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Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Heiss, Anita
Gundagai, 1852
The powerful Murrumbidgee River surges through town leaving death and destruction in its wake. It is a stark reminder that while the river can give life, it can just as easily take it away.
Wagadhaany is one of the lucky ones. She survives. But is her life now better than the fate she escaped? Forced to move away from her miyagan, she walks through each day with no trace of dance in her step, her broken heart forever calling her back home to Gundagai.
When she meets Wiradyuri stockman Yindyamarra, Wagadhaany's heart slowly begins to heal. But still, she dreams of a better life, away from the degradation of being owned. She longs to set out along the river of her ancestors, in search of lost family and country. Can she find the courage to defy the White man's law? And if she does, will it bring hope ... or heartache?
Set on timeless Wiradyuri country, where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.
Call Number: SF HEI
ISBN: 9781760850449
Publication Date: 2021
Born into this by Thompson, Adam
Engaging, thought-provoking stories from a young Tasmanian Aboriginal author who addresses universal themes - identity, racism, heritage destruction - from a wholly original perspective.The stories throw light on a world of unique cultural practice and perspective, from Indigenous rangers trying to instil some pride in wayward urban teens on the harsh islands off the coast of Tasmania to those scraping by on the margins of white society railroaded into complex and compromised decisions. To this mix Adam Thompson manages to bring humour, pathos and occasionally a sly twist as his characters confront racism, untimely funerals, classroom politics and, overhanging all like a discomforting, burgeoning awareness for both white and black Australia, the inexorable damage and disappearance of the remnant natural world.
Call Number: F THO
ISBN: 9780702263118
Publication Date: 2021
The Boy from the Mish by Lonesborough, Gary
A funny and heart-warming queer Indigenous YA novel, set in a rural Australian community, about seventeen-year-old Jackson finding the courage to explore who he is, even if it scares him.
'I don't paint so much anymore,' I say, looking to my feet.
'Oh. Well, I got a boy who needs to do some art. You can help him out,' Aunty Pam says, like I have no say in the matter, like she didn't hear what I just said about not painting so much anymore. 'Jackson, this is Tomas. He's living with me for a little while.'
It's a hot summer, and life's going all right for Jackson and his family on the Mish. It's almost Christmas, school's out, and he's hanging with his mates, teasing the visiting tourists, avoiding the racist boys in town. Just like every year, Jackson's Aunty and annoying little cousins visit from the city - but this time a mysterious boy with a troubled past comes with them… As their friendship evolves, Jackson must confront the changing shapes of his relationships with his friends, family and community. And he must face his darkest secret - a secret he thought he'd locked away for good.
Call Number: F LON
ISBN: 9781760525880
Publication Date: 2021
Catching Teller Crow by Kwaymullina, Ambelin; Kwaymullina, Ezekiel
Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since she died. Her dad, a detective, is the only one who can see and hear her - and he's drowning in grief. But now they have a mystery to solve together. Who is Isobel Catching, and what's her connection to the fire that killed a man? What happened to the people who haven't been seen since the fire? As Beth unravels the mystery, she finds a shocking story lurking beneath the surface of a small town, and a friendship that lasts beyond one life and into another.
Told in two unforgettable voices, this gripping novel weaves together themes of grief, colonial history, violence, love and family.
Call Number: F KWA
ISBN: 9781760631628
Publication Date: 2018
Crow Country by Constable, Kate
When Sadie moves back to her mother's home town in country Victoria, she finds herself drawn to the dried-up lake where eerie carved standing stones have recently been revealed. The wheeling crows seem to speak to her about an old wrong she must set right, and she finds herself catapulted back to a time just after World War I. Three young men have just returned from the war: Sadie's grandfather who runs the local shop, the local landowner, and Jimmy Raven, an Indigenous stockman who works on the landowner's farm. Sadie discovers that Jimmy was killed under mysterious circumstances and that her grandfather helped cover it up. Back in her own time, Sadie befriends Walter, a boy from Mildura who may have a connection to Jimmy. Can Sadie and Walter work through the mystery and prevent a similar tragedy happening in their own time?
