Indigenous Literature Week 2016 at ANZ Litlovers
Cultural warning: Indigenous Australians are advised that some of the links from this blog include images or names of people now deceased.
Reviews
Thanks to everyone who is participating in 2016 Indigenous Literature Week – I hope that hosting this celebration helps to make more people aware of our indigenous writing!
You are welcome to add your review/s early. I will be monitoring this page until the end of July.
When you are ready to share your reviews, please use comments below:
Include
- your name & the name of your blog (if you have one) and the URL where your review is posted (your blog, or your GoodReads or Library Thing account).
(Please do not add Amazon consumer reviews because they generate intrusive Amazon ads and I don’t care to support Amazon advertising).
- If you don’t have a blog or a GoodReads/Library Thing account, then please share what you thought about the book you read in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
- Or, if you’d like to write a review of greater length, contact me at anzlitloversATbigpondDOTcom about writing a guest review to be hosted on the ANZ LitLovers blog.
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 permanent Indigenous Reading List.
PS If you haven’t signed up to participate yet, or want to know more about ILW, click on the link at the top of this page.
2016 Reviews (in alphabetical order by author)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors
- Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling, by Larissa Behrendt of the Eualeyai/Kamilaroi people, see Marilyn’s review at Me, You and Books
- ‘Under skin, in blood’ (short story) by Larissa Behrendt of the Eualeyai/Kamilaroi people, see Sue’s review at Whispering Gums
- Inside My Mother, by Ali Cobby Eckermann who identifies with the Yankunytjatjara / Kokatha people from the north west desert country of South Australia, see my review
- Ruby Moonlight, by Ali Cobby Eckermann who identifies with the Yankunytjatjara / Kokatha people from the north west desert country of South Australia, see Sue’s review at Whispering Gums
- Gurrumul: His Life and Music, by Robert Hillman (with poetry and song by Gurrumul, a Yolnu man), see my review
- Auntie Rita by Rita Huggins and Jackie Huggins of the Bidjara Central Queensland and Birri-Gubba Juru North Queensland peoples, review by Yvonne from Stumbling Through the Past
- My Place by Sally Morgan from the Palku (or Bailgu) people of the Pilbara, see Glenice’s review at Writers and Their Stories
- Of Ashes and Rivers That Flow to the Sea, by Marie Munkara, of Rembarranga descent, see my review
- A Most Peculiar Act, by Marie Munkara, of Rembarranga descent, see my review
- My People, by Oodgeroo Noonuccal of the Quandamooka people of Stradbroke Island, Queensland see Mairi’s review at Up the Creek with a Pen
- Follow the Rabbit-proof Fence, by Doris Pilkington Garimara, of the Martu people of the Central Australian Desert, see Bill’s review at The Australian Legend
- Benang: From the Heart by Kim Scott of the Noongar / Nyoongar / Nyoongah / Nyungar / Nyungah/Noonygar people, review by Bill from The Australian Legend
- Comfort Food, by Ellen Van Neerven, a Yugambeh woman from South-East Queensland, see Jess White’s review at Jessica White, Writer and Researcher
- The Swan Book, by Alexis Wright of the Waanyi people, review by Sharkell at Goodreads
Also see
- Sue’s Monday Musings – Spotlight on Larissa Behrendt of the Eualeyai/Kamilaroi people at Whispering Gums.
- Mairi’s homage to indigenous poet Jack Davis, of the Noongar people of WA at Up the Creek with a Pen
Maori Authors
- Tu, by Patricia Grace of Ngati Toa, Ngati Raukawa and Te Ati Awa descent, see my review
- ‘I’ve Been Thinking About You Sister’ (short story) by Witi Ihimaera of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki descent, see my review
And from elsewhere…
- Celia’s Song by Lee Maracle of the Canadian Coast Salish people, review by Marilyn from You, Me and Books
- April Raintree by Beatrice Culleton, of the Métis people in Canada, review by Marilyn from You, Me and Books
- The Indian Killer by Sherman Alexis, a Native American with ancestry from several tribes. He grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Review by Marilyn from You, Me and Books.
- The Lone Man by Bernardo Atxaga of the Basque region of Spain, review by Stu from Winston’s Dad
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
[…] you have come to me from ANZ LitLover’s Indigenous Literature Week, coinciding with NAIDOC Week, 3-10 July 2016, then you might want to see other posts I have done in […]
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By: Benang, Kim Scott | theaustralianlegend on July 1, 2016
at 8:28 pm
I have reviewed (at last!) Kim Scott’s Benang
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By: wadholloway on July 1, 2016
at 8:32 pm
Well done, Bill, yours is the first review for 2016, and what a great book to start off with:)
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By: Lisa Hill on July 1, 2016
at 9:05 pm
I just posted my review of Celia’s Song, by Lee Maracle, a wonderful story by a Canadian First Nation woman. I loved the way she uses her people’s traditional beliefs as symbols for good and evil at work in the contemporary world.
Marilyn Brady, Me, You, and Books, http://wp.me/p24OK2-1FH
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By: mdbrady on July 3, 2016
at 1:00 am
Thanks, Marilyn, this sounds fabulous and I’ve bought a copy to read later. It will be the first book I’ve read from Canada’s First Nations when I get to it so I’m looking forward to it.
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By: Lisa Hill on July 3, 2016
at 7:05 am
I’ve reviewed The Swan Book by Alexis Wright on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1160633639
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By: sharkell on July 6, 2016
at 5:23 pm
I couldn’t comment on Goodreads, but great review Sharkell. The cover looked familiar so I must have given it as a present. Now I’ll have to find and read it.
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By: wadholloway on July 6, 2016
at 7:32 pm
Thank you wadholloway – you have made my day 😊. The cover is very striking.
