Anita Heiss, Celeste Liddle, Zachary Penrith-Puchalski and Sharon Payne — Photo: Scott Limbrick

In her introduction to Growing up Aboriginal in Australia, editor Anita Heiss writes: ‘[These] stories cover country from Nukunu to Noongar, Wiradjuri to Western Arrernte, Ku Ku Yalinji to Kunibidji, Gunditjamara to Gumbaynggirr and many places in between.’

It’s a collection of truly diverse stories – sometimes surprising and funny, often confronting and always illuminating – that paint a rich and detailed picture of what it means to come of age as an Aboriginal Australian. How do the formative experiences of Aboriginal Australians shape their sense of self and their sense of community? And what experiences do Aboriginal kids across the country have in common – whether they’re in the city or the suburbs or in the most remote corners of the continent?

With contributors Celeste Liddle, Zachary Penrith-Puchalski and Sharon Payne, Heiss hosts a frank, funny and forthright discussion of formative years and life lessons.