Julia Baird

A beautiful, intimate and inspiring investigation into how we can find and nurture within ourselves that essential quality of internal happiness - the 'light within' that Julia Baird calls 'phosphorescence' - which will sustain us even through the darkest times. Over the last decade, we have become better at knowing what brings us contentment, well-being and joy. We know, for example, that there are a few core truths to science of happiness. We know that being kind and altruistic makes us happy, that turning off devices, talking to people, forging relationships, living with meaning and delving into the concerns of others offer our best chance at achieving happiness. But how do we retain happiness? It often slips out of our hands as quickly as we find it. So, when we are exposed to, or learn, good things, how do we continue to burn with them? And more than that, when our world goes dark, when we're overwhelmed by illness or heartbreak, loss or pain, how do we survive, stay alive or even bloom? In the muck and grit of a daily existence full of disappointments and a disturbing lack of control over many of the things that matter most - finite relationships, fragile health, fraying economies, a planet in peril - how do we find, nurture and carry our own inner, living light - a light to ward off the darkness? Absorbing, achingly beautiful, inspiring and deeply moving, Julia Baird has written exactly the book we need for these times.

On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark

Phosphorescence

"Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, in 2016."--Title page verso.

An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire

Victoria The Queen

A Memoir of Finding Joy When Your World Goes Dark

Imagine This

Female Politicians and the Press

Media Tarts

Phosphorescence: on Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark

A powerful insight into how the media treats female politicians - now revised and updated with a new foreword by Annabel Crabb - from one of our foremost journalists and political commentators, Julia Baird. 'History is crucial. We need to know that treating women as decorations, subordinates and playthings, even and sometimes especially in our houses of power, is not new. We know that from the moment women walked into parliament and took up space alongside men, they have been treated as objects ... When men were featured often in the press, they were rising stars. When women were featured often in the press, they were media tarts'. Julia Baird's seminal work, Media Tarts, was originally published in 2004. Based on a series of extensive interviews, the book provides an in-depth analysis of the influence of a generation of prominent female politicians on the Australian political system, exploring the part played by the press in their downfall. Almost two decades later, it is evident how little has changed. Now revisited and updated with a new foreword, Media Tarts is essential reading from one of our foremost journalists and political commentators, providing a powerful, sobering and incisive insight into how deep the currents of misogyny run, and how the media continues to treat female politicians. If we want to understand what is happening today, and avoid the endless repeating of the same story, we need to reckon with our past. 'Julia Baird's Media Tarts is a gripping account of how the media have treated women politicians. While the tone of the book is even-handed, reading the history is at times gruesome, like watching a demolition derby...In Baird's hands, it is a great political story.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Readable, authoritative and thought-provoking.' The Age 'I found Media Tarts striking and instructive when first I read it. In a new era of attentiveness to women's experience, let its new iteration fire the pistons of change.' Annabel Crabb

Media Tarts Revised and Updated Edition

From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace. Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found, in part, when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable. But we live in an era where grace is an increasingly rare currency. The silos we consume information in are dotting the media landscape like skyscrapers, and the growing distrust in media, politicians and public figures, have in some ways choked our ability to cut each other slack, to allow each other to stumble, to forgive one another. So what does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves, and express it, even in the darkest of times? From award-winning journalist Julia Baird, author of the acclaimed national bestseller Phosphorescence, comes Bright Shining, a luminously beautiful, deeply insightful and most timely exploration of grace.

How Grace Changes Everything. the New Book from the Award-Winning Author of the Unforgettable Bestselling Memoir Phosphorescence

Bright Shining

How the Australian Press Frames Female Politicians

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INDIE BOOK AWARDS “Luminous. . . . A work to both devour and savour, Baird has, once again, written a book the world needs now.'”—Guardian “The uplift and power of Bright Shining . . . is to be found in the way Baird gives grace fresh currency by bringing this beautiful and elusive condition from the theological margins into the mainstream and showing, with passion and verve, how quietly transformative it can be.”—Sydney Morning Herald From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace. Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favoring the undeserving, loving the unlovable. Sadly, we live in an era when grace is increasingly rare. Our growing distrust of the media, politicians, and each other has choked our ability to trust, to accept, to allow for mistakes, to forgive. What does grace look like in today’s world, and how do we recognize it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times? In this luminously beautiful, deeply insightful, and timely book, Baird explores the meaning of grace and how we can cut through negativity to find it today.

