Killing for Country: A Family Story
by David Marr
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Description
A gripping reckoning with the bloody history of Australia's frontier wars. David Marr was shocked to discover his forebears served with the Native Police, the most brutal force in Australian history. Killing for Country is the result, a personal history of the Frontier Wars. Marr brings his experience as an investigative journalist, an award-winning biographer and political analyst to the story of a colonial family that seized hundreds of thousands of acres of land and led Aboriginal show more troopers into bloody massacres in the most violent years of the Native Police. Killing for Country is a unique history of the making of Australia, a richly detailed and gripping family saga of fortunes made and lost, of politics and power in the colonial world, and the violence let loose by squatters and their London bankers as they began their long war for the possession of this country, a contest still unresolved in today's Australia. show lessTags
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Heavy going. Uncomfortable reading. As it should be. Marr pulls no punches. It’s all here. Black and White culture-trapped and baffled by each other. Christianity homogenised with Empire. Manifest destiny blinding morality. Yet, there are the few who, even then, could peer through the distorting mists and know another way of justice and peace.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
John Menadue in Late Night Live 20:08:25 recommended David Marr’s book “Killing For Country”.
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Best Australian Books of the 21st Century
88 works; 2 members
Author Information
21+ Works 1,034 Members
David Marr was born on July 14, 1947 in Sydney, Australia. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Sydney. He began his career as an article clerk for the law firm. Later he was admitted as a barrister and solicitor. His career in journalism began at ABC TV as a reporter for Four Corners (1985, show more 1990-1991). He won a Walkley Award for his work on the program. His other programs for ABC included Media Watch and Insiders. Currently he writes for The Montly, The Staurday Paper and Guardian Australia. He is the author of over ten books. His first books were Barwick, Allen & Unwin (1980), The Ivanov Trail, Nelson (1984) and Patrick White: A Life (1991). His more recent work includes Power Trip: The Political Journey of Kevin Rudd (2010), Panic (2011), Political Animal: The Making of Tony Abbott (2012), The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell (2013), and Faction Man: Bill Shortens Path to Power (2015). His awards include the Liberty Victoria Voltaire Award (2012), Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate, for 'Do Not Disturb: Is the Media Asleep?', Victoria Premier's Literary Awards (2006), and Walkley Awards (1991 and 1985). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 994.02 — History & geography History of Australasia, Pacific Ocean islands, Atlantic Ocean islands, Polar regions Australia Period of settlement and growth, 1788-1851
- LCC
- HV8280 .A2 .M38 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminal justice administration Police. Detectves. Constabulary By region or country
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 81
- Popularity
- 390,697
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.36)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 1
