Bob Hawke cover art

Bob Hawke

Demons and Destiny

 Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Bob Hawke

By: Troy Bramston
Narrated by: Troy Bramston
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

About this listen

 This unprecedented biography of Hawke includes an exclusive series of interviews with him - the last that he gave - as well as unfiltered access to his extensive trove of personal papers. It features new interviews with more than 100 people who knew and worked with Hawke, including his family and friends; political and union colleagues, and rivals; advisers and public servants; and journalists; along with international contemporaries of Hawke such as George H.W. Bush, John Major, Brian Mulroney, James Baker and George Shultz.

It also brings together an extraordinary array of never-before-seen archival documents: family diaries, notes, letters and scrapbooks; school and university reports; cabinet, departmental and vice-regal papers; party strategy documents, polling and caucus minutes; and secret correspondence and meeting records between Hawke and other Cold War leaders.

Troy Bramston, an award-winning and best-selling author, tells the remarkable story of Hawke's upbringing and education, the people and events that shaped him, his rise through the union movement, his complex personality and personal life marked by womanising and the demon drink, his nine-year government from 1983 to 1991, plus his post-prime ministerial life and legacy.

This book is about the real Hawke, chronicling the stunning triumphs and shocking failures, a life riddled with huge flaws and great virtues marked by redemption and reinvention, which changed Australia and shaped the world. Revelatory and compelling, it will shock and surprise those who think they know the story of the Australia's most popular prime minister.©2022 Troy Bramston (P)2022 Penguin Random House Australia Politicians Politics & Activism Socialism
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed listening to this book, I found Troy's insights into hawkes life captivating.

the performance started off a bit shaky but Troy's narration greatly improved as the book went on. I hope he narrates his other books in the future!

insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
22hrs & 6 mins of a most unlistenable book. The biography is comprehensive and informative, and should roll along. However the audio version is spoilt by a flat disjointed monotone. A clear case of the engineer appraising his own inventions.
I am sure that Troy Bramston is an enlightened journalist, but the value of his tome is spoiled by this unimpressive delivry.

Disappointing audio presentation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Awesome! Read by the author! Love that! Well done Troy! Well researched and paced biography! What can you say? Hawkey was a legend…

Must read for those interested in Australian politics

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was great and well narrated. Balanced and detailed account of Hawke’s life and career.

Well worth it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have always been interested & motivated by Bob Hawke’s leadership style. This audio book has allowed me a lot of time & information to reflect on my life throughout the 1970s, 80’s & 90’s. I wish to thank the author for his enthusiasm & professionalism in offering me a compelling insight into the life of such an influential Australian leader.

The Highs & Lows of Leadership

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.