Black and Blue
A Memoir of Racism and Resilience
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Black and Blue
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Narrated by:
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Tamala Shelton
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By:
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Veronica Gorrie
About this listen
The story of an Aboriginal woman who worked as a police officer and fought for justice both within and beyond the Australian Police Force.
A proud Gunai/Kurnai woman, Veronica Gorrie grew up dauntless, full of cheek and a fierce sense of justice. After watching her friends and family suffer under a deeply compromised law-enforcement system, Gorrie signed up for training to become one of a rare few Aboriginal police officers in Australia. In her ten years in the force, she witnessed appalling institutional racism and sexism and fought past those things to provide courageous and compassionate service to civilians in need, many Aboriginal themselves.
With a great gift for storytelling and a wicked sense of humour, Gorrie frankly and movingly explores the impact of racism on her family and her life, the impact of intergenerational trauma resulting from cultural dispossession and the inevitable difficulties of making her way in the white- and male-dominated workplace of the police force.
Black and Blue is a memoir of remarkable fortitude and resilience, told with wit, wisdom and great heart.
©2021 Veronica Gorrie (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Pty LtdCritic Reviews
"Loved it. I read it in one sitting - couldn't put it down." (Melissa Lucashenko, author of Too Much Lip)
"This is the read for Australia now...it crackles with urgency. Honestly. I was left with a startling clarity after reading Black and Blue." (Rick Morton, author of My Year of Living Vulnerably)
"Women who have historically been silenced: now more than ever, we need to be reading their stories." (Jessie Tu, Sydney Morning Herald)
What listeners say about Black and Blue
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 22-02-2022
A devastating and incredibly important memoir
A devastating and incredibly important memoir. I had to pull over as I was driving, put my head in my hands and sob more than once, bearing witness to this beautiful, raw and often tragic life and family story. Ultimately, this is an unsentimental, genuine and brilliantly told story of the strength of an incredible woman's love for her children, family, community and identity and most importantly, for herself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Melissa
- 10-02-2022
heart breaking but a deadly read
heart breaking and many tears while reading/listening.
I just don't have anymore words.
a must read
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Currybreath
- 28-04-2022
Brutally honest and Poignant
Veronica generously offers her unique and insightful black and blue lived experiences that I found at times bone chilling sobering, heartbreakingly warming and downright bloody funny. Such an imperative read for all, especially non-Indigenous Australians.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hannah McCauley
- 02-03-2022
Harrowing and powerful.
An at times harrowing account of personal experiences that have no doubt shaped the woman the author has become. The underlying themes of love, resilience and forgiveness made it possible to see this book to the end. Thank you to the author for sharing her story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah Bacaller
- 13-02-2022
Humbling story, heartfelt narration
By the time she was 25, Veronica Gorrie had experienced enough for three lifetimes — and that was before she began policing. A gutsy, gut wrenching and very important story, with a heartfelt and fully invested narration by Tamara Shelton.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emma
- 23-03-2022
A must read!
This book was phenomenal! The author is an amazing person, I am in awe of her and everything she has survived and accomplished. The book is confronting and highlights the deep generational impacts of racism and the ongoing struggle against racist institutions in Australia.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian
- 05-04-2022
A must read
A grueling account of racism in Australia and the Australian police force - hard to listen to... surely much harder to write. A must read for all Australians so we can make a better fairer place for all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jessica Abramovic
- 27-05-2024
Fantastic, heart wrenching biography
Thai story is told on two parts, 'black' which is Gorrie's earlier life growing up Aboriginal, and 'blue' which is her later life as part of the police force. It's a fantastic story with some very heart wrenching, traumatic events. The narration is good although I listened on 1.2X because I found it a bit too slow. A great book to understand the complexities of being First Nations in Australia today and the challenges of the police force as a colonial project.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-02-2024
Black and Blue
I loved this book, it is a truthful story of events and injustices experienced by this amazing First Nation's woman police officer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 26-03-2024
The emotion.
Best memoir I’ve read to date. It evoked so much emotion and had me on the edge of my seat. Women are amazing.
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