This is a dramatic account of the two most turbulent years in Australia’s political history – 1974 and 1975. It is based on Kelly’s daily reporting, personal conversations and extensive interviews after the Whitlam Government’s defeat. Kelly’s focus is the leaders – Whitlam and Fraser – self-styled men of destiny whose quest for power shook our political system. The book starts and ends with the shattering decision of the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, to dismiss the Whitlam Government. Written when Kelly was 27, it is a story of power, intrigue and ruthlessness unmatched in our history.
Reviews
“This is a more substantial and ambitious work than the others and in many ways is a model of lucid instant history” – Neal Blewett
“Paul Kelly’s is the reference we keep going back to” - Peter Bowers, former Sydney Morning Herald Correspondent.
“Of the books, the one which to my mind puts the fairest construction on the course of events is Kelly’s” – Professor Geoffrey Sawer.
“Paul Kelly’s first publication, The Unmaking of Gough, back in 1976 was a tour de force of long form political journalism with many imitators, many emulators, or attempted emulators, since” – Malcolm Turnbull in 2015 offering a retrospective view.
“Essential for detail….the best buy as a permanent record,” Humphrey McQueen.
