This list is a mixture of fiction and non-fiction books by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and it is, by no-means, exhaustive. But, if you've been wanting to read more Blak voices and educate yourself on racism in Australia, these may help you get started.
1. The Yield by Tara June Winch
The Yield tells the fictional story of August Gondiwindi, returning home after the death of her grandfather, Albert, to find her home on the verge of being swept up by a mining company. But its main focus is on the Wiradjuri language — the impact of its loss and how Albert is trying to gain it back by writing a dictionary.
Winch, a Wiradjuri woman, weaves August’s story in with the dictionary, using the descriptions to show the history and the meaning behind the individual words and language. The horrific actions of white people towards Aboriginal peoples, both in the past and in the present, is not shied away from. Instead, Winch offers a stark account of how Aboriginal peoples are ignored, abused and their cultural beliefs stomped on.
By reading this, you'll start to gain an understanding of how language can shape a culture and why it's important to focus on the revitalisation of them. The Yield's final message is one of hope — that the language and identity can still be reclaimed.
2. Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance by Banjo Woorunmurra and Howard Pedersen
Written through the collaboration of an Aboriginal man and a non-Aboriginal historian, this book tells the story of an Aboriginal resistance fighter from the remote Kimberley called Jandamarra. He was a wanted man who led his people during the final moments of the invasion in the 19th century. A book to read if you're wanting to learn more about the history of Australia and open your mind to invasion stories you haven't learnt yet.
3. Growing up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Dr Anita Heiss
Dr Anita Heiss, the editor of this anthology, says in her introduction, "There is no single or simply way to define what it means to grow up Aboriginal in Australia, but this anthology is an attempt to showcase as many of the diverse voices, experiences and stories together as possible". Our job, in reading this anthology, is to listen.
This collection of stories will broaden your mind, help you to understand the impact that colonisation still has today and bring you close to the voices of the country that you might be guilty of ignoring.
4. Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling by Larissa Behrendt
Finding Eliza is a non-fiction book by Larissa Behrendt, an Eualeyai and Kamillaroi lawyer and writer. Behrendt was always intrigued by the tale of Eliza Fraser, who was supposedly kidnapped by the Butchella people after she was shipwrecked in 1836. This book is an incredibly important read as Behrendt's investigation into these accounts exposes how often white invaders will skew tales in order to impart harmful and untrue stereotypes onto Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, resulting in prejudice, mistrust and ultimately decades of systemic racism.
This book shows how words written from a biased perspective can influence entire generations and why it's important to question bias in texts.
5. After Australia edited by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
After Australia is a collection of fictional short-stories by both Aboriginal writers and other writers of colour. The theme of this anthology was to imagine what Australia would look like in 2050, however the stories delve into the past, present and future as they try to figure out exactly where Australia is headed.
The voice of Hannah Donnelly, a Wiradjuri writer, is interwoven through the stories as "interludes" and is especially strong and commanding. She has you sitting down and shutting up as her words leaps off the page on the first line, "I'm gonna educate you gronks. I get pissed off when white people wear the Aboriginal flag."
It's an incredibly important read at the moment, with stories that touch on racism in a pandemic, the impact of invasion on multiple generations and climate disaster.
6. A Rightful Place: A Road Map to Recognition edited by Shireen Morris
This collection of essays aim to pave a road towards recognition, both culturally and constitutionally. It starts with the Uluru Statement From The Heart with essays also delving into history, law and culture. Some of the essays included are Recognising The First Nations by Warren Mundine and Self-Determination and the Right To Be Heard by Megan Davis.
7. Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
This fictional story is from the renowned writer Melissa Lucashenko, of Bundjalung and European heritage, who has received numerous awards for her works. Too Much Lip surrounds an Aboriginal family living in Northern NSW. The family has suffered inter-generational trauma caused by colonialism and issues of violence are mentioned throughout.
The characters are flawed, real and Lucashenko doesn't shy away from showing the reader the true impacts invasion has had on Aboriginal communities across the country. An important read to help understand the nuances of racism in Australia today.
