{"title":"Babette Smith","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"luck-of-the-irish-book-babette-smith-9781742378121","title":"The Luck of the Irish","description":"The luck of the Irish was chronic bad luck, as their sad history attests. That's how it looked for 250 Irish convicts when their ship, the Hive, sank ignominiously off the New South Wales coast in 1835. Miraculously all survived, guided to safety by local Aboriginal people.  They landed at a time when the so-called slave colony was at its height, ruled by the lash and the chain gang. Yet as Babette Smith tracked the lives of the people aboard the Hive, she discovered a very different story. Most were assigned to work on farms or in businesses, building a better life than they possibly could have experienced in Ireland. Surprisingly, in the workforce they found power, which gave rise to the characteristic Australian culture later described by DH Lawrence: 'Nobody felt better than anybody else, or higher.'  The Luck of the Irish is a fascinating portrait of colonial life in the mid-19th century, which reveals how the Irish helped lay the foundations of the Australia we know today.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49577094447377,"sku":"GOR009552810","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1742378129.jpg?v=1758967767"},{"product_id":"mothers-and-sons-book-babette-smith-9781863738668","title":"Mothers and Sons","description":"The mother\/son relationship is defined by powerful cultural myths. On the one hand it is idealized: the bond between mother and son is exalted as the purest and most fulfilling in a woman's life and an unquestioning source of love in a man's life. On the other hand it is vilified. Mother love is portrayed as stifling, limiting or even castrating. Mothers are blamed for flaws in their son's personalities and for any sexual orientation which is not strictly heterosexual. This study attempts to reveal the truth behind these myths and lifts the lid on decades of uneasy family relationships.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49976758173969,"sku":"CIN1863738665G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53458256232721,"sku":"GOR001882861","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1863738665.jpg?v=1750996114"},{"product_id":"cargo-of-women-book-babette-smith-9781741755510","title":"A Cargo of Women","description":"Intrigued to discover a convict ancestor in her family tree, Babette Smith decided to investigate her life and the lives of the 99 women who were transported with her on the ship Princess Royal in 1829.Piece by piece she reveals the story of her ancestor the indomitable Susannah Watson who, trapped in the crowded filthy slums of Nottingham, stole because she  could not bear to see her children starving'. Separated forever from her husband and four children, she was transported to Australia for 14 years. She endured the convict system at its worst, yet emerged triumphant to die in her bed aged 83 singing  Rock of Ages'.Babette Smith reconstructs the lives of the women from the Princess Royal from fragments of information in shipping lists, official records, newspapers and court transcripts. Her research overturns stereotypes of women convicts as drunken whores and criminals. Caught in an England convulsed by change, they become the unwitting and unwilling pioneers of a new land. Many proved to be resourceful and resilient, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by a new society.First published two decades ago, A Cargo of Women became a bestseller and remains one of the most valuable accounts of convict life in Australia. This new edition includes further information about the women from the Princess Royal and new illustrations.'Smith comes as close as any historian has come to reconstructing the complex experience of a convict woman an absorbing story.' - Kay Daniels, Australian Historical Studies","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50323138117905,"sku":"GOR003493579","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53201028317457,"sku":"GOR014804316","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1741755514.jpg?v=1758966931"},{"product_id":"cargo-of-women-the-history-book-babette-smith-9780725106355","title":"Cargo of Women: the History","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50346869424401,"sku":"GOR005376411","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52470326755601,"sku":"GOR014533348","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0725106352.jpg?v=1750880689"},{"product_id":"mothers-and-sons-book-babette-smith-9781864482225","title":"Mothers and Sons","description":"Based on frank and revealing interviews with mothers and sons of all ages, Babette Smith's ground-breaking book tells the truth about this crucial relationship. She probes behind the myths and the silences to uncover some surprising answers.  Many middle-aged sons confess to being bored in their mother's company. Many say they felt unloved as children, but have forgotten that masculine pressures made them reject their mother's affection. On the other hand, mothers are afraid of being too possessive, too seductive or too domineering with their sons.  Today's young sons often have better relationships with their mothers, but the old patterns persist. Mothers and Sons may help to bridge the gulf between women and men.  'With compassion, frankness and insight, Babette Smith exposes the dangers of gender stereotypes and encourages a more realistic appreciation of the needs which are unique to every relationship.' - Hugh Mackay  '.fascinating and poignant insights into the changing nature of mother-son relationships.' - Bettina Arndt  'A compassionate, insightful and timely exploration of a core element in male identity.' - Terry Colling, author of Beyond Mateship  'As the mother of two sons, I want everyone to read it.' - Wendy McCarthy AO","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50878073504017,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50878073536785,"sku":"GOR003300674","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53266373181713,"sku":"GOR002404809","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1864482222.jpg?v=1758966769"},{"product_id":"australia-s-birthstain-book-babette-smith-9781741756753","title":"Australia's Birthstain","description":"Why is it that Australians are still misled by myths about their convict heritage? Why are so many family historians surprised to find a convict ancestor in their family trees? Why did an entire society collude to cover up its past?  Babette Smith traces the stories of hundreds of convicts over the 80 years of convict transportation to Australia. Putting a human face on the convicts' experience, she paints a rich picture of their crimes in Britain and their lives in the colonies. We know about Port Arthur, Norfolk Island, chaingangs and floggings, but this was far from the experience of most. In fact, most convicts became good citizens and the backbone of the new nation. So why did we need to hide them away?  Australia's Birthstain rewrites the story of Australia's convict foundations, revealing the involvement of British politicians and clergy in creating a birthstain that reached far beyond convict crimes. Its startling conclusion offers a fresh perspective on our past.  'Babette Smith's arguments will be hotly debated, but there is no doubting the fascination or drama of this study of the stain we pretend is not there.' - Thomas Keneally, Booker prize winning novelist and author of The Commonwealth of Thieves  'Smith shows how the shame about Australia's convict origins . continues to influence the way we view our history . an important book.' - David Day in The Age","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51733870051601,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51733870084369,"sku":"GOR001987555","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1741756758.jpg?v=1758967851"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-babette-smith.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}