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A review by watson98
Tell Me Why for Young Adults by Archie Roach
4.0
Archie Roach’s passionate and striking memoir, Tell Me Why, portrays the struggles of Archie – an Indigenous Australian musician – throughout his life. Archie is a member of the Stolen Generation and was placed in foster care with Alex and Dulcie Cox until he left to begin a long, tumultuous journey towards finding his biological family, himself and his purpose. Roach’s novel primarily discusses the importance of family, the struggles Indigenous peoples face with addiction, and the racism that Indigenous peoples are subjected to. Tell Me Why is a poignant novel that allows readers to deepen their understanding of the impacts of colonisation, the intergenerational trauma of Indigenous peoples from the Stolen Generation, and to evoke a stronger sense of empathy in readers into the heartbreaking lives that Indigenous peoples are forced to live.
Tell Me Why illustrates the importance of family. Family in this novel is not limited to the standard western notion of only direct blood relatives. To Archie Roach, family is a wider, more diverse unit. Archie’s family consists of his adoptive parents, his biological siblings, his Indigenous Gunditjmara community, his own children and wife, as well as his diverse musical family. These families assist Archie in battling his alcohol addiction and help guide his journey towards becoming his true, empowered self.
Through finding his brothers and sisters, as well as living with other impoverished Indigenous peoples in Sydney and Melbourne, Archie developed a strong alcohol addiction which consumed his life for over fifteen years. Archie was a ‘drinker who worked’ (Roach 2019, p. 128) not a worker who drank. Alcohol permeated through every aspect of Archie’s life, as drinking and yarning was an ingrained component of Indigenous culture. Charcoal Lane – the Fitzroy bars – provided a ‘place of drinking and family’, ‘a meeting place’ where ‘[Indigenous] stories were collected’ (Roach 2019, p. 281). Consequently, alcoholism saturated Archie’s friends and family’s lives causing irreparable damage. It killed his older brother Horse, it caused Ruby to have a miscarriage, and nearly caused Archie to commit suicide: ‘Everyone will be better off without you.. DO IT.’ (Roach 2019, p. 208). Thankfully, the power of family was able to help Archie overcome his addiction. When Ruby left Archie, he finally realised ‘it was [time to clean up]’ (Roach 2019, p. 221) and stayed at a rehabilitation centre. Here, Archie realised the divinity of life, that he was ‘throwing away’ the most ‘wonderful thing in the world’ (Roach 2019, p. 227). Through his own family unit and the deaths of his siblings, Archie was able to transcend his addiction and find his true purpose: music and helping others overcome their trauma.
Concluding this review, I really enjoyed this novel. It is the Young Adult’s version since this is a year 8 text at Girton Grammar. I am curious as to how it differs from the adult version. Roach articulates his story with emotion, grit, truth and humility. It is real, and that is what makes it so unique. I have learnt a lot about Indigenous culture and the history of Australia through this novel, and I am pleased that it is in some schools’ curriculum.
Tell Me Why illustrates the importance of family. Family in this novel is not limited to the standard western notion of only direct blood relatives. To Archie Roach, family is a wider, more diverse unit. Archie’s family consists of his adoptive parents, his biological siblings, his Indigenous Gunditjmara community, his own children and wife, as well as his diverse musical family. These families assist Archie in battling his alcohol addiction and help guide his journey towards becoming his true, empowered self.
Through finding his brothers and sisters, as well as living with other impoverished Indigenous peoples in Sydney and Melbourne, Archie developed a strong alcohol addiction which consumed his life for over fifteen years. Archie was a ‘drinker who worked’ (Roach 2019, p. 128) not a worker who drank. Alcohol permeated through every aspect of Archie’s life, as drinking and yarning was an ingrained component of Indigenous culture. Charcoal Lane – the Fitzroy bars – provided a ‘place of drinking and family’, ‘a meeting place’ where ‘[Indigenous] stories were collected’ (Roach 2019, p. 281). Consequently, alcoholism saturated Archie’s friends and family’s lives causing irreparable damage. It killed his older brother Horse, it caused Ruby to have a miscarriage, and nearly caused Archie to commit suicide: ‘Everyone will be better off without you.. DO IT.’ (Roach 2019, p. 208). Thankfully, the power of family was able to help Archie overcome his addiction. When Ruby left Archie, he finally realised ‘it was [time to clean up]’ (Roach 2019, p. 221) and stayed at a rehabilitation centre. Here, Archie realised the divinity of life, that he was ‘throwing away’ the most ‘wonderful thing in the world’ (Roach 2019, p. 227). Through his own family unit and the deaths of his siblings, Archie was able to transcend his addiction and find his true purpose: music and helping others overcome their trauma.
Concluding this review, I really enjoyed this novel. It is the Young Adult’s version since this is a year 8 text at Girton Grammar. I am curious as to how it differs from the adult version. Roach articulates his story with emotion, grit, truth and humility. It is real, and that is what makes it so unique. I have learnt a lot about Indigenous culture and the history of Australia through this novel, and I am pleased that it is in some schools’ curriculum.