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Lies, Damned Lies: A personal exploration of the impact of colonisation by Claire G. Coleman
gabrielavmarques's review against another edition
4.0
A thought-provoking and passionate non-fiction book about the effects of the colonial construction of Australia, its myths, its truths, and its still very real and present effects.
Very well-written and with clear and engaging prose, I enjoyed reading and educating myself on Aboriginal culture, care for Country and their true roles, struggles and victories.
It is really hard to rate and review such a deeply personal book, with such an important subject matter, which I was completely ignorant about. I did feel that some sentences and things claimed as absolute truth don't have a source, and that can hinder the argumentation and weaken the book.
However, it was a great experience, intense, emotional, and instructive.
Very well-written and with clear and engaging prose, I enjoyed reading and educating myself on Aboriginal culture, care for Country and their true roles, struggles and victories.
It is really hard to rate and review such a deeply personal book, with such an important subject matter, which I was completely ignorant about. I did feel that some sentences and things claimed as absolute truth don't have a source, and that can hinder the argumentation and weaken the book.
However, it was a great experience, intense, emotional, and instructive.
kwameslusher's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
5.0
There’s something about Coleman’s writing that feels incredibly energising and hopeful when I read—there’s a relentless pursuit of truth and knowledge that makes the writing of the personal and broader history blend so seamlessly.
I also love the way Coleman interrogates the archive and canon of Australian history, the literal ways history has been whitewashed and falsified. That Australian history contains some of the earliest examples of fake news even just looking at the documents that have been relied on as testimony of that history. The unreliability of the record for those who insist on a national narrative, who still fail to understand that even what is purported to be “celebrated” has been falsified.
There’s also the beauty of reading a poet who brings so much of their craft into writing narrative nonfiction, the result being essays that pack a punch as much as they strike you with their tenderness. I loved this, I found the writing engaged me from the get-go and I appreciated how much Coleman shared about her own family and personal journey to learning of her identity. I also think Coleman articulates really succinctly the ways in which colonisation is ongoing on this continent, it isn’t a historic occurrence that we confine to the pages of history books. We aren’t postcolonial because we are still in the colonial process—I found the way the essays that drew this discussion out really profound broken down in a way that makes the academic ways this typically manifests make complete sense.
This is a great place to start if you haven’t read Coleman’s works yet, but I also can’t recommend her fiction enough too—The Old Lie and Terra Nullius are so so good!
I also love the way Coleman interrogates the archive and canon of Australian history, the literal ways history has been whitewashed and falsified. That Australian history contains some of the earliest examples of fake news even just looking at the documents that have been relied on as testimony of that history. The unreliability of the record for those who insist on a national narrative, who still fail to understand that even what is purported to be “celebrated” has been falsified.
There’s also the beauty of reading a poet who brings so much of their craft into writing narrative nonfiction, the result being essays that pack a punch as much as they strike you with their tenderness. I loved this, I found the writing engaged me from the get-go and I appreciated how much Coleman shared about her own family and personal journey to learning of her identity. I also think Coleman articulates really succinctly the ways in which colonisation is ongoing on this continent, it isn’t a historic occurrence that we confine to the pages of history books. We aren’t postcolonial because we are still in the colonial process—I found the way the essays that drew this discussion out really profound broken down in a way that makes the academic ways this typically manifests make complete sense.
This is a great place to start if you haven’t read Coleman’s works yet, but I also can’t recommend her fiction enough too—The Old Lie and Terra Nullius are so so good!
novel_nomad's review against another edition
5.0
Claire G. Coleman’s words and truth blaze like a wildfire across every page. Commanding your attention and burning away the lies we have been taught about Australian history.
jouljet's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0