Angela (novel)

Last updated

Angela
Angela (Moloney novel).jpg
First edition cover
Author James Moloney
Publisher University of Queensland Press
Publication date
1 January 1998
ISBN 978-0-702-23084-4

Angela is a young adult novel written by Australian author James Moloney, first published in 1998 by University of Queensland Press. [1] [2] [3] By 2013 the National Library of Australia listed 19 editions of the novel in a variety of formats including book, audio book, braille and e-book. [4] It is the third book in the Gracey trilogy, the first being Dougy (1993) and the second Gracey (1994) It won an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO Prize for Children's Literature in the Service of Tolerance and Peace. [5] [6] [7] It is also part of Kerry White collection of Australian children's books. [4]

Contents

Background


James Moloney wrote the following about Angela:

Angela was written six years after "Gracey". Again, I never intended to keep the story going. However, when the report about the "stolen" generation was published, I took a special interest ... I obtained a copy of the report "Bringing Them Home" and read it. This led me to read another report titled, "For the Benefit of the Child," ... some cases, children were taken away by force. In others, they were reluctantly surrendered by their parents who had no legal rights and no idea of what the government was really trying to do. Either way, the children were stolen. When I realised this, I wanted to write about it. It would have to be a story through a write [white] person's eyes this time because I had reached an end to my observations of aboriginal life. I chose Angela, Gracey's friend from the earlier book as my heroine. [8]

Plot summary

The friends Angela and Gracey are now in the first year of university and their once close relationship is strained by the new environment and new friendships. Gracey a Murri is trying to immerse herself in the indigenous culture on campus and while Angela tries to be encouraging their former close relationship is gradually disintegrating. The Stolen Generation stories cause Gracey to struggle with decisions made by whites in the past. Through a painful journey Gracey is able to accept and move towards reconciliation of black and white Australia. Angela is the narrator of the novel. [9]

Themes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stolen Generations</span> Indigenous Australian children forcibly acculturated into White Australian society

The Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments. The removals of those referred to as "half-caste" children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905 and 1967, although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken into the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Harrison (playwright)</span> Indigenous Australian playwright and writer

Jane Harrison is an Aboriginal Australian playwright, novelist, literary festival director, and researcher. Her best-known work is the play Stolen, which received critical claim and has toured nationally and internationally since 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian literature</span>

Australian literature is the written or literary work produced in the area or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding colonies. During its early Western history, Australia was a collection of British colonies; as such, its recognised literary tradition begins with and is linked to the broader tradition of English literature. However, the narrative art of Australian writers has, since 1788, introduced the character of a new continent into literature—exploring such themes as Aboriginality, mateship, egalitarianism, democracy, national identity, migration, Australia's unique location and geography, the complexities of urban living, and "the beauty and the terror" of life in the Australian bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowitja O'Donoghue</span> Australian public administrator (1932–2024)

Lowitja O'Donoghue, also known as Lois O'Donoghue and Lois Smart, was an Australian public administrator and Indigenous rights advocate. She was the inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) from 1990 to 1996. She is known for her work in improving the health and welfare of Indigenous Australians, and also for the part she played in the drafting of the Native Title Act 1993, which established native title in Australia.

Murri is a demonym for Aboriginal Australians of modern-day Queensland and north-western New South Wales. For some people and organisations, the use of Indigenous language regional terms is an expression of pride in their heritage. The term includes many ethno-linguistic groups within the area, such as the Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) and Yuggera (Jagera) peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Sorry Day</span> Annual Australian event on 26 May

National Sorry Day, officially the National Day of Healing, is an event held annually in Australia on 26 May commemorating the Stolen Generations. It is part of the ongoing efforts towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Doris Pilkington Garimara, also known as Doris Pilkington, was an Aboriginal Australian author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Moloney</span> Australian childrens author (born 1954)

James "Jim" Moloney is an Australian children's author. A prolific writer whose books span an age range from seven- to seventeen-year-olds, he is best known for his young adult novels. He has been nominated and won awards for his books in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. His books have been translated into French, Korean, Lithuanian and Flemish/Dutch.

