I Confess is an intimate portrayal of command in the crucible of war. Major General John Joseph Murray fought in the AIF in both the First and Second World Wars. He won the Military Cross as a company commander during the disastrous Battle of Fromelles, and in the Second World War he commanded the Australian 20th Brigade during the siege of Tobruk, that grinding, tortuous desert defence that saw the German forces label his men 'rats', a badge they have worn since with pride and honour. I Confess is a carefully crafted analysis of leadership under pressure, a very personal reflection on its stresses, its tragedies and its lifelong rewards.

Dust, Donkeys and Delusion examines and clinically debunks the myth that has grown up around Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick, the so-called Man with the Donkey', the quintessential Australian hero' of Gallipoli. While the various elements of the Simpson myth have now become popularly accepted as `history', Dust, Donkeys and Delusion shows clearly, based on historical documents, both official and unofficial, that almost every word ever spoken or written about Simpson following his death is false.

Since 1899, the significant role Australian gunners have played in supporting the Australian Military Forces' campaigns has been well-documented. They have gallantly and whole-heartedly supported Australian, British, New Zealand and Indian armies in both World Wars, the Korean and Borneo Confrontation Wars and most recently the Vietnam War. Do Unto Others is a comprehensive account of the history of counter bombardment, including the development of Australian techniques, equipment and procedures through the campaigns up until Vietnam, with references to the techniques and actions of the British and American artillery included where appropriate to place the Australian experience in perspective. It is also the story of the brave men behind the artillery and their outstanding efforts and results across these varied campaigns.

The Australian Imperial Force, first raised in 1914 for overseas war service, became better known by its initials - the "AIF". There was a distinct character to those who enlisted in the earliest months and who were destined to fight on Gallipoli. During the war the AIF took its place among the great armies of the world, on some of history's oldest battlefields. The Australians would attack at the Dardanelles, enter Jerusalem and Damascus, defend Amiens and Ypres, and swagger through the streets of Cairo, Paris, and London, with their distinctive slouch hats and comparative wealth of six shillings per day. However, the legend of the AIF is shrouded in myth and mystery. Was Beersheba the last great cavalry charge in history? Did the AIF storm the red light district of Cairo and burn it to ground while fighting running battles with the military police? Was the AIF the only all-volunteer army of World War I? Graham Wilson's Bully Beef and Balderdash shines an unforgiving light on these and other well-known myths of the AIF in World War I, arguing that these spectacular legends simply serve to diminish the hard-won reputation of the AIF as a fighting force. Graham Wilson mounts his own campaign to rehabilitate the historical reputation of the force and to demonstrate that misleading and inaccurate embellishment does nothing but hide the true story of Australia's World War I fighting army. Bully Beef and Balderdash deliberately tilts at some wellloved windmills and, for those who cherish the mythical story of the AIF, this will not be comfortable reading. Yet, given the extraordinary truth of the AIF's history, it is certainly compelling reading.

The Backroom Boys is the remarkable, but little known, story of how a varied group of talented intellectuals, drafted into the Australian Army in the dark days of 1942, provided high-level policy advice to Australia’s most senior soldier, General Blamey, and through him to the Government for the remainder of the war and beyond. This band of academics, lawyers and New Guinea patrol officers formed a unique military unit, the Directorate of Research and Civil Affairs, under the command of an eccentric and masterful string-puller, Alf Conlon. Based on wide-ranging research, this book reveals a fuller and more fascinating picture.

Whatever Remains is a true story. The fall of Singapore is considered one of Britain's worst defeats of the Second World War. For Penny Graham's father, however, it became a life-changing opportunity to shed once and for all, all of the shackles of a family he no longer wanted. From 1942 onwards her parents would carry passports that gave them backgrounds that had nothing to do with reality. In 2010, a recognised Australian author claimed that her father and mother were involved in espionage for the British Government before, during and after World War 2. Although he worked in Australian naval intelligence during the war, there is no evidence whatsoever that he was an MI6 spy. He clearly had his own motives for the change of identity but they had nothing to do with espionage. Penny Graham spent most of her adult life unravelling the truth about her family history. Her journey took her around the world twice, on many twists and turns, false leads and dead ends as she discovers hew her father managed to hoodwink so many people in his long and complex life. Whatever Remains is a beautifully written story about solving mysteries, conquering adversity and ultimately finding where you belong in the world. It's a slice of history worth telling.

