Touch the Black

Touch the Black - The Life and Death of Sqizzy Taylor (by Melbourne poet and writer Chris Grierson)  was on the display rack at the library (no doubt inspired by the Underbelly series).  I couldn't resist it.

Touch the Black is described as bringing "the secret world of Sqizzy Taylor to life" - and it certainly does this, describing numerous scenes from his life and times, some significant, others just giving colour, some in prose (all in the first person, some purportedly by Squizzy himself, others by other characters), some by way of poetry and lots of photos.

However, note the word "touch" in the title.     The book is terrific - but it doesn't claim to be a biography of Squizzy Taylor, or even to be completely factual (there remain many unknowns about some of the events in his life).  A glimpse at the Wikipedi entry shows just how much there was in his life.  I re-read segments of the book after reading the Wikipedia entry, and was better enabled to put the snapshpts into context.

The treatment of the shoot-out in which Squizzy Taylor died is fascinating, including a cameo attributed to Cutmore's mother, claiming credit for the fatal shot.  One of the many theories about the shoot-out apparently gives some credence to this, but it's far from an established fact.

It's a great read.