This book by Sally Morgan is listed as one of “Australia’s 100 favourite books” by the bookseller Angus & Robertson, and quite randomly fell into my lap when a friend from work brought it in and offered to let me borrow it. I’m glad she did, it was precisely the type of story I enjoy – thought provoking in a spiritual and philosophical way.
In My Place Morgan leads us through the journey of discovery about her family’s Aboriginal heritage, along the way we learn of some of the tragic hardships endured by her people in the wake of Australia’s white settlement. It is a story of injustice and exploitation but also a story of hope and pride.
After believing for much of her youth that she was of Indian descent, Morgan uncovers her true roots by determined but gentle extraction of personal stories from her reticent older family members, and a visit to the Aboriginal community where her grandmother’s people once lived.
The fear and shame which kept the past buried for so many years is gradually diminished when Morgan’s family recognise the importance of preserving their stories for the benefit of future generations – at the same time creating an understanding of why certain secrets should be allowed to remain buried.
In her forward Morgan writes:
How deprived we would have been
if we had been willing
to let things stay as they were.
We would have survived,
but not as a whole people.
We would never had known
our place.
This is a wonderful book, very hard to put down once you get into the story. It had me incensed at the injustices that occurred, moved and humbled by the family’s spiritual outlook and strong connection with each other.