{"product_id":"the-white-girl-a-novel-isbn-9780063213531","title":"The White Girl: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A profound allegory of good and evil, and a deep exploration of human interaction, black and white, alternately beautiful and tender, cruel and unsettling.”—\u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAustralia’s leading indigenous storyteller makes his American debut with this immersive and deeply resonant novel, set in the 1960s, that explores the lengths we’ll go to save the people we love—an unforgettable story of one native Australian family and the racist government that threatens to separate them.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOdette Brown has lived her entire life on the fringes of Deane, a small Australian country town. Dark secrets simmer beneath the surface of Deane—secrets that could explain why Odette's daughter, Lila, left her one-year-old daughter, Sissy, and never came back, or why Sissy has white skin when her family is Aboriginal. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor thirteen years, Odette has quietly raised her granddaughter without drawing notice from welfare authorities who remove fair-skinned Aboriginal children from their families. But the arrival of a new policeman with cruel eyes and a rigid by-the-book attitude throws the Brown women's lives off-kilter. It will take all of Odette's courage and cunning to save Sissy from the authorities, and maybe even lead her to find her daughter. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBolstered by love, smarts, and the strength of their ancestors, Odette and Sissy are an indomitable force, handling threats to their family and their own identities with grace and ingenuity, while never losing hope for themselves and their future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe White Girl,\u003c\/em\u003e Miles Franklin Award-nominated author Tony Birch illuminates Australia’s devastating post-colonial past—notably the government’s racist policy of separating Indigenous children from their families, known today as the Stolen Generations—and introduces a tight-knit group of charming, inspiring characters who remind us of our shared humanity, and that kindness, hope, and love have no limits.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eTony Birch is a local treasure. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJacinta Parsons\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eis a tense and gripping read...an important window into a shameful period of Australia's very recent history, and a wonderful celebration of strong Indigenous women. It's a book that I hugged to my chest after reading the final page. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eClaire Nichols, The Book Show\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTony Birch is one of those writers who has mastered the art of storytelling... His latest novel \u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eis no different--in fact the characters he creates and the plotlines he weaves are almost hyperreal--you know people like Odette Brown and her grandbaby Sissy. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaniel Browning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eis not given to sentimentality; instead it is a celebration of Aboriginal resilience and kinship in response to trauma. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eArts Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[Tony Birch brings] a lifetime of knowledge about Australian history, social policy, and cultural identity to this book, a deceptively simple story about family love that is rich in humanity and purpose, and hope. \u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eis worth your time and will reward you over and over again.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAustralian Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The way Birch describes the day-to-day existence of his characters, so sweetly rendered, gives them a universal quality. The story is a truth even while the specifics of this novel are fiction, and this tale is a revelation of small details.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSydney Morning Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Award-winning Indigenous writer and activist Birch has created a poignant novel that keenly demonstrates how the strength of family bonds can shatter societal biases.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With a brisk pace and lush prose, Birch breathes life into Odette’s wrenching and courageous search for her daughter and the hope of a better life for Sissy. Readers will feel the pull of this harrowing story.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Set in the 1960’s in the midst of the government’s racist Stolen Generation policy, The White Girl remixes the typical genre expectations of historical fiction and noir to spin a unique and profound tale all its own.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Chicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Birch draws from his Indigenous background to craft a story that's both heartbreaking and hopeful, and focuses on the strength that comes from a family's love.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuzzfeed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“a carefully crafted work of fiction that makes good writing seem easy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Journal of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Birch illustrates how Australia’s policies dehumanized not only the Indigenous people they sought to control—often by taking children from their families and placing them in white mission schools—but also the white people who were complicit in enforcing them.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eis approachable and fiercely readable, its linguistic and cultural power cloaked in deceptively simple language.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSydney Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003e[The White Girl] \u003c\/em\u003eexplores the legacy and ongoing fallout of the Stolen Generation, and also touches on matters that are still pertinent and ongoing: the vulnerability of Indigenous women to sexual predation specifically, but on a larger scale, generational violence and toxic masculinity.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Issue (Australia)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eis a black and white story about Australian colonialism's malevolent legacies, and the courage, strength, and dignity of Indigenous resistance. It's a story about strong women, with whom Birch's life has been blessed. It is also a profound allegory of good and evil, and a deep exploration of human interaction, black and white, alternately beautiful and tender, cruel and unsettling. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Birch is a writer with a profound gift for language and human insight. He writers with razor's edge emotional clarity and empathy about people and place--especially on those Australian margins, rural and urban. \u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003eshowcases his gift.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Birch's stories have always exuded a warm, lived-in feel, even in their bleakest moments, and in \u003cem\u003eThe White Girl \u003c\/em\u003ehis style reaches an apotheosis: there is a profound and rare clarity in the prose, and the pacing is excellent.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Saturday Paper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An uplifting novel that celebrates love, family, and the women who put those qualities first in their lives.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"HarperVia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889674318053,"sku":"NP9780063213531","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063213531.jpg?v=1730231724","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-white-girl-a-novel-isbn-9780063213531","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}