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Bob Hawke

Demons and Destiny

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Bob Hawke

By: Troy Bramston
Narrated by: Troy Bramston
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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
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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

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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.

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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

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This was great and well narrated. Balanced and detailed account of Hawke’s life and career.

Well worth it

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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

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I really enjoyed the book. I feel informed and enriched as a result of listening to it.

Informative

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Well written but I would have asked a professional voice actor to read it. Well done and hoping your Keating bio gets produced for Audible too.

Good stuff

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An unvarnished look at Hawke like never before. Well worth your time, I learnt a lot. I personally liked the author’s effort at narrating his own work, but some may struggle with it.

Fantastic account of an amazing life

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Now what am I going to listen to.
Nothing with compare to this wonderful Manuscript.

The Golden years.

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I was only a young guy during Bob Hawke’s time as PM. However, in recent years I’ve become interested in his life and legacy to the Australian people. This very comprehensive account of his life was fantastic. It balanced the mechanics of his various leadership roles, his rise to power and the truly incredible stories of his time at the top.
It’s a raw, honest telling about a man who gave so much to the people, but also caused so much to himself and those close to him.
The author narrating is always a bonus, and I think he did a fantastic job! I highly recommend giving this a listen and learning about an iconic Australian.

Thorough and Fascinating

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