Published: 30 May 2023
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback
Genre: Novella
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
A Stolen Generations story of astounding courage: three Aboriginal girls, taken from their mothers, escape barefoot back to their beloved homeland in East Pilbara.
This is the true account of Nugi Garimara’s mother, Molly, made legendary by the film Rabbit-Proof Fence.
In 1931 Molly led her two sisters on an extraordinary 1600-kilometre walk across remote Western Australia. Aged eight, eleven, and fourteen, they escaped the confinement of a government institution for Aboriginal children removed from their families. Barefoot, without provisions or maps, tracked by Native Police and search planes, the girls followed the rabbit-proof fence, knowing it would lead them home.
Their journey – longer than many of the celebrated treks of recognised explorers – reveals a past more cruel than we could ever imagine.
Based on a true story this is a personal account of the journey Doris’ mother and relatives took to return home after escaping confinement as part of Australia’s Stolen Generations practices.
I was surprised to find this book was only published in the 90s. For some reason I thought it was a long classic from the 60s that had been turned into a film later on. But the movie on which it was based came out not long after this was published.
The Wikipedia page has interesting history on how Doris found out about the story and it documents the stages this story went through – from original draft in the 80s until a reworking to what we know today. It is also surprisingly different from the movie which was my first introduction.
It still contains the harsh realities of what the children and families in these Aboriginal communities endured, but there are also differences from the movie – less abduction more informed intent and little chance to fight back against government regulations.
The included letters and telegrams show that no one followed orders or the rules and had their own interests – surprise surprise. That hurt to read because of how avoidable it all could have been, at least for this family.
There is also the blatant reminder about how abhorrent this actually was and for how many decades this went on. This is a book everyone should read, it’s a short book but important because while it is a little fractured, a mixture of story elements and explanations from transcriptions, it flows well and tells the story.
You can purchase Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence via the following
Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
Shrek, a horrid little ogre, goes out into the world to find adventure and along the way encounters a witch, a knight in armour, a dragon, and, finally, a hideous princess, who’s even uglier than he is!
Full of enthusiasm, young English schoolmaster Mr. Chipping came to teach at Brookfield in 1870. It was a time when dignity and a generosity of spirit still existed, and the dedicated new schoolmaster expressed these beliefs to his rowdy students. Nicknamed Mr. Chips, this gentle and caring man helped shape the lives of generation after generation of boys. He became a legend at Brookfield, as enduring as the institution itself. And sad but grateful faces told the story when the time came for the students at Brookfield to bid their final goodbye to Mr. Chips.
When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. 
I don’t know if I am ready to see this on the big screen because the book was so wonderful and it crushes your soul. I’ve followed Jennifer Niven get excited over the past months as casting was announced and shooting happened so I am keen to see what comes of it.
This was first announced a very long time ago, then it went quiet, then there were rumours of actors who’d play Artemis, then it disappeared again. Now it’s back and it actually snuck under the radar for quite a while. I am very excited about this story. It is combining the first three books into one which I am actually ok with. I just hope they do the story justice. I need cunning, unapologetic Artemis and anything else won’t be good enough.
There has only ever been one Little Women for me and that is the 1994 movie with Susan Sarandon that I owned on video and rewatched numerous times over the years. I have given the 2017 miniseries a go and while I enjoyed it but it was also a bit forgettable. I am looking forward to the new movie because the cast looks amazing and this is a story I’ve always loved so it will be exciting to see how it is retold.
After That Movie which I will never forgive them for, when I heard there was going to be a miniseries done by the BBC it was as if all my dreams had come true. Miniseries and TV shows generally pan better than a movie because there is time to work through the events in the book and establish things better. Each book will be getting a series and with 8 episodes I think there is a fantastic chance of getting a great exploration of the plot. Now, as long as the ending stays the same and they don’t do whatever it was that they did to that poor movie, then we should be right!
The only version I have ever seen of this is the 1993 film. While I own the book I don’t think I ever finished reading it so I might have to rectify that one day. I love this story a lot and seeing it in a new way sounds exciting. Remakes of classic stories like this I am more open to than remaking movies for no reason. Highly illogical no doubt, but I don’t mind.
I’m adding Looking for Alaska because while there is no air date, it has started shooting and I am so excited for this series that I need to talk about it at every opportunity. I have no idea who any of the people in the cast are, their names and faces mean nothing to me, but I am instantly willing to love them all for helping bring Alaska to life. I am in constant fear it will be terrible, but this is a risk all book lovers face when they make movies of their favourite books. We’ve been teased for over ten years this book will be a movie and now it is a miniseries which is even better. I cannot wait to have my emotions and my soul crushed into a thousand pieces.
