Who do you think the title refers to?

Use this forum to discuss the February 2019 Book of the month, "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater.
Post Reply
ayomie
Posts: 178
Joined: 01 Mar 2019, 17:56
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ayomie.html
Latest Review: Cancer on a Harley or is it? Lyme Disease by Lisa Heather Torbert

Re: Who do you think the title refers to?

Post by ayomie »

I totally agree with you that the title is referring to the aboriginal tribe.
“I have experienced many times
since then that I don’t always have
to prove I’m right to win at the
game of life."
Rob White
User avatar
Raja28
Posts: 45
Joined: 11 Feb 2017, 06:00
Currently Reading: R.I.P
Bookshelf Size: 46
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-raja28.html
Latest Review: The Excoms by Brett Battles

Post by Raja28 »

I had to look up the word 'Warramunga' to understand that it refers to an indigenous Australian tribe as well as a Warship. Seeing that one of the protagonists, Jacko, is of the warramunga tribe, I made the connection.
User avatar
Helen_Combe
Posts: 2493
Joined: 18 Feb 2018, 12:17
Favorite Book: The Martian
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 193
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-helen-combe.html
Latest Review: And The Trees Began To Move by Lisa Gammon Olson
Reading Device: B00M4L4MFC

Post by Helen_Combe »

I have to admit that when I first saw the title, I thought it was ’The Warmonger's War’
A thesaurus is necessary, essential, indispensable, vital, crucial and fundamental.
User avatar
Azrevread
Posts: 179
Joined: 24 Feb 2017, 16:06
Currently Reading: Orcas Forever
Bookshelf Size: 61
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-azrevread.html
Latest Review: Ten Directions by Samuel Winburn

Post by Azrevread »

I think the title refer's to both NCO Jack O'Brien who happens to be part aboriginal Warramunga, and the mention of the later use
of the tracking skills of the Warramunga tribe during investigations.
User avatar
Sanju Lali
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 3397
Joined: 08 May 2018, 12:47
Currently Reading: Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody
Bookshelf Size: 445
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sanju-lali.html
Latest Review: The Unfakeable Code® by Tony Jeton Selimi
Reading Device: B00I15SB16

Post by Sanju Lali »

Yes it is, The title comes from the wars that Jacko and Jaime fought in and also from the aboriginal tribes who were affected by this war.
life is only knowing the unknown, we can do this by reading books easily- Online book club is a great place for this. This is what I believe.
User avatar
Nisha Ward
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2311
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 15:00
Favorite Author: Garth Nix
Favorite Book: Binti Home
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 321
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nisha-ward.html
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer
Reading Device: B0794RHPZD
fav_author_id: 4351

Post by Nisha Ward »

I thought it was Jacko at first, but when I got to the part of the book that takes place in Australia, it kind of makes me wonder if Jacko is representative of the tribe and their contribution as a people. Like, he got his tracker skills from them and his sharpshooting from his grandfather, so it'd make sense that it's him in a literal sense and his tribe in a figurative sense.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
User avatar
Nicole_Boyd
Posts: 492
Joined: 16 Jun 2018, 12:20
Currently Reading: Devil in False Colors
Bookshelf Size: 42
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nicole-boyd.html
Latest Review: House of Eire by June Gillam

Post by Nicole_Boyd »

The first thing that came to mind when I read the title was “warmongers”.
DottyC
Posts: 13
Joined: 29 Jan 2019, 22:04
Favorite Book: The Handmaid's Tale
Currently Reading: Misreading Judas
Bookshelf Size: 17
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-dottyc.html
Latest Review: Forgiven by Geoff Lawson

Post by DottyC »

My immediate impression was that the book was referring to just Jacko as his heritage was made known fairly quickly. However, the brotherly connection between Jamie and Jacko, and their efforts throughout the war is the focus of the story so I believe it is also referring to their collective experiences of the war.
User avatar
Nisha Ward
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2311
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 15:00
Favorite Author: Garth Nix
Favorite Book: Binti Home
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 321
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nisha-ward.html
Latest Review: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute by Jeff Meyer
Reading Device: B0794RHPZD
fav_author_id: 4351

Post by Nisha Ward »

