The Skin I’m In by Steph Tisdell
The Skin I’m In is a coming-of-age story about Layla, an Aboriginal teenager growing up in Brisbane. Not only is Layla navigating the challenges of young adulthood but she’s also grappling with the balance between white Australian culture and her Aboriginal identity and what her culture looks like in modern Australia. All this, while managing the pressures of being in Year 12.
When her troubled cousin (who is also Aboriginal) moves in, Layla begins to feel insecure about her heritage. She starts to see more clearly how Aboriginal people are treated at her school and in society. Layla dreams of becoming a lawyer so she can stand up for and support her community. But to do that, she must succeed within a ‘white’ system, a system that often makes her feel undervalued and tokenised.
This book really captures the struggle young Aboriginal people can feel to find and celebrate their culture away from Country when they feel ‘othered’ by society and the school system.
The Skin I’m In is a beautiful novel, filled with humour, honesty and heartbreak. It feels like you are experiencing a young adult story about the dramas and complications of high school and the difficulties of being a teenager, but woven throughout is a story about identity, community and how the Aboriginal people of this country are treated and oppressed.
Tisdell, a proud Yidinji woman has a wonderful way of exploring the subtle ways Aboriginal people are treated differently not just within the school system, but through a broader cultural and social lens. While this book has some very confronting moments, it does leave the reader with some hope for a way forward into an inclusive world where the first peoples of this country can be supported and listened to.
This is an excellent read for any high school-aged reader, highly recommended.
The Skin I’m In by Steph Tisdell.
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