Collection: Biography

Here was a young black boy who faced the hourly life and death reality of growing up in a humble town on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border, with the edifice of apartheid beginning to crumble in South Africa and civil war raging in Zimbabwe. He only ever started fighting to protect himself, his par...

Who is Rampaging Roy Slaven? An Australian icon, a raconteur, an athlete of unsurpassable - and some may say improbable - sporting feats. Whether training Rooting King to another Melbourne Cup victory, commentating the Olympics or hobnobbing with the country's upper crust, Rampaging Roy Slaven ha...

The heart-rending story of a child 'Tampa' refugee who grew up to become a Fulbright scholar, highlighting the plight and potential of refugees everywhere. When the Taliban were at the height of their power in 2001, Abbas Nazari's parents were faced with a choice: stay and face persecution in the...

A coming-of-age memoir of addiction, ambition and redemption in the high-stakes world of Michelin star kitchens. From reckless drug addict to one of Australia's top chefs and television stars: MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo's powerful life story will shock and inspire. Jock's life spiralled out ...

In 2015, at the age of 97, Katherine Johnson became a global celebrity. President Barack Obama awarded her the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom-the nation's highest civilian honour for her pioneering work as a mathematician on NASA's first flights into space. Her contributions to America...

In the early hours of 26 February 1918, the British hospital ship Glenart Castle steamed into the Bristol Channel, heading for France to pick up wounded men from the killing fields of the Western Front. Onboard was 32-year-old Australian nurse, Edith Blake. After being torpedoed by a German U-boa...

In July 1999, Nina Simone gave a rare performance as part of Nick Caves Meltdown Festival. After the show, in a state of awe, Warren Ellis crept onto the stage, took her piece of chewed gum from the piano, wrapped it in her stage towel and put it in a Tower Records bag. The gum remained with him ...

The definitive memoir of David Williamson, author of iconic dramas such as The Removalists, The Club, Don's Party, Emerald City and Travelling North, as well as more than fifty other plays, explores the life of the writer and the true stories and real lives that inspired his works. A defining for...

Toni Tapp grew up on the massive Killarney Station, where her stepfather, Bill Tapp, was a cattle king. But there was no 'big house' here - Toni did not grow up in a large homestead. She lived in a shack that had no electricity and no running water. The oppressive climate of the Territory - eithe...

'For almost 30 years, Lynne McGranger has been entertaining TV viewers all around the world. As a veteran on the popular soap Home and Away, her much-loved character Irene Roberts has long been a font of wisdom, good humour and unforgettable lines. But Lynne's story goes far beyond Summer Bay. Fr...