Valerie Albrecht, author of 'The Story Behind the Story' is at the APMA Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra to talk about her book, a gripping biography of a Navajo medicine man. Native American traditions are rich and enigmatic to many, with populations sadly dwindling and protectiveness over the culture that remains. In this book, Valerie Albrecht, Australian Biographer of Indigenous Peoples, writes the life, work and world views of Elroy Begay, a Navajo Medicine Man who unexpectedly invited her to do so. The telling and scripting spread over four years of meetings and conversations, living within his family and community on Chinle Reservation Arizona, attending and assisting his ceremonies and researching. Included is knowledge on the Navajo Creation story; time honoured traditional medicine and ceremonial practices which are permissible to be written; information on reservation family life and Elroy's philosophical perspectives. As well, Albrecht shares her processing of what proved to be an intensely paradigm shifting experience for both herself and Elroy. Clearly interwoven through-out, is Elroy's creed and core principle of acceptance: acceptance of your history, your culture, yourself and your uniqueness, and for the ‘hand' you have been dealt - Elroy is a paraplegic medicine man living, practising and being cared for between two ways of life and two sets of health conventions. He tells The Story Behind the Story to preserve it and to bring hope and pride for his people.
Jacqueline McGough is at Penrith library this Tuesday afternoon for an event, where she will be reading a selection of poems from her debut book 'The Ramblings of a Middle Aged Woman'. Stick around after for some refreshments, conversation with the author, and of course, get your copy of her book signed. Jacqueline McGough's engaging and down to earth collection of poetry covers a huge variety of situations: character portraits, the natural world, domestic situations, family celebrations, current events. The moods are wide-ranging, too: from flat-out hilarious to serious and thought-provoking. Jacqueline brings her characteristic wit and humility to each of these very different themes.
Strap in kids for a great time as you get to hear the incredible Phil Barnes read from his new book 'My Teacher's a Spy!'. It always creates a bit of a stir when a new teacher starts school, especially when that teacher is young and handsome, like Mr Gunning. But why does he have an expensive car? And is he really who he seems? Chloe, Jessica, Kelly and Andrew think not and when Andrew claims he is sure Mr Gunning is a spy the gang just have to find out if that is the case. In a crime thriller for young readers Phil Barnes creates in My Teacher's a Spy! four children who start out simply trying to find out if their suspicions are true but who rapidly discover that the murky waters of intrigue are deeper than they thought. And when Andrew goes missing the girls must pull together, fight their tears and continue their detective course as one by one they, too, succumb to the criminal ... whoever he or she is.
Forest Hill Library is hosting Sara Allen, author of 'Princess Aminah', is signing books and then appearing for questions and a 'meet & greet'. Head down to the library to meet the woman behind the fantastic story of one Islamic woman creating her own future. Princess Aminah embarks on a half year journey from her sheltered life as the daughter of an eastern Caliph to Cordoba in Spain where she has been betrothed to Prince Hisham. Leaving behind her beloved step-sister Myriam, her controlling and hated step-mother, The Amirah, and everything she has ever known. She faces the unknown with a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty but above all the lure of freedom from the confines which The Amirah has imposed on her for most of her short life. During an eventful journey when all of her horizons are expanded, she finds herself opening up to the knowledge provided by her handsome personal bodyguard with whom she falls in love. Fearing that she is betraying her betrothed prince whom she has never met, she shuns her guard for the remainder of the journey and retreats back into her own world. When she finally arrives in Cordoba, Aminah is totally unprepared for her meeting with Prince Hisham and the manner in which she feels he has betrayed her. Although secretly in love with her prince, can she ever forgive his betrayal and lead a happy life and what will the consequences of a serious riding accident be for their future?
Attend the Malvern Book Cooperative this fine Saturday morning as the brilliant new author George Roberts will be in attendance signing copies of his new book 'From Ten Down to Three'. This humorous novel will have people laughing along and falling in love with our hero as he experiences life in a series of very fortunate events. In 1986, James collapses after a game of football at school. The cause is diagnosed as a tumour on the brain. Although treatment is successful, James will never be the footballer he was. The story of James continues on into his thirties as he falls in love, starts a family and becomes, in a modest way, a hero. In From Ten Down to Three George Roberts examines fate as events happen in James's life that leave him questioning whether things are meant to be or are simply coincidence. A phone call made in error lead to him finding love. A bang on the head reveals the presence of the tumour. Saving a young woman's life leads to an unexpected encounter. From Ten Down to Three is a delightful read full of wit and a dash of tragedy.
London Southbank University have a very special guest in one of their lecture halls. Richard Ide, former MD of Volkswagen Group UK will be talking about his life, and his book 'In the Driving Seat'. Students be excited for the monumental moment where you get to listen to and get your book signed by a true motoring legend. Shed weight and add speed' - motor racing formula The third generation of his family to work in the motoring industry, Richard Ide's spectacular career took him from apprentice fitter at Vauxhall Motors in the 1950s to the Head of Volkswagen Group UK in the 1990s, during which period he was responsible for turning around the fortunes of six motoring businesses in the intervening forty years. Writing with the clarity, perceptiveness and sense of purpose that were the hallmarks of his management style, Ide keeps his often pioneering achievements in perspective, giving due weight to his occasional business failures and taking care to acknowledge the vital importance of the various teams he worked with during his career. While the book provides many fascinating business insights, the sheer verve of Ide's writing guarantees that it is far from a mere recitation of management-speak. He provides evocative, often humorous portraits of his colleagues, delivers a vivid history lesson about motoring's early days and captures that extraordinary time in post-war motor racing - which became an absorbing, if expensive, hobby for him in his late teens and early twenties - when legendary figures like Fangio and Stirling Moss risked their lives on a regular basis.
The grasshopper is an amazing creature, and extremely peculiar. If you're a fan of insects, then join Judith Snell, author of the hoppingly good 'Fun Facts About Familiar Insects: The Grasshopper'. The book that lets you glimpse into the life of one of your garden's most interesting creatures. "We jump, we spit, we eat a lot, we speak in a strange way. When cooked we are quite tasty, at least that's what you say. To find out more about us why don't you take a look, and learn some more about us - it's all inside this book!" Explore the world of grasshoppers and find out more about how they live and what they do. You will discover that they have many interesting and amusing habits and characteristics!
Woolton Primary will be hosting the incredibly talented Simon Adepetun for a book reading of the immensely popular novel 'The Bee Hive'. Have your questions at the ready kids and be amazed by this brilliant author as he brings his characters to life. Eleven-year-old Daniel Jeremiah Chambers has parents Philip and Susan who love work and shopping and who just don't listen. Daniel is an only child ... no, he's lying ... he has a sister, Alice, who has a dolly fixation; Dan is sure she is an alien. So, Dan has a few problems, none insurmountable, until his friend, Benji, introduces him to the find of the century - a derelict bee hive which could become a den. Of course, such a simple thing is never so simple and when Dan finds a map well, all kinds of things just go horribly wrong. For example - Alice noses her nosey way in and two strange men suddenly turn up wanting what's theirs - and then there's the bank, too. The Beehive by Simon Adepetun is a tight little sharp-witted bumble through a short period in Dan's young life. ‘What's a bumble?' - ‘Shut up, Alice!'