A revolutionary reading list for Melbourne Writers Festival 2017
The theme at this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) is revolution. Get prepared with our revolutionary reading list! Here are 10 books to ignite and inspire.
For more MWF inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of terrific international guests appearing in this year’s program, and our staff have shared the events they’re most excited to attend. We’re also delighted to be hosting an entire day of fantastic free events showcasing a range of new Australian fiction.
A Rightful Place edited by Shireen Morris
In this essential book, several leading indigenous writers and thinkers provide a road map to recognition. These eloquent essays show what constitutional recognition means, and what it could make possible: a fairer relationship and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture. With remarkable clarity and power, they traverse law, history and culture to map the path to change. The book is edited by Shireen Morris, a lawyer and constitutional reform fellow at the Cape York Institute and researcher at Monash University.
Sunlight and Seaweed by Tim Flannery
Acclaimed scientist Tim Flannery investigates exciting new technologies currently being developed to address our most pressing environmental threats. With accessible and engaging explanations of the fascinating science behind these technologies, as well as accounts of the systems already in operation around the world, this is an enlightening and uplifting view of the future.
Watching Out by Julian Burnside
Noted barrister and human-rights advocate Julian Burnside explains the origins of our legal system, looks at the way it operates in practice, and points out ways in which does and doesn’t run true to its ultimate purposes. He examines fundamental legal principles in clear and accessible language, and sets out legal remedies for wrongs done to individuals and groups. Rich with fascinating case studies, and eloquent in its defence of civil society, Watching Out is a beacon of legal liberalism in an intemporate age.
Unbreakable edited by Jane Caro
In this revealingly honest collection, successful Australian women talk about the challenges they have overcome, from sexual assault and domestic violence to racism, miscarriage, depression and loss, and how they let the past go to move forward with their lives. Courageously, the contributors delve deep into how these experiences made them feel, what the personal cost was and why they may have chosen to remain quiet until now.
Everyday Ethics by Simon Longstaff
Every day our lives are punctuated by points of decision. Some of these decisions will be momentous, remembered for decades, but most will go unnoticed, by us and by others. Yet all our choices matter – taken as a whole, they shape our lives and contribute to the rhythms of the world. In Everyday Ethics, Simon Longstaff, provides a map to help you better navigate the landscape of daily decisions more ethically.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today.
Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman
Dutch historian Rutger Bregman argues that ideas such as universal basic income, a 15-hour work week, open borders and a world without poverty can become reality in our lifetime. This guide to a revolutionary yet achievable utopia is supported by multiple studies, success stories and lively anecdotes – from a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty, to Richard Nixon’s near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans.
Fighting Hislam by Susan Carland
Muslim feminist Susan Carland rejects simplistic portrayals of her religion as a ‘misogynist’s playground’. She reveals a group of Muslim women many do not believe exists: a diverse bunch who fight sexism from within, as committed to the fight as they are to their faith. Fighting Hislam gives important and timely insight into what it means to be a Muslim woman today.
It’s Alive! by Toby Walsh
The development of thinking machines is an adventure as bold and ambitious as any that humans have attempted. And the truth is that Artificial Intelligence is already an indispensable part of our daily lives. Toby Walsh provides a fascinating survey of AI for the general reader – where it came from, the state of the art today, and where it will take us tomorrow. He predicts how AI will transform our societies, our economies and even ourselves, and what we can do about this.
In Search of Good Government by Laura Tingle
With the politics of rage and resentment dominating many Western nations, including Australia, Laura Tingle’s calm, perceptive analysis is more relevant than ever. This collection includes three crisp, profound and witty essays from her: Political Amnesia, Great Expectations, and a major new essay that analyses recent events under Turnbull’s leadership and brings the story up to date.
