Cyclone Tracy: The Diary of Ryan Turner, Darwin, 1974

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

Ryan is in year 8 in 1974 and he and his dad don’t get on very well. This is compounded by the fact that the Big T (Ryan’s Dad) is in charge of discipline at Ryan’s high school. Much to his father’s disgust Ryan has made friends with a new girl at school called Soo (Monsoon) who is a hippy. This is not only a novel about the way the cyclone effected Darwin but also about prejudice in the 1970. Ryan gains a new respect for his Dad and vice versa in the way they handle devastating natural disaster. p.101 –103 “dead centre anyway”.The aftermath

This is a story about a 14 year old boy called Ryan who witnessed the tragedy of cyclone Tracy. I recommend this book for
year 5 to year 8 students who are interested in history.

great book but sad.