Bruce and Me

Bruce and Me

'My father is a con artist and a white-collar criminal. When I was eight years old we criss-crossed the States scamming and conning. This was my childhood…'

Oren Siedler's unusual childhood was spent between her hippie mother at a Buddhist retreat in the Byron Hinterland of Australia and her con man father's nomadic lifestyle in the USA… unless of course he was in jail that year. She loved her unconventional time with him: to a young girl he was admirable, commanding, mythical and beyond all rules.

But then the spell was broken. Needing to remember countless aliases, birth dates and addresses, and living in constant fear of spot checks and losing her father to the authorities, she became disillusioned and began to reject his maverick lifestyle. Why couldn't he be like other fathers?

You will be astounded and uplifted by this one-of-a-kind memoir of a child caught between two alternative lifestyles and countries, and her journey to re-connect with her father as an adult. Bruce and Me is Catch Me if You Can meets Paper Moon meets Five Easy Pieces.

Oren Siedler is a writer and filmmaker. Her most recent film, a feature-length documentary titled Bruce and Me, has aired on Australian and international television and numerous international film festivals.

Oren's memoir, based on her documentary of the same title, will be published by Random House Australia in May.

Born in New York City, Oren immigrated with her mother and stepfather to Australia in 1975. In addition to writing and filmmaking, Oren plays violin in a string quartet, and teachers music to private students. She lives near Byron Bay.

Bruce and Me
Random House Australia
Author: Oren Siedler
Price: $27.95