Ian Mansfield was serving in the Australian Army when he was selected to command a team of Australian combat engineers to go to Pakistan to train Afghan refugees in mine-clearance procedures. With millions of refugees expected to return to Afghanistan, the United Nations saw a humanitarian crisis looming and requested help from Western countries to tackle the landmine problem. In September 1991, Ian, along with his wife and two young children, left Australia on a one-year assignment … and didn’t return home for 20 years. This highly personal account recalls Ian’s pioneering efforts to set up a civilian program in Afghanistan to clear landmines for humanitarian purposes, and then his decision to leave the Australian Army and join the United Nations. He continued to work in the mine-action sector, setting up programs in Laos and Bosnia, and then working at the policy level at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Stepping into a Minefield highlights the dangers and the tragedies involved in landmine clearance, but also reveals the great humanity, dedication and humour of the thousands of brave men and women clearing landmines today. It also outlines the political, cultural and security ‘minefields’ that Ian had to navigate along the way, which were often more difficult to deal with than the real minefields.

In their own words the Aussie diggers provide a fascinating glimpse of the many funny and touching moments that our Diggers often hold to their chest. This collection of stories in this book provides a taste of what a soldiers life is like in both war and peace.

So I Hit Him is an extremely powerful memoir that will shock many people, yet is intensely inspirational. Born in a former workhouse hospital in Manchester, England with multiple disabilities and not expected to survive, Michael was placed in care almost from birth. By the time he was 17, he had been placed in over 30 institutions and had suffered every manner of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect. His Asperger's became the key to his survival in a hostile world, enabling him to endure punishment, deprivation and emotional conflict. His rage and frustration had created a man who used violence to deal with most situations in life. Readers: be prepared to suspend judgment as you read an inspirational story. Michael's strong will to live and learn enabled him to survive not only his time in care, but also his forced migration, as a child, to Australia, and his later alcohol addiction. It also enabled him to finally succeed in his ultimate goals of getting an education and helping youth in trouble. So I Hit Him is the compelling story of a man who, despite all odds being against him, still says he has had a lucky life.

In 1994 a group of Australian UN peacekeepers, made up of soldiers and army medical personnel, was sent to Rwanda under a United Nations mandate to help restore order to the war-torn country. These Australians would be exposed to a lack of humanity they were not prepared for and found hard to fathom. On 22nd April 1995, the daily horror and tragedy they had witnessed escalated out of control. At a displaced persons' camp in Kibeho, in full view of the Australian soldiers, over 4,000 unarmed men, women and children died in a hail of bullets, grenades and machete blades at the hands of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. Constrained by the UN peacekeeping Rules of Engagement, these Australians could only watch helplessly and try to assist the wounded under the gaze of the trigger-happy killers. Pure Massacre is a record of what happened during this peacekeeping mission. Kevin "Irish" O'Halloran, a Platoon Sergeant at the time, stresses the weaknesses of the UN charter and what happens when "good men do nothing". He pulls together the perspectives of those Australian soldiers who served in Rwanda at this time. Pure Massacre gives a new and personal voice to the Kibeho Massacre. It takes a special type of bravery, discipline and compassion to do what these soldiers did. Little did they know, when the second tour of Rwanda was over, that they would be the highest decorated UN peacekeeping contingent since the Korean War. For many, their service in Rwanda would come with a personal toll. No Australians died during and immediately after the massacre at Kibeho, but as Pure Massacre testifies, the suffering and tragedy is embedded in their memories.

Detective Peter Seymour has seen every type of death imaginable in his time in the NSW Coroner's Court and, after many years in law enforcement, the tragedies are beginning to take their toll. Dealing with death day in day out becomes too much for Seymour and this seasoned veteran starts to grapple with overwhelming feelings of fear and doubt. He decides to return to the police force hoping the operational work might offer some reprieve. Fate would have it otherwise as he is thrust straight back into an intense murder investigation. One Friday night in the year 2000, Nick Hanes is heading home after a night out with his mates. Barely 250 metres from his home, he is set upon by two men. Bashed, beaten, then murdered, Hanes dies after a senseless and random attack. Seymour is called to the St Mary's crime scene. He examines the body and discovers that there are very few clues and no leads, no witnesses. As the case unravels it takes every bit of his experience, tenacity and determination to not only discover the identity of the perpetrators but to also deal with his own demons that are beginning to spiral out of control. Deadly Paths tells the true story of two men embarking on dangerous paths. One man finds himself the victim of a violent crime, the other searching for justice for the dead man's family as he struggles with his own battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the result of a life spent giving his all for others. Both paths are intertwined, and there is no turning back.

