{"title":"Margaret Simons","description":"\u003cp\u003eMargaret Simons explores the interplay between personal experience and larger societal shifts, weaving narratives that resonate with both intimacy and insight. Her works span from reflective memoirs to incisive examinations of contemporary issues, offering readers a thoughtful journey through themes of identity, change, and connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a diverse range embracing \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as insightful commentary on \u003cem\u003eScience \u0026amp; Nature\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHome \u0026amp; Garden\u003c\/em\u003e, Simons brings a nuanced perspective to each subject. Her storytelling invites reflection on the evolving world around us, framed by deeply human stories that linger long after the last page.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"cry-me-a-river-by-margaret-simons-9781760642280","title":"Cry Me A River","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAward-winning journalist Margaret Simons journeys through the troubled Murray-Darling Basin exploring the politics of water, drought, and food.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Murray-Darling Basin is the food bowl of Australia, and it's in trouble. What does this mean for the future—for water and crops, and for the people and towns that depend on it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eCry Me a River\u003c\/em\u003e, acclaimed journalist Margaret Simons takes a trip through the Basin, all the way from Queensland to South Australia. She shows that its plight is environmental but also economic, and enmeshed in ideology and identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer essay is both a portrait of the Murray-Darling Basin and an explanation of its woes. It looks at rural Australia and the failure of politics over decades to meet the needs of communities forced to bear the heaviest burden of change. Whether it is fish kills or state rivalries, drought or climate change, in the Basin our ability to plan for the future is being put to the test.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"The story of the Murray-Darling Basin ... is a story of our nation, the things that join and divide us. It asks whether our current systems—our society and its communities—can possibly meet the needs of the nation and the certainty of change. Is the Plan an honest compact, and is it fair? Can it work? Are our politics up to the task?\" - Margaret Simons, \u003cem\u003eCry Me a River\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis issue also contains correspondence discussing Quarterly Essay 76, \u003cem\u003eRed Flag\u003c\/em\u003e, from Amy King, David Walker, John West, Richard McGregor, Henry Sherrell, Wanning Sun, Caroline Rosenberg, Sam Roggeveen, and Peter Hartcher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46342588301548,"sku":"9781760642280","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23809743482814.jpg?v=1743922738"},{"product_id":"tanya-plibersek-by-margaret-simons-9781760643386","title":"Tanya Plibersek","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fascinating portrait of one of Australia's most influential women.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUnputdownable ... If you're looking for an entertaining and informative insight into the rollercoaster ride of Australian politics over the last twenty-five years, as well as an inspiring read about one of our most powerful women, look no further.\u003c\/em\u003e - Books+Publishing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eElected to federal parliament aged just twenty-eight, Tanya Plibersek has lived almost half her life in the public eye, and is the longest-serving woman in Australia's House of Representatives. But how much do we know about what drives her, what she values, and what we can expect from her next?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlibersek was born in Sydney to Slovenian parents, both of whom fled post-war Europe as young adults. Their experiences as migrants would profoundly shape the lives of their children. Driven by a commitment to equity and social change, Plibersek joined the Labor Party at a time of intense factional battles for the party's future and emerged as part of a new generation of ALP leaders. Throughout her career, she has campaigned for social justice reform on issues such as paid parental leave, violence against women, and rights for same-sex couples.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAward-winning journalist Margaret Simons draws on exclusive interviews with Plibersek, her political contemporaries, family, and close friends to trace the personal and political strands of this modern Australian story. She considers Plibersek's role in the Rudd and Gillard governments, Labor's soul-searching years in opposition, and Plibersek's position in the Albanese cabinet. She also sheds light on the personal currents that have carried Plibersek, through moments of joy and tragedy, to become the person she is today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis deserves more attention than the news cycle can grant ... A revelatory portrait of a politician who wants \"to live a large and useful life\".\u003c\/em\u003e - Sian Cain, The Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46379711463660,"sku":"9781760643386","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23820803482814.jpg?v=1744838917"},{"product_id":"six-square-metres-by-margaret-simons-9781950354221","title":"Six Square Metres","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLife lessons from the ground up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes you reap what you sow. Sometimes you reap what other people sowed. Sometimes you haven't got a clue what you are sowing, and sometimes you just get lucky, or unlucky. All these things are true of life, as of gardening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this thoughtful and beautifully observed book, journalist and gardening enthusiast Margaret Simons takes readers on a journey through the seasons, through her life, and through the tiny patch of inner-urban earth that is home to her garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the course of a year, within the garden and without, there are births to celebrate and deaths to mourn; there are periods of great happiness and light, and times of quiet reflection. There is, in other words, all the chaos, joy, sorrow, and splendor of being alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMargaret Simons\u003c\/em\u003e collects a flavourful harvest of food for thought and, even better, for supper.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e- Priscilla Montgomery Jensen, The Wall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSix Square Metres\u003c\/em\u003e Margaret Simons, queen of the tiny vegetable garden, heartened me with her radiant pragmatism.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e- Helen Garner, The Saturday Age\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition of Germaine Greer, Vita Sackville-West, and Katharine S. White, Simons proves herself a modern doyenne of wry garden writing.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e- Publishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487528796396,"sku":"9781950354221","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/b4f06ea9eb1ee449d4be0f84871c8cfb.jpg?v=1775775000"},{"product_id":"going-digital-by-margaret-simons-9781760641900","title":"Going Digital","description":"","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233123447020,"sku":"9781760641900","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781760641900-going-digital-1.jpg?v=1787726460"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/margaret-simons.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}