Books about modern Australia

As usual, in the lead-up to Invasion / Survival Day, I’ve been revisiting the list of books I recommend that provide a better reflection of life in contemporary Australia (by which I mean the last 20 years) than a national(istic) holiday on the worst possible date.

Thanks to the input of friends and online connections, here’s the list of titles we’ve come up with so far – with my personal highlights marked in bold. Please feel free to share your own. [Last updated January 2025]

Non-fiction

• A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddler
• Am I Black Enough For You? by Anita Heiss
• Another Day in the Colony by Chelsea Watego
• Australia Day by Stan Grant
• Down Under: Travels in a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (one of the few contemporary non-fiction accounts of Australia, though the writer is a US expat living in England who forgets to visit an entire state)
• Forgotten War by Henry Reynolds (recommended by Anna)
• Growing up Aboriginal in Australia, edited by Anita Heiss
• Growing Up Disabled in Australia edited by Carly Findlay 
• How to Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion by David Burton (recommended by Kate E)
• Lies Damn Lies by Claire G Coleman ***
• Living on Stolen Land by Ambelin Kwaymullina ***
• No Country Woman by Zoya Patel 
• No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani
• Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World by Tyson Yunkaporta (recommended by Kate D)
• The Family Law by Benjamin Law
• The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke ***
• The Queen is Dead by Stan Grant
• We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (recommended by Pepi)
• Welcome to Country – A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia by Marcia Langton (recommended by Stella G)

Adult Fiction

• A Constant Hum by Alice Bishop
• Australia Day by Melanie Cheng
• Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas
• Benang by Kim Scott (recommended by Shauna)
• Black is the New White by Nakkiah Lui (playscript) ***
• Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran ***
• Dirt Music by Tim Winton
• Legacy by Larissa Behrendt
• Here Come the Dogs by Omar Musa
• Indelible Ink by Fiona Macgregor (recommended by Jacquie)
• Love and Virtue by Diana Reid
• Love Objects by Emily Maguire
• Me, Antman & Fleabag by Gaelle Kennedy
• Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko
• Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport by Anna Krien
• Position Doubtful by Kim Mahood (recommended by Harriet)
• Taboo by Kim Scott ***
• The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser (recommended by Jacquie)
• The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta
• The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas (recommended by Brien)
• Tiddas by Anita Heiss
• Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko ***

YA Fiction

• Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough
• Becoming Kirallee Lewis by Jane Harrison ***
• Between Us by Clare Atkins
• Calypso Summer by Jared Thomas
• I’m Not Really Here by Gary Lonesborough ***
• Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard ***
• Laurinda by Alice Pung
• Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore (recommended by Kate E)
• Night Swimming by Steph Bowe
• Road Tripping with Pearl Nash by Poppy Nwosu 
• Royals by Tegan Bennett Daylight
• Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aska ***
• The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
• The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough ***
• The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
• We Didn’t Think It Through by Gary Lonesborough ***
• When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah ***

Children’s Books

• Bindi by Kirli Saunders and Dub Leffler (recommended by Kate D)
• Cheeky Dogs: to Lake Nash and Back by Dion Beasley and Johanna Bell ***
• Come Together: Things Every Aussie Kid Should Know about the First Peoples by Isaiah Firebrace ***
• Noongar Boodja Waangkan: Noongar First Words by Jayden Boundary and Tyrone Waigana ***
• The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan (recommended by Zoe)
• Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy (recommended by Sue)

Poetry

• Blakwork by Alison Whittaker
• Contemporary Australian Feminist Poetry edited by Bonnie Cassidy and Jessica L Wilkinson
• Conversations I’ve Never Had by Caitlin Maling (recommended by Harriet)
• Drinking White Wine in the Sun and other songs/poems by Tim Minchin (recommended by Amanda)
• Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
• Guwayu: for all times edited by Jeanine Leane for Red Room Poetry
• Homecoming by Elfie Shiosaki
• Kindred by Kirli Saunders (recommended by Kate D)
• Nangamay Mana Durali: First Nations Australia LGBTIA+ Poetry, edited by Alison Whitaker and Steven Lindsay Ross ***
• Non-Essential Work by Omar Sakr
• Smoke Encrusted Whispers by Samuel Wagan Watson
• The Rocks Remain: Blak Poetry and Story edited by Karen Wyld and Dominic Guerrera ***
• The Flirtation of Girls / Ghazal el-Banat by Sara M Saleh

Not-so-modern books (written or set in the 90’s or earlier)

• FICTION: Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss
• FICTION: Blood by Tony Birch
• FICTION: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
• FICTION: Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
• FICTION: Earthly Delights and the rest of the Corinna Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood
• FICTION: Goodwood by Holly Throsby (recommended by Ayan)
• FICTION: Kind Of, Sort Of, Maybe, But Probably Not by Imbi Neeme
• FICTION: Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
• FICTION (or is it?): Monkey Grip by Helen Garner
• FICTION: Murray Whelan series by Shane Maloney (recommended by Jacquie)
• FICTION: My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin
• FICTION: Rowland Sinclair series by Sulari Gentil (recommended by Jacquie)
• FICTION: The Battlers by Kylie Tennant (recommended by Shauna)
• FICTION: The Light between Oceans by ML Stedman (recommended by Shauna)
• FICTION: The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (recommended by Harriet)
• FICTION: The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks
• FICTION: True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
• FICTION: You Belong Here by Laurie Steed
• NON-FICTION: 1956 the year Australia welcomed the world by Nick Richardson
• NON-FICTION: A Fortunate Life by AB Facey
• NON-FICTION: A Secret Country by John Pilger
• NON-FICTION: Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe
• NON-FICTION: Girt and True Girt by David Hunt (recommended by Shauna)
• NON-FICTION: My Place by Sally Morgan
• NON-FICTION: Tracks by Robyn Davidson
• NON-FICTION: Wanamurraganya : the story of Jack McPhee by Sally Morgan
• POETRY: Sometimes Gladness by Bruce Dawe (recommended by Shauna)
• POETRY: The Silo by John Kinsella (recommended by Shauna)
• YA: The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham
• YA: The Year The Maps Changed by Danielle Binks
• CHILDREN: Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

Any others?

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