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Life, Death and Detention

 

Life, Death and Detention

ISBN: 1-876289-25-2

This book has been on the Year 7, 8 and 9 booklist for the Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge, since its inception in 2005.

Life, Death and Detention coverA copy of Life, Death and Detention was on display in the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne in early 2009 as part of the Baillieu 50th Anniversary Exhibition. Also on display were some of my original notes about graffiti found on the desks in the Baillieu. These notes were made in the 1980s. Years later, they were the inspiration for the story "The Writing's On The Wall" which was published in Life, Death and Detention.

Related to this is a short personal reminiscence about the Baillieu Library, which has been published on the Baillieu 50th Anniversary Memory Board website. Titled "The Baillieu, friendship, and graffiti", it includes some information about "The Writing's On The Wall".

This book has been out of print for a while. It is possible that there may still be a few copies floating around some bookshops.

It was supposed to be re-published in September 2007 with a new publisher, C&C International Media Group. Unfortunately this publisher went out of business before the book could be published.

This is a collection of short stories for teenagers. It's a rather varied collection with both serious and humorous stories, all revolving around school life. It was published in August 1999, by Margaret Hamilton Books (which is now a Division of Scholastic Australia).

It was reviewed in Reading Time Vol.44 No.3, which is published by the Australian Children's Book Council. It's a terrific review which says lots of nice things including that the stories "...are bound to shock the reader, or bring cause for reflection, or leave him or her uncomfortable. They are stories to make their young readers think, to learn and to grow."

The book also got a mention in The male closet in many a classroom (William E. Elderton), which provides an annotated list of teenage fiction on the issues of being gay. This is what Elderton had to say:

This corpus makes for a gripping read, even if an occasionally disturbing one, as Australian teens grapple with a myriad of school weirdoes on top of family dysfunctions. "He Played Unforgettable" is a tale of internalised homophobia. The unnamed hero is teamed up for a school project with Wayne, leader of the school's band of bullies. When working together on their shared task, Wayne turns out to be a classical, music-loving, New Age type of guy who initiates a mutual gratifying kiss between the two. Later, when observed thus by his "gang", Wayne leads the homophobic beating of his former "friend".

The book contains the following short stories:

  • Life Death and Detention
  • Beam Me Up
  • Remember Me
  • On the Edge of a Knife
  • Sugar
  • Love Letters
  • All Hail the Trophy
  • He Played Unforgettable
  • Ghosts
  • The Writing's On The Wall
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Last Modified: Monday, 16 November, 2009.

© 2009 George Ivanoff