Queensland Books

This is a fascinating book.

First off, it presents a close-up view of what the last stages of language death are like -- the language is spoken by only two or three people very old people. They may speak it well, or may speak it haltingly, or may only remember a few phrases. And then they die, and there went the language. Since most of the languages in the US and in the world are headed toward that fate in the next forty years, I think it's time people get to see what it looks like, and what a great loss it is.

Second off, this book is the closest I've seen anyone manage to explaining what it is that we linguists do. If only this book got half the press that Steven Pinker's ramnblings get!

And third off, this book recalls some of the daily experiences of the author's travels in rural Australia, among the Aborigines. As one rarely reads anything about Australian Aborigines, or rural Australia in general, this alone makes it interesting. I, for one, had no idea that the Aborigines were, until recently, in a situation combining some of the worst features of Apartheid and of what the US was doing to its Natives in the 19th century.

Originally written in Marathi, this is Kiran Nagarkar's first book. almost autobigraphical. What holds the reader is the honest and bold description of situations and characters. And of course a glimpse of Hindu colony where the author stayed for a long time. The confusion and screw-ups that Kushank grows through and his relation with Arotie was something that stayed with me. I read the book almost eight years ago. Dont miss it. This is the only Indian author that matters. The rest of them suck.

In a counterpoint to THE LORD OF THE FLIES, and other grim tales where a lack of structure or authority leads to chaos and harshness and evil intent, Australian author Steven Herrick has created a world in which a young man striving for autonomy is able to attain an idyllic existence away from the rule makers and the rule breakers.

When sixteen-year-old Billy Luckett packs a few things (including the old man's booze and cigarettes) into his schoolbag, says good-bye to his dog, and walks out of the house, he doesn't know where he will end up. But Billy's certain that anything will beat living with his abusive father.

"Please don't tell what train I'm on
And they won't know what route I've gone"
--Elizabeth Cotton, "Freight Train"

Hopping a westbound freight train in a teeming rain, Billy immediately crosses paths with the first of a series of characters who will each enrich and transform his life with their kindness, and who will each in turn take something away themselves for having been able to see through Billy's exterior.

"Men...........Billy

There are men like Ernie,
the train driver, in this world.
Men who don't boss you around
and don't ask prying questions
and don't get bitter
at anyone different from them.
Men who share a drink and food
and a warm cabin
when they don't have to.
Men who know the value of things
like an old boat
built for long weekends on a lake.
Men who see something happening
and know if it's right
or wrong
and aren't afraid to make that call.
There are men like Ernie
and
there are other men,
men like my dad."

"When we came to the station all the trains were rusty
The doors were open and the windows broken in
There was grass in all the cracks and the air hung musty
The travel posters were flapping in the wind"
--Al Stewart, "Apple Cider Re Constitution

Billy reaches the end of the run at an old railroad town named Bendarat, and takes refuge in a lovely old abandoned train car. When he purchases a lemonade at the McDonald's in town, and proceeds to gather himself a fine meal from what fellow diners leave behind, he meets Caitlin, a well-off teenage schoolgirl who is working for The Clown as a way to gain her own measure of independence, in her case, from doting parents.

"Caitlin and mopping...Caitlin

When I first saw what he did
I wanted to go up
and say,
'Put that food back.'
But how stupid is that?
It was going in the rubbish
until he claimed it.
So I watched him.
He was very calm.
He didn't look worried
about being caught
or ashamed of stealing scraps.
He looked relaxed,
as though he knew he had to eat
and this was the easiest way.
I had work to do,
mopping the floor,
which I hate,
so I mopped slowly
and watched.
He read the paper
until the family left,
then helped himself to dessert,
and as he walked back to his table,
holding the apple pie,
he looked up and saw me
watching him.
He stood over his table
waiting for me to do something.
He stood there
almost daring me to get the Manager,
who I hate
almost as much as I hate mopping.
So I smiled at him.
I smiled and said,
'I hate mopping.'
He sat in his chair
and smiled back
and I felt good
that I hadn't called the Manager.
I kept mopping.
He finished his dessert,
came over to me,
looked at my badge,
looked straight at me,
and said, 'Goodnight, Caitlin,'
and he walked out,
slow and steady,
and so calm, so calm."

