Julia Baird

This inspirational memoir is a deeply personal exploration of what can sustain us through our darkest moments--from the op-ed contributor for The New York Times and author of Victoria: The Queen.After surviving a difficult heartbreak and battle with cancer, acclaimed author and columnist Julia Baird began thinking deeply about how she and others persevere through the most challenging circumstances. She started to wonder, when our world goes dark, when we are overwhelmed by illness or heartbreak, loss or pain, tragedy outside our control, how can we survive, stay alive, and even bloom? So she went in search of the magic that will sustain us and fuel the light within--our own phosphorescence.Phosphorescence is a natural phenomenon that allows some creatures--glow worms, fireflies, flashlight fish, even entire oceans--to give off light amidst darkness. Inspired by their simple beauty, Baird writes about the things that lit her way through the darkness: a connection to nature, friendships, her faith, her mother's example, deliberately experiencing awe and wonder, and other habits that changed her life. She also explores how others nurture their inner light, interviewing the founder of the modern forest therapy movement in Tokyo, a jellyfish scientist in Tasmania, and a tattooed priest from Colorado, among others.Weaving together candid and moving memoir with deep research and reflections on nature, Baird inspires readers to embrace new habits and adopt a phosphorescent outlook on life, to illuminate ourselves and our days--even in the darkest times.

The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen--a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning new portrait is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYTHE NEW YORK TIMES - ESQUIRE - THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY "Victoria the Queen, Julia Baird's exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography, brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch."--The New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe's monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public's expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger tracts of the globe. In a world where women were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand. Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother's meddling and an adviser's bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping conventional boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and security--queen of a quarter of the world's population at the height of the British Empire's reach. Drawing on sources that include fresh revelations about Victoria's relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings vividly to life the fascinating story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning.

From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human grace.Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found, in part, when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.But we live in an era where grace is an increasingly rare currency. The silos we consume information in are dotting the media landscape like skyscrapers, and the growing distrust in media, politicians and public figures, have in some ways choked our ability to cut each other slack, to allow each other to stumble, to forgive one another.So what does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves, and express it, even in the darkest of times?From award-winning journalist Julia Baird, author of the acclaimed national bestseller Phosphorescence , comes Bright Shining , a luminously beautiful, deeply insightful and most timely exploration of grace.

A powerful insight into how the media treats female politicians - now revised and updated with a new foreword by Annabel Crabb - from one of our foremost journalists and political commentators, Julia Baird. 'History is crucial. We need to know that treating women as decorations, subordinates and playthings, even and sometimes especially in our houses of power, is not new. We know that from the moment women walked into parliament and took up space alongside men, they have been treated as objects ... When men were featured often in the press, they were rising stars. When women were featured often in the press, they were media tarts'.Julia Baird's seminal work, Media Tarts, was originally published in 2004. Based on a series of extensive interviews, the book provides an in-depth analysis of the influence of a generation of prominent female politicians on the Australian political system, exploring the part played by the press in their downfall. Almost two decades later, it is evident how little has changed. Now revisited and updated with a new foreword, Media Tarts is essential reading from one of our foremost journalists and political commentators, providing a powerful, sobering and incisive insight into how deep the currents of misogyny run, and how the media continues to treat female politicians. If we want to understand what is happening today, and avoid the endless repeating of the same story, we need to reckon with our past.'Julia Baird's Media Tarts is a gripping account of how the media have treated women politicians. While the tone of the book is even-handed, reading the history is at times gruesome, like watching a demolition derby...In Baird's hands, it is a great political story.' Sydney Morning Herald'Readable, authoritative and thought-provoking.' The Age'I found Media Tarts striking and instructive when first I read it. In a new era of attentiveness to women's experience, let its new iteration fire the pistons of change.' Annabel Crabb

Please Note That The Following Individual Books As Per Original ISBN and Cover Image In this Listing shall be Dispatched Julia Baird 2 Books Collection Set (Victoria The Queen & Phosphorescence): Victoria The When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would begin to threaten many of Europe's monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public's expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger parts of the globe. Born into a world where woman were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand.Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother's meddling and an adviser's bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. We now know just how much we should treasure the times when we feel happy, content and at peace. When we feel this way we seek out life’s experiences with a sense of optimism and hope. But how do we move forward with life now that everything has changed? Now that we appreciate just how fragile and fleeting these feelings can be? Is it possible to access a light – our own source of phosphorescence – that can sustain us in this brave new world? In this wise and inspiring book, bestselling author Julia Baird reflects on her encounters with phosphorescence, a luminescent phenomenon found in the nature, and how she was able to cultivate her own ‘inner light’ in the face of a life-threatening illness.9780349134505/9780008463663