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Book review: Working Class Boy by Cold Chisel’s Jimmy Barnes

Photos: Harper Collins and Stephanie Barnes

What a life-story writer has to say about Barnesy’s childhood memoir by Harper Collins

Cold Chisel is part of Aussie-rock folklore.

The band is renowned for furious and high-intensity shows that have become anthems for the working class.

When frontman Jimmy Barnes released his award-winning memoir Working Class Boy I first heard it talked about in revered tones by other artists.

They said it was a book that steamrolled over and above their own formative memories and autobiography-writing efforts.

It was a juggernaut of a memoir that blew everyone else’s out of the water.

Barnes had recently toured through our region in Queensland when Working Class Boy by Harper Collins came out in 2016.

Just like that show, I knew his story would be full of power and ferocity.

Best books of 2018: Must-read books about life stories to enjoy these holidays

New autobiographies to inspire and learn from in 2019

I love holiday time for a number of reasons.

Free time off work from the newspaper and catching up with family.

But a definite guilty pleasure this time of year is reading.

I love reading and listening to all kind of books, especial non-fiction, autobiographies, biographies, memoir and life stories.

Here are my recommended best books of 2018 in an extended holiday article.

Some I have been suggested, some I have read about and others just look interesting.

They are by a mix of authors, Australian and overseas, and are sure to get you thinking about your own life.

I hope a number of titles catch your fancy too.

Happy reading!

Three life story titles to inspire and learn from this summer

Over the Australian summer holidays a number of books begin to pile up on my desk begging to be read.

However, I love reading and learning about other people’s stories!

Mostly I read on my lunch break at work or snatch a few minutes while the kids are playing.

I don’t mind digital books and prefer print, however, audio books are amazing if you are driving long distances or multitasking (think cleaning)!

Last year I was lucky enough to be given a number of personal life stories to read from family and friends.

These were just amazing and detailed different times such as growing up on an Australian dairy farm in the early 20th Century, living in London during the World War II bombings and in Silicon Valley during the dot-com tech bubble.

Top on my ‘list’ this year are a number of books on and about life stories I’d like to share.

There is a mix of male and female writers, Australian and overseas writers.

Let’s discover them together, learn and be inspired! Continue reading Top autobiography books to read in 2018