The story's third principal voice and pivotal character is Old Bill, an alcohol-dependent hobo with long grey hair and beard who inhabits a nearby train carriage along the string he facetiously refers to as 'The Bendarat Hilton.'

"Sorry..........Old Bill

I feel sorry
for swearing at the kid,
abusing him for bringing me breakfast,
Breakfast! Of all things.
A good kid,
living like a bum
and I knew he'd need money,
even bums need money to live.
So this morning, early,
far too bloody early for me,
I knock on his door
to return the bowl and spoon
and he opens it slowly,
invites me in,
and I tell him
about the Cannery and work.
How every Monday during the season
they offer work,
and if he needs money
that's the place to go,
and he says,
'Sure, great. Let's go.'
And because I'm still sorry
about swearing at him
I find myself
walking to the Cannery
with the kid
looking for work,
work I don't need,
or want.
Walking with the kid
early Monday morning."

"Every happy ending needs to have a start."
--The Moody Blues "You Can Never Go Home"

As we're uncovering the tales of how they got to those bad spaces in which we first meet them, Billy and Old Bill are moving inexorably forward and upward as a result of their relationship with each other. Caitlin is a genuinely likable girl whose difficulties--while not in the same league with those of Billy and Old Bill--will ring true to teen readers who desire, like she does, to be accepted for who they really are. I have great affection for THE SIMPLE GIFT's fairy tale-like sensibilities and for the story's message (that harkens back to the Sixties) about avoiding the rule breakers and rule makers and, instead, paying attention to treating people kindly. A quick and enjoyable easy-reading verse novel imported from Australia and published in paperback, THE SIMPLE GIFT is a Great Escape Package I can highly recommend.

Jackie Huggins is a powerful writer and a real deadly tita, black aussie slang for phat sistah, and if you don't know what that translates to... you better ask somebody! But on the serious tip, I really related to Sister Girl because I am an African American female. Jackie writes about how race and gender blend and how they also have a tendency to collide. Moreover, I went to study abroad in Australia, which was supposed to be the most multi-cultural society-you know the mixed salad bowl theory. Well, after a couple of weeks I realized how white and culturally insensitive this exotic land was, at least it was at the University of Queensland, where I studied. I was in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia and well I guess you could sort of compare it with an American southern town. Anyway, my most cultural experience was being enrolled in a class entitled Black Australian Literature, where the class read books written by Aboriginal women and men and also engaged in discussions about the social and political construction of race. Sister Girl was one of those books we read. I enjoyed it because it was not like most historical books you read. Jackie masterfully weaves "herstory" within the context of the social issues. I was almost in tears when I read the conversation between Jackie and bell hooks. "Wow, now that's racial solidarity and true sisterhood," I thought. Here we have an Aboriginal woman and an African American woman-two black women from two distinct parts of the world making a conscious effort to embrace each others unique concerns and identities as well as laugh and shout out a "right on sister!" or a "real deadly tita!" at their similarities. Reading this book was an eye opener to current political and social issues in the Aboriginal community and Australian multi-culturalism as a whole.It also gives a context and a history to racism and sexism on a personal and historical level. This book is an interesting read for Americans, regardless of gender or ethnicity, because Australian racism and sexism is so parallel to social issues in the U.S., and these issues effect both male and female/black and white. Jackie also has a way of connecting with the reader, and I'm not so sure if I felt this way because my identity is so closely related to Jackie's. Nonetheless, when I finished the book I felt that I knew who Jackie was, like I had made a personal connection with history. While reading the book I felt like I had gone on a journey with Jackie; I had laughed with her and experienced some of her pain, or at least came to an undersatnding of why a particular experience was painful to her and her people. Through the imagery she so vividly writes in, all of these feelings and understanding were achieved. I had a good time reading the book-and wouldn't you know it, I actually ended up meeting and speaking casually with Jackie Huggins at the end of the semester get-together my professor Sam Watson, another talented Aboriginal author, planned for our entire class. Jackie Huggins' Sister Girl is a real deadly read! I strongly recommend it to all those interested in decolonization, history,feminism and education. And Jackie if your reading this "Write on sister girl, write on!"