8. Fight for Liberty and Freedom by John Maynard
Fight for Liberty and Freedom is an account of the first, all-Aboriginal activist group: The Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association. This book explores the association's creation, what they did, who they were and the reason why it was ultimately stopped. A book to read if you realise you don't know anything about the political history of Aboriginal peoples in Australia.
9. Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiwl Kwaymullina
This ghost story is by a brother-sister team from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region. In it, Beth Teller — an Aboriginal girl who has recently died — can only be seen by her detective dad. He's not coping and Beth is trying to distract him. Most interestingly, the book switches between verse and prose.
The mystery surrounds Isobel Catching — the focus of the verse sections — and Beth and her father have to figure out how she's involved with a fire that killed a man. The story touches on Australia's colonial history and its violence and is a way to open to both Blak prose and verse.
10. I'm the One That Knows This Country by Jessie Lennon
This book details the life of Jessie Lendon, a Matutjara woman born in the 1920s. The main story is about how, in the 1950s, Jessie and her family were caught by the fallout caused by British nuclear tests near Emu Fields. This would eventually effect her health, leading her to seek compensation.
Books like these can open your eyes to atrocities dealt to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that you never knew about before.
11. Terra Nullius by Claire G Coleman
This speculative fiction novels rests heavily on the themes of invasion and colonialism. This unsettling story has a sharp twists in the middle, forcing readers to understand what life would be like if they were suddenly dispossessed from their culture and country.
If you find it difficult to imagine the hardships suffered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this book will put you right in their shoes.
If you're a fan of this one, you should also read her second novel, The Old Lie.
12. Finding the Heart of the Nation by Thomas Mayor
Thomas Mayor is a Torres Strait Islander man who grew up in Darwin. Since the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, Mayor has travelled Australia, promoting a vision of a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This book is a collection of stories and interviews from people who tell the reader why the Uluru Statement from the Heart is so important.
13. Am I Black Enough For You? by Anita Heiss
This memoir centres around the stereotypes Aboriginal people suffer from the hands of the media, including the one where they are thought to be too "fair-skinned" to be considered Aboriginal. This memoir rages against the stereotypes imposed on Aboriginal peoples, with Heiss stating that, "I'm Aboriginal. I'm just not the Aboriginal person a lot of people expect or want me to be."
Definitely a book to read if you don't understand the stereotypes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to deal with on a daily basis.
14. Because A White Man'll Never Do It by Kevin Gilbert
Originally published in 1973, this book recounts colonial violence and the impact of invasion on Aboriginal peoples. The author, Kevin Gilbert was a co-founder of the Tent Embassy in Canberra and championed Aboriginal rights throughout his entire life.
The book is still relevant today as it addresses problems that still haven't been resolved and offers solutions and ways we can make lasting changes.
15. Blakwork by Alison Whittaker
Alison Whittaker is a Gomeroi poet, law scholar and essayist. This book is a mixture of poetry, fiction and memoir that takes the reader through convention-breaking forms, making them pause, reflect and question themself.
16. Does The Media Fail Aboriginal Political Aspirations? by Amy Thomas, Andrew Jakubowicz and Heidi Norman
This book is an examination lead by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people into 45 years of media responses to Aboriginal political goals. It's an analysis of how the media reports and frames stories to undermine their goals. Definitely a book to read to improve your own practice and so you can question the media you consume on a daily basis.
17. And finally, Home by Larissa Behrendt
This fictional novel is about a lawyer returning to her ancestral country for the first time — the place where her grandmother, Garibooli, was abducted in 1918. It tells the story of Garibooli and her family, highlighting how her displacement travels down the generations. A book to read if you still don't fully grasp the impact of the Stolen Generations.
If you're wanting to expand your knowledge on racism further this essential reading guide for fighting racism post from the USA, gives a great list of books that you can read to broaden your views, combat your inner racism and help you better understand the inherent and systemic racism found all around the world.
Or, if you're wanting a more exhaustive list on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and their books, check out this one the website called Creative Sprits.