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Contents
* Contents derived from the
St Leonards,
North Sydney - Lane Cove area,
Sydney Northern Suburbs,
Sydney,
New South Wales,:Allen and Unwin
, 2001 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
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Snake Cradle,
single work
autobiography
'Snake Cradle is the first volume of Roberta Sykes's three volume autobiography, Snake Dreaming. Snake Cradle chronicles the early years of one of Australia's best known activists for Aboriginal rights, from the time of her birth in Townsville in the 1940s through to the birth of her son when she was 17, and the trial of the men who raped her.
Roberta's voice is strong and true as she describes far north Queensland of the time, her battles with a series of childhood illnesses, and her growing awareness that hers was not an ordinary Australian childhood. Born to a white mother and a father whose identity she did not know, her passion and commitment to the struggles of the Aboriginal people was shaped by the racism her dark skin invoked. A powerful and moving autobiography about a history that must never be forgotten.' (Allen and Unwin)
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Snake Dancing,
single work
autobiography
"Snake Dancing chronicles [Sykes's] increasing politicisation and involvement in the Black movement to the time of her invitation from Harvard to take up postgraduate study in the United States. She details the dangerous, demanding and sometimes lonely life of an itinerant activist, and brings human perspective to events that were often headline news around the world."
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Snake Circle,
single work
autobiography
'This is a vivid recounting of Sykes' experience as the first Australian Black to graduate with a doctorate, and of her growing confidence as she thrives in the new environment of Harvard. It also passionately tells of her relationships with those she loves, such as MumShirl and her children, and the ongoing run-ins she has with the bureaucracy and politicians along the way.' Source: Libraries austral (Sighted 08/04/2008).
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Strange Way to Grow Up : Uncertain Identities and Traumatic Childhood in Roberta Syke's Snake Cradle
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Change - Conflict and Convergence : Austral-Asian Scenarios 2010; (p. 35-42) 'Early childhood memories are like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle,' says Roberta Sykes (1997) in her autobiography, Snake Dreaming (1997, 4). She spends her life in assembling and organising these pieces in order to understand the complete picture. But, these pictures, accessed with difficulty, slip in and out of alignment quite often, thus distorting and complicating the already incomplete picture. These pieces consist of incidents that occur, people she met and people she did not meet, but whom she continues to speculate on as they were conspicuous by their absence; place that she was familiar with; and beyond that the secrets that she also had to hide securely. Like Old Nick who haunts her mother's dreams, her childhood haunts Roberta Sykes, not only dreams but through every waking moment of her life.' (Author's introduction p. 35)
-
Strange Way to Grow Up : Uncertain Identities and Traumatic Childhood in Roberta Syke's Snake Cradle
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Change - Conflict and Convergence : Austral-Asian Scenarios 2010; (p. 35-42) 'Early childhood memories are like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle,' says Roberta Sykes (1997) in her autobiography, Snake Dreaming (1997, 4). She spends her life in assembling and organising these pieces in order to understand the complete picture. But, these pictures, accessed with difficulty, slip in and out of alignment quite often, thus distorting and complicating the already incomplete picture. These pieces consist of incidents that occur, people she met and people she did not meet, but whom she continues to speculate on as they were conspicuous by their absence; place that she was familiar with; and beyond that the secrets that she also had to hide securely. Like Old Nick who haunts her mother's dreams, her childhood haunts Roberta Sykes, not only dreams but through every waking moment of her life.' (Author's introduction p. 35)
Last amended 29 Jun 2015 16:17:33
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