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Becoming Kirrali Lewis
For Kirrali, life in 1985 was pretty chill. Sure, she was an Aboriginal girl adopted into a white family, but she was cool with that. She knew where she was headed - to a law degree - even if she didn't know 'who she was'. But when Kirrali moves to the city to start university, a whole lot of life-changing events spark an awakening that no one sees coming, least of all herself.
Story flashbacks to the 1960s, where her birth mother is desperately trying to escape conservative parents, give meaning to Kirrali's own search for identity nearly twenty years later. And then she meets her father...
Story flashbacks to the 1960s, where her birth mother is desperately trying to escape conservative parents, give meaning to Kirrali's own search for identity nearly twenty years later. And then she meets her father...
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2015
14 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
About the author
Jane Harrison
19 books32 followersJane Harrison is descended from the Muruwari people and is an award-winning playwright, author and Festival director. Jane directed the Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival in 2016 and 2019.
Her first play Stolen played across Australia and internationally for seven years. Rainbow’s End was produced in 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2019 and won the 2012 Drover Award. Her novel Becoming Kirrali Lewis won the 2014 Black & Write! Prize, and was shortlisted for the Prime Minster’s Literary Awards and the Victorian Premier’s Awards.
Her latest play The Visitors premiered at Sydney Festival in 2020 and will be adapted into a novel, to be released by Harper Collins in 2023.
Jane believes in the power of stories in strengthening cultural connection.
Her first play Stolen played across Australia and internationally for seven years. Rainbow’s End was produced in 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2019 and won the 2012 Drover Award. Her novel Becoming Kirrali Lewis won the 2014 Black & Write! Prize, and was shortlisted for the Prime Minster’s Literary Awards and the Victorian Premier’s Awards.
Her latest play The Visitors premiered at Sydney Festival in 2020 and will be adapted into a novel, to be released by Harper Collins in 2023.
Jane believes in the power of stories in strengthening cultural connection.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
July 1, 2016
I started off really liking the narration of the book and the story of Kirrali, who is an Aboriginal law student in an adoptive family. She was in a bubble and content with her life without knowing who her 'real' parents were.
However, as the story wore on, I started to really get irritated with Kirrali's character who was narrow minded, snobby, judgemental and kept on telling us how smart she was being a law student. She was also really unfair to her birth mother when she met her, just because she didn't turn out how she expected.
Although Kirrali is Aboriginal and experienced a lot of inherent racism that she kind of brushed off, she was actually the most racist of all deciding that she didn't want to make friends with other people of her culture and not wanting to be associated with them.
Thankfully she does improve and it does become a coming of age story about how important it is to know your heritage, so you can preserve it. I found out a lot about the culture and her family background which was definitely an interesting viewpoint.
Unfortunately, due to my problems with Kirrali as a character, I was rather frustrated with the book.
However, as the story wore on, I started to really get irritated with Kirrali's character who was narrow minded, snobby, judgemental and kept on telling us how smart she was being a law student. She was also really unfair to her birth mother when she met her, just because she didn't turn out how she expected.
Although Kirrali is Aboriginal and experienced a lot of inherent racism that she kind of brushed off, she was actually the most racist of all deciding that she didn't want to make friends with other people of her culture and not wanting to be associated with them.
Thankfully she does improve and it does become a coming of age story about how important it is to know your heritage, so you can preserve it. I found out a lot about the culture and her family background which was definitely an interesting viewpoint.
Unfortunately, due to my problems with Kirrali as a character, I was rather frustrated with the book.
March 1, 2016
Lovely, easy reading telling an important and charming story. Somewhat typically for (my limited experience of) YA, everything feels a bit too neat sometimes, but this is a sweet and readable book that covers big topics - identity, Indigenous rights, family and the social upheaval of the 60s, 70s and 80s in Australia. You'll knock it off in a couple of very enjoyable hours.
