Growing up Wiradjuri by Anita Heiss, ed.

This deceptively simple looking hardback book is a gem, a treasure of personal stories by Wiradjuri elders, recalling experiences of the past, and passing on pieces of wisdom, the joy of family love and simple pleasures. They also bring into perspective the lived history of poverty, loss, marginalisation, and racism, growing up as an Indigenous person in the 1950s and 60s. However the stories remain a testament to the resilience and spirit of the writers. They are ‘deadly’.

Another excellent short story collection edited by Anita Heiss from Magabala Press.

Themes: Wiradjuri, Indigenous culture, Stolen generations, Country, Language.

Helen Eddy