‘Aboriginal people are familiar with the power of story. Our culture is shaped around stories, our history transmitted through them. Stories spoken from the heart hold a transformational power, they are a way for one heart to speak to another. They are a means of sharing knowledge, experience and emotion.

A story spoken from the heart can pierce you, become a part of you and change the way you see yourself and the world. Listening to a heart story is a way of showing respect, a silent acknowledgement of what the speaker has lived through and where they have come from. Stories can also transform the speaker. Sharing the past can ease old pains, soothe deep hurts and remind you of old joys, hopes and dreams.’

• From the introduction
  

Eighteen Aboriginal Australians from across the country each share a powerful story which is central to their own lives, and/or to their family, community or country. Stories which provide readers with a very personal picture of the history, culture and contemporary experience of Aboriginal Australia.