April 4, 2016
This is such an important book, that was also easy to read and hard to put down. Winning combination! The novel is set in Melbourne in the 80s, and follows Kirrali’s coming-of-age both emotionally and politically. I especially liked that there was such a strong narrator and a strong storyline, complimented by plenty of other threads and characters. For such a slight novel, it was hardly one-dimensional. There was lots going on, and it made for rousing reading.
Read more on my blog: Middle Chapter
Read more on my blog: Middle Chapter
May 25, 2015
‘Becoming Kirrali Lewis’ is the new novel from Indigenous author and playwright, Jane Harrison. Winner of the State Library of Queensland’s 2014 black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship, ‘Becoming Kirrali Lewis’ is available from June and published by the wonderful Magabala Books.
The book begins with Kirrali in 1985, about to begin university and a law degree. Kirrali comes from a small country town and a big family – she’s one of six kids, two of whom are adopted including Kirrali, who knows at least one of her biological parents was Aboriginal.
Kirrali got used to being the ‘skinny black kid in the all-white family,’ in her hometown, but when she gets to Uni she’s a bit taken aback by the politics inherent in the colour of her skin.
Why did people have to categorise? So what if I was black? Did that mean I had to fight every cause championing black people?
There are some great pathways for readers to further explore with this aspect of the book, and Kirrali’s emerging political awareness – like the Koori Advancement Centre on Kirrali’s campus. These sorts of cooperatives do exist and hopefully young readers will go and do some digging and discover the real ones, like at the University of Sydney for example, which is a ‘culturally safe space for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.’
The book is really about Kirrali discovering herself when she gets to Uni; her Indigenous culture and, – as every young adult experiences – forming her political ideals and moral compass. Harrison also delves into dark and brutally honest territory including violence, assault, and police brutality/excessive force. In this country we talk about America’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, without looking similarly critically at our own society and the racial inequities we fail to right. Harrison brings all of this up, and young readers will discover a lot of parallels to modern Australia.
There’s also a push-pull that Kirrali feels in her law degree. Initially she wants to go into International Law, but particular circumstances open her eyes to where she might be more useful in the community … and it is that realisation that she has a community that needs her which helps shape her career.
So lawyers made good money and could walk away at the end of the day, did they? The ones I saw at the Aboriginal Legal Service didn’t.
Kirrali is also given the opportunity to further know herself after a certain chain of events grants her the chance to find her biological mother and learn the story of her being put up for adoption. From Part Two we meet Kirrali’s white biological mother, Cherie, in 1960s flashbacks that delve into her meeting Kirrali’s biological Aboriginal father Charley Jackson.
At the end of the night, I was leaving to catch the train home and saying goodbye to Mary when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
‘You still here? Haven’t you gone back home yet?’ His voice was curious, not malicious like the last time we had met.
‘Where would my home be? My descendants came from England and Ireland but that was five generations ago. Haven’t I earned the right to call Australia home yet?’ I replied boldly.
‘My descendants have been here for 40,000 years. When you’ve been around for that long you can call Gondwanaland home.’
‘Oh, Charley, give the girl a break,’ said Mary, exasperated. ‘You don’t talk to me that way and I’ve only been in the country five minutes.’ She smiled at him and I was struck again by her gentle nature.
‘Just teaching the white girl a little black history, that’s all,’ Charley retorted.
I loved Cherie’s narrative – explaining her suburban upbringing, and how it was flipped on its head when she moved out of home, and especially when she met Charley;
My parents were racist in that middle-class pseudo-tolerant way I was to recognise often. Sure, send a donation over to the poor starving Africans but tut-tut if an African family moves into the street — property values will fall.
If I have any complaints about the book it was that sometimes Kirrali’s language didn’t feel authentic – particularly when discussing her experiences of racism – but of course she’s in the middle of a Law Degree, so she’s able to articulate because of what she’s been learning in the classroom. I also sometimes thought that the construction of Kirrali’s unique circumstances were to make it a little easier for her to see things from Cherie’s perspective … but I was so caught up in both their narratives that this was really a fleeting thought.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jane Harrison’s ‘Becoming Kirrali Lewis’ – a gutsy and poignant coming-of-age story about two incredible women, that casts a critical eye over Australia’s changing (and still needs to change) racial landscape.
