Talking to My Country

In 2015, veteran journalist and Wiradjuri man Stan Grant caught the attention of Australia with his short but passionate response to the booing of footballer Adam Goodes. Earlier this year, he got the country talking again when his speech on racism at the IQ2 Debate was released online a few days before Australia/Invasion Day. Now, Grant is set to do the same all over again. Talking to My Country is one of those rare books that has the potential to change the way people think.

Described as a personal meditation on race, culture and national identity, Talking to My Country is part memoir, part letter and part history lesson. Grant opens with a declaration – ‘These are the things I want to say to you’ – before admitting that what he has to say won’t be easy. It’s this direct, unadorned manner of enquiry that sustains his writing.

As a journalist and through his family heritage, Grant is a storyteller. Within these pages he shares tales of his life and those of his ancestors with great gentleness, even while discussing some of our history’s darkest moments. It’s significant that these events are often left out of the common Australian narratives. Hard statistics pepper his yarns and attest to the reality of life for First Australians today.

With this work, Grant allows himself space to dwell on hard questions – the kind without answers. Such a decision is always a risk for a writer, yet here this lack of resolution is understandable, even necessary. The answers do not yet exist, and to imply they do would feel disingenuous. Instead of leaving me with a sense of satisfaction, this book inspired me to read further, to ask questions – and this feels like Grant’s intention. More than anything, Talking to My Country is a call-to-action, and an extremely effective one.

Bronte Coates