Book Review #754 - The Jerilderie Letter by Ned Kelly and Alex McDermott

"I have been wronged & my mother & four or five men lagged innocent & is my brothers & sisters & my mother not to be pitied also who has no alternative only to put up with the brutal & cowardly conduct of a parcel of big ugly fat-necked wombat headed big bellied magpie legged narrow hipped splay-footed sons of Irish Bailiffs or english landlords which is better known as Officers of Justice or Victorian Police."--Ned Kelly

The Jerilderie Letter is Ned Kelly's manifesto, the story of a widow's son outlawed.

My Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed the introduction written by Alex McDermott as Ned Kelly's part was written like you were already supposed to be familiar with his story and it had been a while since I learnt Ned's story in any great detail.

I had no idea this letter even existed until I visited the State Library of Victoria when I was in Melbourne recently. I went there to see Ned Kelly's real armor and was surprised to see the real handwritten (by Joe Byrne) Jerilderie Letter and once I saw the book for sale in their bookshop of course I picked it up and actually started reading it on the roadtrip to Glenrowan.

Ned Kelly's part of the book was rather confusing. It was obvious that they weren't that educated as there was no real coherency to the story. I really enjoyed the part about Stringbark Creek and this was my favourite part in the book. 

Book Review #744 - Living in a Material World: George Harrison by Olivia Harrison, Mark Holborn, Paul Theroux and Martin Scorsese

Drawing on George Harrison’s personal archive of photographs, letters, diaries, and memorabilia, Olivia Harrison reveals the arc of his life, from his guitar-obsessed boyhood in Liverpool, to the astonishment of the Beatles years, to his days as an independent musician and bohemian squire. Here too is the record of Harrison’s lifelong commitment to Indian music, and his adventures as a movie producer, Traveling Wilbury, and Formula One racing fan. The book is filled with stories and reminiscences from Harrison’s friends, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many, many others. Among its previously unpublished riches are photographs taken by Harrison himself beginning in the mid-1960s. It is a rich tribute to a man who died far too young, but who touched the lives of millions.

My Rating: 4.5/5

I had just finished watching the documentary on Netflix that this book is a companion to when I discovered this book at my local library so of course I had to borrow it.

Firstly, George Harrison is my favourite Beatle and as I was quite young when he died and he is in no way as prevalent in pop culture as John Lennon I really enjoyed learning more about him the person rather than the quiet Beatle.

I loved that the book seemed to cover all aspects of his life without delving into the personal stuff and through that we got to see the many layers to his personality.

Book Review #723 - The John Lennon Letters by John Lennon and Edited by Hunter Davies

A lifetime of letters, collected for the first time, from the legendary musician and songwriter.

John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius.

This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself.

 

 

My Rating: 8.5/10

 

 

John Lennon died more than a decade before I was even born however my dad being the massive Beatles fan that he is ensured that I knew all about him and the amazing music that he created.

 

This book however adds so much depth to the person John Lennon was. Each postcard, most of which were supplied by fans who had bought them at auctions, shows massive insight on John's life over the years before Beatlemania up until his tragic death.

 

I loved that each of these postcards were included with context added with the editor's narration of John's life. The postcards weren't just randomly put together.

 

I also loved that this book seemed to contradict some rumours I have heard about John such as him not having any contact with his eldest son Julian as this book has numerous letters showing otherwise. Plus he sends Julian a letter with lyrics from 'Beautiful Boy' long before the song was even released as people assume the song is about Sean as his name appears in the song.

 

I also loved the quirky illustrations that John always added to his letters. Sometimes they were quite elaborate while others were simply lazy doodles.

 

Overall, I loved that this book was told somewhat directly through John as I thought that this was likely the best way for me to begin my Beatles book reading journey.

 

If anyone knows any other Beatles related books worth reading please leave a comment below.

Book Review #621 - Phillip Hughes: The Official Biography by Peter Lalor and Malcolm Knox

My Rating: N/A


Source: Bought


Buy: Dymocks 


Goodreads

Drawing on almost 100 interviews and featuring scores of images from the Hughes family's personal collection, this is a stirring biography about the life of Phillip Hughes: son, brother, friend, farmer, cricketer, inspiration.

Phillip Hughes gave his life to cricket.

And cricket gave Phillip Hughes his life.

When Hughes scored twin centuries in his second Test - the youngest man in cricket's 135-year history to achieve the feat - the world hailed the arrival of a brilliant new star. Here was a batting prodigy from a tiny country town with a twinkle in his eye and a wizardry with the willow to fill the dreams of a generation. But those dreams were lost in November 2014 when Hughes was felled, playing the game he loved.

Told through the voices of those who knew him best, Phillip Hughes:­ The Official Biography is the incredible story of the boy from Macksville who became Australian Test cricketer 408. It charts the folkloric rise of the banana grower's son with the axe-handle batting technique, reliving his adventures on and off the field and celebrating his many triumphs and travails.

And it pays tribute to the fighting spirit and gift for friendship that made this unique young man a hero to millions.

First of all, I have decided not to give ratings to non-fiction books any more as I find them too difficult to rate. 

For those who don't know who Phillip Hughes was, he was an Australian cricketer who died just days short of his 26th birthday after he was struck on the neck with a cricket ball during a game. 

This is definitely one of the better cricketing biographies that I have read - one of the best biographies in general really and it certainly took a lot of research. 

I loved the amount of people who were interviewed for this book - it gave a broad range of perspective and also showed how many people Phillip Hughes touched. 

The book contains A LOT of photographs and this was my favourite part of the book.