The book begins with Kirrali in 1985, about to begin university and a law degree. Kirrali comes from a small country town and a big family – she’s one of six kids, two of whom are adopted including Kirrali, who knows at least one of her biological parents was Aboriginal.
Kirrali got used to being the ‘skinny black kid in the all-white family,’ in her hometown, but when she gets to Uni she’s a bit taken aback by the politics inherent in the colour of her skin.
Why did people have to categorise? So what if I was black? Did that mean I had to fight every cause championing black people?
There are some great pathways for readers to further explore with this aspect of the book, and Kirrali’s emerging political awareness – like the Koori Advancement Centre on Kirrali’s campus. These sorts of cooperatives do exist and hopefully young readers will go and do some digging and discover the real ones, like at the University of Sydney for example, which is a ‘culturally safe space for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.’
The book is really about Kirrali discovering herself when she gets to Uni; her Indigenous culture and, – as every young adult experiences – forming her political ideals and moral compass. Harrison also delves into dark and brutally honest territory including violence, assault, and police brutality/excessive force. In this country we talk about America’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, without looking similarly critically at our own society and the racial inequities we fail to right. Harrison brings all of this up, and young readers will discover a lot of parallels to modern Australia.
There’s also a push-pull that Kirrali feels in her law degree. Initially she wants to go into International Law, but particular circumstances open her eyes to where she might be more useful in the community … and it is that realisation that she has a community that needs her which helps shape her career.
So lawyers made good money and could walk away at the end of the day, did they? The ones I saw at the Aboriginal Legal Service didn’t.
Kirrali is also given the opportunity to further know herself after a certain chain of events grants her the chance to find her biological mother and learn the story of her being put up for adoption. From Part Two we meet Kirrali’s white biological mother, Cherie, in 1960s flashbacks that delve into her meeting Kirrali’s biological Aboriginal father Charley Jackson.
At the end of the night, I was leaving to catch the train home and saying goodbye to Mary when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
‘You still here? Haven’t you gone back home yet?’ His voice was curious, not malicious like the last time we had met.
‘Where would my home be? My descendants came from England and Ireland but that was five generations ago. Haven’t I earned the right to call Australia home yet?’ I replied boldly.
‘My descendants have been here for 40,000 years. When you’ve been around for that long you can call Gondwanaland home.’
‘Oh, Charley, give the girl a break,’ said Mary, exasperated. ‘You don’t talk to me that way and I’ve only been in the country five minutes.’ She smiled at him and I was struck again by her gentle nature.
‘Just teaching the white girl a little black history, that’s all,’ Charley retorted.
I loved Cherie’s narrative – explaining her suburban upbringing, and how it was flipped on its head when she moved out of home, and especially when she met Charley;
My parents were racist in that middle-class pseudo-tolerant way I was to recognise often. Sure, send a donation over to the poor starving Africans but tut-tut if an African family moves into the street — property values will fall.
If I have any complaints about the book it was that sometimes Kirrali’s language didn’t feel authentic – particularly when discussing her experiences of racism – but of course she’s in the middle of a Law Degree, so she’s able to articulate because of what she’s been learning in the classroom. I also sometimes thought that the construction of Kirrali’s unique circumstances were to make it a little easier for her to see things from Cherie’s perspective … but I was so caught up in both their narratives that this was really a fleeting thought.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jane Harrison’s ‘Becoming Kirrali Lewis’ – a gutsy and poignant coming-of-age story about two incredible women, that casts a critical eye over Australia’s changing (and still needs to change) racial landscape.
