#AusReadingMonth2022 Lowitja

NOVEMBER

by Stuart Rintoul (no photo)

Finish date: 07 November 2022
Genre: biography
Rating: A
Review: Lowitja (ISBN: 9781761065583)

Good news: This book is a complete “blind date” for me. I know nothing about Ms Lowitja O’Donoghue (1932)..let’s see where this leads. Lowitja is an Aboriginal woman of the ‘stolen generation’ who has risen from a domestic servant to become he greatest Aboriginal leader of the modern era.

Bad news: The book is arranged in the order of time: a chronological list of events. There will probably be sections with Australian politics blended into Lowitja’s narrative. Sometimes a few names resonate with me b/c of having read other Australian books …but don’t give up on this book. Lowitja’s story needs to be read…it is inspirational and we need to learn about her ground-breaking work.

Good news: A few names pop up and I say: I know him! Alfred Deakin (The Enigmatic Mr. Deakin) Bill Stanner (Telling Tennant’s Story). But I discovered Don Dunstan….PM of South Australia in the 1970s who tirelessly fought for reforms with respect to Indigenous Australians. Is there a biography about him?

Personal: Lowitja is arguably Australia’s most recognised Indigenous woman. 10 years ago I knew nothing about the Aboriginals. I’ve read a few books but this one lingers…the pain, suffering experienced by the “stolen generation” (Lowitja was taken from her mother when she was just 2 yrs old.) is horrific to read. Lowitja’s life is memorable b/c of her activism for Indigenous rights…but her she has lived years with a feeling of great loss.