Twenty states. Twenty-six essays.
From the theology of opioids to the aftermath of a mass shooting, from #MeToo to the paintings of George W. Bush, reporting from an East Coast ravaged by climate change to the dangerous world of the US–Mexico border.
“Brilliant”
- The Saturday Paper.
“Humorous, poignant, and censorious”
- Australian Book Review
Robyn Davidson, author of the classic memoir Tracks, has led a remarkable life of writing and nomadic travel. I
n this crisp, erudite essay, acclaimed critic and journalist Richard Cooke explores Davidson’s relationship with place and freedom, and her singular presence in Australian letters.
“Exquisite”
- Peter Craven
“Literary criticism at its best”
- Fiona Capp, The Age (Pick of the Week)
Elon Musk:
Dark Star Rising
(Coming to the UK August)
What happened to Elon Musk? This is an urgent, razor-sharp political biography of the world’s richest person. From self-described moderate to reactionary provocateur, from self-mythologised innovator to conspiracy peddler and chaos agent - Cooke exposes the roots of Musk’s transformation in the mythology of genius, the libertarian cult of disruption, and the tech elite’s growing comfort with authoritarianism.
“You won't read a sharper or more necessary portrait than this – of a visionary cad, clown and genius who is both an exploding rocket yet also capable of landing on Mars, where he says he hopes to die; of a sociopathic and touchy Icarus who wants to save the world, but only on his own terms. It's terrific stuff.”
- Nicholas Shakespeare
“Read it and then beg everyone you know to read it too.”
- Devorah Baum