In this month's Book Club episode, Julia Gillard and her co-host Kathy Lette discuss Tell Me Everything, the latest novel by Pulitzer Prize winning author Elizabeth Strout.

Tell Me Everything is Strout's 10th novel, and it returns readers to the fictional town of Crosby, Maine - where several of her novels have taken place. It also features many of the characters from her previous books, including Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge.

In this story, the town lawyer Bob Burgess takes on a case defending a man suspected of killing his own mother. But, as Julia and Kathy discuss, the case is only one part of a sprawling story that examines love, grief, family, the importance of friendship and everyone’s search to find meaning in their life.

Show notes:

Tell Me Everything is published by Penguin and is available in all good bookstores.

Learn more about Kathy Lette at https://www.kathylette.com/

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In this live event recording Julia sits down with the UK's Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson. 

In a wide-ranging conversation, they reflect on her journey from a working-class upbringing in Sunderland and running a domestic abuse refuge, to becoming a Cabinet Minister in the first Labour government for 14 years.

The pair discuss the state of gender equality today, tackling misogyny and violence against women and girls, and emerging divisions between young men and women on gender roles and women's rights.

They are later joined by Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland, to discuss the latest findings from a global study of attitudes towards gender equality, carried out jointly by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women's Leadership.

Show notes:

To learn more about the latest research by IPSOS and GIWL head to https://www.ipsos.com/en/international-womens-day-2025

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In this Book Club episode, Julia Gillard and her cohost Sarah Holland-Batt dive into Audition, the latest novel from Katie Kitamura.

Audition follows an unnamed actress as she rehearses a play that blurs the lines between performance and personal history. When a mysterious young man appears, claiming to be her son, she’s drawn into a spiral of uncertainty that challenges her sense of self and reality.

Together, Julia and Sarah unpack the novel’s themes of identity, motherhood, and the shifting boundaries between truth and fiction. They explore how the story's psychologically rich but uncanny style highlights the tension between who we are and who the world asks us to be.

Join us for a thoughtful discussion on power, performance, and the quiet ways women resist being written into roles they didn’t choose.

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Cheng Lei was riding high in a successful career as a news anchor in China when her life changed in an instant. 

Lei is a Chinese born Australian citizen and mother of two, who spent more than three years detained in a Beijing prison after being wrongly accused of illegally supplying state secrets. 

In this emotional and candid conversation, Julia and Lei delve into her early life in China and then Melbourne, her exciting journalism career around Asia and the ordeal that changed her and her family’s lives forever. 

Show notes

Cheng Lei’s book A Memoir of Freedom is published by Harper Collins and is available at all good bookstores.

Her documentary Cheng Lei: My Story is available via Sky News.

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In this month’s book club episode Julia Gillard and Kathy Lette discuss Fundamentally, by Nussaibah Younis. 

It’s the British author’s debut novel and it follows the story of Nadia Amin - an academic disowned by her mother and dumped by her long-term partner, who accepts a job with the United Nations in Iraq to rehabilitate ISIS women so their home countries will take them back.

While struggling to get the program off the ground amidst the opaque world of international aid, Nadia meets Sara, a fellow Londoner who was radicalised when she was just 15 years old.

Julia and Kathy delve into the book’s dark humour and complex characters, and its exploration of faith, identity and family.

Fundamentally is published by Orion, an imprint of Hachette Australia.

https://www.hachette.com.au/nussaibah-younis/fundamentally-shortlisted-for-the-2025-womens-prize-for-fiction

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In this episode of Julia's Book Club, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt delve into Theory & Practice by Australian author, Michelle de Kretser.

Short-listed for the Stella Prize, the seventh novel from the Miles Franklin winner tells the story of a first generation immigrant from Sri Lanka living in Melbourne in the 1980s.

The young academic is writing a thesis on Virginia Woolf, who this podcast is named in honour of, when she begins a love affair with a man who is in a "deconstructed relationship".

Part fiction, part essay, Julia and Sarah explore the themes of feminism, class, jealousy, maternal relationships and how to cope when the failings of those we most admire come to light.

Theory & Practice is published in Australia by Text Publishing.

https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/theory-practice

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In this special episode, we take you inside Julia's first ever Australian live recording of A Podcast of One's Own.

Recorded in front of an audience at the Australian National University in Canberra, home to the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Julia is joined on stage by one of Australia's most respected journalists, Leigh Sales.

The pair discuss Leigh's incredible career achievements, preparing for Prime Ministerial interviews, telling stories of tragedy, the power of podcasts and her latest project.

Show notes:

Leigh has authored several books, including her latest book Storytellers. They are available in all good book stores.

This live event was held in support of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership (GIWL), which brings together rigorous research, practice and advocacy to advance gender equality and promote fair and equal access to leadership.

You can learn more about GIWL by visiting giwl.anu.edu.au or support their work at https://engage.anu.edu.au/giving/GIWL

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In our April Book Club episode, Julia and Kathy unpack Butter, the cult Japanese bestseller by Asako Yuzuki.

Inspired by the real-life case of the “Konkatsu Killer” and translated into English, the book follows journalist Rika Machida as she tries to get inside the mind of convicted serial murderer Manako Kajii.

Kajii, a gourmet cook, is serving time behind bars for the murders of lonely businessmen who she seduced with her delicious home cooking.

What follows is an intimate and unsettling relationship between Rika and Kajii, as Rika recreates Kajii’s recipes and finds her obsession with the inmate beginning to cloud her judgment on the case and impact her relationships with those around her.

Julia and Kathy explore the central themes of feminism, body image and obsession, and how food ties them all together.

Butter is published in Australia by HarperCollins and available at most book stores.

https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008511692/butter/

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In this episode, Julia Gillard is joined by Dr. Beverley Ditsie – pioneering filmmaker, artist, and gender non-conforming activist – whose fearless activism has shaped the fight for queer rights in South Africa and beyond.

From co-founding South Africa’s first multiracial LGBTQ+ rights group at just 16 to leading the country’s first Pride March in 1990, Beverley has been at the forefront of the battle for equality for decades. In 1995, Bev made history as the first openly lesbian person to address the United Nations, demanding global recognition of LGBTQ+ rights as human rights.

In this powerful conversation, Beverley reflects on growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, defying rigid gender norms as a child actor, and using storytelling as a tool for resistance. Bev discusses the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality in activism, the urgent need to protect queer communities in the face of rising violence, and why the patriarchy is in its final fight for survival.

In their conversation, Beverley and Julia discuss Simon and I, Bev's award-winning documentary telling the story of her friend and mentor, Simon Nkoli, set against the backdrop of intense political activism and the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa. The documentary is available to watch for free on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj56iZNVZ-c

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In our first Book Club episode of 2025, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt explore the newly-released Wild Dark Shore by Australian author, Charlotte McConaghy.

Out this month, the mystery novel is set on a tiny, remote island near Antarctica, where Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers.

The island is home to the world’s largest seed bank. But with sea levels rising, the family needs to move the precious cargo to safer land before it’s lost to the ocean.

As each character is grappling with personal trauma, a woman mysteriously washes ashore during a storm. The family nurses her back to health and she begins to earn their trust and affection. But why is she there? What are her true motives?

Julia and Sarah explore the central themes of loss and grief, isolation, climate change, parenthood and explain why this book has something for everyone.

Wild Dark Shore is published by Penguin Australia and available in most book stores.

https://www.penguin.com.au/books/wild-dark-shore-9781761620003

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