Ruby Langford Ginibi (1934–2011)

A fascinating history of Aboriginal people living along the northern coast of New South Wales written by one of their own.

Ruby Anderson Langford Ginibi writes history in a style I have never encountered. By doing so, she has introduced me to a different way of looking at the past. Instead of arranging her information in a chronological or topical manner, she takes readers on her journey collecting it. We go along as she and her driver/photographer/adopted daughter return to the region, the show more “real belonging place” where Ginibi grew up and left years earlier. With them we interview friends and relatives, stop for meals and petrol, and gradually amass stories about people and events from the past. The book is packed with names and family relationships. Political topics important to Indigenous people are put forth. Whites, past and present, are attacked. Ginibi is determined to educate both her own people and the rest of us about the pain her people have suffered and the importance of their contributions to the Australian nation. Her book is important because we so seldom hear the story the way she tells.

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Memoir of an Aboriginal Australian woman born in the 30's living in rural and urban environments confronting poverty, domestic violence and tragedy. While My Place prefigures the Stolen Generation report, Don't Take Your Love To Town anticipates the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. You get a glimpse into the upswell of recognising and fostering Aboriginal culture and identity during the '70s and '80s.

I liked that she wrote the book to tell the story by writing how other relatives told her the story of her family.

Libraries Australia synopsis: A compelling collection of reminiscences on family life,indigenous social issues, and being Aboriginal in today's Australia.