Jack Charles - Born Again Blackfella

Jack Charles: Born Again Blackfella by Jack Charles

Reading Jack Charles’ memoir feels like sitting beside him on a cold winter’s night, completely captivated by his voice and presence. He holds the floor, and you can’t help but listen, mesmerised by the raw honesty and power of his story.

Jack Charles was taken from his Aboriginal mother, Blanchie, at just four months old under the Australian Government’s Assimilation Program. All eleven of her children were taken, he was one of the Stolen Generations. Raised in the City Mission Home for Babies in Brunswick until the age of two, he was then moved to the Box Hill Boys’ Home, run by the Salvation Army.

This memoir is told with such unflinching truth that at times, your jaw drops. Jack recounts a life marked by child abuse, drug addiction, and crime - he even called himself “the cat burglar.” He was in and out of jail for much of his life. Yet, through all the adversity, he found his family, his voice and his purpose. He became a celebrated actor and a pioneer of Aboriginal theatre in Australia.

By the end of this incredible memoir, I felt a deep sadness that I never had the chance to meet him - this wonderfully talented, resilient man. Thank you, Jack, for sharing your life’s journey. Your story deepened my appreciation for our First Nations people, of whom you were so proudly one.

Highly recommended.

Find Jack Charles: Born Again Blackfella by Jack Charles.

Pam (Reading Circle Participant)