AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'The story of an Aboriginal woman who worked as a police officer and fought for justice both within and beyond the Australian police force.
'A proud Kurnai woman, Veronica Gorrie grew up dauntless, full of cheek and a fierce sense of justice. After watching her friends and family suffer under a deeply compromised law-enforcement system, Gorrie signed up for training to become one of a rare few Aboriginal police officers in Australia. In her ten years in the force, she witnessed appalling institutional racism and sexism, and fought past those things to provide courageous and compassionate service to civilians in need, many Aboriginal themselves.
'With a great gift for storytelling and a wicked sense of humour, Gorrie frankly and movingly explores the impact of racism on her family and her life, the impact of intergenerational trauma resulting from cultural dispossession, and the inevitable difficulties of making her way as an Aboriginal woman in the white-and-male-dominated workplace of the police force.
'Black and Blue is a memoir of remarkable fortitude and resilience, told with wit, wisdom, and great heart.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Truth-Telling : Veronica Gorrie’s Memoir of Family and Survival
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 436 2021; (p. 26)
— Review of Black and Blue : A Memoir of Racism and Resilience 2021 single work autobiography'Aunty Ronnie is a Kurnai and Gunditjmara woman. She is also a mother of three, a grandmother of two, and one of Australia’s most underrated comedians. Black and Blue, her autobiography, is an enthralling book set primarily in three places: Bung Yarnda, Morwell (Black), and the Queensland Police Service (Blue), where Aunty Ronnie served as a member for ten years. The title is a play on the old saying ‘black and blue’, which commonly refers to someone covered in bruises.' (Introduction)
-
Books Roundup : A Room Called Earth, The Committed, Black and Blue, The Believer
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , April 2021;
— Review of A Room Called Earth 2020 single work novel ; Black and Blue : A Memoir of Racism and Resilience 2021 single work autobiography -
‘I Had Not One Friend in the Job to Debrief with’ : Life as an Indigenous Police Officer
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 April 2021;
— Review of Black and Blue : A Memoir of Racism and Resilience 2021 single work autobiography'Veronica Gorrie joined the force to ‘break the cycle of fear’ she grew up with. By the time she left, she was carrying additional burdens.'
-
‘I Had Not One Friend in the Job to Debrief with’ : Life as an Indigenous Police Officer
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 April 2021;
— Review of Black and Blue : A Memoir of Racism and Resilience 2021 single work autobiography'Veronica Gorrie joined the force to ‘break the cycle of fear’ she grew up with. By the time she left, she was carrying additional burdens.'
-
Books Roundup : A Room Called Earth, The Committed, Black and Blue, The Believer
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , April 2021;
— Review of A Room Called Earth 2020 single work novel ; Black and Blue : A Memoir of Racism and Resilience 2021 single work autobiography -
Truth-Telling : Veronica Gorrie’s Memoir of Family and Survival
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 436 2021; (p. 26)
— Review of Black and Blue : A Memoir of Racism and Resilience 2021 single work autobiography'Aunty Ronnie is a Kurnai and Gunditjmara woman. She is also a mother of three, a grandmother of two, and one of Australia’s most underrated comedians. Black and Blue, her autobiography, is an enthralling book set primarily in three places: Bung Yarnda, Morwell (Black), and the Queensland Police Service (Blue), where Aunty Ronnie served as a member for ten years. The title is a play on the old saying ‘black and blue’, which commonly refers to someone covered in bruises.' (Introduction)