Political biography & memoir

Paperback

Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms

Margaret Simons

A fascinating portrait of one of Australia's most influential women

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Taking Sides: A Memoir About Love, War, and Changing the World

Sherine Tadros

The deeply moving memoir of an award-winning war correspondent turned activist - and her rousing defence of human rights in times of resurgent authoritarianism.

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Political Lives

Chris Wallace

Offers an intimate history of image-making and image-breaking in national politics. Chris Wallace reflects on the roles and motives of biographers and their biographies in the 20th century. The result…

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Harold Holt: Always One Step Further

Ross Walker

A revelatory biography of Harold Holt, the prime minister who helped create modern Australia

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The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894-1942

Zachary Gorman

Explores the formative period of Sir Robert Menzies’s life, when his personal outlook and system of beliefs that would help shape modern Australia were themselves still being formed. Contributors look…

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Daniel Andrews

Sumeyya Ilanbey

State premiers have risen to national prominence in a way not seen in a half century, with Victoria’s Daniel Andrews the most successful. This fascinating biography uncovers the story behind…

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The Hong Kong Diaries

Chris Patten

The diaries of the last British Governor, published on the 25th anniversary of the handover

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Bob Hawke

Troy Bramston

The definitive full-life biography of Australia’s 23rd prime minister; the only one that Hawke cooperated with after exiting the prime ministership.

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Albanese: Telling It Straight

Karen Middleton

Anthony Albanese has been at the heart of Labor politics in Australia for a decade. For the previous decade he persistently worked to ensure that the Labor left was a…

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The Education of an Idealist

Samantha Power

‘What can one person do?‘ In this vibrant, galvanizing memoir, human rights advocate and Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Samantha Power offers an urgent response to this question.

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Becoming

Michelle Obama

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her – from her childhood on…

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The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent

Gideon Haigh

H. V. ‘Doc’ Evatt has long been obscured by Menzies’s broad shadow, as the Labor Opposition Leader through the prosperous and complacent 1950s. In this book, one of our finest…

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My Own Words

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The New York Times bestselling book from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg My Own Words showcases her intellect and passion.

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Peril

Bob Woodward,Robert Costa

Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s compelling account of the presidential transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

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The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

Kamala Harris

From the U.S. Vice President, the New York Times bestseller about the core truths that unite us and the shared values that will see us into the future.

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Speaking Up

Gillian Triggs

As president of the Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs advocated for the disempowered, the disenfranchised, the marginalised. Speaking Up shares with readers the values that have guided Triggs’ convictions and…

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A Bigger Picture (With New Foreword)

Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s 29th prime minister, reveals the true story of his life in this genuine political pageturner

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Promises to Keep

Joe Biden

Democratic Senator Biden, one of the most recognizable figures in the U.S. government, presents an insiders look at life in the Senate, Washington politics, and American foreign policy.

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The Dead Are Arising

Les Payne,Tamara Payne

An epic biography of Malcolm X finally emerges, drawing on hundreds of hours of the author’s interviews, rewriting much of the known narrative.

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The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison

Sean Kelly

What happens when the prime minister views politics only as a game?

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Labor People: The Stories of Six True Believers

Chris Bowen

In Labor People, Chris Bowen brings to life six great Australians and servants of their party and tells their story. Spanning the 1890s to the 1970s, in paying tribute to…

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I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year

Carol D. Leonnig,Philip Rucker

The definitive behind-the-scenes story of Trump’s final year in office, by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, the Pulitzer Prize winning reporters and authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller…

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Cathy Goes to Canberra

Cathy McGowan

Whenever anyone tells you that only the big parties or star candidates have a chance of winning a seat in federal parliament, just say ‘Cathy McGowan’.

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A Promised Land

Barack Obama

A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making-from the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. This is the first volume in an unmissable two-part memoir, which…

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Penny Wong: Passion and Principle

Margaret Simons

A revelatory portrait of one of the most talented, poised and respected women in Australian politics, written by one of Australia’s foremost biographers.

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Jacinda Ardern: The Story Behind an Extraordinary Leader

Michelle Duff

Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, is lauded as one of the world’s most influential people. Her rise to power has been stellar. In 2017 she became leader of…

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Hardback

Bob Hawke: The Complete Biography

Blanche d'Alpuget

To mark Bob Hawke’s extraordinary life and legacy, this master work brings together the story of the man in full in a definitive hardback commemorative biography.

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Remembering Bob

Sue Pieters-Hawke

A warm, moving and revealing collection of stories and memories about Bob Hawke from across the nation, edited by his eldest daughter.

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John Curtin’s War (Volume I)

John Edwards

Volume one of a major new biography of arguably our greatest (and one of our most underrated) Prime Ministers, who shaped modern Australia.

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The Enigmatic Mr Deakin

Judith Brett

Alfred Deakin-scholar, spiritualist, prime minister-was instrumental in creating modern Australia. In the first biography of Deakin in more than half a century, the acclaimed political historian Judith Brett deftly weaves…

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I Am Malala

Malala Yousafzai,Christina Lamb

The bestselling memoir of youngest ever NOBEL PRIZE winner, Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who stood up to the Taliban.

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Dreams from my Father

Barack Obama

In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black…

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What Happened

Hillary Rodham Clinton

For the first time, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history.

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Political biography & memoir

Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms

Taking Sides: A Memoir About Love, War, and Changing the World

Political Lives

Harold Holt: Always One Step Further

The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894-1942

Daniel Andrews

The Hong Kong Diaries

Bob Hawke

Albanese: Telling It Straight

The Education of an Idealist

Becoming

The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent

My Own Words

Peril

The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

Speaking Up

A Bigger Picture (With New Foreword)

Promises to Keep

The Dead Are Arising

The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison

Labor People: The Stories of Six True Believers

I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year

Cathy Goes to Canberra

A Promised Land

Penny Wong: Passion and Principle

Jacinda Ardern: The Story Behind an Extraordinary Leader

Bob Hawke: The Complete Biography

Remembering Bob

John Curtin’s War (Volume I)

The Enigmatic Mr Deakin

I Am Malala

Dreams from my Father

What Happened