First Nation Voices: Six Books to Include on Your Summer Reading List
“If the true histories of this land…were understood from an empathetic and compassionate place collectively across society, ‘Australia Day’ in its current format could not exist.”
— Neil Morris (DRMNGNOW)
The process and act of storytelling is a powerful thing - serving to connect people and communities to their culture, their homes and their histories, as well as to each other. As a white Australian, deeply listening to the voices of Indigenous people with empathy and compassion, is an important practice in challenging the racist and colonial roots in this country. A simple, small practice - but important nonetheless.
Below I’ve shared six books written by First Nation authors that share some of these diverse stories. Rather than celebrate January 26 - the day that marks the start of British colonistaion in Australia - lets amplfy and celebrate these voices and stories that are so generously shared with us.
Looking for other First Nation writers? Take a look at this list here for more essential reading.
1. ‘How to Make a Basket’ by Jazz Money
the end of the world was marked with beautiful light we should have known
Simmering with protest and boundless love, Jazz Money's David Unaipon Award-winning collection, how to make a basket, examines the tensions of living in the Australian colony today. By turns scathing, funny and lyrical, Money uses her poetry as an extension of protest against the violence of the colonial state, and as a celebration of Blak and queer love. Deeply personal and fiercely political, these poems attempt to remember, revision and re-voice history.
2. ‘The Yield’ by Tara June Winch
August Gondiwindi has been living on the other side of the world for ten years when she learns of her grandfather's death. She returns home for his burial, wracked with grief and burdened with all she tried to leave behind. Her homecoming is bittersweet as she confronts the love of her kin and news that Prosperous is to be repossessed by a mining company. Determined to make amends she endeavours to save their land - a quest that leads her to the voice of her grandfather and into the past, the stories of her people, the secrets of the river.
Profoundly moving and exquisitely written, Tara June Winch's The Yield is the story of a people and a culture dispossessed. But it is as much a celebration of what was and what endures, and a powerful reclaiming of Indigenous language, storytelling and identity.
3. ‘Flock: First Nations Stories Then And Now’ edited by Ellen Van Neerven
Curated and introduced by award-winning author Ellen van Neerven, Flock features luminous storytelling from leading Aboriginal writers, such as Tony Birch, Melissa Lucashenko and Tara June Winch, as well as some of the brightest new stars.
This wide-ranging and captivating anthology showcases both the power of First Nations writing and the satisfaction of a good short story. Curated by award-winning author Ellen van Neerven, Flock roams the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. Featuring established authors such as Tony Birch and Melissa Lucashenko, and rising stars such as Adam Thompson and Mykaela Saunders, Flock confirms the ongoing resonance and originality of First Nations stories.
4. ‘Australia Day’ by Stan Grant
'As uncomfortable as it is, we need to reckon with our history. On January 26, no Australian can really look away.'
In this book, Australia Day, his long-awaited follow up to Talking to My Country, Stan Grant talks about our country, about who we are as a nation, about the indigenous struggle for belonging and identity in Australia, and what it means to be Australian. A sad, wise, beautiful, reflective and troubled book, Australia Day asks the questions that have to be asked, that no else seems to be asking. Who are we? What is our country? How do we move forward from here?
5. ‘The Wonder of Little Things’ by Vince Copley
'Welcome to my story. It's a simple story of a simple person, who's lived a long life now with some struggles along the way. I didn't learn a lot in school, not in the classroom, anyway. But I learned a lot from life.'
Vince Copley was born on a government mission into poverty in 1936. By the time he was fifteen, five of his family had died. But at a home for Aboriginal boys, he befriended future leaders Charles Perkins, John Moriarty and Gordon Briscoe. They were friendships that would last a lifetime.
Vince's love of life will make you smile, his heartache will make you cry, and his determination to enjoy life in the face of adversity will inspire you to find the wonder in little things every day.
6. Growing up Aboriginal in Australia, Edited by Anita Heiss
Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside newly discovered voices of all ages, with experiences spanning coastal and desert regions, cities and remote communities. All of them speak to the heart - sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.
This groundbreaking anthology aims to enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.
26.01.2023
Offering deep reverence and gratitude for the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation– and all First Nation peoples past and present – who remain the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I live today.
Every day is a day to decolonize. For those of us who are white settlers on this unceded land, we must do more to deeply listen to and acknowledge the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folk – today and every day. Start by learning the name of the country on which you live. Acknowledge the traditional custodians and the elders within your community. Invest in indigenous owned business. Make reparations. Pay the rent. Read, listen to and watch indigenous creatives, activists and leaders. Keep doing the work of showing up, listening, learning and unlearning beyond today.
