Memoir and Biography Books by First Nations Voices

In this unique and highly entertaining autobiography, Alf Taylor chronicles his life growing up in the infamous New Norcia Mission, north of Perth in the fifties and sixties. 

At once darkly humorous and achingly tragic, God, The Devil and Me tells of the life and desperation of the young children forced into the care of the Spanish Nuns and Brothers who ran the Mission. Their lives made up of varying degrees of cruelty and punishments, these children were the 'little black devils' that God and religion forgot. Written with an acerbic and brutal wit, Alf intersperses dark childhood memories with a Monty Pythonesque retelling of the Bible, in which Peter is an alcoholic and Judas is a good guy.

As a child, underfed, poorly clothed and missing his family, Alf sought refuge in the library in the company of Shakespeare and Michelangelo. He writes with joy about the camaraderie of the boys, their love of sport and their own company, but also notes that many descended into despair upon leaving. Most died early. Alf Taylor is one of the 'lucky ones'.

'At once horrific and hilarious, this "little black devil" has created a work unique not just in Aboriginal writing, but in Australian literature altogether.' — Dennis Haskell, Australian poet, critic and academic

A First Nations Elder shares his extraordinary story of finding kindness in the midst of prejudice, and joy in living life to the full

'A powerful tale that tells a different story of our country' -- Bruce Pascoe

'A great Australian book about a great Australian' -- Paul Kennedy

'Told with heart' -- Ali Cobby Eckermann

'Destined to become a classic' -- Phillip Adams

'Welcome to my story. It's a simple story of a simple person, who's lived a long life now with some struggles along the way. I didn't learn a lot in school, not in the classroom, anyway. But I learned a lot from life.'

Vince Copley was born on a government mission into poverty in 1936. By the time he was fifteen, five of his family had died. But at a home for Aboriginal boys, he befriended future leaders Charles Perkins, John Moriarty and Gordon Briscoe. They were friendships that would last a lifetime.

'Always remember you're as good as anybody else,' his mother, Kate, often told him. And he was, becoming a champion footballer and premiership-winning coach. But change was in the air, and Vince knew he had more to contribute. So he teamed up with Charlie Perkins, his 'brother' from the boys' home, to help make life better for his people. At every step, with his beloved wife, Brenda, Vince found light in the darkness, the friendly face in the crowd, the small moments and little things that make the world go round.

In The Wonder of Little Things, Vince tells his story with humour, humility and wisdom. Written with his friend Lea McInerney over many cups of tea, it is an Australian classic in the making, a plain-speaking account of hardship, courage and optimism told without self-pity or big-noting.

Vince's love of life will make you smile, his heartache will make you cry, and his determination to enjoy life in the face of adversity will inspire you to find the wonder in little things every day.

This stunning book is a biography and a generous sharing of Yorna's Culture and traditional beliefs. Explore the meaning of Country, Lalai ('Creation'), Wandjina, Woongudd (the 'Snake'), in the author's Country in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. 

Full of extraordinary images of the landscape, rock art, stone arrangements and the artist's paintings, Yornadaiyn Woolagoodja is a feast for anyone interested in this rich Cultural heritage. Special feature boxes on Joonba ('Corroborree'), Native Title, Permisson and Respect, Sugarbag, Ancestors' Bones, Collecting Turtle and many more. 

I've been fighting since the day I was born. No, I've been fighting from the time I was curled up inside my mother's belly. The day my father shot himself in the head, that's when my fight started. — Wally Carr

The life story of Australian and Commonwealth champion boxer Wally Carr. A powerful biographical story about the journey of a young Wiradjuri boy, Wally Carr, escaping the dreaded Aboriginal Welfare Board – a journey from the heartbreak and crushing loneliness of childhood to the mean streets of Sydney's Redfern. From hunting goannas, Jimmy Sharman's boxing tents, rugby league, professional boxing and the first Aboriginal Tent Embassy, to present-day struggles and lifestyles, My Longest Round offers a vital snapshot of Aboriginal and Australian history.

In this montage of memoir, art, silk paintings, and photographs, Sally Bin Demin remembers her childhood growing up in Broome during the 1940s and 50s. As one of the 'after the war kids', Sally's lifestyle was embedded in the many cultural traditions of the people who lived in the old pearling town. She had the world at her doorstep.

The 1960s are remembered as a time of change and upheaval throughout the Western world, including Australia. No part of the country changed more in that decade than the remote pastoral regions of the north. But in these tropical parts the winds of change did not bring the anti-war movement, the counterculture, feminism, or the other issues that preoccupied the cities. Rather, they blew down an industry, a regime, a culture that for the best part of a century had thrived on a semi-feudal system of co-dependence between the all-powerful station bosses, and large communities of unpaid Aboriginal workers and their families. 

