What do you think?
Rate this book
Pluck: Exploits of the single-minded
Leaving a mark on history is usually the result of courage, but it always starts by simply making a stand.
Since 2009, Michael Burge has written about single-minded individuals who faced fear, grief and oppression, yet went through with defiant acts of social and cultural rebellion.
Many of them got a very bad name in the process, or had their motives shrouded in mystery.
Pluck is Michael’s re-examination of several divas, dilettantes, groundbreakers, chameleons, rebels and heroes faced with crossroads, comebacks and reinventions.
This fascinating collection reveals new perspectives on fame and sheds a timely light on lives which may never be acclaimed, yet went where angels fear to tread.
Since 2009, Michael Burge has written about single-minded individuals who faced fear, grief and oppression, yet went through with defiant acts of social and cultural rebellion.
Many of them got a very bad name in the process, or had their motives shrouded in mystery.
Pluck is Michael’s re-examination of several divas, dilettantes, groundbreakers, chameleons, rebels and heroes faced with crossroads, comebacks and reinventions.
This fascinating collection reveals new perspectives on fame and sheds a timely light on lives which may never be acclaimed, yet went where angels fear to tread.
100 pages, ebook
First published September 25, 2015
3 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Michael Burge
10 books29 followersMichael is an author and journalist living at Deepwater in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. His debut rural noir novel Tank Water and its sequel Dirt Trap are released by MidnightSun Publishing.
He has written for The Guardian, Fairfax Media, and the Journal of Australian Studies, and he is a board member of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival.
He has written for The Guardian, Fairfax Media, and the Journal of Australian Studies, and he is a board member of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 25, 2015
Pluck (definition): Spirited and determined courage.
As an author, Michael Burge is a relative newcomer to the Queensland writing scene. He has recently published two books, ‘Questionable Deeds’, a telling of what he experienced when his husband died suddenly, and ‘Closet His, Closet Hers’, a collection of short stories.
In an earlier incarnation Michael was a journalist, and it is from that life that Michael’s most recent book ‘Pluck’ was drawn. Pluck is a collection of articles written over a period of years from 2009. In these articles, Michael wrote about some well-known and some lesser known people who, during their lives exhibited integrity, bravery, mettle, fortitude, steadfastness and sheer determination.
With Michael’s previous books I dived in, inhaling every word as they came across the page, and barely lifted my head to note the passing hours. This book was different. This book was an opportunity to step momentarily into someone’s life and see them through Michael’s eyes. This was a book to pick up, read a couple of articles before taking the time to ponder my new understanding of those people, then to return a couple of days later and read a few more.
These are not book length articles. They are also not the kind of glossed over articles revealing the kind of prurient details that best belong to trashy magazines. Michael has delved into the lives of his subjects to re-examine what drove them, from where they got certain reputations, and to provide a more intimate telling of their life-stories. He treats each person’s story with respect and a certain honour. Surprisingly, for the level of information they contain, they are short, concise and very much to the point.
The names of some of his subjects I already knew: Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston, Agatha Christie, Matthew Flinders, but in each article, I discovered aspects of their lives previously unknown to me. I had not been aware of Annie Lennox’s struggle with depression and its influence on her music. While I had read previous stories on Agatha Christie’s brief disappeared, the reason why she needed some breathing space, and this influence on her writing and future life had previously been unknown to me. Every year, the island where I live celebrates Matthew Flinders day, and I will now look on him in a new light, and with greater respect for him as a man, not just as an explorer.
Michael also introduced me to other people for the first time. E.M Forster had previously been to me a name on a list of ‘books to read’, as was Helene Hanff. Beryl Guerner and Lottie Lyall were completely unknown to me prior to lifting this book to my eyes, as was Orry-Kelly.
These articles have inspired me to listen to their music, to read their books and discover more about these people who have done extraordinary things, or even ordinary things, but done in a time when what we now see as ordinary was forbidden to them.
It has been a couple of weeks since I finished ‘Pluck’, and one poignant note continues to resonate with me. Michael’s article on Whitney Houston stripped bare the glossy magazine version of the woman that was for many people their only version of her, and showed me a woman that was striving to overcome great challenges in her life, and had reached a point where she was so very close to seeing her dreams fulfilled. It was completed and handed in the day before she died.
As I have found in Michael’s previous books, his writing flows simply and smoothly, and he very gently takes you out of your world and for a short time, he shares his world and the lives of these plucky individuals.
In the words of the immortal Molly Meldrum “do yourself a favour” and download ‘Pluck’.
As an author, Michael Burge is a relative newcomer to the Queensland writing scene. He has recently published two books, ‘Questionable Deeds’, a telling of what he experienced when his husband died suddenly, and ‘Closet His, Closet Hers’, a collection of short stories.
In an earlier incarnation Michael was a journalist, and it is from that life that Michael’s most recent book ‘Pluck’ was drawn. Pluck is a collection of articles written over a period of years from 2009. In these articles, Michael wrote about some well-known and some lesser known people who, during their lives exhibited integrity, bravery, mettle, fortitude, steadfastness and sheer determination.
With Michael’s previous books I dived in, inhaling every word as they came across the page, and barely lifted my head to note the passing hours. This book was different. This book was an opportunity to step momentarily into someone’s life and see them through Michael’s eyes. This was a book to pick up, read a couple of articles before taking the time to ponder my new understanding of those people, then to return a couple of days later and read a few more.
These are not book length articles. They are also not the kind of glossed over articles revealing the kind of prurient details that best belong to trashy magazines. Michael has delved into the lives of his subjects to re-examine what drove them, from where they got certain reputations, and to provide a more intimate telling of their life-stories. He treats each person’s story with respect and a certain honour. Surprisingly, for the level of information they contain, they are short, concise and very much to the point.
The names of some of his subjects I already knew: Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston, Agatha Christie, Matthew Flinders, but in each article, I discovered aspects of their lives previously unknown to me. I had not been aware of Annie Lennox’s struggle with depression and its influence on her music. While I had read previous stories on Agatha Christie’s brief disappeared, the reason why she needed some breathing space, and this influence on her writing and future life had previously been unknown to me. Every year, the island where I live celebrates Matthew Flinders day, and I will now look on him in a new light, and with greater respect for him as a man, not just as an explorer.
Michael also introduced me to other people for the first time. E.M Forster had previously been to me a name on a list of ‘books to read’, as was Helene Hanff. Beryl Guerner and Lottie Lyall were completely unknown to me prior to lifting this book to my eyes, as was Orry-Kelly.
These articles have inspired me to listen to their music, to read their books and discover more about these people who have done extraordinary things, or even ordinary things, but done in a time when what we now see as ordinary was forbidden to them.
It has been a couple of weeks since I finished ‘Pluck’, and one poignant note continues to resonate with me. Michael’s article on Whitney Houston stripped bare the glossy magazine version of the woman that was for many people their only version of her, and showed me a woman that was striving to overcome great challenges in her life, and had reached a point where she was so very close to seeing her dreams fulfilled. It was completed and handed in the day before she died.
As I have found in Michael’s previous books, his writing flows simply and smoothly, and he very gently takes you out of your world and for a short time, he shares his world and the lives of these plucky individuals.
In the words of the immortal Molly Meldrum “do yourself a favour” and download ‘Pluck’.
Displaying 1 of 1 review