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The First Stone
- Narrated by: Helen Garner, Jennifer Vuletic
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
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The First Stone
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Publisher's Summary
In the autumn of 1992, two young women students at Melbourne University went to the police claiming that they had been indecently assaulted at a party. The man they accused was the head of their co-ed residential college.
The controversial book that Helen Garner wrote about the resulting Ormond College sexual harassment case caused a social media storm. Prominent feminists were outraged at Garner's perceived support for the man involved, but many saw her approach a necessary and much welcome nuance towards the power dynamic between men and women. Either way, The First Stone sparked a raging debate about sexual harassment in Australia, making it easy to see why even now, 25 years on, the book is no less sharp, no less relevant and no less divisive.
This new edition, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of release, contains a foreword by Leigh Sales and an afterword by Garner's biographer, Bernadette Brennan. It also reprints David Leser's original 1995 Good Weekend interview with Helen Garner, and her own 1995 address 'The Fate of The First Stone'.
Critic Reviews
"This was never going to be an easy book to write, its pages are bathed in anguish and self-doubt, but suffused also with a white-hot anger." (Good Weekend)
"Garner has ensured one thing: the debate about sexual harassment [...] will now have a very public airing. And it will have it in the language of experience to which all women and men have access." (The Age)
"This is writing of great boldness [...] an intense, eloquent and enthralling work." (The Australian)
What listeners say about The First Stone
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- buyer
- 30-11-2023
Difficult to revisit
I read this when it was published and was a big fan. In my opinion it hasn't aged well given the progress in feminist theory and activity since the book was originally published and it is very hard now to empathize with Garner's reflections and actions. The foreword in this version from Leigh Sales puts the book into context. I would really only recommend this to someone interested in the historical progress of feminism in Australia as it is not reflective of modern 2020s feminism . If you are looking for a more modern perspective, Consent Laid Bare by Contos is a better choice. I love Garner's writing, and this work has its place with respect to her career progress and the historical feminist debate, but really hasn't aged well unfortunately.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Melinda
- 16-10-2021
After 25 years, still compelling
Love witnessing how- as an 70s feminist and everywoman - Helen Garner puzzled her way through a case which captured the tidal changes around sexuality. Some views were outdated at the time., but many of her reflections remain incisive.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JB
- 10-01-2021
A must read - insightful!
A bravely written book with great insight into the history of feminism in Australia. Great contribution to Australian non fiction literature.
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