Ten pound poms: Australia's invisible migrants by James A. Hammerton and Alistair Taylor

Manchester University Press 2005

ISBN: 9780719071331

Over I million Britons emigrated between the 1940’s and 70’s – the “Ten Pound Poms”!  This book explores the experiences of these immigrants through oral history interviews, letters, diaries, photographs and memoirs. In one of the first collections of this kind the experiences of these people is documented, the authors explore the intense homesickness, the humour and the life-changing stories of these immigrants, not just of those who settled in Australia, but also the stories of those who went home to England.

Otherland: a journey with my daughter by Maria Tumarkin

Vintage Books Australia North Sydney N.S.W.  2010

ISBN: 9781741666793

Maria Tumarkin travels with her Australian born daughter, Billie, back to Russia and the Ukraine to have her child experience the country her mother came from.  Maria’s past was not just another country, but a country that no longer exists, where seismic changes have occurred in the cultural and political life of it’s people. This is the tale of a six week trip that tells the different, but connected stories of three generations of mothers and daughters, in as many lifetimes, of a bond that grows between Maria and her daughter, Billie.

Shimmer by Basia Bonkowski

Hourglass/Exisle publishing 2010

ISBN: 9781921497216

As the author Basia Bonkowski and her brothers gather to watch over their mother as she lies dying in hospital, details of their mother’s life emerges. Fleeing Poland in advance of the Russian invasion, this is the story of great suffering and the struggle to reach Australia and begin a new life.  It is the story of the Bonkowski family over 3 generations and the ties that bind them, it is a journey of personal growth and of the strength of human spirit.

Split lives: Croatian Australian Stories by Val Colic- Peisker

Freemantle Arts Centre Press 2004

ISBN: 9781920731083

A collection of  life stories of 8 Croatians, who migrated to Australia between 1949 and 1996, they narrate the powerful influences that shaped their decision to migrate. Social class, gender and economic opportunity were amongst the reasons for the life-changing move. They came from different regions, with different ambitions and education levels. With great honesty and humour they tell their individual stories and experiences, their reasons for migration, the life they left behind and their new vastly different lives in Australia.

The happiest refugee: my journey from tragedy to comedy by Anh Do

Allen & Unwin 2011

ISBN: 9781742372389

Told with humour, tragedy and great warmth Anh Do tells the story of his families desire for a better life in Australia. Escaping from war torn Vietnam, Anh’s  family almost didn’t make it in an overcrowded boat on the high seas.   His mother made tremendous sacrifices and things were tough after his father left, but their determination saw them succeed in their adopted country. Ahn went on to become one of our favourite comedians.

Unpolished gem: my mother, my grandmother and me by Alice Pung

Plume publishing 2009

ISBN:  9780452290006

Beautifully written, this is the story of a families journey and a young girls personal search for identity between two cultures.  Alice tells of her double life between home and school and although she wasn’t born in Cambodia,  she writes about episodes of life in Cambodia and Vietnam.  Alice combines the story of growing up in Footscray with the traditional tales told by her mother and grandmother in a funny and witty manner.

Jenny’s coffee House by Eugenie Williams

Transit Lounge, Yarraville Vic. 2009

ISBN:9780980571707

Eugenie or Yenni or Jenny Williams arrived in Hobart from Czechoslavakia in the 60’s with her family.  In this humorous biography she tells of their arrival in  the slow paced capital of Tasmania, of their easy acceptance by Tasmanians.  She describes

 the hard work, the learning of a new language, a new romance, her parents death and of her children growing up as Aussies.  Jenny begins her employment as a hotel dishwasher, moves into a job at the Cadbury chocolate factory and at last has the opportunity to become a laboratory assistant.  This requires her to use an English dictionary as she translates Czech into English and many cups of coffee before she sets the exam at the top of the state in Launceston.  This is a tale of a family’s ups and downs and the ultimate purchase of the Coffee House in

77 Elizabeth Street, Hobart

, a fulfilment of Jenny’s dreams.