 The first in a series of six books introducing Indigenous knowledges, Songlines: The Power and the Promise explains the use of mnemonics, or memory systems, in Aboriginal culture.
Songlines archive knowledge in the landscape and are often associated with major ancestral beings, animals, natural elements or even contemporary events. For example, a landslide of red rocks may tell of a bloody ancestral battle. In this way, Songlines, with their additional use of art and song, are a form of writing. Deep forms of knowledge are written into Country and passed on from one generation to the next. We know this system is powerful because of its longevity, with stories maintained over tens of thousands of years. Ensuring the accuracy of information relies on a system of checks and balances: stories, songs and answers are owned, and ownership is not granted to a person until they clearly understand what they have been taught. In an oral culture, information is strongly protected. With its use of personal story, history, art and even neuroscience, Songlines generously invites the reader to expand their consciousness with memory practices that are older than the Western Bible. An instructive and enjoyable primer that will appeal to the scholar and lay reader alike. Songlines: The Power and the Promise, by Margo Neale and Lynne Kelly. Thames & Hudson. $19.99 Review by Chris Saliba. First published at Books + Publishing.  A literary thriller, set in India’s slums, with much to tell about the nation’s culture and politics.
Megha Majumdar’s debut novel is built around three main characters. Jivan lives in the slums of Kolabagan with her parents. She is a young Muslim woman and earns a meagre income from her job in retail. Lovely is a hijra, in India known as belonging to a third gender. In the West we’d probably call Lovely a trans woman. She is studying to become an actress and was tutored by Jivan to improve her English. They both lived in the same slum. Lastly, there is PT Sir. He is a gym teacher who once taught Jivan. Morally weak, he has a few encounters with the second in command of the Jana Kalyan Party, a political party on the cusp of seizing government. He is asked to perform innocuous seeming favours for the party, which turn out to be illegal, but as the party keeps sending him “gifts”, envelopes full of money, he finds it hard to refuse them. When Jivan posts some indignant and inflammatory comments on Facebook after a terrorist attack on a train, she is charged as being an accomplice. In prison, she turns to a journalist, hoping that by getting her life story out, it will become obvious she is innocent. But this only makes things worse as the media twists her words against her. Pretty soon the whole nation is baying for her blood. Being poor and Muslim does not help her case. In fact, it prejudices many against her. There are two people who can help Jivan. Lovely, whose testimony can prove Jivan is innocent. And PT Sir, who can vouch for her good character. But both Lovely and PT Sir realise that their careers are only hindered by defending Jivan, who has become a scapegoat for all that troubles India. A Burning reads like a crime thriller, the story propelled along by the terrible fate hanging over Jivan and the realisation that she is innocent. Majumdar plots a neat and precise tale with sharp dialogue and vibrant characters. Lovely’s chapters, narrated in her own poor English, show a brilliant ear for everyday street language. The story focuses on the lot of India’s poor and downtrodden, with palpable descriptions of slums, prisons and bustling markets. It’s a novel that makes you feel empathy for the hopeless fate of so many of the country’s poor and economically trapped. A thrilling read, expertly told, but also a fascinating, gritty window onto India’s desperately poor. A Burning, by Megha Majumdar. Scribner. $29.99  A new leftist critique of power and money.
Srećko Horvat is a Croatian philosopher and activist. With Yanis Varoufakis he started the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. In Poetry from the Future, Horvat provides a critique of modern capitalism and the policy trends it has created from a leftist point of view. Most of the world's major ills – the overreach of information technology, increasingly authoritarian governments, climate change, the phenomenon of Donald Trump – all get examined in detail. While Horvat's style can be dense and wordy at times (he is a philosopher after all, so can be forgiven for the many references to Hegel, Marx, etc.), he still manages to put across his point in a succinct manner. The basic takeaway of the book is that we all need to do our bit in chipping away at the seemingly impenetrable capitalist fortress that keeps our lives in check. Traditional activism, Horvat argues, is tired and isn't working particularly well. More is needed. That means individuals need to take more action in their daily lives if climate change and rampant capitalism is to be successfully tackled. The sheer power that business and government wields against the everyday citizen, as grimly outlined in the book, can often be daunting. A feeling of helplessness often overtakes the reader. Nevertheless, for those seeking new ways of confronting establishment power, Poetry from the Future is informative and thought provoking. Poetry from the Future: Why a Global Liberation Movement is our Civilisation's Last Chance, by Srecko Horvat. Penguin. $19.99 Review by Chris Saliba  An affable skunk and his many chicken friends create mayhem at a scientist’s house.
