Albanese

Anthony Albanese got lucky with Karen Middleton, who has crafted an account of his life that is both gripping and moving – words not usually associated with the genre of political biography. Central to his story is the gutsy Maryanne Albanese, who raised him as a single mother in working-class Camperdown. Growing up in this staunchly Labor environment, Albanese went on to become a political firebrand at university and later found a father substitute in Tom Uren. But it is his belated search for his real father that makes Albanese an unexpected page-turner. While his personal story overshadows his political rise, it successfully elicits the reader's sympathy and respect.

Fiona Capp, The Sydney Morning Herald

Karen Middleton is a great journalist and tells the story beautifully.

Lisa Wilkinson, TODAY show

A fascinating read.

Michelle Grattan, The Conversation

A fascinating mixture of two stories.

Bob Hawke

I think it’s almost impossible to overstate the influence of those early years on Albo.

Bob Hawke

He's put his hand up and been a great club man, and he has served his country with the same selfless passion.

Russell Crowe

Middleton’s detailed evocation of the whole social milieu in which he grew up is itself an important contribution to our understanding of the contemporary political divide. Its strengths are in the portrayal of intersecting political and social worlds, and here it invites a revitalised debate about how the terms of the relationship between those worlds have changed over the past two generations.

Jane Goodall, Inside Story