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susani_'s review against another edition
5.0
It’s actually really disappointing to see how very few reviews and ratings. The Queen is Dead is so eloquently written and challenges Australians to have a very necessary and much over due discussion about our countries past, present and future.
dayofrebecca's review
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Felt a bit like a stream of consciousness that was hard to follow at times
madamegeneva's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The author does something impressive. He managed to beautifully weave in queen Elizabeth’s death with raw personal narratives that help us to reckon with Australia’s brutal colonialist history and identity.
Some of the standout sections for me include:
- the white betrayal part (“This white betrayal puts self-preservation above justice or decency; this white betrayal is comfortable”)
- the part about how the oldest human remains in Australia were found and the man was estimated to be in his seventies, and yet today, the aboriginal men in the town have a life expectancy of fourth (“Australia, you never cease to find new ways to break my heart”
- the part towards the end about the Pakistani mother who offers the author food first after having just lost her son (“oh, love. Oh my god, love”)
Honestly, I think this should be a must-read for every Aussie.
Some of the standout sections for me include:
- the white betrayal part (“This white betrayal puts self-preservation above justice or decency; this white betrayal is comfortable”)
- the part about how the oldest human remains in Australia were found and the man was estimated to be in his seventies, and yet today, the aboriginal men in the town have a life expectancy of fourth (“Australia, you never cease to find new ways to break my heart”
- the part towards the end about the Pakistani mother who offers the author food first after having just lost her son (“oh, love. Oh my god, love”)
Honestly, I think this should be a must-read for every Aussie.
tessafelicity's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because it is poetic and I'm not a poetic reader. However, this is a book every Australian should read. It'll open their minds.
ashrocc's review
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
A must read. Stan Grant is as poetic as he is worldly as he is courageous.
melbsreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Trigger warnings: racism, racial slurs, systemic racism, colonialism, mental health
I knew this book would stab me in the feelings, given that all of Stan Grant's other books have stabbed me in the feelings. But I didn't quite expect it to hit me QUITE as hard as it did, given that it revolves so strongly around colonialism and the Queen's death.
And yet this hit me over and over again. I don't have a lot to say, particularly given that I'm writing this review on the night of the referendum's failure (despite finishing this book three weeks ago). So I'll just leave you with a quote from the book:
"There's a town where some of my grandmother's people live. A town by a driver, surrounded by fertile ground. The type of place where Australia was built and grew rich. Not far from this town, the oldest human remains in Australia were found. More than forty thousand years old. The man was estimated to have been in his seventies. Today Aboriginal men in this town have a life expectancy of less than forty.
Australia, you never cease to find new ways to break my heart."
That just...sums it up right there.
I knew this book would stab me in the feelings, given that all of Stan Grant's other books have stabbed me in the feelings. But I didn't quite expect it to hit me QUITE as hard as it did, given that it revolves so strongly around colonialism and the Queen's death.
And yet this hit me over and over again. I don't have a lot to say, particularly given that I'm writing this review on the night of the referendum's failure (despite finishing this book three weeks ago). So I'll just leave you with a quote from the book:
"There's a town where some of my grandmother's people live. A town by a driver, surrounded by fertile ground. The type of place where Australia was built and grew rich. Not far from this town, the oldest human remains in Australia were found. More than forty thousand years old. The man was estimated to have been in his seventies. Today Aboriginal men in this town have a life expectancy of less than forty.
Australia, you never cease to find new ways to break my heart."
That just...sums it up right there.