Scan barcode
A review by luxton
Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music by Archie Roach
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.