Ruth Hegarty is an Aboriginal Elder and author.

Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet.

<i>Dougy</i> Novel by James Moloney

Dougy is a 1993 young adult novel written by James Moloney, first published in 1993 by University of Queensland Press. By 2013 the National Library of Australia listed 18 editions of the novel in a variety of formats including book, audio book, braille and e-book. It is the first book in the Gracey trilogy, followed by Gracey (1994) and Angela (1998)

<i>Touch Me</i> (novel) 2000 novel by Australian author James Moloney

Touch Me (ISBN 0702231517) is a novel written by Australian author James Moloney. It was published in April 2000 by University of Queensland Press. The National Library of Australia holds eleven editions of this title including as a book, braille, sound recording, MP3 and electronic resource. It is also included in the Kerry White collection of Australian children's books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Bellear</span> Australian artist (1961–2006)

Lisa (Marie) Bellear was an Indigenous Australian poet, photographer, activist, spokeswoman, dramatist, comedian and broadcaster. She was a Goenpul woman of the Noonuccal people of Minjerribah, Queensland. Her uncles were Bob Bellear, Australia's first Indigenous judge, and Sol Bellear who helped to found the Aboriginal Housing Corporation in Redfern in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Queensland Press</span> Australian publishing house

University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in 1948 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Queensland and a traditional university press, UQP now publishes books for general readers across fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and includes works for children and young adults.

Gracey (9780702226106) is a young adult novel written by Australian author James Moloney and first published in 1994 by University of Queensland Press. By 2013 the National Library of Australia listed 24 editions of the novel in a variety of formats including book, audio book, braille and e-book. It is the second book in the Gracey trilogy, the first being Dougy (1993) and the third Angela (1998) In 1995 it was an Honour Book in the category of Older Readers in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. It is also part of the Kerry White collection of Australian children's books.

Molly Kelly was an Australian Martu Aboriginal woman, known for her escape from the Moore River Native Settlement in 1931 and subsequent 1,600 km (990 mi) trek home with her half-sister Daisy Kadibil and cousin Gracie Cross. She was a member of the Stolen Generations, who were part-white, part-Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families by the Australian government. Her story was the inspiration for the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence and the film Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Tony Birch is an Aboriginal Australian author, academic and activist. He regularly appears on ABC local radio and Radio National shows and at writers’ festivals. He was head of the honours programme for creative writing at the University of Melbourne before becoming the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University in Melbourne in June 2015.

Melanie Hogan is a film director and producer of Australian documentaries. Her directorial debut Kanyini premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Cummings</span> Australian Northern Territory indigenous leader

Eileen Cummings is a teacher, policy and liaison officer and Indigenous leader in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is a member of the Rembarrnga Ngalakan ethnic groups. She is also a member of the 'Stolen Generation' and is an activist advocating for the well-being of living members of that group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples</span> Apology by the Australian Government to Indigenous peoples for historical forced removals

On 13 February 2008, the Parliament of Australia issued a formal apology to Indigenous Australians for forced removals of Australian Indigenous children from their families by Australian federal and state government agencies. The apology was delivered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and is also referred to as the National Apology, or simply The Apology.

References

  1. "Dougy, Gracey and Angela, by James Moloney". Aussie Reviews. 25 June 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  2. Fly, Miranda (23 February 1999). "Angela". The Courier-Mail . Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  3. On, Thuy (19 December 1998). "Wise owls: These stories are not afraid to tackle the big themes". The Age . Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Angela". NLA. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  5. "Author James Moloney". UQP. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. Hanzl, Anne (February 1999). "Older Readers". Reading Time . Vol. 43, no. 1. p. 31. ISSN   0155-218X. EBSCOhost   1643185.
  7. Briggs, Anne (November 1998). "Gracey's story completed". Magpies. Vol. 13, no. 5. p. 40. ISSN   0817-0088. EBSCOhost   1295871.
  8. "FAQ for Dougy, Gracey and Angela". James Moloney. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Angela Teachers' Notes" (PDF). UQP. Retrieved 23 September 2016.