How Grace Changes Everything

Best-seller internacional, Fosforescência é uma surpreendente investigação da luta da humanidade moderna para encontrar e alimentar a alegria. Aqui, Julia Baird reflete sobre o que iluminou seu caminho através da escuridão, destacando a força que encontrou na conexão com a natureza e na admiração pelo mundo ao redor. Depois de sobreviver a uma difícil separação e a uma batalha contra o câncer, a escritora e colunista Julia Baird passou a refletir de forma profunda sobre como perseveramos nas circunstâncias mais desafiadoras. Como seguir adiante quando sentimos dor, temos de enfrentar uma doença grave ou sofremos uma grande perda ou tragédia? A autora encontra no fenômeno da fosforescência a metáfora apropriada para o que ilumina nosso caminho nas horas mais sombrias: assim como vaga-lumes, águas-vivas e oceanos inteiros brilham por dentro, nós também podemos cultivar e fazer brilhar nossa luz interior. Neste livro inspirador, Baird reflete que a base da resiliência é cultivar amizades, ter uma fé equilibrada, buscar o silêncio, lutar por aquilo em que se acredita e aprender com os bons exemplos. Ela também explora como outras pessoas nutrem sua luz interior, entrevistando, entre outros, o fundador do movimento moderno de terapia florestal em Tóquio, uma pesquisadora de águas-vivas na Tasmânia e um padre incomum do Colorado. Entrelaçando memórias sinceras, ciência e reflexões sobre a natureza, Fosforescência é uma reflexão íntima e profunda que inspira os leitores a abraçar novos hábitos e a adotar uma visão fosforescente da vida que ilumine a nós mesmos e a nossos dias, mesmo nos tempos mais sombrios. "Um livro que suscita prazer, assombro e conforto." — The Guardian "Comovente e introspectivo. É impossível ler este livro e não mudar nossa perspectiva sobre felicidade, alegria e uma série de outras emoções." — Kirkus Review "Ler este livro é como passar a noite com um amigo maravilhoso, com tempo ilimitado e uma taça de um bom vinho em mãos. Uma bela e revigorante leitura." — The Australian

Como encontrar alegria quando o mundo escurece

Fosforescência

The national bestseller, Phosphorescence is a beautiful, intimate and inspiring investigation into how we can find and nurture within ourselves that essential quality of internal happiness - the 'light within' - which will sustain us even through the darkest times. Over the last decade, we have become better at knowing what brings us contentment, well-being and joy. We know, for example, that there are a few core truths to the science of happiness. We know that being kind and altruistic makes us happy, that turning off devices, talking to people, forging relationships, living with meaning and delving into the concerns of others offer our best chance of achieving happiness. But how do we retain happiness? It often slips out of our hands as quickly as we find it. So, when we are exposed to, or learn, good things, how do we continue to burn with them? And more than that, when our world goes dark, when we're overwhelmed by illness or heartbreak, loss or pain, how do we survive, stay alive or even bloom? In the muck and grit of a daily existence full of disappointments and a disturbing lack of control over many of the things that matter most - finite relationships, fragile health, fraying economies, a planet in peril - how do we find, nurture and carry our own inner, living light - a light to ward off the darkness? An intimate, achingly beautiful and inspiring exploration of the ways we can pursue awe, wonder and purpose, from one of our best, most perceptive writers. 'Like spending an evening with a wonderful friend, with unlimited time and a glass of good wine in hand.... A beautiful and rallying read' The Australian 'Julia Baird's new, beautiful consideration of the things that glow through the murk... a book such as this one - one that aims to provoke delight and wonder and comfort, that is at its heart trying to find answers or modes of connection, or light - is of the moment in the best possible way.' The Guardian 'Intelligent and emotionally astute ... Many will find sustenance in reading it.'Sydney Morning Herald 'That is the beauty of this profound book. It transports you into all the deep, inner yearnings you've had for a long time, and then articulates them for you ... I could rave about this gem of a book forever. We need this book. You need this book. It is the perfect gift for us all right now. It is perfect.' Better Reading

Winner of the Australian Book Industry BOOK of the YEAR AWARD 2021

David Hurlston

Mo Wyse

Lily Sullivan

Known for his multi-storey murals gracing buildings all over the world, Melbourne-based artist Rone uses his work to explore the friction and connection between beauty and decay, youth and ruin.Rone was a seminal figure in the explosive Melbourne street art scene of the early 2000s. With his beginnings in street art, stencil and screen printing, Rone is now best known for his haunting images of women's faces, rendered in arresting detail on silos and store fronts, museums and apartment blocks. His immersive installations have continued his investigation into divergent themes of beauty and ruin, materiality and loss, through the transformation of condemned, derelict or forgotten spaces - with each artwork painstakingly produced, only to be destroyed. Rone: Street Art and Beyond presents a survey of the artist's work from the street, the studio, and the ephemeral installations. The works are bookended by essays that trace the evolution of Rone's career over the last two decades, delve into his depictions of women, and go behind the scenes of his most ambitious installation to date: Empire (2019), set in the disused Art Deco mansion Burnham Beeches on the outskirts of Melbourne. Anecdotal notes from the artist unpack the stories behind the portraits, tying them to their communities in London, Paris, New York, Havana, Christchurch, Hong Kong and beyond.

Street Art and Beyond

Rone

Geoffrey Giuliano

Julia Baird, younger half-sister to the late Beatles legend, reveals the unorthodox childhood they shared, memories of their mother, renewed family bonds, and the many sides of John Lennon

My Brother

John Lennon

A memoir by John Lennon's sister revealing the often painful and lonely childhood that was to have such reverberations for his and her own life.

