When our politicians are too busy playing musical chairs to run the country, our cricketers are doing suspicious things with sandpaper, and a murderous starfish with twenty-one arms roams freely around the Great Barrier Reef it seems about time that we, as a nation, ask a tough question: how the heck did it come to this?
In this wide-ranging historical jaunt, TV columnist, comedian and history buff Ben Pobjie takes Australia’s past by the horns to make sense of the wayward rampage of our glorious bull of a nation. Australia: What Happened? is the third book in Ben’s uproariously honest appraisal of Australia’s history, following on from Error Australis (2016) and Aussie Aussie Aussie (2017).
He puts his trademark biting humour to good use and asks readers to consider – what happened to the First Australians? The Aussie battler? White Australia? Mateship? The land? The water? Ben offers answers all these questions that occur to ordinary Australians when we consider the fine mess we’re in.
Ben Pobjie studied history at the University of Western Sydney before his lust for glamour led him to comedy writing. He is known for his TV columns in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and political satire for New Matilda, Crikey and the ABC, among others. He has written for the TV shows Reality Check and The Unbelievable Truth.
“This is Australian history like they just don’t make it any more… one of Australia’s funniest writers.” – Peter Fitzsimons
Australia: What Happened? is published by Affirm Press and is available from all leading book retailers including Booktopia.
Image: Australia: What Happened? – courtesy of Affirm Press