Call Number: F CON
ISBN: 9781742373959
Publication Date: 2011
The Disappearance of Ember Crow - The Tribe [2] by Kwaymullina, Ambelin
"However this ends, you're probably going to find out some things about me, and they're not nice things. But, Ash, even after you know, do you think you could remember the good? And whatever you end up discovering - try to think of me kindly. If you can."
Ember Crow is missing. To find her friend, Ashala Wolf must control her increasingly erratic and dangerous Sleepwalking ability and leave the Firstwood. But Ashala doesn't realise that Ember is harbouring terrible secrets and is trying to shield the Tribe and all Illegals from a devastating new threat - her own past.
Call Number: F KWA
ISBN: 9781921720093
Publication Date: 2013
Drop Bear by Araluen, Evelyn
A collection of poetry and prose from a new Indigenous voice on the Australian literary scene. Dropbear interrogates the complexities of colonial and personal history with an alternately playful, tender and mournful intertextual voice, deftly navigating the responsibilities that gather from sovereign country and the spectres of memory.
Call Number: NF ARA
ISBN: 9780702263187
Publication Date: 2021
The Drover's Wife by Purcell, Leah
Deep in the heart of Australia's high country, along an ancient, hidden track, lives Molly Johnson and her four surviving children, another on the way. Husband Joe is away months at a time droving livestock up north, leaving his family in the bush to fend for itself. Molly's children are her world, and life is hard and precarious with only their dog, Alligator, and a shotgun for protection – but it can be harder when Joe's around.
At just twelve years of age Molly's eldest son Danny is the true man of the house, determined to see his mother and siblings safe – from raging floodwaters, hunger and intruders, man and reptile. Danny is mature beyond his years, but there are some things no child should see. He knows more than most just what it takes to be a drover's wife.
One night under the moon's watch, Molly has a visitor of a different kind – a black 'story keeper', Yadaka. He's on the run from authorities in the nearby town, and exchanges kindness for shelter. Both know that justice in this nation caught between two worlds can be as brutal as its landscape. But in their short time together, Yadaka shows Molly a secret truth, and the strength to imagine a different path.
Call Number: F PUR
ISBN: 9780143791478
Publication Date: 2019
Edenglassie by Lucashenko, Melissa
When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Edenglassie, their saltwater people still outnumber the British. As colonial unrest peaks, Mulanyin dreams of taking his bride home to Yugambeh Country, but his plans for independence collide with white justice. Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny. Together they care for obstinate centenarian Grannie Eddie, and sparks fly, but not always in the right direction. What nobody knows is how far the legacies of the past will reach into their modern lives.
Call Number: F LUC
ISBN: 9780702266126
Publication Date: 2023
Fire front : First Nations poetry and power today by Whittaker, Alison
This important anthology, curated by Gomeroi poet and academic Alison Whittaker, showcases Australia's most-respected First Nations poets alongside some of the rising stars. Featured poets include Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Ruby Langford Ginibi, Ellen van Neerven, Tony Birch, Claire G. Coleman, Evelyn Araluen, Jack Davis, Kevin Gilbert, Lionel Fogarty, Sam Wagan Watson, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Archie Roach and Alexis Wright. Divided into five thematic sections, each one is introduced by an essay from a leading Aboriginal writer and thinker, Bruce Pascoe, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Chelsea Bond, Evelyn Araluen and Steven Oliver (Black Comedy), who reflects on the power of First Nations poetry with their own original contribution. This incredible book is a testament to the renaissance of First Nations poetry happening in Australia right now.
Call Number: F WHI
ISBN: 9780702262722
Publication Date: 2020
Flock: First Nations stories then and now by Neerven, Ellen van
This wide-ranging and captivating anthology showcases both the power of First Nations writing and the satisfaction of a good short story. Curated by award-winning author Ellen van Neerven, Flock roams the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. Featuring established authors such as Tony Birch, Melissa Lucashenko and Tara June Winch, and rising stars such as Adam Thompson and Mykaela Saunders, Flock confirms the ongoing resonance and originality of First Nations stories.
This project is supported by the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund.
