Shorter History of Australia

Having visited Australia many times frm the UK as my son lives there, I really wanted to know more of its history. This book was very good and easy to understand. Thoroughly enjoy it! Well written & read. Very informative. Well worth listening to for most regular visitors!!!

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Perfect short history

Logically structured but not without interesting unpredicatable facts, appropriately personal, balanced and comprehensive cover and you get the feeling the author is Australian but at the same time fair and impartial. The reading performance was imaculate, well-paced and clear as a bell.

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1 person found this helpful

Australian History

Geoffrey Blainey has the ability to write history in such a manner that entices the reader to be be completely absorbed and interested in his knowledge. He gives a comprehensive overview of Australian history from the First Fleet, Aborigines through until 2009.
The book revived school lessons learned of long ago and I learnt new facts and gained answers of unanswered questions.
It also will help me with researching my family history.
For anyone wanting an overview of Australian history, I would strongly recommend this book.
The narrator, Humphrey Bower immediately envelops the reader into the story with his very pleasant voice.

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Oz as it happened

This is the perfect book not only for Australians wanting to know more about their country, but for tourists who like to have some history on the areas they are are visiting. Tells you plenty without getting bogged down in details Good on yer!

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Readable overview of Australia's development

Interesting overview of Australia's development starting with Aboriginal settlement and adaptation to the land over 40,000 years ago and ending with Kevin Rudd's first stint as Prime Minister of Australia. Despite numerous developments since then, the bulk of this history - surveying such issues as colonisation, (somewhat limited) discussion of dispossession and violence against the Aboriginal peoples, participation in the first and second world wars, immigration, agricultural and natural resource exploitation and development, infrastructure development, urbanisation, sport as core to Australia's identity.

Blainey does a good job of surveying the big picture issues, illustrated at times with more detailed and personal stories, and general insights regarding politics, economics and history. As somebody who grew up overseas (and didn't learn much about Australian history at any earlier stage of my education) I found this informative, well written, engaging, and a good overview.

Blainey's work has been critiqued within the so-called "history wars" - reflecting the debates and contests about the degree of violence and dispossession suffered by Australia's first peoples. Blainey seeks to present a "balanced account" - but this just touches on the degree of contestation and dispossession that occurred and the current challenges within Australia. I would have been interested to hear still more on the important land rights decisions of Australian courts, the ongoing challenges to Australia's economy, the problems inherent in climate change denial, the harms of alcohol despite it being so throughly intertwined with day to day life and its narrative in Australia.

Well worth a listen!

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Enlighenting and entertaining

Very interesting book. Puts into perspective how much the isolation and climate of Australia played in determining its history. Good use of anecdotes to keep it light in parts. Disappointed that the Stolen Generation was not mentioned

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Colonial and anachronistic

I found this a difficult listen and cannot recommend it.

The repeated use of anachronistic language (“the Aborigines”) to refer to First Nations peoples and the glossing over of invasion (“arrival”), oppression and genocide makes this book one to avoid for me.

There is a limited acknowledgement of injustice and suffering but the development of the railways gets more attention than the genocidal violence of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The author suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander peoples are to blame for their own suffering due to a lack of desire to assimilate to the culture of the occupier. The devastating impact of invasion on First Nations peoples is framed as being occasionally bad but generally positive and benevolently well-meaning.

His approach is colonial and old fashioned, reminding me of old newsreels and cheerleading books about the British Empire. He speaks of “pioneers” and “brave explorers”.

Environmental destruction is celebrated as a triumph of industriousness and enterprise with little reflection on its impact. The introduction of invasive species and its devastating impact on Australia’s biodiversity gets too little attention. Environmentalism is equated with communism. The climate emergency is described as an “episode”.

He is an apologist for racism describing the “essential” White Australia policy, and critical of the welfare state. Joh Bjelke-Petersen is described as “dynamic”.

A writer can express their views but the book then ceases to be a scholarly work on history and becomes a platform for his personal political views. He makes repeated sweeping and unsubstantiated claims about the views of Australians and presents opinion as fact.

The bicentennial is presented as being an uncontroversial moment of unity and pride.

LGBTQ Australians get one and half sentences and are otherwise ignored. Women don’t get much more attention and individuals are rarely named, all too often being merely mothers and wives.

A final point: Britain and British are almost always rejected in favour of England and English. “The reigning English monarch” for example. This is simply incorrect as there has not been a reigning English monarch since 1707.

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1 person found this helpful