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  • The Eighties

  • The Decade That Transformed Australia
  • By: Frank Bongiorno
  • Narrated by: Bryan Dawe
  • Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (4 ratings)

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The Eighties

By: Frank Bongiorno
Narrated by: Bryan Dawe
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Summary

It was the era of Hawke and Keating, Kylie and INXS, the America's Cup and the Bicentenary.

It was perhaps the most controversial decade in Australian history, with high-flying entrepreneurs booming and busting, torrid debates over land rights and immigration, the advent of AIDS, a harsh recession and the rise of the New Right.

It was a time when Australians fought for social change - on union picket lines, at rallies for women's rights and against nuclear weapons and as part of a new environmental movement.

And then there were the events that left many scratching their heads: Joh for Canberra...the Australia Card...Cliff Young.

In The Eighties, Frank Bongiorno brings all this and more to life. He uncovers forgotten stories - of factory workers proud of their skills who found themselves surplus to requirements; of Vietnamese families battling to make new lives for themselves in the suburbs. He sheds new light on 'both the ordinary and extraordinary things that happened to Australia and Australians during this liveliest of decades'.

The Eighties is contemporary history at its best.

Frank Bongiorno is associate professor of history at the Australian National University and author of the award-winning The Sex Lives of Australians. He has written for The Monthly, The Australian and Inside Story.

©2015 Frank Bongiorno (P)2015 Audible, Ltd
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
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Critic reviews

"Frank Bongiorno has successfully negotiated the minefield of Australia's political egos to write the definitive account of an inspired, infuriating decade." (George Megalogenis)

What listeners say about The Eighties

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

This man has some rather outdated views...However this is possibly a decent history of Australia

Geoffrey Blainey is a good historian and he is entitled to his outdated and patronising views around race in keeping to the era he belongs to ... But this book will enrich your views on history of Australia and is actually a fairly decent attempt at that . I would even go onto say that he sometimes comes up with fairly balanced views on many subjects . I am entitled however to my views about him and would give him 3 stars ... His book if it was written by someone with today's more balanced values would get 5 stars . I recommend that you get it and then search for a book with a balancing set of views ...like the human civilisation , the history books are also in a state of continuous evolution ..

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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excellent and interesting

outstanding. Frank Bongiorno is a genius (but, to dress him down a bit, what a topic!). And Dawe reads it perfectly. please amazon: more like this!

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, I have listen a couple of times

One of those books that you keep going on to line to look up what happen to some of the people.

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1 person found this helpful