TERRY BURSTALL, HIMSELF A VETERAN OF VIETNAM AND LONG TAN (1966 BATTLE IN WHICH AUSTRALIA LOST ITS GREATEST NUMBER OF TROOPS IN THE VIETNAM WAR) GRAPPLES WITH HIS OWN FEELINGS OF GUILT AND SORROW, HAVING HAD TO CARRY OUT "RELOCATIONS " OF VILLAGERS AND BURN THEIR HOMES DURING THE WAR, ALL THE TIME 'HAVING' TO HATE THEM, INADVERTANTLY CONSIDERING THEM LESS THAN HUMAN BUT NOW REALISING IT WAS PERHAPS THE WESTERN POWERS WHO COULD BE DESCRIBED IN SUCH A FASHION. TERRY GOES BACK TO VIETNAM IN THE LATE 80's / EARLY 90's SEVERAL TIMES TO SOMEHOW COME TO TERMS WITH WHAT HAPPENEDTHERE SO MANY YEARS AGO, AND PERHAPS MEND SOME BRIDGES. THE VIETNAMESE AND THEIR CULTURE ARE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED AND ONE, ALONG WITH TERRY CANNOT HELP BUT FEEL SORRY FOR THEM. ALTHOUGH SOME ASPECTS OF WHAT HE HAS TO SAY ARE HARD TO COMPREHEND, AS THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT FROM THE ''OFFICIAL" TRUTHS WE HAVE BEEN TOLD, ONE CANNOT IGNORE HIS VIEWS. BRILLIANT BOOK THAT INSPIRED ME TO STUDY THE VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE AND DELVE INTO THE VIETNAMESE CULTURE. READ IT, IT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT.

this story was wonderful - hard to believe that poetry can tell a story with so much power and enjoyment. This book shows children that poetry can utilize the storytelling medium as effectively as prose. a rare and valuable book.

sue wilson is young, female and aboriginal, living on the fringes of a large city in modern australia. this coming of age story examines issues of race, identity, gender and home through the eyes of its young protagonist. not pulling any punches, lucashenko's marvellous ear for dialogue sets out sue's situation and her street education in a non patronising way. her use of urban aboriginal vernacular demonstrates the richness of life at the fringes while at the same time exposing the harsh realities of poverty and racism. a great first book from an author of tremendous promise.

This novel is a sequel to Sooner or Later(also available at Amazon).It tells of a 17 year old boy, Michel Khamis, who is working for the summer holidays for his mother, who's a rock music promoter.In walks Geraldine, a beautiful Aboriginal girl who's determined to be an opera singer--and the pair fall in love.But the course of true love does not always run smooth.. Although the book addresses a lot of 'issues', it does not preach, and presents all its dilemmas through the characters.

Detail information in the book are all in regards to my family geneology. I need to buy this book to have a copy for myself.

Too deadly, about time, along with long overdue and terrific are just some of the words we use to describe this book. Moreton-Robinson has provided a conceptual analysis of a sector of the Australian women's movement and feminism.

For many years most of what was written about Australian feminism and the women's movement and its achievements excluded the issues of Aboriginal Australian women. At times these writings read as if Aboriginal women were part of it all. There was generalisation and universalism of Australian women's experiences without acknowledging the many layers of women's experiences and that some women in Australia, in particular Aboriginal women have been (and still are) at far greater risk of marginalisation than others. While a limited number of writings can be found that still do this, there are growing numbers of texts and journal articles that discuss or mention Aboriginal women and some of the issues around the complexities of classism, racism and sexism as it presents within Australian feminism. Moreton-Robinson extends far beyond this to examine whiteness within feminism as it presents itself within Australia. She demonstrates within her book the multiple attributes of whiteness and Australian feminism and the impacts on and for Aboriginal Australian women. She provides a theoretical analysis for her findings and puts forward suggestions for change for now and for the future. We believe that other people outside Australia may see and find parrallels for themselves and their communities.

Moreton-Robinson presents numerous examples of where Aboriginal women have challenged Australian feminist discourse nationally and internationally and the resulting consequences. She outlines the distinct and variable relations of power and the points of resistance. She places in the public domain an articulation of the intersections between race, genders, class and history within Australian feminism.

What Aileen Moreton-Robinson has given us all is a gift. A gift from the point of view of assisting us to keep working on ourselves, looking at who we are, what is our essence, how do we behave as individuals and towards other people. She places issues before Australian Aboriginal women and places issues before Australian non-Aboriginal women. This is done
in a manner in which some people may find provocative and challenging.

Aileen Moreton-Robinson's book is timely and an important contribution.