Badger is a rock scientist who lives at his aunt Lula’s house. It’s a nice brownstone in the pleasant town of North Twist. Aunt Lula doesn’t live there herself, but allows a generous tenancy to her nephew, so he can pursue his important rock work. Imagine Badger’s surprise one day when there is a knock at the door. He opens it to find Skunk, whose mother is a friend of Aunt Lula’s. Badger is thrown off course by this interruption to his quiet way of life. Worse still, Skunk says he is moving in. They are to be roommates. Aunt Lula has organised it. Things get chaotic when Skunk invites his many chicken friends – 100 in all – to stay as well. Soon the house is overrun with these feathered friends who repeatedly squark “Bock, Bock”. The stage is set for conflict as the mild-mannered Badger tries to cope with the eccentric and jolly natured Skunk. Feathers are ruffled and regretful remarks are made about Skunk’s personal hygiene. Can they resolve their differences and also keep Aunt Lula happy? Writer Amy Timberlake doesn’t put a foot wrong in this delightful, zany, surreal and hilarious odd couple story. There are many pleasant digressions, including a discussion of Shakespeare's Henry V, a theory of chickens performing quantum leaps and a nonsense retelling of the story of Chicken Little. The characters are nicely drawn, with Badger the much imposed upon scientist and Skunk the affable guest who doesn’t seem to think his flock of chickens a problem. The novel’s good cheer develops and gains momentum as the story progresses and by the last page, as problems are resolved, the reader feels that all is right with the world. With gorgeous illustrations by Jon Klassen, this beautifully produced book is destined to be a favourite with all lovers of children’s literature. 8+  An urgently written explainer on COVID-19 and viral diseases.
Debora Mackenzie has worked as a journalist with New Scientist for 36 years. Having followed viruses and pandemics for decades, she was approached to write a “crash” book on the subject of COVID-19. The result is a punchy and arresting short history of zoonotic pathogens – diseases that have jumped from animals to humans. The scientific community has been on high alert since 2013, when coronaviruses were first discovered. Meanwhile, the human race went about its business blissfully unaware. What do we know about COVID-19? That it is almost certain we got it from bats. As human populations expand and move into areas rich in wildlife, the risk of transmission increases. Indeed, the history of agriculture is the history of zoonotic disease. How do we avert further catastrophe? Essentially, money is needed for research and resources (many governments were caught short when it came to medical supplies). Intergovernmental co-operation is also essential. In a globalised world, a pandemic is everyone’s problem. Most importantly, the US and China need to work together, pooling their scientific knowledge. With better planning and preparedness, Mackenzie maintains this pandemic could have been stopped in its tracks. That costs money. But as the global economy nosedives, prevention would be cheaper than cure. A pithy primer on pandemics. COVID-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next One, by Debora Mackenzie. Bridge Street Press. $32.99  A deeply affecting novel based on the true story of a Syrian refugee.
Eva Nour is a Swedish journalist who writes under a pseudonym. In 2015 she met “Sami”, a Syrian asylum seeker whilst working in Paris. The two became friends and later, more seriously involved. Nour persisted in asking Sami questions about the Syrian civil war that started in 2011, encouraging him to open up about his experiences. The result is the remarkable The Stray Cats of Homs, a novelisation of Sami’s story. The novel begins with Sami’s childhood. He grows up with three siblings and loving parents. Soon enough, the brutal nature of Bashar al-Assad’s police state starts impinging on Sami’s life. He learns to be careful of what to say and to whom. In 2011, a series of non-violent protests against the Assad regime take place which are brutally repressed. When civil war breaks out, many human rights abuses take place that are impossible to countenance. Surely the rest of the world won’t let such violent injustices take place? Skillfully constructed to make for engaging reading, The Stray Cats of Homs shows how the Syrian civil war, through Sami’s story, has devastated countless lives. A humbling story delivered with grace and humanity. The Stray Cats of Homs, by Eva Nour. Doubleday $29.99 Review by Chris Saliba  A frog story that will delight.
Bibbit is a frog that loves to jump. He has a sister, no longer a tadpole, whom he calls Little Frog. The two go on a picnic and find a banana tree. They pick the juiciest banana and share it with their other frog friends. Bibbit and Little Frog don’t only have friends in the frog world, they are also friendly with rabbits, squirrels, birds – even cats and dogs. They get involved in many adventures in the wild, but soon Little Frog wants to go to the city. Bibbit is not so sure – the city makes him nervous – but eventually he follows her lead. Together they navigate the city’s busy streets, find a lift in a big building, and go to the top floor for a big surprise. Illustrator and writer Bei Lynn’s quirky story of frogs, tadpoles and other forest creatures is an utter delight from start to finish. Full of surprises and funny incidents (the scene with the balancing tadpoles is a hoot), and featuring beautiful line and watercolour illustrations, Bibbit Jumps will charm emerging readers – and adults too. For ages 7 – 8 years old Bibbit Jumps, by Bei Lynn. Gecko Press $16.99 Review by Chris Saliba |
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