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sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Addiction, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide
saviross's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, and Genocide
taneishaelise's review
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, and Racial slurs
bexi's review against another edition
Graphic: Colonisation, Bullying, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Police brutality, Death of parent, Suicide, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Chronic illness, Cursing, Body shaming, Child death, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Blood, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Animal death, and Infidelity
balfies's review
4.5
Some poetic, some hilarious, many haunting or reckoning with pain and discrimination. Emotional, evocative, and expressive writing throughout.
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Medical trauma, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Hate crime, Grief, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Classism, Child abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Ableism, and Abandonment
littlewishling's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Racism
dianahincureads's review
4.0
The GROWING UP series contains 5 titles: Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Growing Up Queer in Australia, Growing Up African in Australia, Growing Up Asian in Australia, Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia. A fresh new anthology is on its way: Growing Up in Australia is released in November this year and contains pieces from all the aforementioned anthologies.
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Addiction
kari_f's review
5.0
I can’t recommend this book enough for anyone who is interested in learning about Aboriginal experiences in Australia! My husband and I spent about six weeks traveling throughout the country a few years back, and in each state we went to we tried to visit a cultural center so we could learn about the different regional people groups, their ties to the land, and their experiences during/after colonization. We learned about The Stolen Generations and missions, about the songs and art and dance, about the land itself and how the people were/are tied to it.
Since that trip, I’ve searched for a variety of books by First Nations authors, and this collection of essays and short stories is perfect. There are a variety of writers from different Indigenous people groups, states and territories, ages, and walks of life. There are famous authors and footy players as well as activists, professors, artists, and a spectrum of people from different backgrounds and professions. Some of the stories are light and uplifting while others are bleak and share incidences and atrocities that have been experienced. Most of the stories have a bit of sadness as well as hopefulness.
This compendium is a testament to the fact that there is no one given way to grow up Aboriginal. Each story is as unique as the person telling it, and each is powerful and authentic and important in its own way.
✅ for anyone wanting to know more about First Nation experiences in Australia
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Rape and Kidnapping
independent_wombat's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
emzilia's review
5.0
A few notable chapters for me:
- Easter 1969, Katie Bryan. Wish this one was longer
- Growing up, Grow up, grown-ups, Ambelin Kwaymullina
- ‘Abo Nose’, Zachary Penrith-Puchalski
- Carol Petterson’s chapter: I had no idea Australia enforced a type of caste system within missionaries based on the skin colour of people, people in the same family - Carol was not allowed to talk to her own brother or Mother because she was light skinned and he was not to avoid ‘contamination’
I really loved this anthology collection. It’s so important to hear the experiences of different Aboriginal people from different walks of life that are largely just synthesised together as a single experience in mainstream dialogue/media, or are otherwise underrepresented at all.
My first time listening to an audiobook, and while I think it complemented the nature of a short story collection with a range of voices, I did find it harder to retain the stories. If I get a chance I’d like to read this again, properly, and take my time with it a bit more so the essays don’t blend together as much.
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Rape