Popular Oceanian Historical Books
Find historical books written by authors from Oceania for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (40)
31.
The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill EN
AustraliaDescription:
One of the most famous true stories from the last war, The GREAT ESCAPE tells how more than six hundred men in a German prisoner-of-war camp worked together to achieve an extraordinary break-out. Every night for a year they dug tunnels, and those who weren't digging forged passports, drew maps, faked weapons and tailored German uniforms and civilian clothes to wear once they had escaped. All of this was conducted under the very noses of their prison guards. When the right night came, the actual escape itself was timed to the split second - but of course, not everything went according to plan..... continue
32.
The Palauan Arts by David Ramarui EN
PalauDescription:
The Palauan Arts was published and printed in 1980 in the Micronesian Reporter and a booklet form. The book analyses Palauan art and attempts to explain its various aspects and components: pictorial, carvings, ornamental, and artifacts. This is one of many titles authored by David Ramarui. Other titles include The Geography of Micronesia, 1953, Omilil Era Iungs, 1959.
33.
The Secret River by Kate Grenville EN
Description:
'Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize and Australian Book Industry Awards, Book of the Year. After a childhood of poverty and petty crime in the slums of London, William Thornhill is transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife Sal and children in tow, he arrives in a harsh land that feels at first like a de...
34.
The Sirens : A Novel by Emilia Hart EN
Description:
New from the author of the runaway New York Times bestseller Weyward comes a spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea.
35.
Description:
In The Strays, Evan Trentham is the wild child of the Melbourne art world of the 1930s. He and his captivating wife, Helena, attempt to carve out their own small niche, to escape the stifling conservatism they see around them, by gathering together other like-minded artists. They create a utopian circle within their family home, offering these young artists a place to live and work, and the mixed benefits of being associated with the infamous Evan. At the periphery of this circle is Lily Struthers, the best friend of Evan and Helena's daughter Eva. Lily is infatuated by the world she bears wit... continue
36.
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera EN
Country: Oceania / 
New Zealand
New Zealand
Description:
Eight-year-old Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of New Zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of the Maori tribe. Basis for the 2003 feature film.
37.
The Yield by Tara June Winch EN
Description:
Winner of the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Shortlisted for the VPLA. Winner, Book of the Year, People's Choice, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction at NSW Premier's Literary Award. Shortlisted for the Stella Prize. Just tell the truth and someone will hear it eventually. The yield in English is the reaping, the things that man can take from the land. In the language of the Wiradjuri yield is the things you give to, the movement, the space between things- baayanha. Knowing that he will soon die, Albert 'Poppy' Gondiwindi takes pen to paper. His life has been spent on the banks of the Murru... continue
38.
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey EN
Description:
'I lost my own father at 12 yr. of age and know what it is to be raised on lies and silence...' To the authorities in pursuit of him, outlaw Ned Kelly is a horse thief, bank robber and police-killer. But to his fellow ordinary Australians, Kelly is their own Robin Hood. In a dazzling act of ventriloquism, Peter Carey brings the famous bushranger wildly and passionately to life.
Tuvalu40.
We Are the Ocean: Selected Works by Epeli Hau‘ofa EN
Country: Oceania / 
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Description:
Hau'ofa's essays criss-cross Oceania, creating a navigator's star chart of discussion and debate. Spurning the arcana of the intellectual establishments where he was schooled, Hau'ofa has crafted a distinctive - often lyrical, at times angry - voice that speaks directly to the people of the region and the general reader. He conveys his thoughts from diverse standpoints: university-based analyst, essayist, satirist and humorist, and practical catalyst for creativity. According to Hau'ofa, only through creative originality in all fields of endeavor can the people of Oceania hope to strengthen th... continue