July 22, 2015
It’s 1985 and Kirrali Lewis is a new student at Melbourne University. Raised by her white adoptive family in a country town, Kirrali is adamant that she is there to become a corporate lawyer. She’s got no intention of becoming involved in indigenous politics, nor does she want to learn more about her cultural background – despite the encouragement of her adoptive family. But a series of events leads Kirrali to look for her birth parents, and she finds herself in a completely different place than she ever imagined.
I was really excited about this book when I discovered it. I love early University stories and this was telling a story we don’t see that often. I particularly liked the way the story changed once we met Kirrali’s mother – using ‘flashbacks’ to explore her point of view and her relationship with her parents and Kirrali’s father. This information could have been included through exposition dumping, but I think this way was much more interesting and provided a better view of the world Kirrali was born into.
Kirrali is a really interesting character. She’s determined and intelligent, but she’s not perfect. She has a feeling of country girl naivety which feels really true, and her growth feels natural throughout the book. The supporting characters feel very real as well; they have the flaws and characteristics of real people and combine to create a very real feeling world.
This is Jane Harrison’s first novel, she is best known as a playwright. I think this background is evident at times – her dialogue tends to be spot on, but it’s not always backed up by the other parts of the story. There are times when I would have liked to get more into the character’s heads, but I felt like I was kept back a bit by the author. Nevertheless, this is an excellent story which I really enjoyed. I highly recommend it.
Originally reviewed at Subversive Reader
I was really excited about this book when I discovered it. I love early University stories and this was telling a story we don’t see that often. I particularly liked the way the story changed once we met Kirrali’s mother – using ‘flashbacks’ to explore her point of view and her relationship with her parents and Kirrali’s father. This information could have been included through exposition dumping, but I think this way was much more interesting and provided a better view of the world Kirrali was born into.
Kirrali is a really interesting character. She’s determined and intelligent, but she’s not perfect. She has a feeling of country girl naivety which feels really true, and her growth feels natural throughout the book. The supporting characters feel very real as well; they have the flaws and characteristics of real people and combine to create a very real feeling world.
This is Jane Harrison’s first novel, she is best known as a playwright. I think this background is evident at times – her dialogue tends to be spot on, but it’s not always backed up by the other parts of the story. There are times when I would have liked to get more into the character’s heads, but I felt like I was kept back a bit by the author. Nevertheless, this is an excellent story which I really enjoyed. I highly recommend it.
Originally reviewed at Subversive Reader
January 22, 2016
I adored this book. I wasn't expecting to like it so much, but of course anything set in Melbourne is likely to make me happy. It wasn't only the city references, which were awesome, but the story was lovely. The progression of Kirrali's attitudes felt very real, and kind of mirrored the reader's, too -- being ignorant and probably a little disinterested at first, but gradually learning and enjoying. Overall, really great book, a lovely debut.
May 29, 2018
Conflicted.
I started off enjoying it but as it went on it was just okay.
Loved the subject matter and the representation but wasn't a fan of the characters.
I started off enjoying it but as it went on it was just okay.
Loved the subject matter and the representation but wasn't a fan of the characters.
July 21, 2022
honestly not bad for a book u have to read for school. I wasn’t bored most of the time and some parts even were rlly surprising. Wasn’t very hard to read and was educational in an interesting way.
July 3, 2018
I accidentally devoured this book in a sitting - I picked it up intending to thumb through the first chapter to see if it interested me for later and couldn't put it down. Broke my fucking heart. Sobbed on the couch like a baby. Highly recommend it.
Read
October 22, 2018This was ok. I didn’t love the prose. I think I’d have liked it more when I was a kid, it’s very young adult narration. That’s not a criticism. I’m not going to rate this because I hate when people read something that wasn’t written for them and then complain that it wasn’t written for them.
July 1, 2021
Wonderful book, superbly written.
Easy read & hugely relatable characters.
Loved it.
Easy read & hugely relatable characters.
Loved it.
