Reviews
Thanks to everyone who is participating in Indigenous Literature Week 2013 at ANZ Litlovers – I hope you find it rewarding!
ILW 2013 takes place to coincide with NAIDOC Week 2013 (July 7 – 14) but I will be monitoring this page until the end of July.
You are welcome to add your review/s early.
When you are ready to share your reviews:
Please use the Mr Linky below. Click on it, and enter
- your name & the name of your blog (if you have one) and
- the URL where your review is posted (your blog, your GoodReads or Library Thing account.
(Please do not add Amazon consumer reviews because they generate intrusive Amazon ads).
After that, please add a comment here as well, which will alert me that you’ve added to the Mr Linky list.
I will gather these links to generate a list which will be added under the headings below on this page. I will also add any new titles that crop up to the master Indigenous Reading List.
If you don’t have a blog or a GoodReads/Library Thing account, then please tell us about the book you read in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
PS If you haven’t signed up to participate yet, or want to know more about ILW, please click here.
Reviews (in alphabetical order by author)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors
Claire Henty-Gebert
Paint Me Black: Memories of Croker Island and Other Journeys, see Yvonne’s review at Stumbling Through the Past
Ruby Langford Ginibi
My Bundjulung People, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Anita Heiss
Am I Black Enough for You? see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books and also Sue’s at Whispering Gums
Rita Huggins and Jackie Huggins
Auntie Rita, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Doris Kartinyeri
Kick the Tin, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Melissa Lucashenko
Too Flash, see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
How Green is My Valley, (essay) see Sue’s review at Whispering Gums
John Maynard
Fight for Liberty and Freedom: The Origins of Australian Aboriginal Activism, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Philip McLaren
Sweet Water – Stolen Land, see Lisa’s review at ANZ LitLovers
Sue McPherson
Grace Beside Me, see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
Sally Morgan
My Place: Autobiography, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Boori Monty Pryor
Maybe Tomorrow, see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
Kim Scott
Kayang and Me (with Hazel Brown), see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
That Deadman Dance, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
True Country, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books and John’s at Musings of Literary Dilettante
Alexis Wright
Carpentaria, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Plains of Promise, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Maori Authors
Alan Duff
Once Were Warriors, see Nadine’s review at 5 in a Bus (Thanks to Nadine for our first review in 2013!)
Patricia Grace
Potiki, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Witi Ihimaera
The Whale Rider, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
Other
TBA
Children’s Books
Bakir and Bi by Jillian Boyd and Tori-Jay Mordey
- see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
Bubbay – A Christmas Adventure, by Josie Wowolla Boyle
- see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
My Girragundji by Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor
- see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
Remembering Lionsville: My Family Story, by Bronwyn Bancroft
- see Emma’s review at My Book Corner
Samoan fiction
Albert Wendt
- Leaves of the Banyan tree , see Stu’s review at Winston’s Dad
And also
Books by non-indigenous authors read for ILW 2013, which offer insights about indigenous history and culture
Jacqueline Wright
Red Dirt Talking, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
[…] you’ve read the book and you’re ready to share your thoughts about it, please visit the Reviews page where you can post your comments about the book and/or a link to your review on your own blog or at […]
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By: Announcing 2013 Indigenous Writers Week at ANZ LitLovers | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on June 1, 2013
at 1:35 pm
I think i’ve done it properly Lisa…? Let me know if it didn’t work.. Sorry, it’s a bit of a ranty review… ;(
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By: Nadine Millar on June 3, 2013
at 9:59 pm
It’s a very interesting ‘ranty’ review, it made me really want to read the book… thanks, Nadine:)
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By: Lisa Hill on June 4, 2013
at 6:47 pm
OK. I am baffled by Mr. Linky. I have signed up. Should I enter books at the same place? Should I give the author and title somewhere? Sorry to be dense about technology.
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By: mdbrady on June 5, 2013
at 12:47 am
Hi, I’m sorry if it seems a bit confusing to sign up with Mr Linky on one page and then add the reviews on this page, but it does make it easier for me to ‘harvest’ them for permanent addition to a reviews list. I’ve done some of mine to show you – titles by indigenous authors that I’ve read since ILW last year – so if you click on Mr Linky on *this* post you will see the model to follow.
I’m looking forward to seeing your contribution!
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By: Lisa Hill on June 5, 2013
at 9:41 pm
Thanks for getting me in the right place. Here are the books I have read by Indigenous Australians and New Zealanders since 1-1-2012 when I started blogging. (I don’t think I added anything last year.) I may take a while getting them entered.
I also have a list of books by Indigenous authors from the Western Hemisphere that I would be willing to share with anyone who is interested.
Am I Black Enough for You?, by Anita Heiss.
Kayang and me, by Kim Scott and Hazel Brown.
That Deadman Dance, by Kim Scott.
Fight for Liberty and Freedom : the Origins of Australian Aboriginal Activism, by John Maynard. (History)
My Bundjalung People, by Ruby Langford Ginibi. (History)
Potiki, by Patricia Grace.
My Place, by Sally Morgan.
Auntie Rita, by Rita Huggins and Jackie Huggins.
Kick the Tin, by Doris Kartinyeri.
Carpentaria, by Alexis Wright.
The Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera.
Plains of Promise, by Alexis Wright.
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By: mdbrady on June 6, 2013
at 1:19 am
Wow, thanks, Marilyn:)
I haven’t got the links for the last five in your list, can you add the URLs to Mr Linky and then I’ll put them in.
