Good Reads is a social
cataloguing website that allows users to search an extensive database of books, annotations,
and reviews. With over 10,000,000 books
to choose from Good Reads is a valuable resource to inform reading habits. A search for Aboriginal literature yields
many results. These results may prove to
be a valuable resource for young adults.
One reason for this is that these results may combat
self-censorship. Self-censorship is not
the explicit banning of materials, but the individual choice of a librarian to
not select certain works (Dillon and Williams, 1994, para. 40). As the stories of minorities, such as
Aborigines are not often told (Hughes-Hassell, 2013, p. 212), it is possible
that self-censorship may have resulted in an under-representation of Aboriginal literature in young people's
library collections. Therefore, the
wealth of material found on Good Reads may give young adults a wider selection
of Aboriginal literature. Another
advantage of Good Reads is that it encompasses books of all genres. Once the audience of this reading guide have
been introduced to Aboriginal literature, their curiosity in other subjects may
be aroused. For example they may be
interested in books concerning other indigenous peoples of the world or other
ethnic minorities. In summary, Good Reads
is a useful destination, not just for Aboriginal literature, but for literature
in general.
2. Dust Echoes
Provided by the ABC, Dust
Echoes is a website that among other features, contains 12 animated Aboriginal
dreamtime stories. The stated aim of the
website is to educate and entertain young people, and to promote respect for
and awareness of Aboriginal culture, particularly their dreamtime stories. As the movies are beautifully animated and
are accompanied by more detailed study guides, this aim is likely to be
reached. The value of this web resource
is further evident in its diversity.
Duthie (2010, p. 87) reports that collections should be as diverse as
possible. Dust Echoes displays this
diversity with its various stories.
These stories demonstrate to young people that Aboriginal culture is not
homogeneous. There are numerous
languages and traditional lands, each with their own tales of dreaming. Dust Echoes may also appeal to the members of
the audience of this reading guide who themselves are Aboriginal. This is because Garrison (2015) asserts that
Indigenous communities have a right to access material that accurately depict
their cultural heritage. Dust Echoes
many detailed stories may contribute to this end. Due to Ridge's (2006, p. 159) observation
that traditional story is a fundamental element of Aboriginal culture, Dust
Echoes is a valuable component of this reading guide.
3. Reading Australia
Created by the Copyright
Agency, Reading Australia is a website whose mission is to make significant
Australian works of literature more readily available for teaching
purposes. It does this by providing
users with a reading list of books that is believed that students should
encounter. This list was selected by the
Australian Society of Authors Council.
The works on the list were chosen on literary merit and on the basis
that they outline Australia's rich cultural identity. Appropriately, Aboriginal Australian
literature features prominently on this list. The selected works are
accompanied by a plot synopsis and a brief biography of the author. Many of the works also have their own
critical essays. The relevance of this
website to this reading guide is that young people can compare and contrast
Aboriginal works with those of other Australian cultures, and thus gain an
insight into how Indigenous materials fit into the literacy landscape of
Australia. What is noteworthy about
Reading Australia is that the selected works are not solely aimed at any one
age group. Junior titles are mixed in
with more adult works. As what qualifies
as young adult literature is not always distinct
(Graham, 2014), this variety may appeal to teenagers as it enables them to
determine reading choices that best suit their own needs.
4. ABC:
Indigenous
This website is the ABC's
Indigenous portal. Here, users can learn
all about contemporary Aboriginal culture, such as television programmes,
radio, movies, art, comedy, music, dance, social issues, and importantly,
literature. There is an array of
reviews of Aboriginal literature, including those aimed at young adults. These reviews are interactive: all users have the ability to submit reviews
of their own. According to Peowski (2010,
p. 26) such a feature may encourage teens to discuss books. Peowski also indicates that, given the
opportunity, young people can become avid book reviewers. For young users of this website who may not
be inclined to write their own reviews, there is a message board. Here these users can ask questions about or
give opinions on Aboriginal literature.
In participating in this message board young people may also be enticed
to explore other aspects of Aboriginal culture that this website provides. These cultural aspects (dance, art, and so
forth) are intimately tied to Aboriginal identity (Sheahan-Bright, 2011, para. 1).
Therefore exposure to these aspects may give young people a more rounded
understanding of Aboriginal Australia than literature alone can provide.
5. Creative Spirits: Aboriginal Poems
Creative
Spirits is a website designed to educate the wider community about Aboriginal
culture and affairs. There is much to explore,
but its section on Aboriginal poetry is relevant to this reading guide. As poetry is an important part of Aboriginal
art (Aboriginal poems, n.d.), it has been decided that one of this guide's
resources be dedicated to poetry. The
poems found on this page deal with a number of subjects, including history,
land, relations with non-Indigenous Australians, the dreamtime, and so
forth. There are various styles of
poetry, and some poems are even accompanied by an audio recitation. Young people interested in poetry are likely
to find works to which they will be attracted.
This may be because Toane and Rothbauer (2014, p. 97) reveal that
learning about and reading poetry are highly social in nature. This could satisfy young peoples' need for
cultivating personal relationships (McDonald, 1984, p. 104). Another benefit of poetry for young adults is
that it can contribute to literacy and language development. DeGroat (2014, abstract) contends that poetry
teaches economy and precision of language and is central to the study of
language. A final feature of this
website is that it allows users to submit poetry of their own, and possibly get
published. Some teens may appreciate this
opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment