Jared Thomas
Autor/a de Calypso Summer
Sobre l'autor
Jared Thomas is an author who will be part of the delegation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers attending the First Nations Australia Writers¿ Network (FNAWN) showcasing their work at the National Book Festival in Washington DC. (Bowker Author Biography)
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Despite some editorial errors (PJ Harvey is not a bloke) I did enjoy this book. Would definitely read more by this author.
Jack, a young Aboriginal boy is playing a game of footy for Westies, a mainly white kids team. When their opponents, Bungala, comprising the kids from the nearby Aboriginal mission are short of players, Jack is called to play for Bungala, whose team includes some of his cousins. Racism, where you belong, and parental authority are some of the themes in this short piece.
Was it just a day or two ago that I expressed a yearning for books that tackle the issues of our time? Songs That Sound Like Blood is the story of Roxy from Port Augusta in South Australia, who is at the sharp end of this contraction in opportunities for young people. The blurb tells only half the story:
The book is marketed as an insight into LGBTI young people coming to terms with same-sex relationships, and it is terrific from that angle. Written from Roxy’s first-person perspective, the reader sees her doubts and uncertainties about the relationship itself, and about how to break the news to her family and community. Ana’s parents Jordan and Naomi, and her sister Em are fine with Ana’s sexuality but Roxy is right to be not so sure about the reception she’ll get. She gets counselling about how to handle it, but it doesn’t stop her forthright Aunty Linny from getting a tongue-lashing from Nanna:
I loved the moment when Aunty Linny demands to know how Roxy can have children, and Dad’s new girlfriend Angie retorts with ‘Oh, that is so bloody backward’ !
I also liked the way the book inverts the usual success story. Roxy finds the future she wants but her BFF Helen doesn’t because she doesn’t take the initiative like the indigenous young woman does. Helen loses her virginity in a disappointing way – too drunk to remember whether she used protection or not, with a bloke who barely acknowledges her the next day – whereas for Roxy it’s a magical moment in her life.
But there is more to this novel than coming out as gay....
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/03/05/songs-that-sound-like-blood-by-jared-thomas/… (més)
Roxy May Redding’s got music in her soul and songs in her blood. She lives in a small, hot, dusty town and she’s dreaming big. When she gets the chance to study music in the big city, she takes it. In Roxy’s new life, her friends and her music collide in ways she could never have imagined. Being a poor student sucks… singing for her dinner is soul destroying… but nothing prepares Roxy for her biggest challenge. Her crush on Ana, the local music journo, forces Roxy to steer through emotions alien to this small-town girl. Family and friends watch closely as Roxy takes a confronting journey to find out who she is.
The book is marketed as an insight into LGBTI young people coming to terms with same-sex relationships, and it is terrific from that angle. Written from Roxy’s first-person perspective, the reader sees her doubts and uncertainties about the relationship itself, and about how to break the news to her family and community. Ana’s parents Jordan and Naomi, and her sister Em are fine with Ana’s sexuality but Roxy is right to be not so sure about the reception she’ll get. She gets counselling about how to handle it, but it doesn’t stop her forthright Aunty Linny from getting a tongue-lashing from Nanna:
Nanna looked at me like she was going to blow a fuse. ‘ Now listen here, Linny. You know the thing I hate more than anything? It’s people with no business being judge-bloody-mental. And you know how people are in this town. They’re all ra-ra-ra and who are they to judge? Her voice was almost breaking she was so angry. ‘And you know where that judgement got our people? It got your old people in missions, your great-grandmother charged with murder when her first child died in childbirth, and thank god someone had better judgement or we wouldn’t be here.’ Nanna calmed down a bit and then asked, ‘Who are we to judge, Linny?’ Nanna started crying and then she said, ‘She’s my Roxy and I love her just the same.’ (p.222)
I loved the moment when Aunty Linny demands to know how Roxy can have children, and Dad’s new girlfriend Angie retorts with ‘Oh, that is so bloody backward’ !
I also liked the way the book inverts the usual success story. Roxy finds the future she wants but her BFF Helen doesn’t because she doesn’t take the initiative like the indigenous young woman does. Helen loses her virginity in a disappointing way – too drunk to remember whether she used protection or not, with a bloke who barely acknowledges her the next day – whereas for Roxy it’s a magical moment in her life.
But there is more to this novel than coming out as gay....
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2017/03/05/songs-that-sound-like-blood-by-jared-thomas/… (més)
Premis
Potser també t'agrada
Autors associats
Estadístiques
- Obres
- 5
- També de
- 4
- Membres
- 42
- Popularitat
- #357,757
- Valoració
- 3.9
- Ressenyes
- 4
- ISBN
- 14
Trigger warnings: Assault, drugs, divorce and alcohol themes
6/10, Looking back at this I definitely wouldn't consider picking this one up again and even back then when I first read it I didn't enjoy it which is a shame since I've never seen this author before up to that point but this book he's written which drags on for 400 pages has a lot of glaring flaws which I'll look at later on. It starts off with the main character Phoebe living her new life after her parents split; it seemed that I would enjoy this one but unfortunately this is where the flaws start to appear. I had issues with the writing style since it felt too juvenile for a young adult book since it's mostly comprised of simple sentences and limited vocabulary and most of the characters were flat except Phoebe who only developed her character towards the end but only after some bad choices she made. The only other characteristics she had was that she was a sports fan and a good swimmer and sportswoman, that's it. Anyways her mother had alcohol problems and Phoebe unknowingly goes on a self-destructive path by doing drugs and marijuana and I suppose that's for her to develop her character but I didn't like that part nor did I like how it preached about Indigenous Australians, racism, climate change, and health. Eventually she stops going on that figurative road and eventually heals herself and that wraps up the book nicely.… (més)