August meeting - Mr Einstein's Secretary

**Book:** ***Mr Einstein's Secretary, 2024, Matthew Reilly*** All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a student, a secretary, a sister and a spy. From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive. She is a most unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein... Spanning forty years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times. But read it carefully, because all may not be as it seems... **Movie: 55 Steps, 2017, Directed by Billie August** **On SBS on demand.** The story is about a woman committed to a mental health facility. Prior to 1987, it was assumed that the [Lanterman–Petris–Short Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterman%E2%80%93Petris%E2%80%93Short_Act "Lanterman–Petris–Short Act") allowed involuntary treatment for those who were detained under an initial three-day hold (for evaluation and treatment) and a subsequent fourteen-day hospitalization (for those patients declared after the three-day hold to be dangerous to themselves or others or gravely disabled). In 1987, in *Riese v. St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center*, the California State Court of Appeals declared that these patients had the right to exercise informed consent regarding the use of antipsychotic drugs, except in an emergency, and if they rejected medication "a judicial determination of their incapacity to make treatment decisions" was required before they could be involuntarily treated.[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/55_Steps#cite_note-mentalillnesspolicy1-5)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/55_Steps#cite_note-6) This case was a class action suit brought in the name of patient Eleanor Riese by the California [ACLU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACLU "ACLU") https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/55-steps/2037121603653 **Podcast:** The Girl with the Pen in No-Man's Land -Dr Julie Johnson **Ageless with Roz, S1 episode 11, 21 June 2026** What began with a century-old photograph of a young girl holding a pen became a fascinating journey into the life of one of France’s most remarkable women. Join historian Dr Julie Johnson as she uncovers the extraordinary story of Emilienne Moreau-Evrard — war heroine, Resistance fighter and a woman whose courage spanned two world wars. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-girl-with-the-pen-in-no-mans-land-dr-julie-johnson/id1768680981?i=1000773604992