earth. Though he's a Leb and they control the school, Bani feels at odds with the other students, who just don't seem to care. He is a romantic in a sea of hypermasculinity. Bani must come to terms with his place in this hostile, hopeless world, while dreaming of so much more.Praise for The Lebs:'an open-eyed and highly charismatic novel broiling with fight, tenderness and ambition.' - Big Issue'The Lebs is a strong and resonant novel that deserves to be widely read.' - Weekend Australian'The author never lets his superb command of idiom or his eye for the absurd overwhelm a deeply felt exploration of the hurt and damage that can come from encounters with the Australian Other. No one who reads The Lebs deserves to come out unscathed.' - The Saturday Paper 'Ahmad's piercing storytelling cuts away at the lace and trimmings of race relations in Australia today.' - The Lifted Brow

In the early hours of 15 April 1912, the Cunard steamship Carpathia receives a distress call from the new White Star liner Titanic. Captain Arthur Rostron immediately turns Carpathia northwest and sails full speed through the dark night, into waters laden with icebergs, on a rescue mission that will become legendary.Almost a century later, Carpathia's wreck has finally been located. She's over 500 feet down and only a few divers in the world can attain these depths. Among them is Englishman Ric Waring's team. In this captivating and intensively researched story, we follow the dual narratives of Rostron and the daring rescue of the Titanic survivors by Carpathia, and of Waring's team and their dangerous determination to reach the wreck. Rich in history and drama, the true story of Carpathia from her launching to the sensational events of 1912, World War I and beyond is a compelling narrative that moves at the page-turning pace of the very best fiction.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 DAVITT AWARD FOR NON-FICTIONThis powerful memoir gives extraordinary insight into a secretive sect, and the horror Dassi Erlich had to survive. Dassi's resilience and fight for justice is inspiring. As a young girl growing up in a strict ultra-Orthodox family, Dassi's life was preordained - marry young, live a devout life and raise children within the Adass community's religious rules. This righteous path would keep her safe from the immodest, secular world just a few blocks away in suburban Melbourne.But the Adass community was not safe for Dassi.She was fifteen when her revered school principal, Malka Leifer, started to single her out. Dassi's cloistered and harsh upbringing meant she didn't have the words for what was happening to her, but she knew it was very, very wrong. It would take her years to break free of the secrecy which pervaded the community and tell the police of her betrayal. And only then would she find out others, including two of her sisters, had also been abused, and would learn some in the Adass community had helped Leifer flee to Israel. With the only world she knew crumbling around her, Dassi found the strength to fight, leading a brave fifteen-year campaign to bring Leifer back to face Australian courts.This is Dassi's story.'I am a sexual abuse survivor, but I am also more than a survivor. I will continue fighting for justice for all victims.''What a story . . . Heart-wrenching . . . What is remarkable about Dassi Erlich and her sisters is that somewhere they found the courage to confront what was going on, in their own lives and in other lives' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD'Raw and revealing . . . Beautifully written and eloquently sheds light on the dark times Dassi experienced, breaking down stigmas by openly discussing abuse and mental health' AUSTRALIAN JEWISH NEWS'Erlich has an exceptional voice, an openness and authority . . . Reading her life is an education. I read with fury, horror and shame. But admiration for the writer outshone everything' THE AGE

A Coastwatcher's work is ... to sit in hiding like a spider, right in the web of the enemy, unseen and unheard. We became the eyes and ears of the Pacific.' Reg Evans, CoastwatcherHidden deep in the jungles and high in the mountains of the Southwest Pacific during World War II, Australia's secret army - the Coastwatchers - reported every move of the Japanese invaders to Allied intelligence.Following World War I, the Coastwatcher organisation was formed from European planters, missionaries and patrol officers living in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. All volunteers, they were tasked with keeping an eye on Australia's porous northern border and providing early warnings via radio.When World War II came to the Pacific, however, overnight the Coastwatchers found themselves no longer just observers but spies operating behind enemy lines. Besides evading the enemy's desperate efforts to hunt them down, the Coastwatchers battled exhaustion, tropical diseases and malnutrition, as well as the ever-present spectre of capture, torture and death. Yet without the Coastwatchers' crucial courage and intelligence, key moments of the Pacific War may have turned out very differently.From acclaimed author Michael Veitch comes this compelling and vivid history of unsung heroes who risked their lives in service of their country and formed one of history's most successful spy rings.

