Khaki Town

$22.99 AUD $19.54 AUD

Availability: in stock at our Melbourne warehouse.




Author: Judy Nunn

Format: Paperback / softback

Number of Pages: 400


Judy Nunn's No.1 bestseller is a breathtaking historical novel set in Queensland during World War II. Judy Nunn's exciting new novel, a no.1 bestseller, is inspired by a true wartime story that has remained a well-kept secret for over seventy years. It seems to have happened overnight, Val thought . How extraordinary. We've become a khaki town. It's March 1942. Singapore has fallen. Darwin has been bombed. Australia is on the brink of being invaded by the Imperial Japanese Forces. And Val Callahan, publican of The Brown's Bar in Townsville, could not be happier as she contemplates the fortune she's making from lonely, thirsty soldiers. Overnight the small Queensland city is transformed into the transport hub for 70,000 American and Australian soldiers destined for combat in the South Pacific. Barbed wire and gun emplacements cover the beaches. Historic buildings are commandeered. And the dance halls are in full swing with jazz, jitterbug and jive. The Australian troops begrudge the confident, well-fed 'Yanks' who have taken over their town and their women. There's growing conflict, too, within the American ranks, because black GIs are enjoying the absence of segregation. And the white GIs don't like it. As racial violence explodes through the ranks of the military, a young United States Congressman, Lyndon Baines Johnson, is sent to Townsville by his president to investigate. 'Keep a goddamned lid on it, Lyndon,' he is told, 'lest it explode in our faces ...'
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K
Kathleen Kelly
A Story Worth Sharing

I bought this book for myself some time ago, and have wanted to share it with my son ever since. However, because of Covid he is trapped in WA. So, with Christmas coming up, what better way to share it than to order it and ask The Book Grocer to send it to him.
This story is so intriguing, based on evidence that can’t be fully verified. One can’t help wondering how many similar stories are out there. It is a brutal examination of the culture of the time. Racism mixed with heroism. The courage of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. A cry for freedom. Not just for people, but also for truth and recognition. A read that brings light to our understanding of the power and failings of censorship.

Description
Author: Judy Nunn

Format: Paperback / softback

Number of Pages: 400


Judy Nunn's No.1 bestseller is a breathtaking historical novel set in Queensland during World War II. Judy Nunn's exciting new novel, a no.1 bestseller, is inspired by a true wartime story that has remained a well-kept secret for over seventy years. It seems to have happened overnight, Val thought . How extraordinary. We've become a khaki town. It's March 1942. Singapore has fallen. Darwin has been bombed. Australia is on the brink of being invaded by the Imperial Japanese Forces. And Val Callahan, publican of The Brown's Bar in Townsville, could not be happier as she contemplates the fortune she's making from lonely, thirsty soldiers. Overnight the small Queensland city is transformed into the transport hub for 70,000 American and Australian soldiers destined for combat in the South Pacific. Barbed wire and gun emplacements cover the beaches. Historic buildings are commandeered. And the dance halls are in full swing with jazz, jitterbug and jive. The Australian troops begrudge the confident, well-fed 'Yanks' who have taken over their town and their women. There's growing conflict, too, within the American ranks, because black GIs are enjoying the absence of segregation. And the white GIs don't like it. As racial violence explodes through the ranks of the military, a young United States Congressman, Lyndon Baines Johnson, is sent to Townsville by his president to investigate. 'Keep a goddamned lid on it, Lyndon,' he is told, 'lest it explode in our faces ...'