Western Horizon: Sydney’s heartland and the future of Australian politics, David Burchell. Scribe, 2003. isbn 0 908011 93 8, rrp $16.95
David Burchell examines the political phenomenon of western Sydney. Burchell goes beyond the everyday perceptions and uncovers many paradoxes. He recognises that while western Sydney bears the mark of poverty and poor infrastructure, it is also increasingly a place of prosperity—particularly for those who have benefited from the rise in housing prices and those seeking the advantages of living in open-space suburbs and ‘dream’ homes.
Since Tampa and September 11, western Sydney has gained a reputation for racism. In Western Horizon, Burchell concludes that while the area continues to attract high numbers of migrants, a culture of racism and intolerance persists.
Exploring the shift from traditional Labor voting behaviour towards a Liberal mind-set, Burchell offers readers an engaging view of the political culture of western Sydney.
Miriam Bugden
Body and Soul: A Spirituality of Imaginative Creativity, Fintan Creaven. St. Paul’s, 2003. isbn 1 876295 59 7, rrp $21.95
One of the great discoveries of late has been the wealth of Celtic spirituality. The prayers, poems and practices of early Irish Christians have been widely published and appreciated.
Fintan Creaven, a British Jesuit, reflects on the connection between his Celtic and his Ignatian heritage. It is a journey of discovery, as it would be for many Jesuits of his generation. The emphasis in Celtic spirituality on wonder at the beauty and rhythms of creation, and to recover the same spirit in Ignatius and his companions. Qualities often obscured in the desire to make an orderly and teachable spirituality.
The book is notable for its enthusiasm and its quotations from Celtic literature. I would have loved only to see the writer go in for more recent spirituality through Patrick Kavanagh, George McKay Brown and John McGahran.
Andrew Hamilton
One Fourteenth of an Elephant: A memoir of life and death on the Burma–Thailand Railway, Ian Denys Peek. Macmillan, 2003. isbn 0 7329 1168 0, rrp $35.00
Reading this book inspires you to sit down with a bottle of whisky and two glasses—one for yourself and one for Peek as he tells you his story. The book is not a narrative but a conversation.
It’s about being a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma railway during World War II. The author is emotional and forthright. His attitude to his Japanese and Korean captors is hard to swallow, but his anger is understandable. Peek’s intense dislike