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emeraldgarnet's review against another edition
3.0
Reflective of 1970s Australia but reading it in 2018, it is clear that not much has changed in some areas.
claire_melanie's review
4.0
This is a really interesting artefact of its - some of the language sits really uncomfortably with modern sensibilities but if you can get past that and the ego involved in some of his discussions of political rivals it's a fascinating book. One aspect of interest is that it was written in the very early days of the Whitlam government - I can tell you that their ATSI policy sounds positively revolutionary compared to anything either of the dumb and dumber side of politics offer today. Of course it wasn't and Gilbert very astutely rips it to shreds.
caffinate's review
3.0
It parallels arguments I’ve read from black American contemporaries like Malcolm X and James Baldwin – namely, a desire to be properly compensated for past wrongs of the white man, then to be left alone afterwards. It argues against forced assimilation with a white culture which does not actively desire a black presence; against white laws which seem more concerned with prosecuting blacks rather than protecting them.
I’m unsure how representative Gilbert’s views are of indigenous desires as a whole; it feels like an entry point to understanding the problem and needs, but certainly not a standalone read.
The language may be dated, but a lot of the material still rings true some 50 years later. While it may have been written pre-Mabo, it’s alarming how little has changed otherwise aside from politician and party names. Australia still has a huge problem with recognising the needs of its indigenous cultures, and it falls upon white people to amplify those indigenous voices from a population small enough for media to conveniently ignore.
I’m unsure how representative Gilbert’s views are of indigenous desires as a whole; it feels like an entry point to understanding the problem and needs, but certainly not a standalone read.
The language may be dated, but a lot of the material still rings true some 50 years later. While it may have been written pre-Mabo, it’s alarming how little has changed otherwise aside from politician and party names. Australia still has a huge problem with recognising the needs of its indigenous cultures, and it falls upon white people to amplify those indigenous voices from a population small enough for media to conveniently ignore.
lwhittle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Direct, radical, and heart breakingly relevant 50 years later, showing how little progress we've made as a nation.
lkateo's review against another edition
4.0
From Mudrooroo's introduction:
"In this book, though published in 1973 in the heady days of the Whitlam era, Kevin Gilbert wrote about the problems which still plague Australia and Aboriginal Affairs today. It is not enough to declare that Aboriginal problems are health, education and employment and when these are fixed so will be the problem. Such policies hide the fact that there is a political dimension that must also be addressed; but not from the top down. ...
We have all the time necessary to effect a just and true reconciliation, one which is not foisted on us from Canberra. It is often asked what Aborigines want and then answered with a shrug. The fact is answers have been provided by Aboriginal writers such as Kevin Gilbert that are simply ignored by those in power.
I may sound too political in this foreword, but then this book is one of the best political books on land rights ever written in Australia, and is a call to action and a galvanisation of the People. ... It is a sad book too, because although published in 1973, it is still so awfully relevant to us."
This book was such a good read because it is so unashamedly political. The distance of time and language and the slightly different contemporary Political context clarifies the underlying politics and highlights the importance of the foundational political question it addresses.
Kevin Gilbert's closing words:
"Where can blacks turn? To whom can they appeal? Where do you appeal, after all, when you know that the thief is the judge? ... 'The only power Aborigines will ultimately have will be in their ability for political organisation independent of the institutions of government.' ... So what is left? Frustration, negation, blind hatred, powerlessness ... The psychological nadir. Where can blacks go, in Australia today, except to Chapter 7?" (Call to violence).
"In this book, though published in 1973 in the heady days of the Whitlam era, Kevin Gilbert wrote about the problems which still plague Australia and Aboriginal Affairs today. It is not enough to declare that Aboriginal problems are health, education and employment and when these are fixed so will be the problem. Such policies hide the fact that there is a political dimension that must also be addressed; but not from the top down. ...
We have all the time necessary to effect a just and true reconciliation, one which is not foisted on us from Canberra. It is often asked what Aborigines want and then answered with a shrug. The fact is answers have been provided by Aboriginal writers such as Kevin Gilbert that are simply ignored by those in power.
I may sound too political in this foreword, but then this book is one of the best political books on land rights ever written in Australia, and is a call to action and a galvanisation of the People. ... It is a sad book too, because although published in 1973, it is still so awfully relevant to us."
This book was such a good read because it is so unashamedly political. The distance of time and language and the slightly different contemporary Political context clarifies the underlying politics and highlights the importance of the foundational political question it addresses.
Kevin Gilbert's closing words:
"Where can blacks turn? To whom can they appeal? Where do you appeal, after all, when you know that the thief is the judge? ... 'The only power Aborigines will ultimately have will be in their ability for political organisation independent of the institutions of government.' ... So what is left? Frustration, negation, blind hatred, powerlessness ... The psychological nadir. Where can blacks go, in Australia today, except to Chapter 7?" (Call to violence).
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