Indigenous Australian voices & stories to read this month

We’re pleased to have a host of books exploring Indigenous culture and perspectives out this month – including compelling fiction from two award-winning authors, a revitalising collection of essays from Indigenous voices, and a vibrant board book from a first-time children’s author.


Common People by Tony Birch

Tony Birch is a much-loved author here at Readings, and so we’re delighted to have a brand-new collection of stories to delve into this month. These remarkable and surprising stories explore the lives of common people caught up in the everyday business of living and the struggle to survive. Hawthorn bookseller Annie Condon writes: ‘All 15 stories have been distilled to their best parts and finest quality, and the result is a collection that stands out for its voice and compassion.’ You can read her full review here.


Taboo by Kim Scott

The new novel from Miles Franklin winner Kim Scott takes place in the present day, in the rural South-West of Western Australia. It tells the story of a group of Noongar people who revisit, for the first time in many decades, a taboo place: the site of a massacre that followed the assassination, by these Noongar’s descendants, of a white man who had stolen a black woman. They’ve come at the invitation of Dan Horton, the elderly owner of the farm on which the massacres unfolded, who hopes for closure and reconciliation – but the sins of the past will not be so easily expunged. Carlton bookseller George Delaney calls Taboo a pressingly important novel. You can read her full review here.


A Rightful Place edited by Shireen Morris

In this essential book, several leading indigenous writers and thinkers provide a road map to recognition. These eloquent essays show what constitutional recognition means, and what it could make possible: a fairer relationship and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture. With remarkable clarity and power, they traverse law, history and culture to map the path to change. The book is edited by Shireen Morris, a lawyer and constitutional reform fellow at the Cape York Institute and researcher at Monash University.


Songlines and Fault Lines by Glenn Morrison

Songlines and Fault Lines explores the stories of six epic walks that shaped a nation: a journey of Aboriginal Dreamtime ancestors; John Stuart’s south-north trek across the continent; anthropologist TGH Strehlow’s childhood journey down the Finke River; conservationist Arthur Groom’s reimagining of the country’s heart as tourist play-ground; Bruce Chatwin’s seminal travel text about the Centre, and Eleanor Hogan’s portrait of Alice Springs, a troubled town. This is a fascinating exploration of the country’s centre.


Against Native Title by Eve Vincent

Against Native Title is about one group’s lived experience of a divisive native title claim in the outback town of Ceduna, where the native title claims process has thoroughly reorganised local Aboriginal identities over the course of the past decade. The book pursues a controversial and much neglected line of enquiry: the native title process is not necessarily a force for good. It makes a vital contribution to national debates around issues of Aboriginal futures in remote and regional areas.


AND TWO BOOKS FOR THE KIDS…


Game Day! series by Patty Mills and Jared Thomas

This month sees two books released as part of a fantastic, fun junior fiction series about basketball from Australian Olympian and NBA star Patty Mills. Penned together with established author Jared Thomas, the Game Day! series showcase Patty’s pride in his Indigenous heritage, and reveal how hard he worked to achieve his goals. The series seeks to inspire sport-loving kids to achieve their own goals, and will entertain young readers of ages 7 and up


At the Beach I See by Kamsani Bin Salleh

This delightful boardbook evokes the wonder of Australian beaches and will mesmerise young children. The black linework and colourful wash backgrounds work beautifully with the lyrical text as readers are introduced to extraordinary creatures and birds from our coastline, including ‘dancing jellyfish’, ‘scuttling crabs’, ‘beautiful shells’, ‘tangled seaweed’ and a ‘soaring kite’.

Cover image for Taboo

Taboo

Kim Scott

Available to order, ships in 5-9 daysAvailable to order