Aboriginal Suicide Is Different: A Portrait of Life and Self Destruction [Paperback]

Colin Tatz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2005 | ISBN-10: 0855754982 | ISBN-13: 978-0855754983 | Edition: 2

This is a portrait of life, and of self destruction, by young Australian Aboriginal men and women. The author suggests we look to our Australian Aboriginal history for an understanding of this relatively recent phenomenon. That so many young Australian Aboriginal people prefer death to life implies a rejection of what we, in the broader Australian society, have on offer. It reflects our failure, as a nation, to provide sufficient incentives for young Aborigines to remain alive.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Aboriginal Studies Press; 2 edition (October 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0855754982
• ISBN-13: 978-0855754983
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,572,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Let's not blame the victim., June 22, 2010

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aboriginal Suicide Is Different: A Portrait of Life and Self Destruction (Paperback)

The author says Western scientists blame suicide on mental illnesses of the suicidee. However, he wants to show that oppression and a lack of resources cause the large number of Aboriginal suicides. He starts this edition of the book by taking a negative reviewer to task. That reviewer said suicide in India and Hong Kong is blamed on mental illness too. However, this author's point is that disenfranchised, indigenous groups have this problem. This is a comparative work like the book "Nations Within." It brings up New Zealand Maori, American Indians, and Canadian First Nations folk when possible. Actually, I think the author's rejoinder was a bit bitter and would have been better as a conclusion chapter. He also waffles on whether his book is a polemic or not.

The author cautions that with Aboriginal youth suicide, each of those three concepts is slippery. Coroner's reports don't mention race in Australia. (In the US, many official documents mention race. Further a person's name often gives a hint about their race or ethnicity, so this was odd to me.) The author said Aboriginals don't live as long as other Australians and face adult issues at much younger ages. Finally, because suicide is stigmatized, coroners and others often mislabel it as accidental death.

Although the author mentions racism often, the book is a bit short on examples. An example was that an employer wouldn't hire an Aboriginal for a cashier job because it might upset (white) customers. I wonder if it's malign neglect that's deemed racism. He describes Aboriginal areas as being far from other places. I met an (European-descent) Australian and he said he never met an Aboriginal in his life. Perhaps other Australians think of them as "out of sight, out of mind."

The author makes the reader ponder heavily on what is suicide. He said Aboriginal youth often try to see how close they can get to a speeding car without getting hit, and some do get hit. What about diabetics who fail to take their insulin? However, the author notes that some who die look like they are trying to undo nooses or show other signs of wanting out when it's too late.

The author rarely brings up African Americans, but as an African-American reader, my mind began comparing. If I heard correctly, while African-American homicide is much higher than the white counterpart, African Americans suicide at lower rates than whites. They/we face oppression as minorities, so what's the difference in outcome? The author said that in South Africa during apartheid Blacks had an enemy and could blame their problems on the system. Also fighting that mess gave them a reason to live. However, he said in free South Africa suicides are up. This book mentions sports as being a huge positive for Aboriginals and many say the same for African Americans.

The author does not just blame the system; let's be clear. He said child neglect in Aboriginal communities is a problem. He condemns the word "copycat," but does say frequent Aboriginal suicides may be a factor. He mentions other tragedies. He writes that Aboriginals often suffer from "mud ear" and deafness aggravates the issue. He blames Mr. Fiveleaf Plant for the problem and readers who love them some Mr. Fiveleaf might be upset about that.

Now I don't want to start no stereotypes, but outside sources make me wonder about other problems. On a cable show, they showed an Australian prison and said that Aboriginal communities sometimes exile or ignore members and this makes them prefer prison to home. There's a movie that shows Aboriginals jamming a spear into the legs of an Aboriginal police officer; I forgot the film's name. I do wonder if violence in those communities could be a problem.

The author is a jack of all trades. He originally wrote on sport and doesn't have a background in suicide. However, he said he holds a ton of degrees and I get the sense that he's lived a long time too. Sometimes he contradicts himself. For example, he says one can't speak in metaphors with Aborigines, but then he talks about how the group wouldn't like certain public health terms. The book is all over the place too. Still, this was an interesting read and I hope the issue gets awareness. Also, Australia has now apologized to Aborigines and perhaps that will lead to some healing.