Tell me why by Archie Roach

‘Tell me why’ is a line from an iconic Archie Roach song about two people whose love for each other was broken apart, and the refrain is 'why would you destroy a love like that'? That is a question that Roach has repeatedly stumbled up against - why would you break up families, why would you take children away, why would you do that? It is such a deep hurt, and though the young Archie was loved and well cared for by his foster parents, that hurt and the longing to know his first family was something that he could never reconcile, and meant that he had to head off on his own to find where he came from.

His life path was not an easy one – drifting, drinking, begging, a few stints in prison, but what stands out is the amazing friendship, support and wholehearted welcome from the Aboriginal people he encountered no matter where he ended up. He just had to find the local blackfellas and he would be looked after. Amazingly he did get to meet his long lost brothers and sisters, but not before his parents had passed on.

Archie Roach will always be remembered for his breathtaking but confronting song 'Took the children away'. He was one of those children, one of the Stolen Generations. It is a terrible history, one that should not be swept under the carpet; people need to know what happened in this country, the suffering that was inflicted, and the ongoing trauma carried through generations. Roach's book is a personal account, a testimony that needs to be read and shared, so that we know and remember what happened. It is our history, a history that should be taught in schools. Roach's book, adapted for younger readers, is an attempt to talk about the past so that we can move on and make a new future with new positive stories.

I highly recommend this book, the style is open and friendly, easy to read. Each chapter is introduced by a song that has its source in the life experiences he goes on to tell us about. Despite the deep suffering the message in the end is one of reconciliation and love.

Themes: Stolen Generations, Identity, Loss, Aboriginal history.

Helen Eddy