December 26, 2017
I am always on the lookout for more books about university student life, so I initially picked up this one up out of curiosity. I really liked Kirrali’s complicated coming of age journey – especially since it’s one that starts to really take off after she graduates high school. Kirrali delves into her new courses and relationships but finds that no path is simple.
You are on a journey to discover who you are and where you belong but becoming yourself is not a destination. It never ends.
https://paperwanderer.wordpress.com/2...
You are on a journey to discover who you are and where you belong but becoming yourself is not a destination. It never ends.
https://paperwanderer.wordpress.com/2...
May 30, 2015
I loved this book. It is YA fiction and I'm not a YA but it was very moving, funny and had many unexpected turns which rises it above what u expect from YA. The cast of characters were great and not at all stereotypical.
August 29, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was set at an interesting time in recent Australian history and I found the characters to be believable. I also liked the fact that it was set in Melbourne. A book published this year, a female author,
July 17, 2017
A compelling and important read about a very important subject.
April 9, 2019
Got given this book to read through school and wasn't fussed about it, but near the end I was almost in tears.
Glad I read it.
Glad I read it.
August 27, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book, and flew through the physical act of it – which is something I've struggled with lately as I've had a lot of fatigue this year which has just rendered me unable to concentrate and stay awake while reading. I actually read the majority of the book, around 200 pages, in one day. The language in Becoming Kirrali Lewis is definitely written for a YA audience as a vehicle for the story, and all its historical significance. Kirrali, the first person narrator, is attending university as a young Aboriginal woman in 1985. References to this time felt obvious, but again were probably included as cues for a younger audience who wouldn't have a sense of that time from their own perspective, and might need reminding. This was the August pick for the Food Court book club, and we spent some time discussing the simplistic (or, "clunky" even) language used throughout, but Jane Harrison has said she wrote the book with her audience in mind and for better or worse she has delivered just that. I think this book is a success, and would recommend it to adults and young YA reader.
March 25, 2025
Finished this on the bus
Plot was boring and solely revolved around Kirrali being annoying, she was so small minded and rude especially to her birth mother
Lack of editing and made it much less engaging
I could write an essay maybe how boring it was rather than what it actually potrayed
The characters seemed to be very similar ?? Like there wasn’t much individuality in them. We barely watched Kirk and Kirrali’s relationship develop, it was just she didn’t like him and then wow she loves him. Very bad romance
I don’t know a bit too undeveloped for me but I get the message she wanted to convey and she did a good job on the book
Plot was boring and solely revolved around Kirrali being annoying, she was so small minded and rude especially to her birth mother
Lack of editing and made it much less engaging
I could write an essay maybe how boring it was rather than what it actually potrayed
The characters seemed to be very similar ?? Like there wasn’t much individuality in them. We barely watched Kirk and Kirrali’s relationship develop, it was just she didn’t like him and then wow she loves him. Very bad romance
I don’t know a bit too undeveloped for me but I get the message she wanted to convey and she did a good job on the book
August 4, 2024
I really liked the story but I found the writing lacking depth and too simple at times. I originally thought this was to emphasise Kirrali's initial naivety but when we swapped to the point of view of Cherie, I felt the same. I've never read a book like this before and appreciated the insight into the life of a Koori woman growing up without a connection with her Aboriginal family. I would probably read more by the author to see if her writing style was deliberately basic for this novel.
August 31, 2022
going into it, I didn't want to read it because it was for school and I usually find the books we read for school boring, but it was actually an exciting and heartfelt book that described racism and prejudice well.
August 27, 2022
actually a pretty good book, considering its a school novel
October 1, 2023
3.5 stars. Had to read this for prac and I’m so glad I did. Makes me happy that this is a book students are reading because I think it would entice them to read more. Beautiful connection to culture that results. Nicely written and an indulging read.
December 15, 2022
It was a good read and I would definitely teach it, but I found the writing a little stilted and formulaic at times.