Call Number: F FLO
ISBN: 9780702263033
Publication Date: 2021
The foretelling of Georgie Spider - the tribe [3] by Kwaymullina, Ambelin
A storm was stretching out across futures to swallow everything in nothing, and it was growing larger, which meant it was getting nearer... Georgie Spider has foretold the end of the world, and the only one who can stop it is Ashala Wolf. But Georgie has also foreseen Ashala's death. As the world shifts around the Tribe, Ashala fights to protect those she loves from old enemies and new threats. And Georgie fights to save Ashala. Georgie Spider can see the future. But can she change it?
Call Number: F KWA
ISBN: 9781921720109
Publication Date: 2015
Heat and light by Neerven, Ellen van
Ellen van Neerven takes her readers on a journey that is mythical, mystical, and still achingly real. Over three parts, she takes traditional storytelling and gives it a unique, contemporary twist. In "Heat," we meet several generations of the Kresinger family and the legacy left by the mysterious Pearl. In "Water," a futuristic world is imagined and the fate of a people threatened. In "Light," familial ties are challenged and characters are caught between a desire for freedom and a sense of belonging.
Call Number: F NEE
ISBN: 9780702265990
Publication Date: 2023
The interrogation of Ashala Wolf - the tribe [1] by Kwaymullina, Ambelin
"There will come a day when a thousand Illegals descend on your detention centres. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lightning to strike you all down from above, and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from below. . . . And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me."
Ashala Wolf has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose. A man who is intent on destroying Ashala's Tribe — the runaway Illegals hiding in the Firstwood. Injured and vulnerable and with her Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to the machine that will pull secrets from her mind.
And right beside her is Justin Connor, her betrayer, watching her every move.
Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?
Call Number: F KWA
ISBN: 9781921720086
Publication Date: 2012
Killing Darcy by Lucashenko, Melissa
When sixteen-year-old Filomena spends the summer with her father in New South Wales, Australia, she becomes involved in a murder from her family's past and as well as the prejudices experienced by Darcy, a gay Aboriginal who works for Fil's father.
Call Number: F LUC
ISBN: 9780702266102
Publication Date: 2023
Living on stolen land by Kwaymullina, Ambelin
Living on Stolen Land is a prose-styled look at our colonial-settler 'present'. This book is the first of its kind to address and educate a broad audience about the colonial contextual history of Australia, in a highly original way. It pulls apart the myths at the heart of our nationhood, and challenges Australia to come to terms with its own past and its place within and on 'Indigenous Countries'.
This title speaks to many First Nations' truths; stolen lands, sovereignties, time, decolonisation, First Nations perspectives, systemic bias and other constructs that inform our present discussions and ever-expanding understanding. This title is a timely, thought-provoking and accessible read.
There is no part of this place
that was not
is not
cared for
loved
by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander nation
There are no trees
rivers
hills
stars
that were not
are not
someone's kin
Call Number: F KWA
ISBN: 9781925936247
Publication Date: 2020
Purple Threads by Leane, Jeanine
Growing up in the shifting landscape of Gundagai with her Nan and Aunties, Sunny spends her days playing on the hills near their farmhouse and her nights dozing by the fire, listening to the big women yarn about life over endless cups of tea. It is a life of freedom, protection, and love. But as Sunny grows she must face the challenge of being seen as different, and of having a mother whose visits are as unpredictable as the rain.
Call Number: F LEA
ISBN: 9780702266027
Publication Date: 2023
Requiem for a beast : a work for image, word and music by Ottley, Matt
Requiem for a Beast is a multi modal work, consisting of the formats of graphic novel, picture book, novella, and musical work. There are two main narratives within the book; one, is the story of a young stockman as he pursues a wild bull, and the other the reminiscences of an elderly woman on the Stolen Generations.
Call Number: TR OTT
ISBN: 9780734407962
Publication Date: 2007
Sister Heart by Morgan, Sally
In my head, I'm someplace else.
I hear the crack of flaming wood
smell smoky campire burning
lean against Mum's knee
listen to grannies tell stories
In my head, I'm home.
Taken far from everyone and everything she knows and loves, Annie must make a new life in a strange world. A sister-friend brings fresh hope, but can it last?