In the course of a couple of years the township of Fitzroy Crossing in the remote Kimberley changed from a tiny frontier outpost, to a refugee camp with hundreds of people living in fringe camps in third world conditions. From this maelstrom a unique community emerged, with a strong ethos of cooperation and support amongst the various peoples of the Fitzroy Valley.

Ngarta and Jukuna lived in the Great Sandy Desert. They traversed country according to the seasons, just as the Walmajarri people had done for thousands of years. But it was a time of change. Desert people who had lived with little knowledge of European settlement were now moving onto cattle stations. Those left behind were vulnerable and faced unimaginable challenges.

In 1961, when Jukuna leaves with her new husband, young Ngarta remains with a group of women and children. Tragedy strikes and Ngarta is forced to travel alone. Her survival depends on cunning and courage as she is pursued by two murderers in a vast unforgiving landscape.

Jukuna's rich account may be the first autobiography written in an Aboriginal language. Presented in English and Walmajarri, her determination to see her language written has made her one of our most valued authors.

*Shortlisted for the WA Premier's Book Awards: Premier's Prize for an Emerging Writer*

*Shortlisted for the 2021 Queensland Literary Awards: Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance*

*Shortlisted for the 2021 Queensland Literary Awards: The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award*

'These two children have been in our Home in Townsville for more than two years, and in view of their very dark colouring, have not been assimilated into the white race. Every effort has been made to place them in a foster home without success because of their colour.' Queensland State Children's Department correspondence, 21 June 1960.

The removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families remains a dark chapter in Australia's history. Pattie Lees was just ten-years-old when she and her four siblings were separated from their mother on the grounds of neglect and placed into State care. Believing she was being shipped and exiled to Africa, Pattie was ultimately fated to spend the rest of her childhood on the island once dubbed 'Australia's Alcatraz' –Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement, off the coast of Queensland.

A Question of Colour; my journey to belonging provides a first-hand account of Pattie's experiences as a 'fair-skinned Aboriginal' during Australia's assimilationist policy era and recounts her survival following a decade of sexual, physical and emotional abuse as a Ward of the State. A Question of Colour is a deeply moving and powerful testimony to the resilience of a young girl, her identity and her journey to belong.

Born Ellie Nellie on an Aboriginal reserve in Western Australia's south west, she was nicknamed Ing by her family. Removed from her loving parents under government policy at the age of five, Ing was placed in a mission and denied her heritage. Her name was changed to Helen, and she needed all her strength to survive. When Ing's parents died, she had the responsibility of her younger brother and sister. Returning to her community on a nearby reserve when the mission closed, Ing learnt what it meant to be Noongar after being brought up as a whitefella. Her family taught her culture and language. Ing has lived through many family tragedies. Her honest experiences reflect her indomitable spirit and give insight into the lives of Aboriginal people.

' This is my knowledge. It has been handed down to me from my grandmothers and grandfathers, my mothers and my fathers. I am sharing it with you because I want people to know about my life.'

Ninu Grandmothers' Law is a definitive account of a traditional lifestyle and way of thinking. Accompanied by exceptional archival photographs, it is an evocative, compelling chronicle and cultural philosophy of a time almost forgotten. Part biography, part customs manual and food guide, part traditional social history and women's customs and governance,  Ninu Grandmothers' Law is a rare testament to one woman's advocacy for her family, people and culture.

Noel Tovey's previous memoir, Little Black Bastard ( Hodder Headline Australia 2004, shortlisted Victorian Premier's Prize for Indigenous Writing, Australian Human Rights Award) chronicled his extraordinary life - from a childhood lived in poverty, through to his international stage career, return to Australia and eventual reconciliation with his past. In this uplifting new work, Tovey crafts a tale that reveals a creative and sensitive spirit. And Then I Found Me is the triumphant story of his stellar career in London as an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, director and curator. For more than 30 years, his stage productions reached audiences across Europe, South Africa and Australia. Martin Luther King's assassination, the dismantling of apartheid, the criminalisation of homosexuality and the rise of AIDS create a backdrop to this bold recollection of glamour and politics. As a trailblazer for Indigenous people and an advocate for underpriviledged artists, Tovey's new memoir is both moving and timely.

Winner of the 2018 Stella Prize

A collective memoir of one of Aboriginal Australia's most charismatic leaders and an epic portrait of a period in the life of a country, reminiscent in its scale and intimacy of the work of Nobel Prize-winning Russian author Svetlana Alexievich.

Miles Franklin Award-winning novelist Alexis Wright returns to non-fiction in her new book, Tracker, a collective memoir of the charismatic Aboriginal leader, political thinker, and entrepreneur who died in Darwin in 2015. Taken from his family as a child and brought up in a mission on Croker Island, Tracker Tilmouth returned home to transform the world of Aboriginal politics. He worked tirelessly for Aboriginal self-determination, creating opportunities for land use and economic development in his many roles, including Director of the Central Land Council. He was a visionary and a projector of ideas, renowned for his irreverent humour and his anecdotes. His memoir has been composed by Wright from interviews with Tilmouth himself, as well as with his family, friends, and colleagues, weaving his and their stories together into a book that is as much a tribute to the role played by storytelling in contemporary Aboriginal life as it is to the legacy of a remarkable man.