February 17, 2023
This was my novel study for English, but surprisingly, I really liked it. The story was interesting, it kept me hooked, and I really liked that the main character wasn't perfect, to begin with. Kirrali has all of this internalised racism and a bluntness to her personality that makes it difficult to like her sometimes. It wasn't very pleasant while it was happening but when she finally starts to understand herself, it's clear that she's undergone character development and has grown as a person. I'd not yet read a book centred around Indigenous Australians before this, and the author showed multiple nuanced sides of the characters without stereotyping or being offensive. In my opinion (which doesn't really mean anything in this instance because I'm white), it was positive representation. I could be wrong though, don't take my word for it, ask the Aboriginal readers. Anyway, I liked this book. I probably wouldn't read it again - especially after having to analyse it to bits, but I liked it.
October 24, 2018
Becoming Kirrali Lewis, written by Jane Harrison, an aboriginal descendant of the Muruwari people, NSW is a domestic fiction novel published in 2015. It won the 2014 black & write Indigenous Writing Fellowship award and was shortlisted for the 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Awards (Young Adult category). The story begins in 1985 in rural Victoria, the main character, Kirrali Lewis’ hometown. Kiralli is a 18-year-old aboriginal girl who was adopted into a white family at birth, disconnected from her aboriginal heritage, having never explored her cultural roots. She has just begun studying law in Melbourne. University is not quite what Kirrali accepted and is soon confronted by notions of her true identity. Upon meeting other aboriginal students, being exposed to particular events and experiencing life-changing events, she finds herself questioning where she comes from for the first time, on the hunt for her biological parents. Through enquiring at an aboriginal center at her university, Kiralli discovers her mother, Cherie is white and that her father, Charley is aboriginal. She finds this a surprise and initial resents her mother, feeling a sense of abandonment from her. Kirralli’s character traits are demonstrated very early on in the book, described as a goal driven and fiercely independent young woman, not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. To begin with, she is seemingly naïve to the hardships faced by Aboriginal people, refusing to accept any government assistance provided for Indigenous students. By making new aboriginal friends such as Erin and her boyfriend Kirk, Kiralli begins to discover a whole new side to herself and her heritage, finding answers to questions she never knew she had. Kiralli is able to see the structure and importance of family and relationships within the Koori community.
Becoming Kirrali Lewis is a coming-of-age novel about the importance of friendship, family and a genuine sense of belonging. This story is able to convey some of the issues which have confronted Aboriginal people both historically and during current times. Touching on more serious topics, Becoming Kirrali Lewis is aimed towards emerging adults. Race relations between Aboriginal and white Australians during the 1960s and 1980s is highlighted in the text through shifting between when the two time periods. The beginning and end are told from Kirrali's perspective and the middle section is narrated by Kirrali's biological mother, Cherie. Despite this, the story was very easy to follow. The ending was extremely predictable and the plot was slow at times. As it touches on more sensitive topics, I would not recommend it to readers bellow 14.
Becoming Kirrali Lewis is a coming-of-age novel about the importance of friendship, family and a genuine sense of belonging. This story is able to convey some of the issues which have confronted Aboriginal people both historically and during current times. Touching on more serious topics, Becoming Kirrali Lewis is aimed towards emerging adults. Race relations between Aboriginal and white Australians during the 1960s and 1980s is highlighted in the text through shifting between when the two time periods. The beginning and end are told from Kirrali's perspective and the middle section is narrated by Kirrali's biological mother, Cherie. Despite this, the story was very easy to follow. The ending was extremely predictable and the plot was slow at times. As it touches on more sensitive topics, I would not recommend it to readers bellow 14.
September 18, 2017
The fastest way to get to know someone is to read their stories and eat their food. I have not ventured too far in bush-tucker, however reading own-voices aboriginal stories is vital to understanding modern Australia. It important, and thankfully becoming easier to access and enjoy these voices.
Becoming Kirrali Lewis, a coming of age novel set in Melbourne and surrounds by Australian author and playwright Jane Harrison, a descendant of NSW Muruwari people, tells the story of an aboriginal girl who was adopted into a white family in the 1960s, her journey to university and the discovery and exploration of her birth-family’s cultural heritage.
I cried.
This book is so beautifully written. The family love between Kirrali and her adoptive parents was wonderful, the heart-break of adoption in the 1960s and the tragedy of the stolen generations was handled with nuanced and poignant understanding. The introduction of Aboriginal activism, the descriptions of overt and covert racism were woven into the story so well, adding to the sense the time and place of the novel.
I WANTED MORE!
I say this in only the most positive light. I am not an avid YA reader. I wish this book had not been pigeon-holed into the YA category, and the author had pushed this into a more mature book. The story wrapped up neatly and sweetly, with only a tinge of sadness, but still hopeful. I wish Kirrali was not quite so perfect, I wished for more from the grittier, more challenging story lines. I wanted more.
Still, this was delightful and if this is where all YA sits, then the future of young readers is in safe hands.
Just read it.
RATING
Whilst, personally, I wanted more. Rating like against like. When stacked up against other YA books, this is a solid 5 stars for me.
Pitching against all books I have read this year, I rate 4/5 stars.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you liked The Hate U Give, then this might be a good way to venture into similar themes from an Australian point of view.
Becoming Kirrali Lewis, a coming of age novel set in Melbourne and surrounds by Australian author and playwright Jane Harrison, a descendant of NSW Muruwari people, tells the story of an aboriginal girl who was adopted into a white family in the 1960s, her journey to university and the discovery and exploration of her birth-family’s cultural heritage.
I cried.
This book is so beautifully written. The family love between Kirrali and her adoptive parents was wonderful, the heart-break of adoption in the 1960s and the tragedy of the stolen generations was handled with nuanced and poignant understanding. The introduction of Aboriginal activism, the descriptions of overt and covert racism were woven into the story so well, adding to the sense the time and place of the novel.
I WANTED MORE!
I say this in only the most positive light. I am not an avid YA reader. I wish this book had not been pigeon-holed into the YA category, and the author had pushed this into a more mature book. The story wrapped up neatly and sweetly, with only a tinge of sadness, but still hopeful. I wish Kirrali was not quite so perfect, I wished for more from the grittier, more challenging story lines. I wanted more.
Still, this was delightful and if this is where all YA sits, then the future of young readers is in safe hands.
Just read it.
RATING
Whilst, personally, I wanted more. Rating like against like. When stacked up against other YA books, this is a solid 5 stars for me.
Pitching against all books I have read this year, I rate 4/5 stars.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you liked The Hate U Give, then this might be a good way to venture into similar themes from an Australian point of view.
January 1, 2021
I have been loving reading more by Australian Aboriginal authors and this is one of my favorites that I have read. Though this book is marketed as a historical young adult book, I would argue that it could also easily fit into the literary fiction genre. Set in 1985, the book is divided into three parts. The first in the perspective of Kirrali Lewis, an aboriginal transracial adoptee who has begun her first semester in university to study a law degree. The second part is through the perspective of her birth mother. The third part is written through the perspective of Kirrali again but discusses both her birth mother and father.
What I found so interesting about this book was the ways in which it wove in loads of political issues and concepts into the story. Set in 1985 Melbourne with flashbacks to the 1960s, this book discusses the stolen generation (aboriginal and indigenous children being separated from their birth parents and adopted out without the parent's consent), the aboriginal activism movements of the 1960s and 1980s, addiction, death of a parent, transracial adoption, and many other topics. I felt that the book was beautifully well written. I would recommend this book for those who like literary historical fiction and who want to learn more about aboriginal Australian civil rights history.