Growing Up with My Brother, John Lennon

Imagine this

A biografia da rainha que subiu ao trono ainda adolescente e governou por mais de sessenta anos, emprestando seu nome a um dos períodos mais famosos da história da Inglaterra — a Era Vitoriana. Quinta na linha sucessória do Reino Unido da Grã-Bretanha e da Irlanda, ninguém poderia imaginar que um dia Vitória subiria ao trono. Coroada em 1837, aos dezoito anos, esta improvável rainha teve uma ascensão extraordinária. Reinou por 64 anos e, não à toa, esse período entrou para a história como a Era Vitoriana. De temperamento forte, desafiou a autoridade da mãe e de seus ministros. Apaixonou-se perdidamente pelo príncipe Albert, com quem se casou aos dezenove anos e teve nove filhos. Sobreviveu a oito tentativas de assassinato e lamentou por décadas a prematura morte do marido, aos 42 anos. Durante o longo período em que Vitória reinou, o desenvolvimento industrial, a ciência e a tecnologia remodelaram o mundo. Mas sua mão firme e influência fizeram dela um símbolo da segurança e da tradição do povo inglês. Seu legado para a manutenção da Monarquia é imenso. E nos costumes, a era Vitoriana é até hoje um sinônimo de rigidez de princípios morais. Nesta incrível biografia, Julia Baird revela a verdadeira mulher por trás do mito: uma rainha ousada — uma Vitória para os nossos tempos. "A extensa pesquisa de Baird permitiu que ela produzisse um livro acessível e cativante que faz jus à pretensão de ser uma 'biografia íntima'." — Herald "Quando assumiu o trono, Vitória era jovem o bastante para consultar seu primeiro-ministro sobre suas sobrancelhas (elas eram muito finas?), e confiante o bastante para extirpar a palavra 'obedecer' de seus votos de casamento. Julia Baird a captura em todo seu esplendor, de forma ao mesmo tempo ousada, afetuosa e respeitosa. O livro é um relato vívido dessa mulher extraordinária, cujo reinado é tão vasto quanto seu legado." — Stacy Schiff

Biografia íntima da mulher que comandou um Império

Vitória, a rainha

The much-admired, critically-praised and bestselling biography of Queen Victoria, from one of Australia's most admired and respected journalists and commentators, Julia Baird. When Alexandrina Victoria was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 20 June 1837, she was 18 years old and barely five feet tall. Her subjects were fascinated and intrigued; some felt sorry for her. Writer Thomas Carlyle, watching her gilded coach draw away from the coronation, said: 'Poor little Queen, she is at an age at which a girl can hardly be trusted to choose a bonnet for herself; yet a task is laid upon her from which an archangel might shrink.' Queen Victoria is long dead, but in truth she has shaped us from the grave. She was a tiny, powerful woman who reigned for an astonishing 64 years. By the time of her Diamond Jubilee Procession in 1897, she reigned over a fourth of the inhabitable part of the world, had 400 million subjects, and had given birth to nine children. Suffrage, anti-poverty and anti-slavery movements can all be traced to her monumental reign, along with a profound rethinking of family life and the rise of religious doubt. When she died, in 1901, she was the longest reigning monarch in English history. Victoria is truly the woman who made the modern world. A fascinating, provocative and authoritative new biography of Queen Victoria which will make us see her in a new light, from one of Australia's most admired and respected journalists and commentators, Julia Baird. 'Julia Baird's exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch. Right out of the gate, the book thrums with authority as Baird builds her portrayal of Victoria. Overturning stereotypes, she rips this queen down to the studs and creates her anew.' The New York Times Shortlisted for the 2017 ABIA Awards and the 2017 NSW Premiers History Awards, and longlisted for the 2017 Stella Awards and the 2017 Walkley Awards.

The Woman who Made the Modern World

Victoria

Until now, the true story of John Lennon's childhood has never been told. John's sister Julia has herself been on a personal journey that has made it possible only now to reveal the full extent of the pain and difficulties - as well as the happier times - living inside John Lennon's family brought. Julia reveals the various strong, self-willed and selfish women who surrounded John as he grew up. John was removed from his mother at the age of 5 to live with his Aunt Mimi, and here Julia shows for the first time the cruelty of this decision - to both mother and son, she sheds a new light on his upbringing with Mimi which is often at dramatic odds with the accepted tale. John's frequent visits to his mother and sisters gave him the liveliness, freedom and love he sought and allowed him to develop his musical talents. The tragic death of their mother, knocked down outside Aunt Mimi's house by a speeding car when John was 17, meant that life for him and his sisters would never be the same again. Poignant, raw and beautifully written, IMAGINE THIS casts John Lennon's life in a new light and reveals the source of his emotional fragility and musical genius. It is also one family's extraordinary story of how it dealt with fame and tragedy beyond all imagining.

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ’Utterly captivating and magical.’ JULIA BRADBURY ‘This book is about many things, but it comes down to finding grace in the ordinary and awe in the magic of the universe. Each time I dive into it, I emerge shining.’ KATHRYN MANNIX

Julia Baird

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