Through the Wall (Anna Bligh, HarperCollins)

All political memoirs are, to some extent, exercises in self-justification, but former Queensland premier Anna Bligh’s also manages to be an entertaining and often inspiring story. This book is mostly about the trials and triumphs of being a successful woman in what is still very much a man’s game. As an MP, minister and premier, Bligh was closely involved in a period of great change in Queensland politics. Understandably she dwells on her successes, such as winning the 2009 state election and her much-praised handling of the 2010-2011 floods, but she doesn’t shy away from more difficult subjects. Her analysis of Labor’s huge defeat in the 2012 Queensland election is clear-sighted and unsentimental. Her account of her battle with cancer also shows much courage. This book will appeal to a bigger audience than the average political biography—think Julia Gillard’s My Story—and not just from the Sunshine State.