A few thoughts about Greek cafes and milk bars of Australia by Effy Alexakis and Leonard Janiszewski

Greek cafes and milk bars of Australia by Effy Alexakis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a lovely book (and I can't believe it was not already on Goodreads).

This detailed study of Greek cafes and milk bars, in Australia, looks at both the big picture of their history, but also in the detail, the individual stories of the cafes and milk bars. Through a mix of oral history, old and new photographs, a wonderful, complex story is told. It is joyful, sad, nostalgic and modern. This is a book to keep dipping into as each person and each cafe is explored.

This would be an excellent addition to many local studies collections across Australia as the cafes and milk bars and the people who ran them or who run them are featured. I was able to read about several Greek cafes I know, from where I grew up, but also places I have visited.

This is an excellent local studies book. One minor comment, it would have been helpful to have an index entry for all the towns mentioned, the cafes and people are searchable in the index, but not the towns. Perhaps this addition could be considered for a second edition.

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