An exceptional collection of personal essays on the meaning of 'home', featuring Peter Goldsworthy, Andrea Goldsmith, Gabrielle Lord, Marion Halligan, Matthew Condon, Rosaleen Love, Cassandra Pybus, Ian Britain, Carmel Bird and Michael McGirr. An exceptional collection of personal stories on the meaning of 'home', featuring Peter Goldsworthy, Andrea Goldsmith, Gabrielle Lord, Marion Halligan, Matthew Condon, Rosaleen Love, Cassandra Pybus, Ian Britain, Carmel Bird and Michael McGirr In 1982 Steven Spielberg gave the world the imperative 'E.t. phone home'. this unlikely little clump of words went straight to the core of the matter. Connection with home is the genesis of hope. In this poignant and heartfelt collection, ten Australian writers take their own approach to the meaning of 'home'. Whether home for them is their country of origin, their town, their house or their relationships with others, almost all find that the concept of home sparks an examination of self and identity. From Peter Goldsworthy's recollections of towns in different parts of Australia to Andrea Goldsmith's exploration of the home found - and lost - in another person, from Marion Halligan's homes in both hemispheres to Matthew Condon's discoveries about the accepted history of his home town, the writers demonstrate the ways in which home can be nurturing or full of quiet pain, fleeting or an eternal anchor.