The fastest way to get to know someone is to read their stories and eat their food. I have not ventured too far in bush-tucker, however reading own-voices aboriginal stories is vital to understanding modern Australia. It important, and thankfully becoming easier to access and enjoy these voices.

Becoming Kirrali Lewis, a coming of age novel set in Melbourne and surrounds by Australian author and playwright Jane Harrison, a descendant of NSW Muruwari people, tells the story of an aboriginal girl who was adopted into a white family in the 1960s, her journey to university and the discovery and exploration of her birth-family’s cultural heritage.

Early morning cosy reading.

REVIEW:

I cried.

This book is so beautifully written. The family love between Kirrali and her adoptive parents was wonderful, the heart-break of adoption in the 1960s and the tragedy of the stolen generations was handled with nuanced and poignant understanding. The introduction of Aboriginal activism, the descriptions of overt and covert racism were woven into the story so well, adding to the sense the time and place of the novel.

I WANTED MORE!

I say this in only the most positive light. I am not an avid YA reader. I wish this book had not been pigeon-holed into the YA category, and the author had pushed this into a more mature book. The story wrapped up neatly and sweetly, with only a tinge of sadness, but still hopeful. I wish Kirrali was not quite so perfect, I wished for more from the grittier, more challenging story lines. I wanted more.

Still, this was delightful and if this is where all YA sits, then the future of young readers is in safe hands.

Just read it.

RATING

Whilst, personally, I wanted more. Rating like against like. When stacked up against other YA books, this is a solid 5 stars for me.

Pitching against all books I have read this year, I rate 4/5 stars.

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you liked The Hate U Give, then this might be a good way to venture into similar themes from an Australian point of view.

DETAILS:

Genre: Young adult, new-adult, own-voices, Australian aboriginal,

Themes: Adoption, Stolen-generation, aboriginal activism, 1960s, 1980s, Melbourne

240 Pages

ISBN: 1922142808

Published by Magabala Books June 2015. Available from the publisher and from Dymocks Books Online (NOT affiliate links)

I live on Gamilaraay land. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which I live and pay respects to Elders of those lands, both past and present.

Images of Moree NSW the land of the Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi) people.

You can read more reviews about this book on Goodreads I especially recommend