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By: Lisa Hill on June 6, 2013
at 9:57 am
Sorry I missed this. I am adding them now.
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By: mdbrady on July 8, 2013
at 9:05 am
[…] You are welcome to contribute in any way that helps to promote reading indigenous literature. On the ANZ LitLovers blog, the focus is on literary fiction and the occasional memoir, but readers can contribute reviews of any kind of book, as long as it’s by an indigenous author. AS you can see from the sign up page you can contribute your review on your own blog, on a GoodReads or Library Thing page, or with a comment on the reviews page. […]
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By: 2013 Indigenous Literature Week at ANZ LitLovers « LisaHillSchoolStuff's Weblog on June 19, 2013
at 7:15 pm
[…] for ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week, as did Lisa herself who liked it […]
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By: Rachel Hennessy, The heaven I swallowed (Review) | Whispering Gums on July 3, 2013
at 11:01 am
Hi Lisa, I’ve added a book to Mr Linky – Paint Me Black by Claire Henty-Gebert. I’m onto my second book which I hope to have reviewed in about a week.
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By: perkinsy on July 7, 2013
at 2:35 pm
Fantastic! Thanks, Yvonne, I will add it to the reading list ASAP, thank you:)
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By: Lisa Hill on July 7, 2013
at 2:57 pm
I just posted my review of True Country, by Kim Scott. I loved it. Beautiful use of language.
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By: mdbrady on July 8, 2013
at 9:02 am
I also just added some more books by Australian Indigenous writers that I have read and reviewed over the past year.
Auntie Rita, by Rita Huggins and Jackie Huggins.
Kick the Tin, by Doris Kartinyeri.
Carpentaria, by Alexis Wright.
The Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera.
Plains of Promise, by Alexis Wright.
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By: mdbrady on July 8, 2013
at 9:14 am
Thanks, Marilyn, I’ve added them all, what an impressive contribution, and how useful it is for us to have a perspective from beyond Australia:)
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By: Lisa Hill on July 8, 2013
at 2:28 pm
[…] Part of the joy of discovering authors later in their career is the ability to go back and read their earliest work. In doing so you get a different perspective on the writer-to-be, what intrigues them, drives them; what tools they like to use in framing their narratives; their ethos. After greatly admiring Kim Scott’s Miles Franklin-winning That Deadman Dance (my review) I had this opportunity with his evocative debut True Country, read for Indigenous Literature Week (hosted by Lisa Hill at ANZ Litlovers — a list of all the reviews submitted by readers for ILW can be found here.) […]
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By: True Country by Kim Scott | Musings of a Literary Dilettante's Blog on July 10, 2013
at 11:12 pm
Thanks for adding my link here Lisa … I did have a little conniption and incorrectly titled my post by the title it alludes to which has “was my valley” but Lucashenko’s is “is my valley”. Would you mind fixing that please? Also, I notice you’ve linked some titles to their availability. As this is now available free online at Griffith Review, you might like to link it: http://griffithreview.com/edition-12-hot-air/how-green-is-my-valley Whatever you decide is fine by me of course. Ta.
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By: whisperinggums on July 13, 2013
at 11:50 am
Done! Thanks for the link to the Griffith Review, I didn’t think of looking for it there because that’s a subscription only magazine. BTW There’s a smart move from the ASA, theirs is a subs only magazine too, but they are making some articles available online and you can buy access on a pay-per-article basis at $1.40 per article. I’m a subscriber so I haven’t actually tried it out, but I think it’s a good initiative.
PS Heiss any time is welcome! (But I am committed to monitoring this page for ILW until the end of July.)
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By: Lisa Hill on July 13, 2013
at 12:11 pm
Thanks Lisa … I did have the link right at the bottom of the review, but it’s clearly easy to miss. I used to include them in the opening paragraph where they existed but lately have been putting them in the biblio details at the end.
Yes, I love that they do that some time down the track. Meanjin is doing it too. Pay-per-view/article access is also reasonable, though I like that best when I can see a preview, first (as you can do when you look at the physical book/magazine in the shop. $1.40 isn’t very much is it, but I saw one recently – forgotten where – that was a little more expensive and I wasn’t sure it was what I was looking for. There was no preview or abstract to help me decide.
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By: whisperinggums on July 13, 2013
at 12:23 pm
I’d like to know what the payment options are: I like PayPal because it means I don’t have to stop what I’m doing and retrieve my credit card.
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By: Lisa Hill on July 13, 2013
at 12:28 pm
Oh yes, I love PayPal … so convenient, so easy to spend money!
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By: whisperinggums on July 13, 2013
at 12:39 pm
Oh, and I might not get Heiss done by tomorrow, but I’m assuming you’ll be happy for me to link it if it’s in a few days?
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By: whisperinggums on July 13, 2013
at 11:51 am
I have posted my review of Red Dirt Talking by Jacqueline Wright. Very good in ways different from Scott. I am not sure I managed to enter it correctly, but it is on my blog. http://wp.me/p24OK2-R8
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By: mdbrady on July 13, 2013
at 1:05 pm
[…] Calling for the Global Women of Color Challenge initiated by Marilyn Dell Brady and for the Indigenous Literature Week organised by Lisa Hill. I would like to extend my reading of indigenous and non-European authors […]
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By: Reading in 2013: some reflections | Stumbling Through the Past on January 5, 2014
at 3:24 pm