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Cover image courtesy of publisher.
y separately published work icon Blacktown single work   autobiography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2003... 2003 Blacktown
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

"The screen door bangs shut. The silence that follows is like the collective intake of breath between the split second a guillotine falls and when it thuds home … Unable to get a clear shot, he rips the bed away from the wall. I scream as the first lick of the electric cord stings my back ..." Imagine a gaggle of little children sitting down to dinner with their mother when suddenly everything goes black. You can't see in front of you but you know you must hide. Daddy's home. He's turned off the power – and he's coming for you, any one of you.

As a boy Shane Weaver lived this nightmare every day. And this is where his story begins in Blacktown, a raw and powerful memoir of how a boy not only lived through, but overcame the life sentence such a terrifying start usually means – through the unwavering love of his mother, a true survivor.Weaver becomes an angry young man who learns to channel his rage into boxing, going on to become an Australian champion. Haunted by his past, he embraces alcohol and drugs with a terrifying intensity, teetering on the edge of the criminal, violent world he grew up in. One day, jobless, on the run with a wife and three kids to support, all his past lives collide to help him create an inspired application for a copywriting job. The result is a new start - and a whole new life. Best of all, he finds the love of a good woman who helps him rebuild his life. Today he is the creative director of one of the world's biggest advertising brand names. (Publisher's description)

Notes

  • One of six books selected for the 2004 Books Alive promotion.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Milsons Point, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Bantam Australia , 2003 .
      Extent: 292p., [8]p. of platesp.
      Description: illus., ports.
      ISBN: 1863254072 (pbk.)
    • Milsons Point, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Bantam Australia , 2004 .
      Extent: 1v.p.
      Edition info: 2nd ed.
      ISBN: 1863254617

Works about this Work

You're Reading John Burges , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 10 August 2013; (p. 21)
Into the (Textual) West Susanne Gannon , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 44 no. 3 2009; (p. 29-37)
"A critical/creative paradigm in contemporary English carries with it an imperative that students should be given opportunities for deep engagement with texts relevant to what matters in their everyday lives."
Untitled Tony Smith , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: JAS Review of Books , October no. 28 2004;

— Review of Blacktown Shane Weaver , 2003 single work autobiography
Spread the Word Rosemary Sorensen , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 July 2004; (p. 21)
In Short : Non-Fiction Bruce Elder , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 November 2003; (p. 19)

— Review of Blacktown Shane Weaver , 2003 single work autobiography ; Tanami : On Foot Across Australia's Desert Heart Kieran Kelly , 2003 single work autobiography
In Short : Non-Fiction Bruce Elder , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 November 2003; (p. 19)

— Review of Blacktown Shane Weaver , 2003 single work autobiography ; Tanami : On Foot Across Australia's Desert Heart Kieran Kelly , 2003 single work autobiography
Untitled Tony Smith , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: JAS Review of Books , October no. 28 2004;

— Review of Blacktown Shane Weaver , 2003 single work autobiography
Spread the Word Rosemary Sorensen , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 July 2004; (p. 21)
Into the (Textual) West Susanne Gannon , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 44 no. 3 2009; (p. 29-37)
"A critical/creative paradigm in contemporary English carries with it an imperative that students should be given opportunities for deep engagement with texts relevant to what matters in their everyday lives."
You're Reading John Burges , 2013 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 10 August 2013; (p. 21)
Last amended 30 Nov 2015 16:49:47
Settings:
  • Sydney, New South Wales,
  • Blacktown, Blacktown area, Sydney Outer West, Sydney, New South Wales,
  • ca. 1960-2000
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