THREE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES FROM THREE REMARKABLE WOMEN

1. ALEK – Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel
Alek Wek Virago $39

2. ON THE WINGS OF MERCURY – The Lorraine Moller Story
Lorraine Mary Moller Longacre Press $40

3. A LABOUR OF LOVE – An autobiography – Anne Geddes
Hachette $70

Three very different women who have all achieved at the highest level in their respective careers have autobiographies out this month. Three remarkable women from very different backgrounds and working in very different fields. I am not normally especially keen on autobiographies but I have to say each of these in their own way tell such remarkable stories that I was inspired and captivated by each.

ALEK - Sudanese Refugee to International Superstar

The striking thing about this book is the straightforward, down-to-earth, all-revealing and intimate manner with which Alek tells her story. Born in to the Dinka tribe in a village in Southern Sudan her early years were peaceful and happy but then came the appalling civil war that resulted in nearly two million deaths. Eventually Alek was able to gain refugee status and escaped to London where at age 19 she was “discovered” by a scout one Saturday morning while out shopping.
Now one of the most sought-after models in the world she graces the covers and catwalks of the fashion world but seems utterly unspoilt by it all.
Great story which I read in one sitting. 16 pages of photos, (I wish there had been more), showing both her early life in Sudan and her later life in London and New York.

Read a much longer review from the Brisbane Courier mail.

ON THE WINGS OF MERCURY – The Lorraine Moller Story

Another straight shooter this book comes with high praise from Peter Snell who described it as “the most compelling autobiography I have ever read”.
First off let us establish her credentials. In his foreword Snell says she has proven to be New Zealand’s greatest female distance runner. Her credentials include three victories in the Avon International Women’s Marathon, a win in the 1984 Boston Marathon and three times winner of the prestigious Osaka International Ladies’ Marathon. In a feat unmatched to this day she completed four consecutive Olympic Games, commencing with the first marathon for women at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games with the climax of her career being an Olympic bronze medal in the marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

So a remarkable career by any standards and while there is, of course, a good deal about athletics and competitive running in her story there is also a lot more than that in this candid and well written story.

Starting with her birth in Putaruru in 1955, her early family life when she began running barefoot with her father, meeting coach John Davies in Tokoroa in 1971, her years in Dunedin and Canada, beginning to run marathons, her love life, two marriages, her home in Boulder, Colorado, retirement, first-time motherhood at 45 years of age, her work today as a presenter for running events and as an ambassador for charity and so much more, it’s all here in this highly readable book. Warmly recommended.


A LABOUR OF LOVE – An autobiography – Anne Geddes

The two previous titles are both paperbacks whereas this is a sumptuous, large format hardcover book illustrated throughout by hundreds of photographs, as you would expect from an internationally acclaimed photographer telling her story. As an aside I must say that for a book of this size, it is a true coffee-table volume, and with these production values the price of $70 seems quite remarkable.

Today, of course Anne Geddes’ unique photographs of babies are recognized immediately all over the world but it wasn’t always this way and in her book she tells us of the financial and artistic struggles along the way before she first came before her international audience in 1996.

She grew up with her four sisters on a 26,000 acre beef cattle property in North Queensland which is where she starts her story, we learn of her first camera and first portraiture studio in the backyard garage, her children, moving to New Zealand, and her second ,very happy marriage to Kel Geddes, a prominent figure in the television industry on both sides of the Tasman and in Asia before becoming involved fulltime with Anne when her professional life really took off.

But the greater part of the book deals with the past 12 years and the growth of her business and reputation on the international stage. Many of her most famous baby photographs appear throughout the book and most interestingly she has traced some of those babies and provided photographs of how they look today.

Footnote: Anne & Kel Geddes have set up The Geddes Philanthropic Trust whose noble mission is threefold:
*To raise worldwide awareness regarding issues of the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
*To provide funds to selected institutions or groups that can make a direct difference.
*To fund selected Fellowships around the world, as incentives for doctors and other medical professionals to train and continue to work in this very important area.