PROVOCATIVE READING: AUGUST 2008

Malcolm Knox, SCATTERED: THE INSIDE STORY OF ICE IN AUSTRALIA

Crystal methamphetamine. Crystal meth. Crystal. Ice. A drug that came out of nowhere and instantly turned things upside down: for users, their families, police, healthcare workers and victims of the random, hyper-violent crimes that are the mark of ice. Nearly 1 in 10 Australians have tried ice.

Walkley-Award-winning journalist Malcolm Knox examines the ice problem in Australia from the points of view of users, dealers, police, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists and families affected by the drug. Each story he tells goes beyond the statistics and headlines to explore the human cost of ice and to consider its future in Australia.

(Allen & Unwin; 320pp paperback; $32.95) READ EXTRACT (pdf file)

Keith Laidler, SURVEILLANCE UNLIMITED: HOW WE'VE BECOME THE MOST WATCHED PEOPLE ON EARTH

Your car is satellite-tracked, your features auto-identified on video, your e-mails, faxes and phone calls monitored. You are covertly followed via transmitters implanted in your clothes, via your switched-off mobile and your credit card transactions. Your character, needs and interests are profiled by surveillance of every website you visit, every newsgroup you scan, every purchase you make.

Big Brother is here, quietly adding to your files in the name of government efficiency and the fight against organised crime and terrorism. As Keith Laidler argues in this urgent, important book, the potential for abuse is far-reaching and formidable.

(Icon; 256pp paperback; $29.95) MORE INFORMATION

Zakaria Fareed, THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD

Fareed Zakaria describes a world in which the United States will no longer dominate the global economy, orchestrate geopolitics, or overwhelm cultures. He sees the "rise of the rest" — the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, and many others — as the great story of our time, and one that will reshape the world. The tallest buildings, biggest dams, largest-selling movies, and most advanced cell phones are all being built outside the United States.

(Allen Lane; 320pp hardcover; $49.95) MORE INFORMATION

Susan Pinker, THE SEXUAL PARADOX: TROUBLED BOYS, GIFTED GIRLS AND THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SEXES

Why do girls do so increasingly well at school, yet men still dominate senior positions in adult life? In this strikingly thought-provoking and original book, Susan Pinker takes a hard look at how fundamental gender differences play out at school and at work. By comparing the lives of troubled schoolboys who later succeed, with those of high-achieving girls who later opt out, Pinker turns several assumptions upside down.

(Atlantic; 336pp paperback; $32.95) READ EXTRACT

*Information in this section is based on material provided by publishers.