The Shape of Sound + Australian Women Pilots - SCWC Book reviewer in residence
In what is hopefully the final stages of lockdown, dreams of travel and meeting new people seem totally out of reach. As a creative, people-watching often helps fuel ideas, but unable to do that, reading non-fiction has helped. Picking up Australian Women Pilots revealed the world of female aviation while The Shape of Sound details a young woman coming to terms with hereditary deafness.
The Shape of Sound is the debut memoir from writer Fiona Murphy who shares her story of first hiding her hearing loss and then coming to terms with learning otosclerosis, a disorder affecting the bones of the inner ear, will erase her remaining auditory senses. Reminiscent of Bri Lee’s Eggshell Skull, this memoir is confident and moving in equal measure. Possessing a formidable intellect paired with a driven high-achieving personality, Murphy details how she meets every obstacle with a determination to understand and overcome – such as when she is struggling with a perceived lack of confidence, and enrols in a stand-up comedy class. Throughout the memoir Murphy never stops studying, whether it is AUSLAN, creative writing, or her physiotherapy degree. Even the text hints at further study with philosophy and mythology references peppering the chapters along with journal articles and medical studies on how we hear, psychology, behavioural studies, and sociology. Weaving all these threads together, her experiences are contextualised and explained in an engaging and lively style. The work is body positive but also acts as a powerful reminder of what we take for granted.
Written by journalist and pilot Kathy Mexted, Australian Women Pilots is a very different read. This collection of ten biographies details the lives of exactly what the title says. Now, I have to admit to being a bit of an aviation enthusiast, but this book is not just for readers like me. Written in a reportage style, the chapters open your eyes to a world not everyone gets to experience. More importantly, this highlights the hurdles and challenges women wanting a career in aviation must overcome. The barriers are many and don’t appear to be getting that much easier. As the chapter telling the story of early pioneer Nancy Bird Walton details, the challenges she faced in the 1930s were not dissimilar to those faced by Australia’s first commercial jet pilot Deborah Wardley in 1980. The difference was that Wardley was able to take Ansett Airlines to court over their sexist policies. This book is far from a dry collection of biography: there are several chapters detailing aviation accidents, firebombing, or medical evacuation flights. The chapter detailing a tiny four-seater aircraft being ditched into the Pacific Ocean was an exciting eye-opener.
These two books reminded me that impossible hurdles or immovable gatekeepers don’t last forever. Both texts talk about the hard work required to achieve a dream. To write as clearly and simply as Mexted, or Murphy’s ability to blend so many ideas that educate while still telling a compelling story, reminds us of the joys of reading and writing. When texts allow us a tiny glimpse of the world waiting for us to return, lockdown can’t end soon enough.
The Shape of Sound
By Fiona Murphy
ISBN 9781922330512
Text Publishing
Australian Women Pilots
By Kathy Mexted
ISBN 9781742 236971
NewSouth Publishing
SCWC Book Reviewer 2021: Andy Muir
Andy is an award nominated screenwriter and story researcher for the hugely successful Underbelly franchise, and nominated for a Ned Kelly for his debut Something for Nothing.