Andrew McMillen

During 2015, Australian writer Andrew McMillen found himself embedded in an environment that few people in modern society enter. He found himself surrounded by dozens of cadavers that had been donated to The University of Queensland's medical science students.

"Skeleton School: Dissecting the Gift of Body Donation" is a chronicle of all aspects of this year-long stint observing the people whose careers depend upon interacting with corpses.

Reading the reactions of the teachers and students profiled in the book, it becomes clear that there is no substitute for human cadavers as a teaching aid. Books and plastic models can only reveal limited information. To truly teach the next generation of medical minds, they need to learn from palpating and dissecting human corpses.

McMillen does a great job of describing the people he profiles. The university lecturers, the students, the families of the deceased body donors. All of these characters leap off the page with distinct personalities and mannerisms. McMillen also tastefully injects himself, and his observations into the book in an adept way. He describes how his own grandfather died midway through his time at UQ's School of Medicine, and how this forced him to see things in a new light.

A book on this topic would have always been an interesting read, due to the sheer novelty of peeking inside the hidden world of cadavers and medical students. But the content leaps off the page due to Andrew McMillen's skilful writing. I particularly appreciated his descriptions of the lighter moments that he observed, such as the "hail of dad jokes" delivered to the students by the playful instructor Dr Peter Wragg.

By the end of the book, McMillen appears transformed. He shares his admiration for those who choose the ultimate gift of generosity: allowing strangers to dissect their lifeless body after they have died. He reveals that he is so touched by this that he decides to follow in their footsteps by surrendering his own body to UQ's body donation program: a weighty decision.

"Skeleton School: Dissecting the Gift of Body Donation" is a worthwhile and rewarding book.… (mehr)

I am a fan of Australian music, as well as someone who encourages a sensible public dialogue around drug use, so I was always going to enjoy Talking Smack.

Yet despite my anticipation, "Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs" managed to exceed my expectations.

It was the writing that allowed the book to surpass my expectations. Andrew McMillen's writing style was very crisp, clear and readable. The 14 musicians were given their own chapters, with McMillen writing a mini-biography of the artist's career, as viewed through the lens of their drug-taking.

I liked the sense of place that McMillen conveyed in the pieces. He spoke to each of the musicians face-to-face, and the environmental conditions of that meeting shines through in the writing. I could imagine what Steve Kilbey's flat was like, and what Brisbane was like on the Anzac Day when he talked to Jon Toogood. McMillen also tastefully intertwined his personal stories of drug-taking with the artists', allowing himself to come into the picture when it supported, or contrasted with the views of the artist.

Talking Smack comes highly recommended.… (mehr)