What I found so interesting about this book was the ways in which it wove in loads of political issues and concepts into the story. Set in 1985 Melbourne with flashbacks to the 1960s, this book discusses the stolen generation (aboriginal and indigenous children being separated from their birth parents and adopted out without the parent's consent), the aboriginal activism movements of the 1960s and 1980s, addiction, death of a parent, transracial adoption, and many other topics. I felt that the book was beautifully well written. I would recommend this book for those who like literary historical fiction and who want to learn more about aboriginal Australian civil rights history.
June 4, 2017
I bought this at Reading Matters conference and read it in about two sittings, finishing it this morning in bed, so, very easy and pleasant reading. I liked the insights into Koori community. I won't write the outline, since it's in the blurb above.
**Some spoilers here.**
The thing is, in the end, everybody was so - NICE! Even those you thought wouldn't be. Even a character who had let our heroine down. Nice! Apart from the unnamed racist characters, of course. And Kirrali's long-lost Dad, who had started by dumping his white lover of six months, with "this isn't working" was, by the time Kirrali met him, a hero of the community whom everyone admires and who is delighted to meet his daughter by the lover he dumped in the 1960s. He does admit that he has changed the philosophy of his younger years, that it was a mistake.
Kirrali's boyfriend is also terribly nice, which is fine. I would have liked to see him play a greater role in the novel, though.
So, I have deducted a star for making everything too easy.
**Some spoilers here.**
The thing is, in the end, everybody was so - NICE! Even those you thought wouldn't be. Even a character who had let our heroine down. Nice! Apart from the unnamed racist characters, of course. And Kirrali's long-lost Dad, who had started by dumping his white lover of six months, with "this isn't working" was, by the time Kirrali met him, a hero of the community whom everyone admires and who is delighted to meet his daughter by the lover he dumped in the 1960s. He does admit that he has changed the philosophy of his younger years, that it was a mistake.
Kirrali's boyfriend is also terribly nice, which is fine. I would have liked to see him play a greater role in the novel, though.
So, I have deducted a star for making everything too easy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2018
Becoming Kirrali Lewis is one of those books that charms you with its seemingly innocent premise before CAPTURING YOUR SOUL AND SLOWLY DEVOURING IT. I really did not expect to enjoy it (and feel the feels) as much as I did.
While the book was set more than three decades ago, it deals with important issues that remain relevant today: identity, Indigenous rights, racism, gambling... All of these topics are explored organically, in a way that is unforced and easy to digest, and as the story progresses, Kirrali becomes less ignorant and her attitudes toward these issues mature. Similarly, I also became more interested in and found myself learning a great deal about Aboriginal culture and social practices in '80s Australia.
A solid debut novel, Becoming Kirrali Lewis is easy to read but hard to put down. Highly enjoyable and just a little bit heartbreaking, I will be recommending this book to all my friends in the future.
While the book was set more than three decades ago, it deals with important issues that remain relevant today: identity, Indigenous rights, racism, gambling... All of these topics are explored organically, in a way that is unforced and easy to digest, and as the story progresses, Kirrali becomes less ignorant and her attitudes toward these issues mature. Similarly, I also became more interested in and found myself learning a great deal about Aboriginal culture and social practices in '80s Australia.
A solid debut novel, Becoming Kirrali Lewis is easy to read but hard to put down. Highly enjoyable and just a little bit heartbreaking, I will be recommending this book to all my friends in the future.
May 12, 2017
What I love most about this is that Kirrali doesn't play the victim, when everyone around her is assuming she wants to specialize in the law that stands for the rights of aborigines she just wants to stand for the rights of people in general. She doesn't let her aboriginal roots rule her views, it's an intelligent way of thinking in someone young and impressionable.
I also love that Jane Harrison doesn't immediately go for the "must love my adoptive mother approach" she shows that not everyone is perfect and no matter how long you have been apart from someone you may still find parts of their personality intolerable :)
Love it!
I also love that Jane Harrison doesn't immediately go for the "must love my adoptive mother approach" she shows that not everyone is perfect and no matter how long you have been apart from someone you may still find parts of their personality intolerable :)
Love it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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