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nibs's review
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
3.75
I read this during ANZAC Day 2023.
A lovingly crafted chronicle of their father's life. It reads less like a traditional biography and more like telling family stories, oral history passed on and verified with records as needed. I learnt a lot about the experiences of Indigenous Australians who served during WWI and WWII. It also served as a good companion to Auntie Rita, giving insight into what life was like for Aboriginal people who had exemptions from the Act.
A lovingly crafted chronicle of their father's life. It reads less like a traditional biography and more like telling family stories, oral history passed on and verified with records as needed. I learnt a lot about the experiences of Indigenous Australians who served during WWI and WWII. It also served as a good companion to Auntie Rita, giving insight into what life was like for Aboriginal people who had exemptions from the Act.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
archytas's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
This family history is significant in drawing attention to the participation - and shameful racism - encountered by Aboriginal soldiers. Through a tribute to their dad, Huggins and Jarro show the lives and challenges faced by serving men whose identity was often challenged.
This is definitely a family tribute in construction - and largely based on scant records - quite different in style to Huggins' other work, and I did occasionally want more of her incisive critique in the mix.
This is definitely a family tribute in construction - and largely based on scant records - quite different in style to Huggins' other work, and I did occasionally want more of her incisive critique in the mix.
wtb_michael's review
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.75
Conversational history of an Jack Huggins, an Aboriginal soldier and POW. It's an important story, and you can feel the authors' enthusiasm for it
julia_fldo's review
2.0
This book provides an important perspective, particularly for those with an interest in war. I felt it could've benefitted from more editing to improve the readability as it sometimes felt like a jumble of facts. I preferred the passages that focussed on the people rather than a sequence of events, though the latter did highlight some often forgotten aspects of Australian history.
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