17 Books To Read If You Want To Support Blak Voices

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.