Great Souls: Six Who Changed the Century by David Aikman, Word Publishing 1998.
The author, a former Senior Correspondent for Time magazine, has written what has been described as a book about greatness for a generation without heroes. His meticulous research provides extraordinary insights into the lives of six great individuals who changed the twentieth century by their works and personal examples. Each embodies specific virtues sorely needed in today's culture: Mother Teresa, Compassion; Nelson Mandela, Forgiveness; Billy Graham, Salvation; Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Truth; Pope John Paul II, Human dignity; and Elie Wiesel, Remembrance.
With the younger generation modelling themselves on athletes, or trying to emulate entertainers of dubious character, with tabloids exploiting rumours, and investigative reporting delving into the cellars of people’s personal lives, few men or women are left standing as respectable role models.
Advance Australia Where? by Hugh Mackay, Hachette Australia, Sydney, 2007.
How we’ve changed, why we’ve changed, and what will happen next are the questions Mackay addresses in this latest work as he reflects on where we have come from and where we are heading as a rapidly changing society. With obviously well-documented research as his foundation, Mackay observes that while we enjoy unprecedented levels of prosperity and the promise of more to come, we are still battling an epidemic of anxiety and depression, taking on record levels of debts and yearning for a deeper sense of meaning in our lives. While many Australians complain about feeling powerless and isolated, Mackay sees some encouraging signs that we are learning how to absorb the impact of revolutionary changes in our way of life. At a stage of political transition, it is a timely book for concerned Australians.