Saturday, 21st June, 2025: Frances Atkinson: Journalist, Critic & Cultural Commentator; Book Reviews: The Eyes of Gaza, Feast While You Can, All Systems Red, The Monkey’s Mask

Saturday Magazine

Macca and Paul are joined live in the studio by Frances Atkinson, an avid reader, freelance writer, book reviewer (The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald) and works as a Media Adviser.

Book Reviews: The Eyes of Gaza, Feast While You Can, All Systems Red, The Monkey’s Mask

The Eyes of Gaza offers an intimate glimpse through the eyes of 22-year-old Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad, capturing the experience of living through the first 45 days of the 2023 genocide in Gaza. Formatted in the style of a series of diary extracts – reminiscent of Plestia’s own journal, and her poignant social media posts during the peak of the crisis – the book endeavours to illustrate the expected horrors of her experience while also showcasing the indomitable spirit and innate humanity of the people of Gaza.

This book catalogues a tapestry of deeply human experiences, telling the heartfelt stories of the men, women and children that share Plestia’s communities. From the epicentre of turmoil, while bombs rained around her and devastation gripped her people, she witnessed their emotions, their gentle acts of quiet, necessary heroism, and the moments of unexpected tenderness and vulnerability amidst the chaos.

Plestia Alaqad, a Palestinian journalist and poet, has emerged as a vital voice in the midst of the Israel-Gaza war, offering the world a poignant and unfiltered glimpse into the heart of its destruction. At just 22 years old, Alaqad has captivated an international audience with her gripping coverage, which erupted on October 7, 2023. Through her social media channels, she has shared the harrowing realities of life under siege, her vivid dispatches resonating deeply with millions across the globe.

As the war intensified, November 2023 saw Alaqad and her family forced to flee Gaza, escaping the relentless bombardment first to Egypt, and then to Australia. Now settled in Beirut, Alaqad continues to wield her voice with unwavering conviction, illuminating the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people. Her advocacy transcends borders, drawing attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and calling for justice and freedom.

Plestia Alaqad’s story is one of extraordinary bravery and resilience. Her eloquent chronicles not only document the devastation of her homeland but also serve as a powerful call to action, urging the world to recognize and respond to the profound injustices faced by the Palestinian people.

Feast While You Can

A monstrous-yet-sexy queer horror novel guaranteed to keep you up all night…

There is a monster inside of Angelina Sicco. All she wants is to walk her mongrel dog, hold court with her brother in their local dive bar, and bait hot queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown, Cadenze. The problem is, so does the monster. It wants what Angelina has done, it wants what she’s going to do. It wants to eat her whole life, and every version of every future she might have with it.

Until it possessed her, the famous monster of Cadenze lived deep in a pit inside the mountain. But on the night when Angelina runs into her brother’s ex, the sternly handsome Jagvi, the creature rises hungry and ready to eat. Its claws comb through her private thoughts, her most intimate and traumatic memories. Only Jagvi’s touch repels it, but the monster feasts on all the mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco’s has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And just how much will it cost her?

All Systems Red is a 2017 science fiction novella by American author Martha Wells. The first in the Murderbot Diaries series, it was published by Tor.com. The series is about a cyborg designed to protect humans on a research mission. The cyborg narrates the story and calls itself “Murderbot” By Martha Wells.

The Monkey’s Mask” is a totally unique experience. It’s poetry. It’s a crime thriller. It’s where high art meets low life, passion meets betrayal, and poetry faces profanity on the streets of a harsh modern city. Dorothy Porter’s internationally bestselling verse novel holds you in its grip from the first verse paragraph to the final haunting pages.

“The Monkey’s Mask” won the Age Book of the Year for Poetry in 1994, the National Book Council Award for Poetry and the Braille Book of the Year. It has been adapted for stage and radio and is currently being adapted for film. The book has been widely translated and published overseas.

The post Saturday, 21st June, 2025: Frances Atkinson: Journalist, Critic & Cultural Commentator; Book Reviews: The Eyes of Gaza, Feast While You Can, All Systems Red, The Monkey’s Mask appeared first on Saturday Magazine.