Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? The Dark Emu debate

In 2014 Bruce Pascoe published his book Dark Emu which set out to discredit many beliefs about how Aboriginal Australians lived prior to 1788. This book, and subsequent versions, won many awards and  encouraged many people to rethink their views on the topic and how it has been taught in the past.

However in Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? social anthropologist Professor Peter Sutton and archaeologist Dr Keryn Walshe examine some of the claims made in Bruce Pascoe's book. They are concerned not only by many of his conclusions but also the lack of references to his sources and the tendency to use segments of quotes out of context so that they might support his theory. 

As Peter Sutton states in the opening paragraph of this book - 'This book is about a debate over how Australia's First People's lived, and made a living economically, before conquest by the British Empire. Were they farmers, hunter-gatherers, or something in betweem?" (p1)

Both Peter Sutton and Keryn Walshe have many years experience living and working with Aboriginal groups in different parts of Australia. Apart from this experience, detailed references are made to the work of other Aboriginal studies. More than eighty pages of this study consist of appendices, notes, references and an index. I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a study as to how First Nations people lived in Australia prior to European settlement, particularly if they have already read Dark Emu.

In 2019 I read Garry Linnell's book, Buckley's Chance, a novel about escaped convict, William Buckley, who spent many years living with Aboriginal Peoples before Europeans decided to settle in Victoria. Buckley later provided an account of his experiences which Peter Sutton refers to on several occasions.

Wicked charms

Back home after having spent the past couple of months exploring parts of the UK I thought I would start reading again with something light. Wicked charms is the third title in the Lizzy and Diesel series and Janet Evanovich has co-written the book with Phoef Sutton. Lizzy Tucker and the mysterious Diesel once again team up this time to locate the Stone of Avarice one of the seven Stones of Power that they have been enlisted to retrieve.

Lizzy would rather lead a quiet life making cakes in the local bakery but as she is an Unmentionable with a special power for finding things she has been enlisted by Diesel as his assistant. The story starts when a body is found at the pirate museum and the hunt is then on to locate the stone, a treasure map and the coin that will assist in the reading of the map. Chaos then follows as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to keep ahead of others who are also looking for the Stone of Avarice for their own projects. They are assisted by Glo who also works in the bakery and experiments with magic and Clara who owns the bakery. As you would expect in a Janet Evanovich book there is a cast of of strange characters, not to mention Diesel's monkey, Carl, plus plenty of fast paced madcap action, supernatural elements as well as sexual tension. And there will be more to come.