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By: sharkell on July 6, 2016
at 8:03 pm
Fantastic, thanks for a beaut review and thank you for joining in:)
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By: Lisa Hill on July 6, 2016
at 9:25 pm
Ah, it’s a great initiative Lisa – thank you for hosting. It was wonderful to be able to raid my shelves and pick a book that had been on there for a while. It made me realise how much indigenous literature I have to look forward to. And, it is amazing how much more attention you pay to a book if you know you are going to review it when you have finished ☺
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By: sharkell on July 6, 2016
at 9:50 pm
What really pleases me is the way the reading list is gradually growing. Every year I get in a panic that I won’t have anything new to share, and every year something wonderful comes along!
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By: Lisa Hill on July 6, 2016
at 9:57 pm
[…] Add your reviews on this page! […]
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By: Reminder: Indigenous Literature Week at ANZ LitLovers July 3-10 | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on July 6, 2016
at 9:21 pm
[…] Cobby Eckermann has been on my radar for a while, so when Lisa announced her 2016 Indigenous Literature Week, I decided Eckermann’s verse novel Ruby Moonlight would be my first choice. This novel won […]
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By: Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ruby Moonlight (Review) | Whispering Gums on July 8, 2016
at 10:02 pm
Hi Lisa, I’ve posted my review of Ali Cobby Eckermann’s Ruby Moonlight: https://whisperinggums.com/2016/07/08/ali-cobby-eckermann-ruby-moonlight-review/
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By: whisperinggums on July 8, 2016
at 10:07 pm
Thank you, Sue, it sounds like a great book, I’ve put it on my wishlist for next year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
By: Lisa Hill on July 8, 2016
at 10:22 pm
[…] you have come to me from ANZ LitLover’s Indigenous Literature Week, coinciding with NAIDOC Week, 3-10 July 2016, then you might want to see other posts I have done in […]
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By: Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence | theaustralianlegend on July 8, 2016
at 11:18 pm
Lisa, Here’s my review of Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence https://theaustralianlegend.wordpress.com/2016/07/08/follow-the-rabbit-proof-fence/
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By: wadholloway on July 8, 2016
at 11:20 pm
[…] I want to do it justice, so I’ll chase it up some other time. In the meantime, however, there is just one lonely looking review of Maori writing for #IndigLitWeek 2016 – what to […]
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By: I’ve Been Thinking About You Sister, by Witi Ihimaera | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on July 9, 2016
at 1:53 pm
https://winstonsdad.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/the-lone-man-by-bernardo-atxaga/ Basque lit for indigenous week lisa
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By: winstonsdad on July 10, 2016
at 4:53 am
Top stuff, Stu! How clever of you to find a book that fits for both #IndigLitWeek and Spanish Lit Month!
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By: Lisa Hill on July 10, 2016
at 10:33 am
[…] Each July, book blogger Lisa Hill encourages bloggers to review books written by indigenous authors …. She chooses ‘Indigenous Literature Week’ to coincide with the Australian annual celebration of indigenous culture, NAIDOC Week. […]
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By: A Lesson in Life: Book Review of Auntie Rita | Stumbling Through the Past on July 10, 2016
at 2:38 pm
I just made it for NAIDOC Week! My review of Auntie Rita by Rita Huggins and Jackie Huggins is now on my blog: https://stumblingpast.com/2016/07/10/a-lesson-in-life-book-review-of-auntie-rita/
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By: perkinsy on July 10, 2016
at 2:41 pm
[…] who brought disease, turned out to be the subject of my second choice for Lisa’s 2016 Indigenous Literature Week, Larissa Behrendt’s short story, “Under skin, in blood”. I chose it because I […]
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By: Larissa Behrendt, Under skin, in blood (Review) | Whispering Gums on July 10, 2016
at 9:44 pm
And here is the short story by Larissa Behrendt that I promised, Under skin, in blood: https://whisperinggums.com/2016/07/10/larissa-behrendt-under-skin-in-blood-review/
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By: whisperinggums on July 10, 2016
at 9:46 pm
[…] I will be monitoring the reviews page until the end of July and will add any additional reviews to the database using the comments box on the reviews page. […]
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By: Wrapping up Indigenous Literature Week 2016 at ANZ LitLovers | ANZ LitLovers LitBlog on July 11, 2016
at 10:45 pm
[…] on from Lisa at ANZLL’s recent Indigenous Writers’ Week I thought it might be a good time to review a writer who was, in his day, influential in forming […]
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By: Ion Idriess | theaustralianlegend on July 15, 2016
at 11:45 pm
Finally managed to get a review down! Not anything by Munkara (yet), but Ellen van Neerven’s poems: http://www.jessicawhite.com.au/ladyredjess/2016/7/31/review-of-comfort-food
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By: Jess White on July 31, 2016
at 2:45 pm
[…] part of litblogger Lisa Hill’s Indigenous Literature Week, Sue of Whispering Gums reviewed Ali Cobby Eckerman’s verse novel Ruby Moonlight, which she […]
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By: July – September 2016 Roundup: Diversity | Australian Women Writers Challenge Blog on September 30, 2016
at 6:14 pm
[…] also, Lisa, for Indigenous Writers’ Week (here) and Christina Stead Week (here), both of which I enjoyed reading and participating […]
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By: Seasons Greeting 2016 | theaustralianlegend on December 23, 2016
at 10:39 am
[…] Each July, book blogger Lisa Hill encourages bloggers to review books written by indigenous authors …. She chooses ‘Indigenous Literature Week’ to coincide with the Australian annual celebration of indigenous culture, NAIDOC Week. […]
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By: A Lesson in Life: Book Review of Auntie Rita on October 14, 2022
at 4:08 am