Hawke: The Definitive Biography

by John Hurst

Hawke lived his public life with a furious intensity as if his days were numbered. Did he fear that he might die prematurely before he had left his imprint firmly embedded in Australian history? How much had that brush with death in a motor cycle accident at the age of seventeen, the recollection of his close friend Lionel Revelman dying in his arms, and the threats to kill him affect his attitude to life? Was there enough time? Hawke was in a hurry. There was always another challenge, another peak. Was he afraid of falling from public grace, or of dying, before the ultimate achievement?

Genres: Politics

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for John ^ Hurst.

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is now 38 years old but I really enjoyed looking back at Australian political history. I was amazed at the power of the unions back in the day and how much the Labour Party has changed. The book itself is very detailed, and this detail made reading a little tedious at times as we heard of meeting after meeting. It stops before Hawke became Prime Minister and his achievements prior to that position were at time incredible. The unions had more power in those days and therefore Hawke as leader of the ACTU also wielded enormous power and influence. I ended up drawing the conclusion that I prefer the current political landscape more now then I did in those days.