The disappearance of Lyn Dawson captured the world's attention. But she was far more than just the teacher's wife. Now, in this brave, emotionally powerful memoir, Lyn's daughter reclaims their story.Imagine living with the knowledge that your father had murdered your mother and lied to you your whole life, telling you she left because she didn't love you anymore.How could a father do this to his children? How could a husband do this to a woman he at one time loved?When she was four years old, Shanelle Dawson's mother, Lynette, disappeared. On 8 January 1982, the woman who had been a loving, constant presence vanished without a trace. Four year old's might not be able to articulate questions or understand a lot, but the ache of absence is very real. Year after year that ache persisted.Shanelle's father, Chris Dawson, claimed that his wife just needed to get away. This is what he told Lyn's parents and siblings. This is what he told his daughters. But Lyn never returned home. Her side of the bed was immediately filled by Shanelle's teenage babysitter, a former student of her father's.After thirty-six years of her father's lies, a podcast called The Teacher's Pet investigated her mother's case. Sordid details about the father she loved became public. Whispers that he had murdered Lynette grew louder. The police refocused on the cold case. Then, Chris Dawson faced court. Forty years after she went missing, he was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for the murder of Lynette.Now, in this brave, emotionally powerful memoir, Shanelle reclaims her mother's story and finds a channel for her own voice. It is an unforgettable insight into the ripples of trauma and loss that family violence brings and shows how Shanelle found the strength to confront her father and can now create a new life after unimaginable deception.This is Shanelle's story.

'The descriptions are sublime . . . Goodwin's eye - sharp, unforgiving - allows nothing to escape . . . His literary promise is savage' THE AUSTRALIAN'Goodwin is a natural-born storyteller, effortlessly compelling whether he's talking about the draconian policies of his bosses, the mad ramblings of his regulars or his own forays into chemical-induced debauchery . . . However, the true secret to Servo's brilliance is that beneath its irreverent, gonzo stylings it's actually a heartfelt, coming-of-age memoir' READINGSAn odyssey of drive-offs, spiked slurpees, stale sausage rolls and sleep-deprived madness.Most of us have done our time in the retail trenches, but service stations are undoubtedly the frontline, as Melburnian David Goodwin found out when he started working the weekend graveyard shift at his local servo.From his very first night shift, David absorbed a consistent level of mind-bending lunacy, encountering everything from giant shoplifting bees and balaclava-clad goons hurling cordial-filled water bombs from the sunroof of their BMW, to anarcho-goths high on MDMA releasing large rats into the store from their matching Harry Potter backpacks.Over the years, David grew to love his mad servo, handing out free pies and chocolate bars on the sly as he grew a backbone and became street smart. Amidst the unrelenting chaos, he eventually made it out of the servo circus - and lived to tell the tale.For anyone who's ever toiled under the unforgiving fluorescent lights of a customer service job, SERVO is a side-splitting and darkly mesmeric coming-of-age story from behind the anti-jump wire that will have you gritting your teeth, then cackling at the absurdity, idiocy and utterly beguiling strangeness of those who only come out at night.'A rewarding read . . . This journey into the "servoverse" is full of wild and sometimes poignant characters . . . [A] mix of fellow-feeling, social commentary and black humour' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Fifteen Australians tell their stories of surviving suicide and finding the way back to a better life.Every day, nine Australians take their own lives. Nineteen years ago, John Brogden came very close to adding his name to these statistics. But John survived and, since his recovery, he has become a passionate voice for mental health and suicide prevention. Now he is the Honorary President of LifeLine International.Personally and professionally, John knows how urgent it is to talk openly about suicide, and to provide people in despair with a way back when they are at their lowest point. Giving hope to those who think there is no other answer is critical. John is living proof that it's possible to survive and thrive.Now, in Profiles in Hope, John has gathered together some incredible Australians to tell their stories. With contributions from people such as James Packer, Jacqui Lambie, Tom Boyd, Layne Beachley, Preston Campbell and Ian Thorpe, alongside powerful stories of ordinary Aussies, these deeply personal accounts of survival, recovery and lives of purpose are a balm for the vulnerable and a beacon of light to those struggling. This book is for those at risk and for the people who love them and don't know how to help.Searingly honest and ultimately life-affirming, these are stories of solace and hope, and a lifeline for dark times.All royalties earned from the sale of this book will go to Lifeline.'Surprisingly hopeful' WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA BIOGRAPHY BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024From a Newcastle garage to worldwide recognition, this is the remarkable story of two teenagers who grew up in Silverchair, one of Australia's greatest rock bands.It all began in Ben Gillies' garage - where three high school kids from Newcastle, New South Wales, created magic with their smash-hit single 'Tomorrow', setting them on a path to domination of the Australian charts, worldwide touring and fame.So much has been written about Silverchair over the years but very little has been said by the band's members. In Love & Pain, drummer Ben Gillies and bass player Chris Joannou retrace their footsteps from when they were childhood friends living across the road from each other, and share their wild, unforgettable and often hilarious stories from the rock 'n' roll spotlight, along with the exhilarating highs and heart-wrenching lows they faced along the way.There was also all the love and pain that came from being in the band: the cost of fame and intense pressure on two teenagers who had no way of preparing for it; the complex dynamics of navigating friendships with each other and their relationships with friends and family members; the mistakes they made and the successes they cherished. Gillies and Joannou write with vulnerability and raw and blistering honesty, making for an extraordinary account of a band adored by so many.

