Growing up Aboriginal in Australia | Black Inc.
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Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia

What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, showcases many diverse voices, experiences and stories in order to answer that question.

Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside those from newly discovered writers of all ages. All of the contributors speak from the heart – sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.

This groundbreaking collection from the Growing Up series will enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.

Contributors include: Tony Birch, Deborah Cheetham, Adam Goodes, Terri Janke, Patrick Johnson, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Jack Latimore, Celeste Liddle, Amy McQuire, Kerry Reed-Gilbert, Miranda Tapsell, Jared Thomas, Aileen Walsh, Alexis West, Tara June Winch, and many, many more.

Audiobook

Available on Wavesound

About the author

Anita Heiss

Dr Anita Heiss AM is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women's fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She is a Lifetime Ambassador of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central NSW. Anita was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards. In 2022 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal. …

More about Anita Heiss



Specifications

Release date: 16 Apr 2018

RRP: $32.99

Paperback ISBN: 9781863959810

Format: Paperback

Size: 210 x 135mm

Extent: 320pp

Resources

Download teaching notes

Praise for Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia is a mosaic, its more than 50 tiles – short personal essays with unique patterns, shapes, colours and textures – coming together to form a powerful portrait of resilience.’ —The Saturday Paper

‘... provides a diverse snapshot of Indigenous Australia from a much-needed Aboriginal perspective.’ —The Saturday Age

‘It’s really important to hear first-hand experiences and knowledge on a subject and this book provides just that. […] The book offers heartfelt tales, challenges stereotypes and will help you understand the inequalities prevalent in Australia today.’ —Fashion Journal

‘Black Australia is a patchwork – there is no homogenous black culture or experience. Adequately capturing the essence of hundreds of nations is no easy feat, but Anita Heiss has pulled together an incredible bunch of voices that reflect the humour, intelligence, strength and diversity of Aboriginal people in Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia.’ —Nayuka Gorrie, Feminist Writers Festival

‘Through poetry and nonfiction prose, each of the 52 contributions invites readers into the writer’s past to better understand their aspirations for the future.’ —Books+Publishing

‘As confronting as this one may be, Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia is an absolute must-read.’ —The Urban List

‘Wouldn’t it be great if this book was required reading for every Australian child? Maybe then, the next generation might have more success than preceding ones at reconciliation.’ —Good Weekend

‘Taken together, the diversity exhibited by these fifty pieces shatters that myth [that there is only one narrowly defined way to be and look Aboriginal]. One hopes for a sequel.’ —Australian Book Review

Teachers Resources

Themes

Aboriginality, identity, kinship, culture, country, Australian history, racism

Reading age

Suitable for years 9-12

Downloads

  Teaching notes


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