Cirrus@Austlit

'When John Devitt won Olympic 100-metre freestyle gold in 1960, his inspiration was Healy. He always wanted to write his hero's biography. Now, on the centenary of Healy's death, Devitt has joined with Larry Writer to produce an extraordinary tale of a man who was born to swim, earned sporting immortality but then sacrificed all. The book recalls Australia's first great era of swimming, our early Olympic achievements and the rise of the surf lifesaving movement. Healy helped organise the visit of Duke Kahanamoku to Australia in the summer of 1914-15, an adventure that inspired generations of board riders.

'Three years earlier, at the Stockholm Olympics, he refused to race in the 100 metres final unless the Duke, the race favourite, was also allowed to swim. The great Hawaiian had missed his semi-final, after a misunderstanding over the starting time. Cecil later won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay, but it was his altruism that earned him a place in sport's highest pantheon. When John Devitt adopted his sporting hero, he could not have chosen a finer man.' (Publication summary)

'Rod Laver's memoir is the inspiring story of how a diminutive, left-handed, red-headed country boy from Rockhampton became one of Australia's greatest every sporting champions. Rod was a dominant force in world tennis for almost two decades, playing and defeating some of the greatest players of the twentieth century. In 1962, Rod became the second man to win the Grand Slam - that is, winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles in a single calendar year. In 1969 he won it again, becoming the only player ever to win the Grand Slam twice. His book is a wonderfully nostalgic journey into Australia's sporting past, from the early days of growing up in a Queensland country town in the 1950s, to breaking into the amateur circuit, to the extraordinary highs of Grand Slam victories. Away from on-court triumphs, Rod also movingly writes about the life-changing stroke he suffered in 1998, and of his beloved wife of more than 40 years, Mary, who died in 2012 after a long illness. Filled with anecdotes about the great players and great matches, set against the backdrop of a tennis world changing from rigid amateurism to the professional game we recognize today, Rod's book is a warm, insightful and fascinating account of a great sportsman and a great Australian.' (Publisher's blurb)

'At the age of 21, James Dack found himself alone and responsible for raising his younger brother Stephen when their loving mother lost a long battle with cancer. Long estranged from their abusive and alcoholic father, the pair were soon homeless and sleeping on the floor of the gym at the local Police Citizens Youth Club.

'This is the powerful story of the brothers' struggle to survive the often brutal culture of the inner-city public housing estates they called home and find their places in the world - James as a real estate millionaire and Steve, after battling alcoholism, as a criminal lawyer - without going far from the neighbourhood that shaped them.

'It's also a story of loyalty, to each other, their heartland Woolloomooloo in Sydney, and most of all, to the memory of their mother whose love was always the compass that ensured they kept their bearings.' (From the publisher's website.)

Chrissy Amphlett is a legend in the world of Australian music - and now, for the first time, she tells her own story. From growing up in Geelong, Victoria, to being the lead singer in the iconic band The Divinyls, to living in New York and mixing with the likes of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, she has led an amazing life. In this book she tells of life on and off the road - and gives a unique account of a woman surviving in a male-dominated and drug-fuelled industry. Yet not only did she survive, she captivated her audiences with her empowered on-stage performances. From fury to soulful, brash to lecherous, Chrissy Amphlett's voice and character mesmerized all those around her. She talks of the early days when she was breaking into the music scene; of being arrested for busking when a teenager travelling in Spain; of how her angry and provocative stage act drew on her childhood and background - she wanted to shock and, above all, be in control. And she tells of what it was to be at the top, in those years of success and excess, both in Australia and in the United States. Chrissy has always lived life on her terms no matter what those around her wanted.

Source: Publisher's blurb.