Friday essay: how Australia’s ‘invasion novels’ have reflected our cultural anxieties around raceFelicity Castagna, Western Sydney University
California is a new republic in Exit Party, a dystopia set in 2031. What happens next?Seth Robinson, The University of Melbourne
Naomi Klein’s new book calls out end times fascism. What is this – and what’s the role of big tech?Luke Munn, The University of Queensland
The Disappearers: Marlon James’s new novel gives voice to the gay men Jamaica erasedAlison Donnell, University of Bristol
Bluster and betrayal: Paul Barry probes how steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta hoodwinked the powerfulDenis Muller, The University of Melbourne
‘It’s a strange time to be a man’: in The Castle, Jon Ronson investigates the plight of unanchored menAlexander Howard, University of Sydney
Poetry is popular with young Australians, from pop-up readings to poetry slamsAnn Vickery, Deakin University
Paul Keating’s AUKUS hostility reflects his passion for hard-nosed realism over subservienceFrank Bongiorno, University of Canberra
Alice Duncan-Kemp was an empathetic observer of Mithaka culture, but her legacy is complicatedEve Vincent, Macquarie University
5 great 9/11 novels grapple with grief, trauma and the ‘American dream’Jessica Gildersleeve, University of Southern Queensland
Blanche d'Alpuget leaves a lasting imprint on Australian literature – and politicsChris Wallace, University of Canberra
Shocks, alchemy and John Howard’s ‘long shadow’ have shaped 21st century Australian politicsJohn Hawkins, University of Canberra
Lust and power: Foucault’s The History of Sexuality at 50Matthew Sharpe, Australian Catholic University
The Prime Minister’s Literary Award winners include a collective Yolŋu novel – and a murder trialLiz Evans, University of Tasmania
Dolly Parton’s philanthropic Imagination Library had a proven effect in Australia, and around the worldClaire Galea, Western Sydney University
Omar Musa’s Miles Franklin win rewards epic, ambitious Australian writing with a global scopeAlexander Howard, University of Sydney
How to Sell a Genocide has been removed from a library near Bondi – but libraries represent freedom of thoughtHeather L. Robinson, Flinders University
These 5 Australian novels will get your book club talking – and enjoying a good disagreementMaggie Nolan, The University of Queensland and Robert Clarke, University of Tasmania
Australian children’s classics: Storm Boy’s tough, tender ode to wild childhood will make you cryMargot Hillel, Australian Catholic University
Australian children’s classics: Playing Beatie Bow is a time-slip novel that makes Sydney strangeMonique Rooney, Australian National University
Australian children’s classics: Shaun Tan’s essential migrant story still mesmerises, 20 years onPenni Russon, Monash University
Australian children’s classics: Seven Little Australians is our own Little Women – but naughty, not earnestJudith Ridge, University of Newcastle; University of Tasmania
Australian poetry classics: Francis Webb, the 20th century’s ‘most unjustly neglected poet’, is our best kept literary secretToby Davidson, Macquarie University
Australian poetry classics: John Forbes’ On the Beach exposes the nation’s myths of convenienceAidan Coleman, Southern Cross University
Australian poetry classics: Kenneth Slessor’s Five Bells gives Sydney Harbour back its darknessBronwyn Lea, The University of Queensland
Australian poetry classics: Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s A Song of Hope created a legacy to build onTess Ryan, Australian Catholic University and Kelly Humphrey, Australian Catholic University
Friday essay: Jeff Sparrow on the radical hope of ‘forgotten’ Australian writer Lesbia HarfordJeff Sparrow, The University of Melbourne
Friday essay: Don Watson’s book on Paul Keating ended their friendship – is it our best ever political memoir?Joshua Black, University of Canberra
Friday essay: we’re all ‘political’ now – but can that lead to real change?Intifar Chowdhury, Flinders University
Friday essay: How to Sell a Genocide exposes the double standards of reporting on GazaJeff Sparrow, The University of Melbourne
Friday essay: can rewilding offer us a brighter, greener future?Katherine Johnson, University of Tasmania
Do tech billionaires dream of shared abundance? We should probably just tax themCarl Rhodes, University of Technology Sydney
Though rarely heretical, Richard Flanagan’s essays have a ferocious moral forceTony Hughes-d'Aeth, The University of Western Australia