'A magnificent work of collaborative storytelling…It paints a vision of action and possibility for this continent that makes it required reading for all Australians and all those interested in this land.'  — Sydney Morning Herald

'Wright builds, as much as anyone is able to in writing, a detailed portrait of a complex man, whose vision "to sculpt land, country and people into a brilliant future on a grand scale" is inevitably accompanied by an irrepressible humour and suspicion of authority.' — The Guardian

'Tilmouth was a man who worked through conversation and yarn more than with paper and pen, and this is a book about the place of the story in Indigenous culture and politics as much as it is about Tracker himself.' — The Monthly

'[Wright] enacts the complex relationship between self and community that a Western biography could not…There is a cumulative power in the repetitions, backtrackings and digressions the formula necessitates: a sinuous, elegant accommodation of selves. It is a book as epical in form and ambition as the life it describes.' — The Australian

'Wright's brace of ineffable, awkward, uncanny novels will be unravelled and enjoyed by readers when other contemporary fiction is forgotten. Tracker, a book performed by a folk ensemble rather than a solo virtuoso, adds to her enduring non-fiction oeuvre that captures the unique ground-level realpolitik of Aboriginal Australia.' — Australian Book Review

'Alexis Wright is one of the most important voices in our literary landscape…This is a landmark work – epic in its scope and empathy.' — Readings 

'Alexis Wright's Tracker offers rich and complex storytelling, a kaleidoscope of voices that illuminates the remarkable Aboriginal leader Tracker Tilmouth and advances a new model of life writing.' — Tom Griffths, Australian Book Review — Books of the Year 2018

‘Nanna was an imposing woman. She was large and dark, with strong arms and silver hair that fell to her waist ... Her scars bore testament to her physical adventures...yet she remained the epitome of femininity and strength.’ — Gail Hunt, youngest daughter of Harold and Nellie Hunt

The Corner Country is the area to the extreme far north west of New South Wales, bound by the Queensland border to the north and the South Australian border to the west. These two borders, part of the great trans-continental wild dog fence, intersect at Cameron Corner.

First published in 2006, Memoirs from the Corner Country takes the reader on a journey through one of the harshest terrains in outback Australia. May Hunt, a Malyangapa woman from Milparinka, made a life for herself and her children where dust storms swirled off the Simpson Desert and gibber-covered plains shimmered in the midday heat.

May Hunt’s story traverses the depression era when mechanisation began its inward journey to the backblocks and swaggies tramped the dusty roads.

Memoirs of the Corner Country looks at the hardships of a nomadic family life, community relationships and the enduring struggle of a single mother with six children.

‘Nana was an imposing woman. She was large and dark, with silver hair that fell to her waist, and strong arms that nestled me into her bosom. Her scars bore testament to her physical adventures. A lump in her shoulder at the age of 73 from the continual rebound of a 12 gauge shotgun, and a .22 calibre bullet rested alongside her spine.’

‘It has been over 100 years since our father was born, 80 years since Father enlisted in the AIF, and over 60 years since he died. How do we go beyond what we knew from our Mother’s stories of him? The past, present and future need to be spoken about and shared.’ — Jackie Huggins

Born an only child in North Queensland, Jack Huggins had an idyllic childhood in Ayr, where his family somehow escaped the harsh Queensland government treatment of First Nations’ peoples. His father was in the army in World War I and Jack followed in his footsteps into World War II. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore and spent much of the war on the notorious Burma-Thailand railway.

The narrative and personal reflections give insight into love, loss and the need to understand one man’s journey, as seen through the eyes of his children seeking to learn more. It is an affectionate portrait and a moving account of courage in wartime which helps a reader understand the sacrifices made by our soldiers.

The heartwarming story of musician, storyteller and craftsman Ronnie Summers. He hasn't had it easy, but in the lines of his face and the twinkle in his eye lies the spirit of a proud Tasmanian Aboriginal elder. Today, he is at the forefront of the Tasmanian cultural renaissance. He is a survivor in every sense of the word.

This is the autobiography of Ambrose Mungala Chalarimeri, a Kwini man from the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. Ambrose speaks out honestly, without malice or accusation, on a number of subjects including the appropriation of rock art, the proposed damming of the Fitzroy River, the impact of tourism on the Kimberley, the exploitation of Aboriginal people, native title and land rights. His life story is a fascinating account of a people and region that have experienced upheaval and change on a monumental scale.

Age range 12 to 17

Autobiographical study by a celebrated Aboriginal poet and playwright, who writes of his boyhood in the south-west of Western Australia during the depression years of the 1920s and 30s. Written with humour and compassion, this book provides insights into a significant literary figure and an interesting period of Australian history.