The following trail is linked to the The BlackWords Essays by Dr Anita Heiss, published by AustLit in 2015. They bring together the works, authors and organisations that are mentioned in the essays and support the teaching and incorporation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander texts in teaching and general reading.
'These works can be used to share ideas about and discuss matters relating to Indigenous identity in the context of self-identification, self-esteem, and cultural belonging. Students and young people from all cultural backgrounds will be able to relate to the experiences of the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander characters in the stories.' (Heiss, Anita, BlackWords: Serious Issues for Young Readers . 2015)
'This collection gathers Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal voices from throughout Australia, exploring what it means to have an indigenous identity in our country today, and looking forward to a time when the "two worlds" of Australia become one. Includes transcript of the Prime Minister's Sorry speech.' (Source: back cover)
(...more)'Dad tells Yarwan and her brother, Tarn, that they’re going to have a Totem Naming Day! But when? While they wait to find out, Yarwan starts thinking about who she is and what her totem might be.' (Source: Publishers website)
(...more)'Akala seriously loves cooking. She’s going to be a great pastry chef one day, and learns more about creating sweets at Mr Aziz’s cooking club every school holidays. But when Mr Aziz sets the club a cake-making challenge, Akala is stumped.' (Source: Publishers website)
(...more)'When Rusty Brown sees Jojo for the first time, all he notices is his wheelchair. Jojo gets teased about it a lot. Rusty soon learns that Jojo is just like every other kid—but with an awesome secret too.' (Source: Publishers website)
(...more)'Bindi’s big brother, Rocco, is very sick. All she wants is for him to get better. While Rocco is away getting treatment, Bindi discovers the healing power of a good yarn and a simple wish.' (Source: Publishers website)
(...more)'When Riley starts playing rugby league, he loves it—until a new friend from footy asks him a difficult question. All of a sudden, Riley doesn’t know who he is.' (Source: publishers website)
(...more)"Jindah Murray knew and knew and knew she wanted to dance like the wind." (Cover blurb)
(...more)'Being sent to boarding school in the city is harder than Jali could ever have imagined. But what no one yet knows, even Jali, is that this boy is a warrior at heart.' (Source: Publishers website)
(...more)"Don't judge people by appearances. Us Aboriginal people come in all colours." (Cover blurb)
(...more)'In 1982, Sally Morgan travelled back to her grandmother's birthplace. What started as a tentative search for information about her family, turned into an overwhelming emotional and spiritual pilgrimage. My Place is a moving account of a search for truth into which a whole family is gradually drawn, finally freeing the tongues of the author's mother and grandmother, allowing them to tell their own stories.' Source: Publisher's blurb.
(...more)'Digger is keeping a diary about the things that matter to him: piffing yonnies at the meatworks, fishing with his cousins, and brawling with the school bully. But it's 1967, and bigger things keep getting in the way. Digger is finding out who he is, what he believes, and what's worth fighting for.' (Source: Goodreads website)
(...more)'Compared to resources for lower primary students, there are few novels to engage secondary students in reading about the diversity of Indigenous Australian experience. Themes of identity resonate throughout young adult as well as other Indigenous-authored literature, which in general aims to simplify the often complex subject area of identity' (Heiss, Anita, BlackWords: Serious Issues for Young Readers, 2015).
Harry Saunders's decision to join the army during the Second World War and fight for his country is largely motivated by his desire to fight for the rights of Indigenous people. Harry hopes that in fighting alongside the white citizens of Australia, he will help Indigenous people to eventually win citizenship. Prejudice and racism, however, are not so easily overcome, as Harry soon finds out.
(Source: Australian Screen.)
(...more)'Angry young Koori Darcy Mango is on parole, and looking for his mob in Northern New South Wales. Befriending the Menzies family wasn't at all what he had in mind, but then neither was the old house hidden in the bush near Desperation Creek. Why does the camera from the house take pictures of the past? It's Darcy's fate to find out.' (Source: UQP website)
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