My Skin Your Skin

My Skin Your Skin by Laura Henry-Allain MBE, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu (Penguin Books) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9780241512739

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This book starts with many characters of different shapes, ages, and ethnicities with sentences that compare people (‘We could be Muslim or Buddhist or Christian or Jewish or Hindu, or we could have no religion at all.’) The text reminds readers that ‘It’s fun to discuss and celebrate our differences with friends.’

With the subtitle ‘Let’s Talk about Race, Racism and Empowerment’ continues to explain the concept of race (‘The world is full of people of different races’) and continues, saying racism ‘started a long time ago when white people wanted to have more control of other people who were not white.’ In bold letters, the text says, ‘Racism is wrong’ It encourages its readers to speak up against racism and continues to give examples of racism (‘calling someone a name based on their race is wrong.’) It emphasises that racism is bullying and is not right. Above all, it says, we should celebrate our different races and cultures.

After the book’s glossary and questions, there is a note for adults reading the book, imploring them to help their children to develop good self-esteem. There is a lot of didactic text in the book as it strives to deliver its messages against racism. Every page shows people of all ages, colours and sex.

Suitable for children aged 5+ years.

Freedom Ride

Freedom Ride by Sue Lawson (black dog books)

PB RRP $ 17.95

ISBN 9781925126365

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This deeply moving and at times disturbing book is based on real events. It takes us back to the Australian Freedom Ride of 1965. Influenced by the American Civil Rights Movement, Sydney University students formed the Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA) with Charles Perkins, the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from university, as their leader. A busload of students decided to travel through country towns to investigate the living conditions of Aboriginal people. It was when they came to Walgaree that is the focus of the story. What took place was the beginning of change within the social and political climate of Australia for Indigenous population.

The story of the Freedom Ride is delicately wound around a parallel story of the brutality of racism and bullying, the abuse of power, and the degradation suffered by whites and Aboriginals alike that stood up for human rights. It is also about having courage to change against all odds.

Robbie lives with his dad and gran, a narrow-minded, bigoted person without kindness or compassion, not even for her grandson. e has been told fro years that his mother diedHHe has been told that his mother died when he was three and she is never mentioned.

Barry takes over the caravan park in Walgaree after his father dies suddenly. Robbie gets a paid job there during the school holidays instead of doing odd jobs for gran’s gossipy friends for nothing. There he discovers the joys of real family life, kindness and interest, and love from both Barry and his mum.

With gossip a raging river in the town of Walgaree, everyone is blaming the Aborigines for all the vandalism and destruction of property. But Robbie knows who’s really doing it. But he dare not speak out.

Robbie’s friendship with the Aboriginal boy Mickey, also employed by Barry, is an excuse for the town’s bully to bash and persecute him mercilessly without any repercussions from his father who happens to be Walgaree’s police chief.

But this is the least of Robbie’s dilemmas. He discovers his dad and gran have lied to him for years. He also witnesses a gut-wrenching act that the two cover up, and he wars with his conscience about keeping silent.

Now that Robbie knows the truth, is he able to stand up for what he believes in and carve a new path in life?

Riveting and unforgettable, Sue Lawson has again created another exceptional piece of historical fiction. Fast-paced with crisp and precise writing, this book comes highly recommended.

Kizzy Ann Stamps

Kizzy Ann Stamps by Jeri Watts (Walker Books)
PB RRP $12.95
ISBN 9780763669768
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

It is 1963 and a historical era for African Americans. Prejudice and segregation is still rife, but Kizzy has been taught well by her family to treat all people equally and believe that one day, she will be treated as an equal. This is the premise of the story.

The only living thing that feels her and knows her completely is her border collie, Shag. The special bond between dog and human is one of the several moving and perhaps dominant sub-stories that are threaded into the happenings of Kizzy’s life and the era.

Kizzy Ann’s story is told in letters to her soon-to-be teacher at her new, integrated school. It continues via journal entries after all the class receives journals to record their work. This way we learn a lot about Kizzy’s life, her family and their moral codes. We also get an intimate look into white people’s attitudes and prejudices, but also their ability to accept change and evolve, especially in the face of kindness and compassion regardless of the colour from which these virtues come.

Jeri Watts has used her own life experiences to create characters that are totally convincing. This superbly crafted book is reminiscent of Alice Monroe’s magnificent character driven works. Watts has observed and listened to people just like Monroe had and has written about what’s imprinted in her memory and psyche.

Kizzy’s voice and emotions are captured and portrayed convincingly and with clarity. The beautiful language reflects the spiritual richness of the African American people and the moral laws they lived by. This is a book that will never leave my house. It will be frequently tasted, like a sweet that you can’t get enough of.

Riggs Crossing

Riggs Crossing by Michelle Renee Heeter (Ford Street Publishing)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN 978-1-921665-70-7

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

What happens when there’s a part of your past, or a part of who you are, that you’d just rather forget? And what happens when that very past catches up with you and makes you question everything you think you know about yourself? Riggs Crossing, the debut novel by Michelle Renee Heeter, excels as a story of loss, belonging, memory and upbringing.

When Len, a fourteen-year-old girl, is found in a car wreck near Wollombi in NSW, surrounded by spent bullet casings, bloody clothing, she quickly learns what it means to lose something. She wakes up in a hospital with severe injuries and psychological trauma so deep, she has completely erased any memory of what happened to her in the accident. She doesn’t even know her real name and is given the nickname ‘Len’ by the nurses, based on the name embroidered on the jumper she was wearing when she was found.

She is taken to a children’s refuge in Sydney where she encounters a supporting cast of intriguing characters that challenge, confront and annoy her, which leads Len to display signs of aggression, reclusive behaviours, racism and defiance toward her peers and the social worker, Lyyssa. Her battle does not stop with the people in the refuge, as time passes patches of memories start to resurface and Len starts to piece together the puzzle of who she really is and what really happened to her. She remembers her father as a marijuana cropper in Riggs Crossing and the shady characters that surrounded their life. Soon, she is closer to the truth than ever before, but the truth catches up with her before she has a chance to fully uncover it. The men responsible for the car accident and the shooting of her father find her in Sydney and try to put an end to Len and her story, once and for all.

In the events that follow, Len’s story unfolds before her and she discovers that her real name is Samantha Patterson, whose mother and father were both tragically murdered. As she comes to terms with her loss of family, belonging and identity, Samantha starts to work toward a path of recovery and healing, as she learns to find her place in the world that abandoned her.

Riggs Crossing is a poignant tale, written with a strong and identifiable voice, which raises important issues about morality, racism, choices and upbringing and is a significant read for those wanting to explore the underbelly of human existence.