Bruce Pascoe lives in Australia and has a Bunurong, Tasmanian, and
Yuin heritage. Dark Emu won both the Book of the Year Award and the
Indigenous Writer's Prize in the New South Wales Premier's Literary
Awards.
Bruce is currently working on two films for ABC TV and a novel.
"Australia's education system tended to emphasize the struggle and
pluck of settlers. Dark Emu shifted the gaze, pointing to peaceful
towns and well-tended land devastated by European aggression and
cattle grazing. In a nation of 25 million people, the book has sold
more than 260,000 copies."
--Damien Cave, The New York Times "Unputdownable."
--Darina Allen, Irish Examiner "An extraordinary book."
--David Grieg, The Herald "The truth-telling must go on."
--Stephen Fitzpatrick, The Australian "This is the most important
book on Australia and should be read by every Australian."
--Marcia Langton, The Australian "Dark Emu ... is revolutionary,
the most important book published in Australia by any writer in
this or any other century."
--Jersey Evening Post "[A] brisk and lucidly written account...This
is an important and deeply researched reinterpretation of
Australian history and a stark warning about the danger of
accepting received wisdom at face value."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Essential reading for anyone
who wants to understand what Australia once was, or what it might
yet be if we heed the lessons of long and sophisticated human
occupation."
--NSW Premier's Literacy Awards judging panel "I'm grateful for a
book that has so enlivened the engagement of Australians with their
country's history ... In spite of half a century of eloquent
activism and scholarship, most Australians still grossly
underestimate the sophistication of Indigenous culture, technology
and governance. The popular embrace of Pascoe's work suggests that
many are keen to learn."
--Tom Griffiths, Emeritus Professor of History at the Australian
National University "[Pascoe's] arguments about the reality of
Aboriginal agriculture, acquaculture, food storage and preservation
are not new, but hitherto they have been buried in scientific
papers, less accessible writings, or not pursued in such a
sustained manner. He has done a great service by bringing this
material to students and general readers, and in such a lively and
engaging fashion ... I heartily recommend this book to teachers of
Aboriginal studies."
--Richard Broome, Emeritus Professor of History at La Trobe
University "[A]n important book that advances a powerful argument
for re-evaluating the sophistication of Aboriginal peoples'
economic and socio-political livelihoods, and calls for Australia
to embrace the complexity, sophistication and innovative skills of
Indigenous people into its concept of itself as a nation."
--Dr Michael Davis, Aboriginal History
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