Sinead Stubbins reads the current Australian best selling book, so you can determine whether or not it's worthy of your time too.
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According to the Bible, Lazarus was a follower of Jesus Christ who one day fell ill. Dying before Jesus had the chance to travel to his bedside, Lazarus was shut up in a tomb where he remained for four days. On the fourth day, Jesus visited his tomb and miraculously, brought him back to life.
Apparently, John Howard can closely relate to this story. And judging by the sales of this book, Australians can too. Since its release almost three weeks ago, John Howard’s autobiography has topped best sellers lists around the country. But again that isn’t saying much; Eat Pray Love and Mein Kampf did pretty well too.
In taking a bullet for TheVine and reading this book (and trust me, it is a bullet) I decided to put aside all my preconceived opinions about John Howard who, like it or not, must have had some element of wisdom and talent to be able to run the country for 11 years. And just as Lazarus rose from the dead, perhaps it would give John Howard a chance to explain some of his more controversial political actions of the last decade. And let’s face it, he’s not alone; both Tony Blair and George W. Bush have released autobiographies that similarly try to justify their political terms.
Firstly, what you need to know about Lazarus Rising is that it really is a HUNK of a book, not in a nourishing crusty bread kind of way, but in a thanks-J. How-for-permanently-giving-me-back-spasms-from-carrying-your-autobiography-around, kind of way.
Plus, it’s seven hundred and eleven pages. This book is SEVEN HUNDRED AND ELEVEN PAGES. In super small print. For this reason, if you are a Labor supporter, you probably won’t like it. If you vote Liberal, well you probably won’t like it either. I don’t know how Janette Howard feels about the book, but I have a feeling even she would have trouble digesting Lazarus Rising.
While the first half of the book covers his early life and political career, the second half details the more meaty subjects that he is remembered for, his take on immigration (Asian immigration in particular), indigenous affairs, GST, Pauline Hanson and the Iraq War just to name a few. It deals with these subjects very comprehensively, every fact and figure accounted for.
However what you really want from Howard is some humanity, a side to him which differs from the formal and detached speeches that we can all remember from his term as Prime Minister. Instead you get something that reads more like a CV than a memoir.
It’s cold, dull and completely devoid of personal insight. While the book does shed light on issues such as Howard’s relationship with Peter Costello and the reasons behind his refusing to apologise to the Stolen Generation, at no point does he explain what he felt, rather he explains what he did.
Regardless of your political beliefs, if you commit to a political autobiography you at least want to be invited into the mind of the writer. J. How does not extend this invitation.
I’m not sure that Lazarus Rising will actually bring John Howard back to life as it were, if anything it will be a fairly boring read for his supporters, who will discover no new information about him, and consolidate his weaknesses for those who already oppose him.
However as a surface to paint my nails on, it’s working out quite nicely.