The Magnificent Life of Miss May Holman (Lekkie Hopkins, Fremantle Press)

This long overdue biography of May Holman by feminist academic Lekkie Hopkins presents an extraordinary woman: a committed member of ‘the Great Labor family’, talented musician, community activist and eloquent parliamentary speaker. As Australia’s first female Labor parliamentarian, Holman’s life is well worth studying. This biography charts the development of Holman’s political career, her legacy and influence, and attempts to uncover the personal behind the political. Entering parliament aged 31, Holman campaigned passionately on issues such as youth unemployment, infant health care and industrial conditions for timber workers. She eschewed the feminist label, believing that ‘to be a success in parliament, one has got to drop the purely feminine point of view and look on things absolutely as a member representing her electors and party’. This biography draws on a variety of interesting sources, but it relies too heavily on long quotations and in parts reads more like a literature review than a life story. While Hopkins attempts to illuminate Holman’s personal life—a secret marriage that lasted only two months, a hot-tempered father and alcoholic mother—readers glean little about the woman behind the impressive résumé. The Magnificent Life of Miss May Holman serves as a useful record of a remarkable career and as a history of the Labor party in post-war Western Australia.

Cosima McGrath is the marketing and communications officer at Collins Booksellers

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Category: Reviews