DottyC wrote: 11 Apr 2019, 03:50 My immediate impression was that the book was referring to just Jacko as his heritage was made known fairly quickly. However, the brotherly connection between Jamie and Jacko, and their efforts throughout the war is the focus of the story so I believe it is also referring to their collective experiences of the war.
Huh. I hadn't thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, it does make sense that it would also refer to Jamie and their collective experiences. It also makes the end of the novel more poignant when Jamie was accepted into the tribe.
"...while a book has got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the reader it's got to be worthwhile from the point of view of the writer as well." - Terry Pratchett on The Last Continent and his writing.
User avatar
Hiruni Bhagya 81
Posts: 745
Joined: 31 Aug 2018, 14:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 128
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hiruni-bhagya-81.html
Latest Review: Randy Love...at your service by Shay Carter

Post by Hiruni Bhagya 81 »

Since I read the review on it before reading the book, I thought the title was connected to the Warramunga tribe and a war they participated in relation to WW II. But there's no direct connection. Only Jacko who belongs to the tribe participate in WW II and is one of the protagonists in this book.
User avatar
Julie Petitbon
Posts: 404
Joined: 01 Apr 2019, 01:10
Favorite Author: J.K. Rowling
Favorite Book: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
Currently Reading: Becoming Michele Obama
Bookshelf Size: 699
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-julie-petitbon.html
Latest Review: Sophia Violet and the Fiery Orb by Evangeline Greene
fav_author_id: 1778

Post by Julie Petitbon »

Initially, I thought the title referred to Jacko. He's half-Aboriginal member of the Waramunga. But, as I read, I thought that it was referring to not just Jacko but Jamie as well.
User avatar
Mai Tran
Posts: 346
Joined: 07 Sep 2018, 05:45
Currently Reading: What's Your Favorite Color?
Bookshelf Size: 165
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mai-tran.html
Latest Review: Then Comes The Flood by John Payne

Post by Mai Tran »

At first I thought the title refers to the Warramunga tribe too, but now that I've finished reading the book, it doesn't make sense because they didn't participate in WWII. It must be referring to Jacko, and maybe Jaime as well, now that he's consider a brother of the tribe.
User avatar
Tamorie Hargro
In It Together VIP
Posts: 260
Joined: 17 Jan 2018, 17:44
Currently Reading: Billy Summers
Bookshelf Size: 168
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tamorie-hargro.html
Latest Review: Teardrops by Helen Burger
Reading Device: B083JVJQH4

Post by Tamorie Hargro »

I also had this question when I was reading! At first, I couldn't get past the title-thing, always looking for that connection in meaning. I went through the details of the war and noted that the Warramunga had nothing significant to do with it. Then, when the war ended, I was like, "Okay, really now, why is this the title?!"

And finally, I figured it out at the very end of the novel when Jamie met Jacko's family in Tennant Creek. There was a moment where it was noted that the Warramunga sang and danced rather than fought wars. They sought merriment. At that moment, the title suddenly clicked and I realized it was never about the wars the book described, but the entertainment readers felt when reading Jacko in all his quirkiness, his skills, and his cool demeanor even when he was being insulted because of his race and otherwise. It was about the way Jacko fought and the way he handled himself. And, importantly, it was also about Jamie who was continually swayed by Jacko's abilities and friendship, so much that he began acting like him at some points! Jamie's eventually being chosen as a brother to the Warramunga was also a big lightbulb moment for me.

Looking back at the title, I noticed the placement of the apostophe in "Warramunga's", signifying not many (as I had originally thought of the whole tribe) but one individual. That being Jacko. In the end, I was very impressed with the title!
J.K. Rowling - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wrote:Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. 🔥
Kishor Rao
Posts: 232
Joined: 18 Feb 2017, 05:48
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 49
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kishor-rao.html
Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery

Post by Kishor Rao »

What I think is that Jacko was leading a whole different war all by himself. Throughout the book we see jabs being made at his race and tribe but he goes on proving how worthy he is and how efficient he can be. Finally when Jaime is accepted in the tribe I felt that Jaime had always envied Jacko throughout the book and being the kind souls as he was, he always supported Jacko.
User avatar
janinewesterweel
Posts: 214
Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 11:02
Currently Reading: Gangster State
Bookshelf Size: 56
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-janinewesterweel.html
Latest Review: Cooperative Lives by Patrick Finegan

Post by janinewesterweel »

Actually, this is a thought-provoking question. For me, Jacko's skills were just so superior and used so often throughout the story and into the next (complemented by his half-sister, Sarah), that it was a natural assumption that this was referring to him. Could it be that this goes deeper than we think?
“Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.” :techie-reference:
― George R. R. Martin

"I’ve always believed that chaos is the muse of creation, and a good story is often driven by the choices made in the wake of madness."
- Matthew Tysz
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Warramunga's War" by Greg Kater”