BIOGRAPHIES &
AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
Read about real life experiences, struggles, and victories…
Mao's Last Dancer
by Li Cunxin
This is the story of Li Cunxin’s life growing up in communist China, escaping poverty to become a renowned ballet dancer.
A Child Called IT
by Dave Pelzer
A very young boy is put through heartbreaking torture and neglect.
Damaged - The Heartbreaking True Story of aForgotten Child
by Cathy Glass
An eight year old girls’ struggle with child abuse and the hope she finds in a caring foster parent.
Grief Girl: My True Story
by Erin Vincent
After an horrific car crash kills her parents, a teenage girl is faced with caring for her younger siblings while being a typical teenager.
The Diary of a young girl
by Anne Frank
A Jewish girl forced to go into hiding with her family, Anne Frank’s diary entries show the reality of life for Jews under Hitler.
Taking Nothing for Granted: From Chronic Fatigueto the MCG
by Alastair Lynch
AFL player Alastair Lynch’s greatest victory was beating chronic fatigue syndrome.
Don't Tell Mummy: ATrue Story of the UltimateBetrayal
by Toni Maguire
Toni was six years old when her father first made inappropriate contact which would continue for years. This is the story of her struggle to put the ghost of her childhood to rest.
Place of Reeds
by Caitlin Davies
After moving to Botswana with a man she loves, a woman is raped and stabbed. Blamed for the rape, and feeling shamed, she becomes ostracized by the people she has grown to love.
Go Ask Alice
Anonymous
Thesordid story of the struggles of a teenage drug addict. Is it really a true story?
A Wave Away: ALine-up of Surfing's MostAmazing Locations
by Matt Griggs
Surfer and author Matt Griggs escapes to some of the planet’s great surfing locations crossing the globe to find the perfect wave.
Layne Beachley: Beneath the Waves
By Michael Gordon & Layne Beachley
Being a female in a male dominated sport is difficult enough, but Layne Beachley also faced adoption, chronic fatigue and depression on her way to the top.
Angela’s Ashes
by Frank McCourt
A story of the horror and sadness of growing up poor in Ireland in a big family with an alcoholic father, and surviving!
The Answer is Never: a skateboarder’s history of the world
by Jocko Weyland
Writing as a successful skateboarder, Weyland gives an unglorified view of the reality of the sport, its history and culture.
Guts
by Gary Paulsen
The exciting true stories behind the fantastic Hatchet novels
How Angel Petersen Got His Name
By Gary Paulsen
Here are some cazy things Paulsen and his friends did as children with their high spirits, and to show off to the girls!
My Life in Dog Years
by Gary Paulsen
A chapter for each dog that Hatchet novels author, Gary Paulsen, has ever owned.
My Place
by Sally Morgan
Morgan never realised why life was so difficult until she discovered she wasn’t Indian but Aboriginal.
A Fortunate Life
by AB Facey
Don’t ever think you’re doing it tough until you read about Facey’s life, 1894-1992. What experiences, what a great attitude to life!