Cirrus@Austlit

'This is a book about rage, as Chrissie Foster says in her opening sentence. It is motivated and driven by rage and, if this is not an oxymoron, it is a panegyric to rage.' (Introduction)

'George Pell is the most polarising religious leader Australia has had in recent decades, certainly since Daniel Mannix – perhaps since Samuel Marsden. For most of his career he has been loathed or adored for his sternly inflexible defence of a Catholic orthodoxy predating the second Vatican Council, his robust and sometimes courageous interaction with opponents inside and outside the church, his relentless determination to crush dissent and doubt, often felt as bullying by those responsible to him, and his fierce ambition.' (Introduction)

'Philip Freier has headed the Anglican Church in Melbourne since the end of 2007, and was elected Primate of Australia in 2014. It has been a difficult few decades for all public institutions, not least the Anglican Church, in keeping people interested and involved and in building and maintaining trust. So from the first the new Archbishop set out to listen - to people in the pews, people in shopping centres and public places, and to church and civic leaders. One pathway has been a series of public conversations in the Edge theatre at Federation Square on topics of public importance, ranging from climate change to toxic childhood, from asylum seekers to the Indigenous intervention, from political process to mental health.He wants people to understand the issues and feel empowered, rather than feeling irrelevant or merely delegating to experts.Guests have been as diverse as Malcolm Fraser and Michael Leunig, Julian Burnside and Noni Hazlehurst. As the number of conversations approaches 50, this book features edited extracts of 15 of them, canvassing issues of abiding importance and interest.Edited and introduced by Barney Zwartz and featuring cartoons by Ron Tandberg.'  (Publication summary)