Call Number: F MOR
ISBN: 9781925163131
Publication Date: 2015
Sixty-seven days by Weldon, Yvonne
Evie has been raised in the heart of Aboriginal Redfern, by a proud trailblazing Wiradjuri family. She remembers so much about the previous world - the Dreamtime, the ancestors, and the knowing - but she also harbours a dark pain that is becoming almost too much to bear. And then Evie meets James, a young man radiating pure love who fills her life with light. On the cusp of adulthood, with their whole lives ahead of them, they travel to Evie's beloved country, the central west of New South Wales and the Riverina regions. Swimming in the waters of the Kalare, as known by the Wiradjuri, and in the Murrumbidgee, singing with her ancestors, listening to the spirits. The new world created between Evie and James is one they did not know they were missing. Now they can't leave it alone. They are no longer separate - they are one, they are whole together - until a sudden event leaves them seeking answers to one of life's most eternal questions- is love strong enough to withstand anything?
Call Number: SF WEL
ISBN: 9780143777144
Publication Date: 2022
Too Much Lip by Lucashenko, Melissa
Too much lip, her old problem from way back. And the older she got, the harder it seemed to get to swallow her opinions. The avalanche of bullshit in the world would drown her if she let it; the least she could do was raise her voice in anger.
Wise-cracking Kerry Salter has spent a lifetime avoiding two things – her hometown and prison. But now her Pop is dying and she's an inch away from the lockup, so she heads south on a stolen Harley.
Kerry plans to spend twenty-four hours, tops, over the border. She quickly discovers, though, that Bundjalung country has a funny way of grabbing on to people. Old family wounds open as the Salters fight to stop the development of their beloved river. And the unexpected arrival on the scene of a good-looking dugai fella intent on loving her up only adds more trouble – but then trouble is Kerry's middle name.
Gritty and darkly hilarious, Too Much Lip offers redemption and forgiveness where none seems possible.
Call Number: SF LUC
ISBN: 9780702259968
Publication Date: 2018
Tracks of the missing by Merrison, Carl; Hustler, Hakea
Deklan 'Dek' Archer and his mates arrive at school to a tense atmosphere. 'Old Mate', Mr Henry, who has lived in town for a long time, has been found murdered. To add to these worries, the Year 12s, who were on camp, are now missing. The police think there is a link between the missing students and the murder. Dek and his friends are torn. Dek and Willum, his best mate, have an important football match that evening – professional recruiters are in town. Neither wants to let their coach down but they feel they must search for their friends. Deklan's grandfather, a renowned tracker with certain otherworld gifts turns up, and expects him to go bush. This choice will change Dek's life and family forever.
Call Number: F MER
ISBN: 9781922613264
Publication Date: 2022
Unbranded by Wharton, Herb; Carmody, Kev
The classic story of the friendship between three stockmen working in outback Australia from the riotous picnic races to the famous Mt Isa rodeo, from childhood in the yumba to gutsy outback pubs, Unbranded presents a rollicking cast of stockmen, shearers, barmaids and tourists. It is the story of three men: Sandy is a white man; Bindi, a Murri; Mulga is related on his mother's side to Bindi, and on his Irish father's side to Sandy. Their lives and enduring friendship cover forty years in the mulga country of the far west. As the story unfolds, we learn how Sandy achieves his dream of owning a cattle empire, how Bindi regains part of his tribal lands for his people, and how Mulga finally sits down to write about their shared experiences.
Call Number: F WHA
ISBN: 9780702265969
Publication Date: 2023
Us mob Walawurru by Spillman, David; Wilyuka, Lisa
Central Australia, 1960s...
Ruby lives on a cattle station and goes to the 'silver bullet' school where she comes across Mr Duncan, her well-meaning teacher. Follow Ruby as she seeks to understand why two cultures are at odds with each other. The more Ruby learns, the harder the journey becomes as she is drawn back to country to uncover the secrets of her past.
A unique collaboration between non-Indigenous Queensland author David Spillman and Northern Territory Aboriginal woman Lisa Wilyuka. Us Mob Walawurru explores cultural difference and untold history through the eyes of Ruby, a young Aboriginal girl. Ruby's journey is a a heart-warming tale that focuses on the importance of family, culture, education, friendship, and self-respect.
