Good Reading Podcast

In 1914, when the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, it is the women who must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who work in the bindery at Oxford University Press in Jericho. Peggy is intelligent, ambitious and dreams of studying at Oxford University, but for most of her life she has been told her job is to bind the books, not read them. Maude, meanwhile, wants nothing more than what she has.

When refugees arrive from the devastated cities of Belgium, it sends ripples through the community and through the sisters’ lives. Peggy begins to see the possibility of another future where she can use her intellect and not just her hands, but as war and illness reshape her world, it is love, and the responsibility that comes with it, that threaten to hold her back.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Pip Williams about what it was to be a 'bindery girl' at Oxford University Press in the years before World War I, the massive social change the 'Great War' brought for women, and the fascinating characters that have great stories to tell.

Tanya Plibersek was elected to federal parliament aged just twenty-eight, and has lived almost half her life in the public eye. She is the longest-serving woman in Australia’s House of Representatives. But how much do we know about what drives her, what she values, and what we can expect from her next?

Margaret Simons draws on exclusive interviews with Plibersek, her political contemporaries, family and close friends to trace the personal and political strands of this modern Australian story. She considers Plibersek’s role in the Rudd and Gillard governments, Labor’s soul-searching years in opposition and Plibersek’s position in the Albanese cabinet. She also sheds light on the personal currents that have carried Plibersek, through moments of joy and tragedy, to become the person she is today.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Margaret Simons about the early life of the Plibersek family, the important issues Tanya has championed throughout her political life, the background to her well-honed skills as a media communicator and whether Tanya Plibersek might have the qualities necessary to rise to the very top.

Centering on St. Joseph's, a Catholic orphanage in Vermont, Christine Kenneally shares the stories of survivors who have fought to expose the truth and hold the powerful - many of them Catholic priests and nuns - to account. As these stories have come to light, the laws in Vermont have been forced to change, including the statute of limitations on prosecuting them. Christine also exposes the international institutional abuse including those Ireland, the UK and  in Australia institutions in rural Victoria, Western Australia and inner-city Sydney and relates the heart-breaking stories of young children that only now coming to public attention.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Christine Kenneally about where her investigation into the treatment of children in orphanages across the world began, the accounts of abuse and even murder within these institutions that were once dismissed as mere stories, and the victims that have spoken up about the systemic abuse and the journalists that listened.

In June 1926, a posse of police officers and white civilians murdered at least twenty Oombulgurri people at Forrest River in the Kimberley. After the massacre, a conspiracy of silence descended. Witnesses vanished. One of the massacre’s perpetrators was Bernard O’Leary, a former soldier whose land holding was known as ‘the underworld’. At the 1927 Royal Commission into the killings, O’Leary was portrayed by his lawyer as a simple honest backwoodsman who was framed. In this powerful account, Kate Auty argues that O’Leary was in fact ‘vicious, brazen and a bullshitter’, with ‘a propensity for brutality’. Although never charged, O'Leary played a leading role in the murders, and his duplicitous testimony thwarted the commission’s work.

Driven by both forensic and moral judgement, the book exposes the injustices embedded in Australian settlement history, and the culture of denial that has prevented truth-telling in this country.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Kate Auty about the history of Australia we've been told in the past and the new era of truth telling we are embracing, Bernard O'Leary's dark past of violence and wilful deception that makes him the likely candidate as the driving force behind this horrific massacre, and the enduring legacy of white 'justice' that continues to haunt First Nations peoples to this day.

Everyone pays a premium to live in Esperance. The wealthy community of Esperance is picture-perfect. Big houses, stunning views, beautiful people. A brand new running track for the local club to jog around in the evenings. From the outside, it looks like paradise. But the women of the town know the truth: you can hide anything - from wrinkles to secrets from your past - if you have enough money. You could even hide a murder.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Ali Lowe about inventing a place where enough is never enough, why a beach setting raises the stakes, and where humour fits in to bloody murder.

