First Nations Literature Recommendations
Comments Off on First Nations Literature RecommendationsBooks written by First Nations writers provide for an extremely rewarding reading experience. The authors on this list are not only incredibly talented writers, but they also have critical stories to tell. In this list, I have compiled my ten favourite books written by First Nations writers.
Is That You, Ruthie? by Ruth Hegarty (Memoir, 1999 UQP)
In this memoir, Hegarty chronicles her experience residing in Queensland’s Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission in the 1930s. When she is four years old, Ruthie is forcibly separated from her mother under the Aboriginals Protection Act and moved into Cherbourg’s girls’ dormitory. She is sent out to work as a domestic servant as a teenager. Hegarty reveals throughout the memoir the strong lifelong bonds the dormitory girls develop with one another, forming an alternate family to compensate for the ones they had lost. Hegarty sources the title of her memoir from the all too familiar question that would ring throughout the dormitory as the matron attempted to identify the culprit of unfolding mischief. This moving story is illuminative, educative, and inspiring.
Me, Antman & Fleabag by Gayle Kennedy (Novel, 2007 UQP)
This novel is a compilation of vignettes, following an unnamed narrator, her partner Antman, and their dog Fleabag as they travel around Australia visiting their family and friends. Kennedy uses black humour to explore Indigenous life in contemporary rural Australia. The novel’s cast of characters is exceptionally vivid and iconic — a standout was Cousin Moodle, whose love of funerals made for a ridiculously entertaining chapter. Despite its comedy, some stories have a more serious and heart-breaking tone, such as ‘The Golden Wedding Anniversary’ and ‘Grandfather’s Medals’. The former examines the interrelation of racism and misogyny, while the latter dissects the treatment of Aboriginal servicemen post World War II. Me, Antman & Fleabag is a must-read novel.
Blood by Tony Birch (Novel, 2011 UQP)
Tony Birch’s Blood is an Australian classic for a reason — it is one of those books that is impossible to put down. This novel is set in the 1960s and follows two siblings, Jesse and Rachel. The story is told from Jesse’s perspective. It chronicles his struggle to care for his younger sister as they experience neglect, poverty, family violence, and abandonment by their mother. This is a story of adversity and the strong bond between siblings. Birch’s clever pacing, engaging plot and well-developed characters keep you turning the page until the very end.
Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven (Short stories, 2014 UQP)
Heat and Light has been constantly at the back of my mind since I first read it two years ago. This is a powerful collection of marvellously written short stories. The first part, ‘Heat’, is set in the past, and it compiles short stories written from the perspectives of members of the Kresinger family. The second part, ‘Water’, is a novella set in a future Australia, exploring both queer identity and colonialism. The last part, ‘Light’, is a series of short stories set in the present, spanning urban and rural settings. The themes of family, belonging, and freedom are interwoven throughout the entire collection. By travelling across time and space, Van Neerven traverses the diverse experiences of Indigenous Australians.
Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling by Larissa Behrendt (Non-fiction, 2016 UQP)
In Finding Eliza, Larissa Behrendt explores the true story of Eliza Fraser, who purported to be captured by the Butchulla people in 1836 after she was shipwrecked off the Queensland coast. Behrendt does not merely re-tell this story. Instead, she uses it to dissect the ways in which the First Nations people of Australia — and those of other countries — are perceived and portrayed by colonisers. Her intertextual analysis touches on Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Katharine Susannah Prichard’s Coonardoo, and Rousseau’s “noble savage” in order to examine colonial values and their contribution to Australia’s racial divide. This is an incredibly well-researched and argued piece of non-fiction.
The Yield by Tara June Winch (Novel, 2019 Penguin Random House)
The Yield is a beautifully written novel by Wiradjuri author Tara June Winch. The story consists of three strands. The first is the accumulation of a dictionary written by Albert ‘Poppy’ Gondiwindi in the last days of his life in the hope that he can pass on his people’s language and prevent it from dying alongside him. The second strand follows the protagonist, August Gondiwindi, as she returns to Prosperous House, located near the Murrumby River, for her grandfather’s funeral, only to discover that her family’s land is to be repossessed by a mining company. The third narrative takes the form of letters written by Reverend Ferdinand Greenleaf, a missionary amongst the people of Massacre Plains in 1915, to the British Society of Ethnography. Winch’s novel is a testament to storytelling, an evocative tale about cultural dispossession, the power of language, and personal identity.
Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen (Anthology, 2021 UQP)
Dropbear is an award-winning collection of poetry, prose, and memoir. At times satirical but always lyrical, Araluen examines settler-coloniality and personal history. She bends genres and forms to dissect Australia’s colonial fantasy and the myth-making that forms our contemporary culture. Despite her interrogation of the past and Australia’s complicated present, Araluen has hope for the future as she writes: “Look at this earth we cauterised / the healing we took with flame / I will show them a place / they will never have to leave.”
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss (Novel, 2021 Simon & Schuster)
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is a historical fiction novel written by Anita Heiss. Heiss takes her inspiration from the story of two Wiradyuri men, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who saved more than sixty people from the Murrumbidgee River during the Gundagai flood of 1852. Her novel follows Yarri’s daughter, Wagadhaany, whose life undergoes upheaval when her colonial masters demand she move away with them following the devastation caused by the flood. The novel explores the protagonist’s acute grief as she is separated from her miyagan (family). Through her characters, Heiss explores the cruelty of those who claim to act with good intentions and for the betterment of First Nations people. The novel is also a celebration of the Wiradjuri language, as stated by Heiss: “Using Wiradjuri language on the cover of my novel (and throughout the text) makes a strong statement…regarding the reclamation and maintenance of the traditional language of my family.”
Tell Me Again by Amy Thunig (Memoir, 2022 UQP)
Gomeroi academic Amy Thunig’s memoir, Tell Me Again, traces memories of a childhood defined by love and suffering. The author writes about growing up in a household troubled by incarceration and addiction, while experiences of homelessness, sexual assault and racism all accumulate to provide a sombre representation of the resounding effects of colonialism. The memoir transcends colonial tragedy by juxtaposing the moments of intense trauma with memories of happiness. Thunig’s life is a story of forgiveness, love, perseverance, and exceptionalism; their memoir is honest, insightful, and immensely moving.
She is the Earth by Ali Cobby Eckermann (Poetry, 2023 Magabala Books)
She is the Earth is a new verse novel by Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann. Unlike previous verse novels written by Eckermann, this collection is devoid of a conventional plot and characters. The poetry soars through the elements, commenting on water, air, sky, earth, and light. It is meditative — reflections on breath and breathing allow for a quiet and thoughtful exploration of grief and healing. However, the journey that Eckermann maps is nonlinear; healing is presented as an ongoing process, with trauma resurfacing throughout the story. Her imagery is beautiful and majestic, capturing the beauty of nature, fauna, and Country.
Aala Cheema