Call Number: F SPI
ISBN: 9781875641871
Publication Date: 2006
The visitors by Harrison, Jane
Summary: On a steamy, hot day in January 1788, seven Aboriginal men, representing nearby clans, gather at Warrane. Several newly arrived ships have been sighted in the great bay to the south, Kamay. The men meet to discuss their response to these visitors. All day, they talk, argue, debate. Where are the visitors from? What do they want? Might they just warra warra wai back to where they came from? Should they be welcomed? Or should they be made to leave? The decision of the men must be unanimous -- and will have the far-reaching implications for all. Throughout the day, the weather is strange, with mammatus clouds, unbearable heat and a pending thunderstorm... Somewhere, trouble is brewing.
Call Number: F HAR
ISBN: 9781460761984
Publication Date: 2023
The White Girl by Brich, Tony
Odette Brown has lived her whole life on the fringes of a small country town. After her daughter disappeared and left her with her granddaughter Sissy to raise on her own, Odette has managed to stay under the radar of the welfare authorities who are removing fair-skinned Aboriginal children from their families. When a new policeman arrives in town, determined to enforce the law, Odette must risk everything to save Sissy and protect everything she loves.
In The White Girl, Miles-Franklin-shortlisted author Tony Birch shines a spotlight on the 1960s and the devastating government policy of taking Indigenous children from their families.
Call Number: SF BIR
ISBN: 9780702260384
The window seat by Weller, Archie; Dingo, Ernie
A collection of honest, brutal and moving short stories by the author of The Day of the Dog. In 'The Window Seat', an old woman's final journey home is told through the eyes of the disgruntled white traveller who sits beside her; in 'Stolen Car', a young Aboriginal man learns his first lesson in rough justice; and in 'Dead Dingo', we see another rallying against what his friends, life and fate offer him. Together these powerful stories present a rich and rewarding reading experience.
Call Number: F WEL
ISBN: 9780702266010
Publication Date: 2023
Wraith - James Locke and the Azuriens [1] by Smithers, Shane; Smithers, Alex
James can fly, though his landings need some work. However, that's the least of his problems when he crash lands into a city in the clouds. Soon James is drawn into a race against time to find the SAFFIRE, a new technology designed to save the city from the effects of climate change. Finding his way home seems impossible but with the help of Aureole, a young girl determined to save her city, James just might be able to fly away and help save the city in the process.
Call Number: F SMI
ISBN: 9781925360950
Publication Date: 2018
The yield by Winch, Tara June
Knowing that he will soon die, Albert 'Poppy' Gondiwindi takes pen to paper. His life has been spent on the banks of the Murrumby River at Prosperous House, on Massacre Plains. Albert is determined to pass on the language of his people and everything that was ever remembered. He finds the words on the wind.
August Gondiwindi has been living on the other side of the world for ten years when she learns of her grandfather's death. She returns home for his burial, wracked with grief and burdened with all she tried to leave behind. Her homecoming is bittersweet as she confronts the love of her kin and news that Prosperous is to be repossessed by a mining company. Determined to make amends she endeavours to save their land – a quest that leads her to the voice of her grandfather and into the past, the stories of her people, the secrets of the river.
Profoundly moving and exquisitely written, Tara June Winch's The Yield is the story of a people and a culture dispossessed. But it is as much a celebration of what was and what endures, and a powerful reclaiming of Indigenous language, storytelling and identity.
Call Number: SF WIN
ISBN: 9780143785750
Publication Date: 2019
Liar's Test by Kwaymullina, Ambelin
Seven will come. Two will die. Two will sleep. Two will serve. One will rule. I didn't want to rule the Risen. Wreak a little havoc upon them, though? That was something else entirely. Bell Silverleaf is a liar. It's how she's survived. It's how all Treesingers have survived since they were invaded by the Risen and their fickle gods. But now Bell is in the Queen's Test—she's one of seven girls competing in deadly challenges to determine who will rule for the next twenty-five years. If Bell wins, she'll have the power to help her people and take revenge on the Risen. But first she has to make it through the challenges alive. She doesn't know how much she's been lied to, or where she fits in a bigger story, a mystery stretching back generations. And she's facing much bigger dangers than the Queen's Test. She's up against the gods themselves.
Call Number: F KWA
ISBN: 9781922790873
Publication Date: 2024