Entries Tagged as 'Book Review'

A Burqa And A Hard Place – by Sally Cooper

 

The end of Sally Cooper’s book, A Burqa And A Hard Place, made me sad. Not so much because it was about the sad goodbyes when she left Afghanistan, but more because i’d been enjoying reading it and now it was finished.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sally at Sanjar’s birthday party a month or so ago (see my earlier post on that). She knew Sanjar from her days working in community radio in Kabul. I didn’t meet her when i was there, though, as she left Afghanistan a few months before i arrived. … Read more »

An Average War

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I’ve recently finished reading “An Average War”, by Mike Peyton. It’s the story of his life in the British army during the second world war.

War stories aren’t even close to the type of genre i normally read, but Mike’s the father of a couple of very old friends of mine and he was kind enough to give me a copy of his book. And i’m glad he did, as i really enjoyed reading it. It’s well written, in a very casual sort of way, and the story of his wartime adventures is gripping. … Read more »

A Computer Called Leo

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I’ve just finished reading a book about the history of one of the earliest computers. That might sound deadly boring, but “A Computer Called Leo”, by Georgina Ferry, is very well written and should be of interest to people other than computer nerds.

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Intractable – by Bernie Mathews

At the end of November, i will have been in Australia for 22 years. Within three months of arriving in Sydney, i got involved with Radio Skid Row – the inner Sydney community radio station. There, i met all sorts of people – blackfellas, crims, migrants, feminists, anarchists, communists, weirdoes, agitators and general ratbags. The people i got to know during that period – some of whom are still close friends today – largely defined the course of my life over the years that were to come. Directly and indirectly, being involved with Radio Skid Row then has led me to where i am right now. … Read more »