Two new books show there’s still no goodbye to messy climate politics
What future the Great Barrier Reef? What future energy policy? Two new publications on the ongoing battles of climate politics deserve close attention.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Book reviews
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Good reads: fighters, feminists and the loss of freedom in Zimbabwe
From poetry to factual narratives and personal memoirs, these books are worth reading.
Of political hair, Jewish noses and South Africa’s failure to become a nation
Qunta advocates a reparations fund to accelerate corrective policies, that schools be freed from colonial indoctrination and that African culture should be mainstreamed, especially African languages.
Rhodes: closet gay man who hatched a secret society to promote empire?
The book contains major flaws, the chief of which is the lack of solid, supporting evidence. Brown claims that ‘Rhodes documented everything’ – which was not actually the case in this regard.
Top minds suggest good reads: from espionage to doomed love and race
There isn't a lot of time for recreational reading when you're running a university. But when year-end holidays roll around, Africa's vice chancellors can finally read for pleasure.
Celebrating Oliver Sacks’ romantic science and a life now ending
The popular neurologist revealed earlier this year that he only has months to live – a statement which casts his recently-released memoir, On the Move: A Life, in a new light.
Book review: Selling Students Short
Richard Hil’s Selling Students Short: Why You Won’t Get the Education You Deserve is a timely exposé of the difficult conditions facing students at Australia’s increasingly corporatised universities.
Should authors Rushdie to judgment as book reviewers?
Negative reaction by other authors to Salman Rushdie’s book ratings demonstrates how sensitive writers can be. But why shouldn’t an author give however many stars they like to a book?
Brett Whiteley’s drawings reveal the artist as a master draughtsman
Some 23 years after his death, Australian artist Brett Whitely's vision continues to have resonance and will likely remain a defining representation of late 20th century Australia.
Self-defence for book reviewers
It is perfectly understandable for an editor to be protective of his own patch, but it is worrying when the editor of a national magazine, which claims to be the leading independent Australian literary…
Noted works: After Homosexual
Noted Works is a new series on The Conversation devoted to long-form reviews of significant new books. See the end for further details. Dennis Altman was a young, articulate activist and out gay man when…
Book reviewing is an art, in its own way
There should be no hard and fast rules concerning book reviewing. That’s because reviewing constitutes a worthy genre in its own right, one that should not be limited by guidelines or mandates. Criticism…
In defence of book reviewers in Australia
Book reviewers and the editors of periodicals that commission them are used to sour assessments of their worth, but Professor John Dale’s article on The Conversation yesterday is in a class of its own…
Top contributors
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Political Scientist, University of the Western Cape
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Professor of Writing, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate lecturer, Australian National University
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Senior lecturer in History and Sociology, Swinburne University of Technology
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Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Macquarie University
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Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Charles Sturt University
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Professor, Chief Cultural Officer, Cultural Precinct, University of Western Australia
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Editor, Australian Book Review, Flinders University
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Senior Lecturer in American Literature, Western Sydney University
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Vice-Chancellor and Rector, University of the Free State
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Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Stellenbosch University
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PhD Candidate, Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester
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Vice-Chancellor, University of Seychelles
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Emeritus Professor, Rhodes University
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