thereadingwren's review
5.0
5/5
Wow. Archie Roach is an amazing person that has thrived despite difficult conditions.
Archie Roach is a part of the Stolen Generation and has had to deal with the ramifications of colonisation. He was homeless for many years and suffered greatly from alcohol addiction. He dealt with the grief of losing his siblings, losing a child, losing parents, and losing his soulmate. He has lived through so much and yet he continues to make a difference and inspire hope.
I am honestly amazed and overjoyed that there was that instant recognition and familial bond whenever Archie met one of his siblings. It was amazing, as was the instant connection with other Aboriginal people he met throughout his life.
My favourite thing about Archie Roach has and always will be how much he loves his wife Ruby Hunter. From the moment they met they had a connection unlike any other and it never wavered throughout their life together. Archie described it as meeting his soulmate and I've never believed soulmates were a real thing until hearing about Archie and Ruby's love. Even knowing that Ruby Hunter had died it was still incredibly sad to hear about her passing and it brought me to tears.
I highly, HIGHLY, recommend picking up the audiobook. Archie narrates it himself and you can hear the birds in the background which makes it a more intimate experience. He also sings some of his songs throughout the book and it's a wonderful experience. Also hearing the pain in his voice when he talks about losing Ruby was heartbreaking.
Wow. Archie Roach is an amazing person that has thrived despite difficult conditions.
Archie Roach is a part of the Stolen Generation and has had to deal with the ramifications of colonisation. He was homeless for many years and suffered greatly from alcohol addiction. He dealt with the grief of losing his siblings, losing a child, losing parents, and losing his soulmate. He has lived through so much and yet he continues to make a difference and inspire hope.
I am honestly amazed and overjoyed that there was that instant recognition and familial bond whenever Archie met one of his siblings. It was amazing, as was the instant connection with other Aboriginal people he met throughout his life.
My favourite thing about Archie Roach has and always will be how much he loves his wife Ruby Hunter. From the moment they met they had a connection unlike any other and it never wavered throughout their life together. Archie described it as meeting his soulmate and I've never believed soulmates were a real thing until hearing about Archie and Ruby's love. Even knowing that Ruby Hunter had died it was still incredibly sad to hear about her passing and it brought me to tears.
I highly, HIGHLY, recommend picking up the audiobook. Archie narrates it himself and you can hear the birds in the background which makes it a more intimate experience. He also sings some of his songs throughout the book and it's a wonderful experience. Also hearing the pain in his voice when he talks about losing Ruby was heartbreaking.
phateddie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
literary_madness's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Listened on Audible.
Read by Archie Roach.
Read by Archie Roach.
readcodelove's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
annieg's review
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Beautiful, brought me to tears, reflective, deeply kind and compassionate, probably more compassion than the world deserves. The audiobook is beautifully read and with music interspersed. Its heavy and at times I struggled to have the energy, knowing how upsetting but also how beautiful it was, to continue with the story but everytime I did it was worth it
cat55's review
5.0
I'd only ever heard of Archie Roach in relation to music but his story is so much more than that. Listening to the audiobook version was the best decision as hearing the story from his own voice brought so much more depth. He has an amazing way with words and brings so much honesty and passion to his life. There were so many emotional moments and I was in awe of the way he could bounce back after some many hardships.
sarah16's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death
j9rob's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Every Australian should listen to, or read this book. A story of a life that starts with so much trauma caused by others. A journey, family and love.
luxton's review
5.0
This is a beautifully written memoir about an incredible person's life. That alone is enough to fully recommend it.
But I also think it is a really important read for anyone in Australia, because it puts the history of the Stolen Generations in a different, more human context. It's one thing to learn about what happened in school, another to read the experiences of a man who part of it.
There is a part of the book where Archie Roach writes about playing his song Took the Children away at a gathering of Indigenous people from throughout Australia protesting the celebration of the 200 years since First Fleet arrival. At the time he was a young man, and had fairly limited knowledge of the scale of the Stolen Generations.
He describes having an old Indigenous man he had never met walk up to him and say "me too", and having the horrifying realisation that the trauma he had gone through had been happening for generations. In that moment I had the same sinking realisation where I reckoned with the full scale of what had happened.
There was something immensely powerful and vivid about this image of two men, young and old, standing together having both been hurt by the same inhuman policy of oppression.
When learning about history it is so easy to become detached, to struggle to comprehend the scale of it all. It wasn't until reading this book that I felt like I was able to get close to understanding.
To be clear the book is about more than just Australia's history, as Archie Roach outlines the fascinating life he has lead. I think everyone will take away something slightly different from the experience. This is just what left an impact on me.
But I also think it is a really important read for anyone in Australia, because it puts the history of the Stolen Generations in a different, more human context. It's one thing to learn about what happened in school, another to read the experiences of a man who part of it.
There is a part of the book where Archie Roach writes about playing his song Took the Children away at a gathering of Indigenous people from throughout Australia protesting the celebration of the 200 years since First Fleet arrival. At the time he was a young man, and had fairly limited knowledge of the scale of the Stolen Generations.
He describes having an old Indigenous man he had never met walk up to him and say "me too", and having the horrifying realisation that the trauma he had gone through had been happening for generations. In that moment I had the same sinking realisation where I reckoned with the full scale of what had happened.
There was something immensely powerful and vivid about this image of two men, young and old, standing together having both been hurt by the same inhuman policy of oppression.
When learning about history it is so easy to become detached, to struggle to comprehend the scale of it all. It wasn't until reading this book that I felt like I was able to get close to understanding.
To be clear the book is about more than just Australia's history, as Archie Roach outlines the fascinating life he has lead. I think everyone will take away something slightly different from the experience. This is just what left an impact on me.