The loss of a child is the most devastating event a parent can face. In this moving memoir Liza Jankowski, the mother of four children, two boys and two still born girls, shares her experience with stillbirth and the effects that go far beyond what people could ever imagine. Dreams are destroyed. Lives are changed forever. The loss can seem too hard to bear. After a trouble-free pregnancy, Liza's first daughter Olivia was declared dead at 41 weeks. Devastated and racked by guilt after deciding not to have the baby induced earlier, Liza was desperate for comfort and answers. If only? Why? What if? Her mind exploded with questions and she felt isolated and alone in her grief. In this emotive personal account, Liza shares her inner-most thoughts and feelings about the loss of a desperately loved daughter and how that loss changed her whole being. She discusses the impact on her relationships, her subsequent pregnancy and what she ultimately learned: devastating as it is, life does get better and the pain will ease. Changed is a powerful combination of a mother's personal journey and helpful information that will offer comfort, hope and understanding. It is also the story of a mother's love for a child that remains long after separation and death.

One of the shortest lived and most battle hardened of the 1st Australian Imperial Force’s battalions, the 47th was formed in Egypt in 1916 and disbanded two years later having suffered one of the highest casualty rates of any Australian unit. Their story is remarkable for many reasons.Dogged by command and discipline troubles and bled white by the desperate attrition battles of 1916 and 1917, they fought on against a determined and skilful enemy in battles where the fortunes of war seemed stacked against them at every turn. Not only did they have the misfortune to be called into some of the A.I.F.’s most costly campaigns, chance often found them in the worst places within those battles.Though their story is one of almost unrelieved tragedy, it is also story of remarkable courage, endurance and heroism. It is the story of the 1st A.I.F. itself – punished, beaten, sometimes reviled for their indiscipline, they fought on - fewer, leaner and harder - until final victory was won. And at its end, in an extraordinary gesture of mateship, the remnants of the 47th Battalion reunited. Having been scattered to other units after their disbandment, the survivors gathered in Belgium for one last photo together. Only 73 remained.

Inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist Fable, the Frog and Well, that encourages people to look outside what is normal, author Josh Langley has created a delightful book designed to take the reader on a journey to happiness; embracing all that is supposedly wrong with us. Anyone can take something away from each cartoon; either a little morsel of connection with the message and words, a deeper spiritual awakening or a laugh and smile at the simple joy it brings.

Being a grandmother is one of life's most important roles and many women can feel unprepared to take it on. New Age Nanas presents the rich and diverse views of over 1000 modern Australian grandmothers on what it is like to be a grandmother today, interwoven with expert commentary on how to make the most of this potentially wonderful and rewarding stage of life. This book is for grandmothers and their families to contemplate, learn from, laugh and cry with. Readers will read about grandmothers' views on topics such as feelings towards grandchildren, managing changing relationships as grandchildren get older, negotiating conflicts, special issues faced by grandmothers and taking time for their own lives, together with expert suggestions and advice from the authors on positive grandmothering. Based on sound research, and written in an engaging and readable style, it is a 'self help' book for grandmothers with a difference. Most importantly, New Age Nanas is a book in which Australia's two million grandmothers can find themselves, their concerns and their joys in the modern grandmothering role.

Growing up poor, fatherless and unwanted in a small Canadian town in the 1950s, Patricia Barton had plenty be sorry about. Spitting out the host at her Holy Communion it seemed that she had even failed God. After years of abuse and neglect, Patricia ran away from home at the age of 13, searching for her father and a better life. Instead she finds herself in an orphanage, alone and abandoned again. Refusing to give up on her dreams, her persistence and passion for learning win her a scholarship. At 16, when released from the Home, she goes to live with her older sister in a tiny room. Life still has challenges but she is making her own way. Patricia's journey is a heart-warming and at times confronting. It is a series of adventures - picaresque, interesting and sometimes even bizarre - but through it all she never loses sight of her dreams. She wins a beauty contest, travels to Europe, becomes an actress and moves to Australia with her new husband where she becomes a successful model and furthers her education. Where she once seemed destined to be homeless and alone she has now built a fulfilling life in the 'Lucky Country' with a dream home, opportunities and family of her own. A beautifully written and inspiring memoir, Why God Hates Me is the before and after story of a gutsy teenager who succeeds despite the odds. It is a story that shows what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own happiness and let hope and optimism shine through. It is a Cinderella story that has stood the test of time with the ultimate prize - happiness!