Analysis of The Keeper of Faith: A Biography of Jim Cairns - Book Report/Review Example

 The keeper of Faith: A Biography of Jim Cairns The keeper of faith is a book that gives us the history of the former Australian deputy prime minister, Jim Cairns. The author has drawn a clear picture of the life of Jim Cairn as a politician and as a writer[Str02]. The most interesting part of the book is the reflection of political path of Jim Cairn. He is thus portrayed as a person full of faith for the future. His father had been one of the armies that went into the World War I, but things did not go well with him. Feeling so ashamed that he could not go back to his home country, Australia, he decided to move to Africa[Str02]. After living in Africa for about seven years, he committed suicide. From the book keep the faith in establishing the life of Jim cairns, the book lays a foundation of the struggles that Jim went through in his early childhood life[Joh061]. Growing up without the father and knowing the reason that made him not to be available makes the reader understand that Jim was really keeping faith and having faith to grow up even without a father. The book also describes the struggles that Jim had in his school life. His mother being the sole bread winner in the family had to work hard to make sure that Jim went on with school[Str02]. We therefore see the humble background that Jim had. In school, the book gives the victory that Jim had in jumping competition. The easy win that Jim was enjoying even in school is a representation of the father that he ever had of succeeding in situations that his father never had. Jim cairns chose to join the career that his late father failed; that is, the police force. In 1933, he became a police officer with a sole aim of establishing his talent in athletics. No sooner had he joined the police force than he posted to the department of detective in the dog section. In this department, it is said that he was very notorious and was, therefore, arrested for a number of times[Str02]. In thissection, the author develops the character of Jim as a fearless person who was courageous more than his father. He had a lot of faith that he could overcome the challenges that led to disillusioning of his father. He did not stop his studies but he went on to study at night when he was not on duty. He eventually graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Melbourne[Str02]. Holding the degree in economics made him the first member of the police force to hold a bachelor degree. It is at this time when he got married to Gwen Robb and adopted two male children. He left his police career in 1944 and secured employment as an instructor in the school of army. He also lectured at Melbourne University[Str02]. His departure from a successive period in the police force showed his achievement as a police officer. The faith he kept regarding accomplishing what his father failed to achieve finally made him overcome the barrier that made his father commit suicide. He had lived to complete the desires of his father and recreated confidence in the family. During his teaching profession at the University of Melbourne, he became more of a socialist than a capitalist in the way he talked the development issues[Str02]. He tried to join the Communist party by the way of application but he did not qualify[Bri97]. The reason he wanted to join the party was because of the ideology they shared in terms of resource allocation. On rejection, the membership with thelabour party and became an active asset in the left wing[Joh93]. It is important to possess this information that occurred in 1946. The reason why the author puts this information forward is to reflect the other side of Jim cairns. He is unreliable person who does not have a common stand[Rod12]. He opted to join the labour party on the ground that his application to the Communist party had been rejected but not because of his ideologies that was contrary to those of the labour party. In order to understand the contribution of that Jim cairns made to the republic of Australia, the author draws him close to the leadership of the labour party. Jim was very active in activities regarding the governance of the nation and was the leader of the group that opposed the commitment of the Australian army in that was to have a war with Vietnam. Jim argued that the country’s combats could not be used in the war as the government was supposed to look at the state of the human life in the war tone country[Str02]. It is at this time when his contribution to the national leadership character of Jim Cairns became established[Rod06]. Although he never had a chance to become the national leader or the national leader of his labour party, the contribution he made to the nation was enough to accord him a title of the national leader. Many lessons regarding life and politics are reflected in this book. First is the precise history of the life of a leader who is referred as a reformist in the labour market[Pau12]. Students taking history will find a much-documented book that focuses not only the life of Jim but also the history of Australia in large[Jen97]. They will be able to learn about the political history of their country and various wings that are present in a particular party and their roles[Jer03]. The book also gives an account of applied social theories and their influence in today’s daily life. For example, Jim was an economist who did not put a lot of attention in capitalism. His major area of concern was socialism[Nic10]. Even after acquiring his doctorate degree, he continues to teach on Marxist social theories as well as the history of the socialist. Another important item that readers can grab from the text is the motivation. The life and achievement of Jim Cairns suggest that it does not matter the environment that one is born or brought up. According toStrangio (2002), ambitions and concentration on your efforts can make you achieve what may seem so difficult for others. The book is interesting, motivating and full of teaching. I do recommend it to readers around the globe, especially the young readers and historians. References Str02: , (Strangio, 2002), Joh061: , (Nethercote, Arklay, & Wanna, 2006), Bri97: , (Galligan, McAllister, & Ravenhill, 1997), Joh93: , (Craig, 1993), Rod12: , (Smith, Vromen, & Cook, Contemporary Politics in Australia: Theories, Practices and Issues, 2012), Rod06: , (Smith, Vromen, & Cook, 2006), Pau12: , (Strangio, Neither Power Nor Glory: 100 Years of Political Labor in Victoria, 1856-1956, 2012), Jen97: , (Harrold, 1997), Jer03: , (Moon & Sharman, 2003), Nic10: , (Economou & Ghazarian, 2010), Read More