'Jennie's life is a truly Australian story. From a refugee camp to a new life in a new country; through public education to leadership of a great movement. An inspiring story in the best Australian tradition.' Susan Ryan 'She changed the organisation [the ACTU] without trying to destroy it, and that in some ways is so much harder. She tried to build it internally by a demonstration of character. That alone gives her a place in history-it's not just being the first. Being the first is all right, but a lot of people are first and disappear. She was the first and persisted.' Bill Kelty This is the paperback edition of Jennie George, the first detailed account of the life and work of an extraordinary individual, a revealing portrait of a complex, driven woman whose passage through life tells us much about the politics we practice and the country we live in. The product of many years writing, Jennie George is candid account of a journey from the poverty of a refugee camp in war-torn Europe to a place near the centre of power in a country half a world away. The author draws on countless of interviews with trade union officials and employer rep