As Reconciliation supporters, we must accept the call to defend and uphold the rights of First Nations peoples. To exterminate racism wherever we encounter it, and to actively reinforce the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in leadership across this continent. The work must continue. And with our help, it can.
One of the best ways to extend our support is to widen the arc of our knowledge. We must be informed in order to lend our support, and one of the best methods to do so is by self-education. As bell hooks argued, communication and literacy are key tenets of liberation and activism. And here at RUSSH, we believe in the power of literature. Storytelling is not just an artform, but a mode of political activism. Language can convey a world of meaning, and it can constitute change from the text to the world.
This National Reconciliation Week, we've compiled a non-exhaustive series of First Nations literature to read and circulate. From classics to poetry and new releases, there's no better time than now to diversify your bookshelf and with it, your knowledge.
1. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss
A kaleidoscope of truth-telling, this anthology shares raw, diverse experiences of Aboriginal identity and growing up in a country still reckoning with its past.
2. Taboo by Professor Kim Scott
Set in post-colonial Western Australia, this haunting novel examines inherited trauma and the delicate, painful process of healing between cultures.
3. Carpentaria by Professor Alexis Wright
Epic in scope and lyrical in form, Wright’s masterpiece is a landmark of Indigenous storytelling that challenges colonial myths and asserts sovereign imagination.
4. Mazin Grace by Dylan Coleman
A tender coming-of-age story set in 1950s South Australia, weaving language, memory and survival into a powerful portrait of identity.
5. The Welcome to Country Handbook: A Guide to Indigenous Australia by Marcia Langton
This essential guide provides context, clarity and cultural intelligence for anyone living on or visiting Aboriginal land.
6. Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
A mind-expanding work that blends Indigenous knowledge systems, philosophy, and yarns to reframe how we think about sustainability, learning, and the future.
7. Me, Antman & Fleabag by Gayle Kennedy, Jared Thomas
Funny, fast-paced and full of heart, this graphic novel champions representation and joy in the everyday lives of First Nations teens.
8. Truth-Telling: History, sovereignty and the Uluru Statement by Henry Reynolds
Reynolds breaks the silence on Australia’s colonial frontier wars, demanding we confront historical denial and honour the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
9. Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko
Set in a Byron Bay hinterland charged with spirit and conflict, this novel lays bare the tensions of land, love and post-Mabo Aboriginal identity.
10. Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
With biting wit and political edge, Lucashenko’s Miles Franklin-winning novel is a fierce portrait of intergenerational trauma and Blak resistance.
11. Black is the New White by Nakkiah Lui
This razor-sharp rom-com play tackles race, privilege and reconciliation through satire, love, and the uncomfortable truths we often laugh to avoid.
12. Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
Part poetry, part polemic, Araluen’s debut collection dismantles Australian cultural icons with searing intellect and lyrical fire—essential reading for decolonial thought.
