Malalai Joya has been described as the bravest woman in the world.  As a teenager she worked as a women’s rights activist under the Taliban, running underground classes and clinics in her native Afghanistan that would have resulted in her torture and execution if she’d been caught.  As a young woman she has called the brutal war lords who now run so much of the country to account.  Her public denunciations have resulted in numerous attempts to assassinate her, and for the last five years she’s lived under constant threat, moving from safe house to safe house. 

It hasn’t stopped her speaking out though, and on the back of her courage she was elected to Afghan’s first parliament.  She represents the voiceless, the oppressed, the victims and the innocents of Afghanistan’s endless cycle of violence. She’s outspoken, passionate and fearless.  She will in Australia to talk about her book Raising My Voice  

When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child.rage. Rupert discovers two things that seem to pull Rowan back towards him. His uncanny, almost spiritual, connection with horses, and the spontaneous bond he appears to form with some traditional healers visiting from indigenous communities. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia, the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected?
The Horse Boy is the dramatic and heart-warming story of that impossible adventure. In Mongolia, the family found undreamed of landscapes and people, unbearable setbacks, and advances beyond their wildest dreams. Prior to Rupert's talk, part of the documentary of this incredible journey Over the Hill and Far Away will be screened at our event.

After our event, if you wish to stay on at the Dendy Opera Quays and take advantage of the wonderful movies they have on offer, Dendy Opera Quays is delighted to offer you and your guests a reduced ticket price of $7.00 per ticket. Just mention you are a SMH Dymocks Club member to receive this special offer. The offer is available all day on Tuesday August 25, 2009

The Australian Women's Weekly and Dymocks invite you to meet thriller writer Tara Moss at one of the events below. You will receive a free copy of her novel, Split. courtesy of HarperCollins.

Come to Dymocks Erina and meet Duncan Lay, author of 'Wounded Guardian'.

War hero Martil on leaving his homeland in search of peace is tricked into taking a child, Karia to her uncle. He finds the Dragon Sword, a magical relic belonging to the rulers of Norstaloss where the queen is fighting for her crown. There he finds himself caring for a child, fighting for queen and finding a magical sword no quarantee of victory.

Debbie Malone is an acclaimed spirit medium who has assisted police departments across Australia in missing-persons and murder investigations for the past sixteen years. Her extraordinary gifts - she is a psychic and clairvoyant as well as a medium - enable her to receive visions from both the living and the dead, from the past, present and future, and to convey messages to bereaved families from their departed loved ones. This book takes readers on the rollercoaster ride of Debbie's journey, from receiving confirmation of her capacities after a miscarriage at the age of twenty-eight, to filming with ghosts for the TV show Scream Test and becoming an adept spirit photographer, to working with the police on high-profile cases, including the backpacker murders in Belanglo State Forest and the Claremont murders in Perth. As Debbie learns that her uncanny abilities to see beyond the here and now cannot simply be switched off or ignored, no matter how inconvenient or distressing they may be, she draws strength from using the world of spirit to help both others and herself, and from knowing that we are never alone.

Take one Shakespearean tragedy: Macbeth, add Andy, Danny and Lisa the Just trio, whose madcap exploits have already delighted hundreds of thousands of readers for the last ten years. Mix them all together to create one of the most hilarious, most dramatic, moving stories of love, Whizz Fizz, witches, murder and madness. Ages 9+.

Meet Andy Griffiths in-store and get your copy of Just Macbeth signed!