The Australian Christian Book of the Year is Tony Rinaudo’s “The Forest Underground: Hope for a Planet in Crisis.” Rinaudo is an Australian agronomist who has discovered a simple method to grow trees in dry and degraded lands.
“Appalled and infuriated by the abuse and degradation of the environment, a boy offers himself to God. God answers this child’s prayer and the ensuing adventure across continents and decades is breathtaking,” the Judging panel said “The simple and sustainable system of land management that Tony Rinaudo pioneered in Niger is transforming the lives of subsistence farmers around the world and offers a model for solving our environmental crisis. Reviving dormant tree stumps is as powerful a metaphor as it is a method of reforestation. Tony is determined and faithful, and writes without guile or hubris. Irresistible, exemplary and, above all, hopeful.
“I just wanna tell you a little story of what happened when the judges were debating, giving this award and who should win it this year,” Michael Collie, National Director of Sparklit, told the Rinaudo. “We were on zoom together and there was just furious conversation argument about all ten books, because they were all deserving. They were [all] there for a reason.
“But there was a moment when they got to your book and everyone was just a bit speechless and they all clutched the book and held it like a child, – we just had this like immediate, emotional reaction to it. They had emotional reaction to it and they were just like, ‘we just love this book so much. It’s so hopeful. It’s about what it looks like to be a Christian to be faithful.’ And they were just so moved by it. And so congratulations. <laugh>, I’m gonna invite Paul Barker, who is the president of the SparkLit board to present Tony with his award.”
A high-quality shortlist included historian and apologist John Dickson’s “Bullies and Saints,” the Australian’s Greg Sharidan’s “Christians: The Urgent case for Jesus in our World.”, and teacher Rachel Herweynen’s story of her family’s integration into a local Yolŋu family “Adopted in Love.”
The Australian Teen Writer of the Year (under 18): Rachael Board “To be like Him”
“Reeling from the loss of her twin brother, Georgia wrestles with her grief … and his faith,” is the Judges’ response. “Can Blake’s God have anything to say to her now? Georgia tells herself she’s not having a bar of it! But sometimes people say one thing and mean another. The protagonist’s internal contradictions are realistic and the story’s tone is refreshingly raw. The gradual revelation of God’s loving and life-giving presence in the aftermath of tragedy is thought-provoking and hopeful.”
The Australian Young Writer of the Year (under 30) Nicola Chadwick “Breathe On Me”
“Close, intricate and consistent, this collection of poems traces the writer’s journey as she grapples with questions of God’s character,” the judges said. “Rich metaphors make her doubt and struggle, as well as her awe at the majesty of creation, relatable. Chadwick’s language is powerful and mature. She reveals a complex understanding of the nature of God, moving from fear of the idea of his presence, to fear in his presence.”
The Australian Christian Literature Awards encourage Christian writing and publishing that helps people discover Jesus in a way that is authentic and culturally meaningful. SparkLit (sparklit.org), the sponsoring body runs the awards to recognise and encourage excellence in Australian Christian writing and publishing. This fits with their aim of empowering Christian writers, publishers and distributors around the world.
The Judging Panel
Greg Clarke has a doctorate in modern literature and long experience in publishing, academia and Christian mission. He was Group CEO of Bible Society Australia from 2010 to 2019 and is the author of the 2014 Australian Christian Book of the Year, The Great Bible Swindle.
tephen McAlpine has a background in journalism and is the author of Being the Bad Guys, the 2021 Australian Christian Book of the Year. Steve and his wife Jill have been planting and pastoring churches in Perth for almost three decades.
Natasha Moore is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX). She has a PhD in English literature from the University of Cambridge and is the author of Victorian Poetry and Modern Life, The Pleasures of Pessimism, and For the Love of God, the 2020 Australian Christian Book of the Year.