Arson, Journalism and Steel - non-fiction

The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire 

Chloe Hooper

258 pages, Paperback First published 15 October 2018

In 2009 two fires were lit deliberately in the LaTrobe Valley, Victoria, the devastation of that single act resulted in the loss of lives and property. Hooper looks at how the police investigated the crime of arson; the impact fire has on the community and the workings of the mind of an arsonist.

Hooper’s book is compelling reading as you are deftly navigated through the police commencing their work to understand where the fire commenced, its path and the outcomes. The stories of those who did and did not survive are heartbreaking. Too often we see numbers on a news headline, 173 dead, over 3,500 structures destroyed, and 450,000 ha burnt. They are big numbers, but Hooper brings in the real damage through the words of the people who were there. It is through their descriptions of the intensity of the heat, lack of visibility, walls of flames, and the speed of what they were facing. Hooper looks at the Australian experience with bushfires and how it is an ongoing legacy of fight to save property or flee to safety. Then Hooper takes an in-depth look at the arsonist responsible for the fires. Following the police investigation, the trial and the aftermath.

This is an incredible piece of writing, it is empathic to all and a masterful piece.

Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Craft of Journalism

Leigh Sales

320 pages, Published 30 August 2023

Leigh Sale's Storytellers is a question and answer session with a multitude of well known Australian journalists and media personalities. Sales has broken the interviews into categories such as investigative reporting, interviewing, and anchoring. There is no set question format, each discussion is tailored too illicit responses that tease out how each journalist operates.

Through the Q&A's you get a sense of each person came to journalism, how they see their role and what they look for as newsworthy.

It is a really good read, gives some valuable insight and looks at how the media landscape is changing. 

Women of Steel: The Feisty Factory Sisters Who Helped Win the War

Michelle Rawlins

304 pages, Paperback Published 8 February 2022

Rawlins provides an in-depth look at the role women played in keeping the heavy industries going during World War Two. The conditions they faced, including the lack of training, safety and the constant worry about the what has happened to their loved ones fighting.

They were a key to providing the necessary infrastructure for the war effort but their efforts have largely been ignored. This book certainly addresses this.