The British Navy, the largest in the world, is for the first time in a century under serious threat. World War 1 is imminent. Three very different characters converge to change the course of history.

The eminent female archaeologist Gertrude Bell is exploring the ancient treasures of Persia. The charismatic Englishman Jackie Fisher, Admiral of the Fleet, is battling to convince the British Navy to modernise. William D'Arcy, a determined Queensland businessman is in the process of founding the Middle East's oil industry. Together these extraordinary personalities shine a light on one of the most dramatic periods of the twentieth century. Love too, weaves a path through these important historical events: from Persia to London to Far North Queensland and Gallipoli, this fascinating story is populated by a host of famous (and infamous) characters, from Winston Churchill and T. E. Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia'), to the new King Edward VII and Wilhelm II, the Emperor of Germany.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Paul Ashford Harris about the events that marked enormous change for the British Empire, the three great figures in the early 20th century history that each played important roles in that new century, and how different the geo-political world might have looked without them.

New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the kerb, and in the blink of an eye five people are dead. It's a rich man's car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime.

In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals, and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family's ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family-loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Deepti Kapoor about the realities of life as an 'untouchable' in the Indian caste system, the rise of her main character Ajay, from abject poverty to the glittering and brutal world of India's mafia, and the consequences of India's momentous transition from socialism to capitalism in the late 20th century.

Chronic pain is a major cause of human suffering. Yet pain that persists for three months or more is often unrelated to any physical injury. So why does it still hurt? Research over the last few decades shows that many of us — sufferers of chronic pain and health practitioners alike — are victims of a trick of the nervous system. Where we believe that pain has its root in a damaged body, it is the brain that prolongs the hurting long after the body has healed.

Paul Biegler, a science journalist and former doctor who has been on his own pain journey, investigates the true source of chronic pain — our brain's so-called neuroplasticity — and emerging therapies, including cognitive therapy and graded exercise exposure, that take advantage of that same neuroplasticity to rewire the brain and end the suffering.

Through conversations with scientists, doctors, and people who have overcome chronic pain, Biegler shines a light on the rigorous new studies — and emotional personal stories — that are changing the way we understand and treat pain. Most importantly, he shows how to take control over persistent pain and truly heal.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Paul Biegler about the role central sensitisation and maladaptive neuroplasticity play in our physical response to pain, how people experiencing chronic pain are actually activating emotionally laden brain areas, why movement, exercise and pacing are beneficial in recovery, and how the power of knowledge can overcome chronic pain.

The Australian Autism Handbook is the go-to guide for parents whose children have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It is a practical and comprehensive guide to every aspect of raising an ASD child, including early signs and symptoms, getting a diagnosis, the importance of early intervention, and expert advice on finding your way through the medical maze.

This new edition book has been completely revised and updated with new chapters on dads and siblings, the teenage years, and expanded information on autism and Asperger's syndrome and the DSM5 diagnostic criteria. The second part of the book is an invaluable resource guide which lists federal and state supports along with a comprehensive list of websites and books.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Benison O'Reilly and Seana Smith about their own experience in raising children with ASD from birth to adulthood, how our understanding and diagnosis of ASD has changed, why girls may have been under-diagnosed, and invaluable hints and tips on working with the NDIS.

The Smash Hits Nick vs The World is the life and times of tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios. With his unconventional playing style, constant battles with authority, a knack for bad behaviour and an uncontrollable temper, Nick continues to make headlines in sport whether he’s winning or losing.

Kyrgios: The Smash Hits celebrates Australia’s ultimate tennis headliner featuring yarns, quotes, interviews and stats on the small-town boy discovering his natural talents at a sport he doesn't really like.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Sam and Paul Harvey about why we love to hate Nick Kyrgios while other nations admire him, the double standards on display in his casting by the media, what illustrator and caricaturist Paul Harvey sees in Nick Kyrgios and why we need characters like him in professional sport.