Happy’s Best New Books (2nd August – 8th August)
Updated weekly by the fine folk at Happy Mag, these are the best new books that this week has to offer from Australia and around the world!
Jeanette Winterson – 12 Bytes
12 Bytes: How We Got Here. Where We Might Go Next is Jeanette Winterson’s provocative collection of essays that address the impact of artificial intelligence on our lives. Viewing this scientific evolution through the prisms of love, sex, politics, gender, and religion, the book forms a comprehensive analysis of AI, and challenges us to imagine a future where it is even more intertwined with humanity.
9.2
BUY HERE
JEANETTE WINTERSON
12 BYTES
Vincent Namatjira – Albert Namatjira
In this compelling children’s book from Magabala, the story of the historically significant artist, Albert Namatjira, is told by his great-grandson, Vincent Namatjira. Filled with Vincent’s paintings, which are brimming with the unique style and humour of the Archibald Prize-winner, it captures the essence of Albert’s life and an era of cultural transition. A landmark document of Australian art history and a catalyst for exploring the Aboriginal Rights movement.
9.4
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VINCENT NAMATJIRA
ALBERT NAMATJIRA
Jennifer Mills – The Airways
Moving between two cities and cultures, The Airways is a richly evocative novel from the pen of the Miles Franklin-shortlisted author, Jennifer Mills. It tells the tale of Adam, a student living in Sydney, whose life begins to come apart in the aftermath of a murder. Fleeing to lose himself in the leviathan of Beijing, he discovers that he can’t outrun the truth in this pulsating original story.
9.0
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JENNIFER MILLS
THE AIRWAYS
Steve Wide – A Field Guide to Grunge
Grunge was a unique phenomenon for its time. A revolution born out of a single city, grunge commandeered the course of rock for a brief, explosive time. In Wide’s Field Guide to Grunge, he spells out the contributing factors to the music’s magnetism, its leading lights, its evolution, and its inevitable decline. Boldly designed, it’s the ultimate gift for the ’90s aficionado.
8.7
BUY HERE
STEVE WIDE
A FIELD GUIDE TO GRUNGE
Majak Daw with Heath O’Loughlin – Majak
Few know the highs and lows of professional sporting life in Australia like Majak Daw. Fleeing war-torn Sudan as a child, Daw made it to Melbourne, where he was brought up on a healthy diet of AFL. After making it to the big leagues, he was felled by a string of injuries and a torrent of racial abuse. In the face of this pressure, his life fell apart. This book tells the inspiring story of how someone can rebuild themselves after hitting rock bottom.
8.9
BUY HERE
MAJAK DAW WITH HEATH O’LOUGHLIN
MAJAK
Gwynne Dyer – The Shortest History of War
We all know that war has a pretty long history, but the genius of Dyer’s new book is that it can be so succinctly summarised. Not only does it provide superb historical analysis, but it also offers up a compelling case for how we can avoid the perils of war — despite the menacing presence of nationalism — by understanding it better.
8.7
BUY HERE
