As a 16-year-old Jamie Langton spends his time hanging out with his mates, Dally and Lenny, in their small town. The trio clashes with Mark Cassidy and his white mates, the ‘Footy Heads’, who constantly heckle and bully them. On Lenny's last night in town, after yet another episode of racist harassment, the three boys decide to get even by vandalising Mark Cassidy's car. Then they discover Mark’s keys are in the car, and their world is changed forever. They meant to take just a short spin but this ends up in a police chase, a crashed car and the boys thrown into youth detention.
The story is told through Jamie’s raw yet sensitive voice. He lives in foster care with his Aunty Dawn and Uncle Bobby. Although they provide a stable environment for Jamie, he holds a grudge against his parents whom he believes have abandoned him and his older brother, Trey. There is a lot of senseless drinking and hooliganism which the reader senses will deliver nothing good.
The story captures the grind of the legal system then life in detention with Jamie. There he realises his life is going nowhere and with the help of a social worker, he discovers an outlet for his feelings through poetry. These poems are raw, dark and very moving. His brother visits him in detention, and over time, Jamie is determined to change his life, reconnect with his mother and father, and move to Sydney to live with his brother.
The reader is left with a strong feeling that the detention system is a revolving door for these youth. Jamie is one of the fortunate ones who resolves to change his life and rediscover family. Jamie’s voice is riveting, and readers will empathise and cheer Jamie on as he starts a new life.
• Winner, Marion Award for Best Children’s Book for Older Readers, 2024
• Highly Commended, Writing for Young Adults, Victoria Premier's Literary Awards, 2024
• Shortlisted, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature, NSW Premier's Literary Awards, 2024
• Shortlisted, Indigenous Writers' Prize, NSW Premier's Literary Awards, 2024
Gary Lonesborough is a Yuin man, who grew up on the Far South Coast of NSW as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. He wrote stories as a child and had a close family. As an adult, Lonesborough has experience in youth work, Aboriginal health, child protection and the disability sector. He ran a program at juvenile justice centres for Aboriginal youth and was inspired to write this story. Gary says he ‘wanted to dive deep into what it’s like to be disconnected from your family, your culture, your traumas and dismissed by a society which refuses to accept that racism still exists, that colonisation is still impacting Aboriginal children in 2022, and that locking a child behind bars is not the answer.’
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
