Black Swan: A Koorie Woman's Life by Eileen Harrison and Carolyn Landon

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and edges. Book exchange copy with stamp on half-title page. Pages have sunned.

This a frank and powerful memoir of the life of an Aboriginal woman, from her early years on the Lake Tyers mission to the discovery of her talent as a painter.

Eileen Harrison grew up at the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Mission Station in the 1950s as one of eleven children in a tight-knit and loving family. When the new assimilation policy comes in, they are wrenched from the Mission and sent off to Ararat in the hope that they will become part of that community.

Unable to build a stable life in the face of isolation and discrimination, the family is torn apart. Eileen must become the protector and the peacemaker.

As a child, Eileen set free a black swan caught in a hessian bag. Now the story of the magical black swan from her childhood provides an uncanny map of her life as she struggles to find her path. After many years she discovers her talent as a painter and builds a new life for herself.

Powerfully told in Eileen's words, her experiences speak eloquently of what has happened to Aboriginal people over the last half of the 20th century. (back cover)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers, please note that this book may contain descriptions and/or images of people who have passed away.