AUSTRALIA - A HISTORY (Review)

As I migrant to Australia, I always enjoy learning about our wonderful country. Tony Abbott has done a great job of helping to add to our knowledge. As one might expect from a former Prime Minister of Australia, his book, Australia – A History – How an ancient land became a democracy, focusses much on the historical development of Australian politics.

In the Author’s Note, Tony Abbott writes, “I am not a professional historian and this is a personal account based on existing sources. My hope is that a history by someone who has tried to shape it, however briefly and imperfectly, could have an appeal that a more academic exercise might lack.” p. 5. The sources are well referenced with a plethora of endnotes for each chapter, the bibliography is well-stocked, and an A-Z index is included to help find where to look in the book for anything from Abbott government to Zeewijk (ship).

Ex-Prime Minister Abbott, thank you for doing the hard yards of research and for giving us a very readable presentation of what has gone into our nation’s becoming a great democracy!