Riding the Black Cockatoo

September 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up-While taking a course in Indigenous Writing, 40-year-old Danalis realized that the Aboriginal skull that sat on his family's mantle for years was morally wrong. He takes a hard look at the stereotypes and racism of his childhood and Australia as a whole and his own misconceptions of Native Australian culture and traditions. What follows is his account of first figuring out how and where to return it, and then the bureaucracy involved, the government's horrifying lack of respect for these people, and the appreciation and ceremony on the part of the Native people when it was returned. This memoir strikes the perfect balance between being informative and giving extraordinary insight into Aboriginal culture. The journey to take "Mary" home is long and winding, but it's an eye-opening ride for both writer and reader.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010
Grades 9-12 Australian author Danalis grew up unaware of the significance of the Aboriginal skull his father kept on the mantle. However, as an adult he began to realize what a violation it was of these indigenous Australians dignity and traditions. His new understanding led him to undertake a personal quest to make amends. Along the way, heand his readerslearn a great deal about a people who have widely been regarded as the other. Though this memoir will have more resonance with Australian readers than American, the mistreatment of minorities is universal, and the history and present condition of Aborigines will inevitably remind readers here of our treatment of Native Americans. Though originally published as an adult book, this import is aimed at young adults, who may find the pace a bit slow and the style self-consciously artful (Mother Earth still hums her gentle cantatas on morning mists). Nevertheless, the story is an important one and surely will find widespread classroom use.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)