A review by kali
Wild Cat Falling by Mudrooroo Nyoongah, Mudrooroo, Colin Johnson

4.0

4.5* 'Wild Cat Falling' is a remarkable and vital literary work -- especially to listen to the author read it on audio, with his humorous intonation and traces of the cheeky youth he once might have been. The depiction of a pre-referendum Nyoongah 'bodgie''s inner world, and interactions with both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal society, is sympathetically portrayed with nuance, that it feels like the story and its characters must have been be drawn from the author Mudrooroo's (Colin Johnson) life. And it is because this experience is published that makes it critical reading. As an historical artefact, it yields insights in the 'caught-between two worlds' identity of those who were exempt from the Act, as well as bodgie and student bohemian life in Perth, which I enjoyed very much. This meant, also, that 1960s' gender attitudes are presented authentically, which can be uncomfortable reading, but necessary to remember.