No More Boats

No More Boats
Author: Felicity Castagna
Publisher: Europa Editions UK
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2019-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1787701700

Both a gripping family drama and a timely meditation on borders, the media, and immigration, No More Boats tells a universal story about fitting in and feeling threatened. Set in Sydney's working-class western suburbs, No More Boats is a vivid portrait of a family whose unraveling collides with a crisis known as the " Tampa affair," when over four hundred refugees were left stranded fifteen miles off the Australian coast as debate over their legitimate entry into the country raged. Antonio, a recently unemployed Italian immigrant, awkwardly assumes a starring role in the fracas, and drags into the spotlight his wife Rose, who has a rich back story of her own, and their two children, Nico and Claire, who are both drifting. Manipulated by the media and made vulnerable by his feelings of irrelevance, Antonio commits an act that makes him a lightning rod for the factions at odds over the Tampa affair. No More Boats is an unbiased, moving, original, and important story about the world we live in, the families we come from, and the raw impulses that we attempt to conceal.

No More Boats

No More Boats
Author: Felicity Castagna
Publisher: Europa Editions
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2019-02-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 160945510X

A “timely and powerful” novel that provides “a haunting and compassionate consideration of the question of who can and cannot come into a country” (Publishers Weekly). Set in Sydney’s working-class western suburbs, No More Boats tells of a family whose unraveling lives collide with a refugee crisis known as the Tampa Affair, when over four hundred refugees were left stranded fifteen miles off the Australian coast. The story revolves around Antonio, an Italian immigrant, his wife, Rose, with a rich back story of her own, and their two children, Nico and Clare—both, in their owns ways, drifting. After a job-related accident forces him into early retirement and the familiar scaffolding of work, family, the immigrant’s dream of betterment, is removed from his life, Antonio’s mind begins to fragment. Manipulated by the media and made vulnerable by his feeling of irrelevance, Antonio commits an act that makes him a lightning rod for the factions that are bitterly at odds over the Tampa Affair . . . A finalist for the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2018, No More Boats is not only a riveting story of a modern family; it also directly addresses issues that many nations are grappling with—immigration, xenophobia, protectionism, racism, media manipulation, and the precariousness of the working poor—and is “full of timely lessons for those pondering the rise of me-first nationalism throughout the world” (Kirkus Reviews).

The Incredible Here and Now

The Incredible Here and Now
Author: Felicity Castanga
Publisher: Giramondo Publishing
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2013-09-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1922146382

Michael’s older brother dies at the beginning of the summer he turns 15, but as its title suggestsThe Incredible Here and Now is a tale of wonder, not of tragedy. Presented as a series of vignettes, in the tradition of Sandra Cisneros’ Young Adult classic The House on Mango Street, it tells of Michael’s coming of age in a year which brings him grief and romance; and of the place he lives in Western Sydney where ‘those who don’t know any better drive through the neighbourhood and lock their car doors’, and those who do, flourish in its mix of cultures. Through his perceptions, the reader becomes familiar with Michael’s community and its surroundings, the unsettled life of his family, the girl he meets at the local pool, the friends that gather in the McDonalds parking lot at night, the white Pontiac Trans Am that lights up his life like a magical talisman.

The Motorboat Book

The Motorboat Book
Author: Ed Sobey
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 161374451X

There's more than one way to power a toy boat. Electric motors, balloons, gears, water jets, belt drives, chemical reactions, steam, and even gravity can be used to propel a small ship across a pool. Also, the boats' propellers and paddles can be side-mounted or at the stern, or even sit above the waterline, like a fan-powered swamp boat. The Motorboat Book will show children how to build more than 20 different models through step-by-step instructions with clear photos. And if they'd rather travel under the water than over it, the book has 6 different submarine projects. In addition to the boatbuilding activities, author Ed Sobey includes instructions on how to build an &“ocean&” to test the boats, as well as accessories such as four different water pumps, waterproof battery and motor cases, and a working foghorn. Most of the boats are built from recycled and easy-to-find materials, but an appendix lists local and online sources for wire, plastic propellers, small motors, and more. Educators will appreciate the Meeting Science Standards summary at the end of the book.

The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story

The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story
Author: Michael M. Lewis
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0393048136

Tells the unlikely story of Silicon Valley through the life of one of its great achievers--Jim Clark, who founded Silicon Graphics and Netscape and may be on the verge of another trillion-dollar company.

The Boys in the Boat (Movie Tie-In)

The Boys in the Boat (Movie Tie-In)
Author: Daniel James Brown
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2023-12-05
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0593512308

The inspiration for the Major Motion Picture Directed by George Clooney—exclusively in theaters December 25, 2023! The #1 New York Times bestselling true story about the American rowing triumph of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin—from the author of Facing the Mountain For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant. It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.

Boats on Land

Boats on Land
Author: Janice Pariat
Publisher: Random House India
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2012-10-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 8184003390

Boats on Land is a unique way of looking at India’s northeast and its people against a larger historical canvas—the early days of the British Raj, the World Wars, conversions to Christianity, and the missionaries. This is a world in which the everyday is infused with folklore and a deep belief in the supernatural. Here, a girl dreams of being a firebird. An artist watches souls turn into trees. A man shape-shifts into a tiger. Another is bewitched by water fairies. Political struggles and social unrest interweave with fireside tales and age-old superstitions. Boats on Land quietly captures our fragile and awkward place in the world.

Boats on the Bay

Boats on the Bay
Author: Jeanne Walker Harvey
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2023-04-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN:

A KidLitTV recommended book! A large-format picture book about a bunch of boats found on a busy bay, buoyed by simple, spare, and lyrical text. Inspired by the San Francisco Bay but with universal appeal, the book features a spectacular double-spread gatefold finale showing a boat parade and fireworks glowing against a city backdrop.

Don't Put the Boats Away

Don't Put the Boats Away
Author: Ames Sheldon
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2019-08-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1631526030

In the aftermath of World War II, the members of the Sutton family are reeling from the death of their “golden boy,” Eddie. Over the next twenty-five years, they all struggle with loss, grief, and mourning. Daughter Harriet and son Nat attempt to fill the void Eddie left behind: Harriet becomes a chemist despite an inhospitable culture for career women in the 1940s and ’50s, hoping to move into the family business in New Jersey, while Nat aims to be a jazz musician. Both fight with their autocratic father, George, over their professional ambitions as they come of age. Their mother, Eleanor, who has PTSD as a result of driving an ambulance during the Great War, wrestles with guilt over never telling Eddie about the horrors of war before he enlisted. As the members of the family attempt to rebuild their lives, they pay high prices, including divorce and alcoholism—but in the end, they all make peace with their losses, each in his or her own way.

The Happiest Refugee

The Happiest Refugee
Author: Anh Do
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2011-03-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1459616057

The bestselling, laugh-out-loud, reach for your hanky story of one of Australia's best-loved comedians.