Testosterone maxxing is all the rage – but when it comes to fatherhood, less might be moreSamuel Cornell, The University of Queensland
Richard Denniss is calling for a gas export tax, but an effective royalty system would be a better optionDiane Kraal, Monash University
The threat of biological warfare is real – a new book describes the potential devastationThomas Jeffries, Western Sydney University
Pauline Hanson calls Australia ‘Judeo-Christian’. But the term is a meaningless modern inventionPhilip C. Almond, The University of Queensland
Lucianne Tonti’s deeply personal history of witch hunts overstates the role of misogynyNicole Kimball, University of Newcastle
The biggest atomic blast in Australia happened 70 years ago – mysteries about its impact lingerElizabeth Tynan, James Cook University
In Homer’s epic, a bold princess helps Odysseus home – but not in Nolan’s film. Who is Nausicaa?K.O. Chong-Gossard, The University of Melbourne
Friday essay: I’ve been reading The Odyssey my whole life. Nolan’s film version is exhilarating – but not perfectAnthony Macris, University of Technology Sydney
The Founding Father of American literature, Charles Brockden Brown saw his nation’s dark sideHannah Lauren Murray, La Trobe University
Before Greek myths reached the multiplex, they were weapons of political satireCallum Smith, Aberystwyth University
Why Christopher Nolan turned Circe into a vindictive witchBailey Sincox, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Guide to the classics: John Steinbeck’s East of Eden has always been controversialPaul Giles, Australian Catholic University
An alternative health treatment killed Hannah’s cousin. Now she’s on a mission to warn othersEdith Jennifer Hill, Flinders University
For this woman in her 50s, endurance cycling is quietly radical – and about much more than sportSharyn Carnahan, Torrens University Australia
‘We’ll slaughter the bastards’ – how Bob Jones and the New Zealand Party changed politics in 1984Paul Moon, Auckland University of Technology
Thrown shoes, sabotaged launches and exposed affairs: the drama of Australian political publishingDennis Altman, La Trobe University
Geetanjali Shree’s radical fiction, written in Hindi, is finding a global audienceMridula Nath Chakraborty, Monash University
How do you satirise a self-satirising society? Jordan Prosser gives it a goLuke Johnson, University of Wollongong
Meg Mason’s novel about a sad, divorcing festival worker asks: can books save your life?Amber Gwynne, The University of Queensland
This strange novel riffs on The Tempest, swapping its teen girl for a menopausal marine biologistJen Webb, University of Canberra
You won’t sleep until you finish reading this rare, exotic blend of crime and poetryKevin John Brophy, The University of Melbourne
Wild souls and irreverent humour enliven these timely award-winning booksEmma Kohen, Western Sydney University
Maria Takolander’s futuristic novel of ‘everyday horrors’ follows a mother’s quest to save her sonJoanne Anderton, The University of Queensland
Some speed-reading apps make big claims. But how fast can we actually read?Erik D. Reichle, Macquarie University
Do we absorb information better on paper, rather than screens? It depends on the screenErik D. Reichle, Macquarie University and Lili Yu, Macquarie University
How to read the classics in an age of distraction – and 3 short books to get you goingJohanna Harris, Australian Catholic University
More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate. How can we fix this?Genevieve McArthur, Australian Catholic University
Does your child only read graphic novels? That’s OK – it’s helping them build literacy skillsJudith Ridge, University of Tasmania and Robyn Cox, University of Tasmania
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem lifted up women everywhere, leaving behind a more gender-equal worldSharon Crozier-De Rosa, University of Wollongong
Valerie Brown met the queen, was arrested – and led Greenpeace AustraliaMarty Branagan, University of New England
Hugh Jackman plays Robin Hood as wicked – it’s a badly timed take on the hero of the poorWilliam Hoff, The University of Melbourne
20 best New Zealand books of the 21st century: as chosen by expertsFinlay Macdonald, The Conversation; Jo Case, The Conversation; Matt Garrow, The Conversation, and Suzy Freeman-Greene, The Conversation
Blanche d'Alpuget leaves a lasting imprint on Australian literature – and politicsChris Wallace, University of Canberra
