Andrew Tink's superb book tells the story of Australia in the twentieth century, from Federation to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. A century marked by the trauma of war and the despair of the depression, balanced by extraordinary achievements in sport, science and the arts. A country underpinned by a political system that worked most of the time and the emergence of a mainly harmonious society. Australians at the start of the century could hardly have imagined the prosperity enjoyed by their diverse countrymen and women one hundred years later. Tink's story is driven by people, whether they be prime ministers, soldiers, shop - keepers, singers, footballers or farmers; a mix of men or women, Australian - born, immigrants and Aborigines. He brings the decades to life, writing with empathy, humour and insight to create a narrative that is as entertaining as it is illuminating.