Immerse yourself in the perspectives and cultures of First Nations Australians with these highly recommended nonfiction books.
First Nations Writing
Edited by Jeanine Leane & Dan Bourchier
This is a powerful collection of writing from First Nations Australians, that spans nearly fifty years of contributions to the iconic Meanjin journal.
Contributors include literary powerhouses like Alexis Wright, Tony Birch, Melissa Lucashenko, Kim Scott, Anita Heiss and more than a dozen others; and the pieces themselves range from poetry to essays, sharing the richness and complexities of Australia's first peoples.
Not Quite White in the Head
Melissa Lucashenko
Melissa Lucashenko is best known for her novels – including the critically acclaimed Edenglassie – but she's also a powerful essayist; and now, for the first time, her nonfiction writing has been collected together for a must-read look at Australian culture.
This collection was voted by Readings' staff as one of the best nonfiction books of 2025, and as our reviewer Grace said: 'Lucashenko’s experience in fiction means she writes compelling stories regardless of the genre. She gives voice to numerous people, mostly Indigenous and mostly women, who can tell us the real story of "Australia"'.
Snake Talk
Tyson Yunkaporta & Megan Kelleher
Snake Talk is the follow-up to Yunkaporta's Sand Talk and Right Story, Wrong Story, which he co-authored with First Nations researcher (and his wife) Megan Kelleher. It is also another of the books our booksellers loved and voted one of the best nonfiction books of 2025!
This is a fascinating look at the symbol of the serpent around the globe and through history, told in a compelling and approachable way. Our reviewer called it 'oral culture transmuted into written form', so even for those new to reading nonfiction, this is a wonderful book to dive into.
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art
Edited by Marcia Langton & Judith Ryan
This striking black and blue tome was published in association with an exhibition at Melbourne's Potter Museum of Art, and though that exhibition is now over, the book captures all the artistic brilliance that was on display in the gallery.
The project is a bold attempt to capture and share the enormous history of art that existed in Australia, long before the arrival of English settlers. With contributions from twenty-five writers, edited by the incredible Marcia Langton and Judith Ryan, this is a unique book looking back on an immense history, and sharing insight into the practices of First Nations artists across millenia.
The Eagle and the Crow
JM Field
This is a beautiful collection of lyric essays from Gamilaraay author JM Field, which was shortlisted for both the Prize for Non-fiction and the Prize for Indigenous Writing in the 2026 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.
The collection explores and shares First Nations knowledge in science and mathematics, which the English colony fought to destroy and repress. Reflecting on the cultural prohibitions that were in place in Australia's Missionary Era, Field both shows how Aboriginal Australians resisted oppression then, and how what was lost in that time can be reclaimed.
Beyond the Meeting of the Waters
Wayne Atkinson & Catherine Guinness
Yorta Yorta Elder Wayne Atkinson has been at the forefront of Aboriginal cultural renaissance in Victoria since the 1980s, and his human rights advocacy has contributed to widespread reform. In Beyond the Meeting of the Waters, Atkinson shares the life journey that lead him to become such a pivotal voice for First Nations Australians.
Written with Catherine Guinness, Atkinson's story is beautifully told, framed by the rivers and waterways that lace his country and his life. This is both a must-read biography, and an important reminder of the potential of collective organisation and activism.
Fault Lines
Edited by Seumas Spark & Christina Twomey
Lastly, we have a timely collection that looks at injustice in Australia, with a powerful contribution from Kurnai man, Uncle Russell Mullet. This essay collection considers the treatment of First Nations Australians and the many other groups and intersectional identities that have been disenfranchised in Australia's colonial history, from war veterans to the LGBTQIA+ community.
While this book isn't written entirely by First Nations Australians, it includes Aboriginal perspectives alongside other marginalised communities and reminds us about the potential power that lies in collective action, and the inherent inequalities that have shaped 'the land of the fair go'.
Find more recommended nonfiction from First Nations writers here.
