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Some people step up to unexpected challenges and grow in stature. Bonded through Tragedy, United in Hope is a beautifully written memoir about Hilton Deakin, the ‘boy from the bush’ who did just that.
Hilton Deakin is a Catholic bishop and a key figure in East Timor’s struggle for self-determination, who became a confidante to independence fighters and those in solidarity with them. At a time when most Australians had little knowledge of, or sympathy for the plight of the East Timorese under Indonesian occupation, Deakin became a voice for the voiceless.
Not just a personal story, this is a story of one country’s struggle for independence – where compassion, courage and commitment won out. Hilton Deakin’s journey into justice shows us that we too can shine a light in dark places.
“A ripping yarn of how one solitary Australian bishop stood in solidarity through oppression and liberation, with downtrodden people who rose up and established the newest nation in our region. This larger-than-life voice has witnessed much human misery and triumph and in the process found a whole new life in the politics and advocacy of human rights, mixing with people he would never have met in the Church.”
Fr Brennan SJ
Professor of Law
Australian Catholic University
