From the Aboriginal fringe camps of his birth to the catwalk, basketball court, DJ console and more. This is a new anniversary edition of Boori Monty Pryor's life, his pain, his joy and his hopes, and is as powerful now as it was when it was first published in 1998.
An anniversary edition of a powerful Australian story.
The other day this little one asked me, 'When did you start being an Aborigine, and how old were you when you started that?' Like it was a career path or something. I just cracked up laughing.
Boori Monty Pryor's career path has taken him from the Aboriginal fringe camps of his birth to the catwalk, the basketball court, the DJ console, and now to performance and story-telling around the country. 'You've got to try and play the whiteman's game and stay black while you're doing it,' his brother used to tell him.
With writer and photographer Meme McDonald, Boori leads you along the paths he has travelled, pausing to meet his family and friends, while sharing the story of his life, his pain and his hopes, with humour and compassion.
Author bio:
Boori Monty Pryor was born in North Queensland. His father is from the Birri-gubba of the Bowen region and his mother from Yarrabah, a descendant of the Kunggandji and Kukuimudji. Boori is a multi-talented performer who has worked in film, television, modelling, sport, music and theatre-in-education.
Boori has written several award-winning children's books with Meme McDonald. His stories are about finding strength within to deal with the challenges without, and his skill is to create positive visions of the future for both Indigenous and white people. Boori Monty Pryor was Australia's Children's Laureate in 2012 and 2013.
Meme McDonald was a graduate of Victoria College of the Arts Drama School. She began her career as a theatre and festival director, specialising in the creation of large-scale outdoor performance events. Since then she has worked as a writer, photographer and on various film projects. Meme McDonald's previous books - five of which have been written in collaboration with Boori Monty Pryor - have won six major literary awards.
