Happy’s Best New Books of 2021 (12th July – 18th July)
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!
Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang – An Ugly Truth
Spawned from a 2018 New York Times investigation into privacy breaches in Facebook during the 2016 U.S. election, An Ugly Truth is a comprehensive account of the now struggling behemoth. A quintessentially 21st-century tale, it sheds new light on the internal workings of a company whose influence is felt throughout the world, asking if the technology it unleashed is too powerful to be controlled.
9.1
BUY HERE
SHEERA FRENKEL AND CECILIA KANG
AN UGLY TRUTH
Anna Sale – Let’s Talk About Hard Things
From the creator of the hit Death, Sex & Money podcast comes Let’s Talk About Hard Things. And from what you can gather by those two titles, the podcaster and author Anna Sale isn’t afraid of awkward chats. Through the book, readers are shown that these conversations are key to connection and instead of causing rifts, have the power to bring us closer together.
8.8
BUY HERE
ANNA SALE
LET’S TALK ABOUT HARD THINGS
Adam Andrusier – Two Hitlers and a Marilyn
Two Hitlers and a Marilyn tells the story of Adam Andrusier and his life-long obsession with autographs. As a child, any escape from the soporific surrounds of the suburbs was highly prized. As such, Andrusier pursued exotic with a passion, hunting autographs from any famous person he could think of. Effortlessly told, it’s a tale that spans the heartfelt and the hilarious.
9.0
BUY HERE
ADAM ANDRUSIER
TWO HITLERS AND A MARILYN
Mehreen Faruqi – Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud
The long-awaited memoir/manifesto of Australia’s first Muslim parliamentarian, Mehreen Faruqi, pulls no punches. A passionate advocate for social and environmental justice, the book is a compelling account of her development and sets a new benchmark for unflinching honesty in a political memoir. Then again, it’s no less than what you’d expect.
8.9
BUY HERE
MEHREEN FARUQI
TOO MIGRANT, TOO MUSLIM, TOO LOUD
Anthony Mullins – Beyond the Hero’s Journey
Even those outside of the filmmaking business are aware of ‘the hero’s journey’ story format: take a hero, send them on a journey. Bada bing, bada boom. Of course, if you’re interested in creating rich and evolving story arcs, you might need some guidance in avoiding that particular trope. Referencing a host of examples that think outside the square, Anthony Mullins’ (a BAFTA award-winning screenwriter) book takes you through the ins and outs of contemporary screenwriting, exploding more than a few myths along the way.
8.5
BUY HERE
ANTHONY MULLINS
BEYOND THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Alexis Wright – Grog War
Originally published in 1997, this new edition of the classic from the pen of Miles Franklin-winner, Alexis Wright, still burns bright with vitality. It deals with the struggle of Aboriginal Elders and community leaders to stem the tide of alcohol pouring into Warumungu land (Tennant Creek, Northern Territory). An important document of the path toward Indigenous self-determination.
