AustralianHeroines:
stories of courage and survival
Susan Geason
ABC Books 2001
301p pbk $18.95
0-733-30966-6
Biography
AustralianHeroines tells the tales of ten youngwomen who have embarked on incredible adventures or have survived againstterrible odds. As the title suggests, Australian Heroines covers thegenre of Australian history and is biographical.
AustralianHeroines is written in a clear style, itis easy to follow and as it is printed in a clear manner, it is easy to read. The language is appropriate for an audience ranging from students to adults, using simple words and sentences. It is a read alone book, however a teachercould read it aloud to a class.
AustralianHeroines looks at some aspects ofAustralias history that many people would not otherwise learn about. Thechoice of stories is interesting and will appeal to many people;
they are alsorelevant in many ways to its intended audience young teenagers.
There are afew illustrations, pictures of the people involved: add this to the personalquotes in some stories and the book is more touching than a simpleonly-the-facts story.
Ifound it interesting, it had touching stories presented in a moving yet simplemanner. However, I found AustralianHeroines to be very heavy and was only able to read one story at atime. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to others; it is a greatway to learn more about our fascinating history. Readers should not pick it upexpecting light entertainment.
Carmen,aged 17, Burnie, Tasmania
Australian Heroines tellsthe fascinating true stories of ten amazing young women whose courage anddetermination helped them to overcome many obstacles and survive against theodds. These women come from different backgrounds, different parts of thecountry and different historical periods.
The stories include that of MaryBryant who in 1791 escaped from Botany Bay in a row boat with her two childrenand seven other convicts and sailed to Timor without the aid of charts or maps.Three young, part-Aboriginal girls, Molly, Gracie and Daisy who in 1931, afterbeing removed from their families,escaped and walked the 1600km home dodgingsearch parties. And Brigitte Muir who conquered altitude sickness, the freezingcold and fatigue
to reach the summit of Mount Everest thus fulfilling her goalof climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
The stories in Australian Heroines are reallyinteresting and Id recommend the book to everyone. I really liked the waythat many of the stories were followed by information regarding the women or thesocial milieu of the time. It enabled me to get a good overview of Australianhistory in a dynamic and interesting way. The stories are easy to follow and theprint is of medium size and easy to read.
I give Australian Heroinesand the women who are part of it the thumbs up. Read this book about theirextraordinary courage and determination and you wont look at life the sameway again.
Gwen , aged 16, Canberra, ACT
