ALICE PUNG

Writer and journalist

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF DIRT by Rick Morton This little gem is the Australian Hillbilly Elegy, but better. Rick Morton details generations of family violence, disability, addiction and life in poverty. Never mawkish or gawkish, Rick's writing is energised with such anger and love and humour. THE SURPRISING POWER OF A GOOD DUMPLING by Wai Chim This young adult novel is about Anna, a teenage girl dealing with her mother’s mental illness, navigating schooling and the family restaurant, and caring for her younger siblings. Anna is feisty, searching and highly believable, and I love how tenderly she’s portrayed. WHITE TEARS/BROWN SCARS by Ruby Hamad This book made me angry in a powerful, positive way. A generation of young women will be very moved – finally, an Australian commentator doing what Audre Lorde did for me, shaking me out of complacency and helping me understand the limitations of white feminism. THINGS NOBODY KNOWS BUT ME by Amra Pajalic My friend Amra has had the sort of life that would traumatise most people, but not only is she a survivor, but a damn fine and funny writer, too. This moving memoir deals with her Bosnian mother’s severe mental illness, and Amra’s stints in foster care. THE DEAD EYE AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Vannak Anan Prum This memoir is told all in pictures by a man with no formal art training or education, who was tricked into modern-day slavery on a Thai fishing vessel. On the boat, Vannak became a tattooist, but when he came home his wife didn’t believe him until he drew her his experiences. The third-world fishermen were catching the food for firstworld pets. An incredible read that will change the way you look at global inequality – is a man’s life worth less than a tin of cat food?