NAIDOC week booklist - Aboriginal authors to read

To celebrate NAIDOC week we compiled a list of some excellent books both fiction and nonfiction by Indigenous authors that you might like to read.

Larissa Behrendt author of Home which won several awards and Legacy  her first novel which is about a young Aboriginal woman's complex relationship with her father.


Tony Birch a Melbourne author has written Father's Day, Shadowboxing and Blood which was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2012.  Tony tells riveting stories with strong characters.


Kevin Gilbert a poet, playwright, printmaker and photographer he is most famous for The Cherry Pickers a play that became an important symbol for Aboriginal activists.

Anita Heiss is the author of several books both fiction and nonfiction.  Her latest book is Am I black enough for you? She is also a National Ambassador for the National Year of Reading.


Kate Howarth author of Ten Hail Marys : a memoir which tells the story of Kate's early life as she is abandoned by her mother only to become pregnant at 15 and is sent to a home for unwed mothers.  Kate has an amazing gift for storytelling.


Sally Morgan wrote the classic biography My place told in three parts about different members of Sally's family.  It was one of the first books written by an Indigenous person.

Kim Scott has written three novels - True country, Benang from the heart which won the Miles Franklin award in 2000 making him the first Aboriginal person to win that award.  He won again in 2011 with That deadman dance. Kim explores the lives of light-skinned Aboriginal people and his books are somewhat autobiographical.

Tara June Winch wrote Swallow the air a novel about family, growing up and how these connect to complex social issues.  It was nominated and won for several awards.


Alexis Wright broke onto the Australian literature scene with Carpentaria, winning the Miles Franklin award in 2007. Carpentaria tells a modern story of a fictional Aboriginal clan and the conflict they face.