Bestselling author and acclaimed actor William McInnes returns with a collection of hilarious and heartwarming stories about those magical, roastingly hot months that make an Australian summer.There is something about long, hot summer days that stirs our emotions. It's all about holidays, festivals, family and Christmas; a time for swimming, a hit of backyard cricket or firing up the barbie. It's the deafening sound of cicadas, the ticking of a backyard sprinkler, the pain of a wayward bindi or the sting of sunburnt shoulders.In this collection of nostalgic stories that will make you laugh and make you cry, William McInnes recalls moments in time and memories of summers past. He takes us back to the energy-sapping heat of Redcliffe in the 1960s and 70s, ruminates on budgie smugglers, remembers holiday road trips that went on forever and epic Boxing Day Tests that stopped fans in their tracks. This is a book about the Australia we are and the Australia we were - and the magic of those boiling-hot days when you wake up and know . . . it's going to be a scorcher!'William McInnes is a natural storyteller in the backyard barbecue-stopper style of your favourite raconteur uncle . . . As sweet and familiar as an Iced Vovo, this is comfort reading for the holidays' Canberra TimesPraise for the writing of William McInnes'A mix of memoir, observation and discourse, delivered in the seemingly off-hand manner of a backyard semiotician' Saturday Age, Non-fiction Pick of the Week for Yeah, Nah!'Warm and engaging . . . feels a little bit like home' Daily Telegraph'If there is a quintessence of Australia at its best, William McInnes has distilled it' The Age'Warm, nostalgic, funny and undeniably Australian' Sydney Morning Herald

The never-before-told true story of a brave young nurse who was the only Australian survivor of the sinking of the Titanic.Evelyn Marsden was a young girl with big dreams. Born in the dusty backblocks of South Australia, she was an accomplished horsewoman and a champion rower who, during family holidays by the Murray River,would challenge herself by rowing against the tide.But Evelyn wanted more than was expected for women of her time. Training in Adelaide as a nurse was her first step in expanding her horizons, but then an opportunity to travel as a stewardess on ocean liners camealong, and she grabbed it. Europe, Jamaica, Africa, the Mediterranean, New York ... Evelyn immersedherself in it all, seeing wonders she'd only ever read about. And then, in her late twenties, she met a handsome ship's doctor, Dr William James. They fell in love, became engaged soon afterwards, and felt blessed a short time later when they were both promised positions on RMS Titanic's maiden voyage. However, scheduling complications meant Evelyn, alongside 2240 passengers and crew, boarded the world's largest and most luxurious ship alone.Then, just before midnight on 14 April 1912, the supposedly 'unsinkable' Titanic struck an iceberg and, as panic took hold, the best and worst of humanity revealed itself. Evelyn calmly helped distressed passengers until she was finally ordered into a lifeboat, where she took the oars and helped row against the pull of the sinking ship. While saving herself and others, she was also desperately hoping she would find a way back to her beloved William.Through exhaustive research and evocative storytelling, Lisa Wilkinson reveals the drama onboard the Titanic, the tyranny of human errors that sealed the ship's fate, and Evelyn Marsden's own extraordinary story. It's a tale that will ensure readers fall in love with this heroic young Australian woman.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD, QUEENSLAND LITERARY AWARDS 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPEECH PATHOLOGY AUSTRALIA BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR AGES 3-5 AWARD 2023Spikes on the bottom boots,my favourite colour boots,making me too deadly.Can the shoes on your feet really make you jump higher? Walk taller? Dream bigger? A joyous, empowering story about finding confidence within yourself, boots or no boots, from the award-winning authors of Black Cockatoo. 'The text has a punchy sense of addictive rhythm . . . [and] the story is full of heart' Books+Publishing'Highly recommended' Sunday Telegraph'A positive and empowering story about finding yourself' ReadPlus'This is a joyous, empowering picture book about finding confidence within yourself and loving life. Gorgeous and vibrant, it's sure to be a hit' Readings

A CBCA NOTABLE EARLY CHILDHOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026A wondrous and richly illustrated reimagining of an ancient Chinese folktale about integrity, courage and patience from the creator of Pancakes for Plum.'I wonder what kind of creature will hatch,' Ren says.'A tiger with wings!' Pei says.'A dragon with gold teeth!' Ping says.'Now, now,' Papa says. 'We'll just have to wait and see.'Looking for a worthy successor to his throne, an ageing emperor gives all the children in his kingdom an egg. After thirty days, he will judge what each child delivers to him and choose his heir.Ren brings his egg home and takes the best care of it. He reads to it, sings to it, sleeps with it and keeps it warm. Ren waits and waits, but his egg never hatches, while all around him wondrous hatchlings are emerging from other children's eggs.In a hall full of magical creatures, how can Ren present his unhatched egg to the emperor?'Tan's illustrations enhance the timeless quality of the tale, evoking the warmth and magic of a story remembered from childhood' GOOD READING MAGAZINE Praise for Pancakes for Plum:'Warm, vibrant . . . A charming story about discovering what we love and following our hearts to find things that make us happy' BOOKS+PUBLISHING