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Of Ashes and Rivers that Run to the Sea

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Of Ashes and Rivers that Run to the Sea by Marie Munkara is a biographical memoir that traces the author’s experiences from her early life in an Aboriginal community to her separation and subsequent reunion with her family. It provides a poignant and humorous insight into Munkara’s journey of self-discovery and cultural exploration, blending elements of personal struggles with a deep connection to her heritage. The narrative vividly captures the resilience and warmth of familial bonds amidst historical and personal upheavals.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you have an interest in Indigenous Australian experiences and personal storytelling. The memoir offers a poignant and sometimes humorous exploration of identity, culture, and resilience, providing a deeply personal glimpse into the author's life shaped by both joy and adversity.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A heartbreaking, darkly funny, and deeply moving memoir from a fearlessly talented writer.

Delivered on the banks of the Mainoru River by her two full-blood grandmothers, Marie Munkara was born with light skin, which meant one thing—it would only be a matter of time before she would be taken by the authorities and given to a white family to be raised.

Then, twenty-eight years later, an old baptismal card falling out of a book changed the course of her life forever. It was a link to her past. Knowing that she had to follow her heart or forever live to regret it, Marie set out to find the family that she had lost, leaving her strict white Catholic parents aghast—why dig up the past?

With devastating honesty, humour, and courage, the award-winning author of Every Secret Thing shares her extraordinary journey of discovery to find her origins in Of Ashes and Rivers that Run to the Sea.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780857987273

Publisher: Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 May 2016

Country: Australia

Imprint: Vintage (Australia)

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 233.0mm

Weight: 370g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Of Rembarranga and Tiwi descent, Marie Munkara was delivered on the banks of the Mainoru River in Arnhemland by her two grandmothers and spent her early years on Bathurst Island. Her first novel, Every Secret Thing, won the David Unaipon Award in 2008 and the Northern Territory Book of the Year in 2010. She has written two children's books, Rusty Brown and Rusty and Jojo, and another novel, A Most Peculiar Act. Marie is presently working on the TV mini-series for Every Secret Thing and her next novel.

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  • A Most Peculiar Act
    The narrative voice is yarning, chatty and sardonic, but under all the jokes and stories there's a sharp critique of bureaucrats and institutions, and an appreciation of the heroic nature of resistance. - Kerryn Goldsworthy, The Sydney Morning Herald In this biting and hilarious novel from Marie Munkara, A Most Peculiar Act takes a look at the ludicrous and bizarre...
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  • Every Secret Thing
    Like Alexis Wright's Carpentaria, this is a landmark text in indigenous writing. It is a work of immense spirit, ingenuity and narrative confidence. — Gail Jones Every Secret Thing is a nothing-is-sacred misadventure that crackles with Marie Munkara's famous acerbic humour. Set in the early days of missionary activity in far northern Australia, Every Secret Thing follows the Bush Mob...
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