A Passionate Life by Ita Buttrose Review

Media icon, businesswoman, author, president of Alzheimer’s Australia and 2013 Australian of the Year are just some of the many achievements Ita Buttrose has accomplished. She is an inspirational Australian who was the Weekly magazines youngest editor and the first woman to edit a major Australian metropolitan newspaper. There’s not much Ita hasn’t done and her autobiography ‘A Passionate Life’ allows readers a chance to walk in her shoes as she takes you back in time (all the way back to the 1950’s) and retells the story of her successful career, personal life and the societal changes that she’s witnessed and helped influenced in Australia.

‘A Passionate Life’ sets the scenes from years ago and makes you feel as though you were there by Ita’s side as the graphic events unfold through her descriptive use of words. From starting her career at 15, working for powerful media moguls, marriage breakups, editing magazines and newspapers  including the Daily Telegraph, The Australian Women’s Weekly and Cleo (to name a few), to influencing the Women’s Liberation, this story will open your eyes and inform you.

Issues stemming from sexism to the retail industry are raised and discussed. There are many comparisons made as to how Australian society was and the views Ita shares, which are not all positive. Changes to marriage rates and divorce figures are mentioned among others. This book also raises issues of the future of journalism and the severity of the changes that have taken place.

Sections of black and white images from her youth and coloured photos up until 2011 help depict who this woman is and the appreciation many people have for her. Photos of interviews with people such as Bob Hawke and images of her surrounded by people as she campaigned and supported various causes like AIDS, Alzheimer’s Australia and macular degeneration are included.

‘A Passionate Life’ is an honest and open account of one important Australian woman’s life. A must read for every aspiring journalist hoping to enter the media industry.