Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time [Paperback]

I have two daughters and was able to visualize , what if my girls had been in a similar situation.

I first saw the Miramax movie starring Kenneth Branagh, which was based upon this book. I was intrigued enough by the film to read this book. I was not disappointed. This book is certainly a testament to the human spirit. It also reveals the harsh, paternalistic and racist policies that the Australian government imposed upon its Aboriginal population.

In 1931, the Australian government issued an edict that mandated that all Aboriginal and part Aboriginal children were to be forcibly removed from their homes and taken to special settlements where they were to be assimilated. There, while living in inhumane and degrading conditions, they would be taught to be culturally white, would be mandated to speak English only, and would be trained to be domestic help or laborers in white households.

The author tells the reader the story of three young girls, Mollie, Gracie, and Daisy, who had Aboriginal mothers and White fathers. Ranging in age from nine to fifteen years old, the three girls were forcibly removed from their loving families and taken to a special settlement. The girls rebelled against this system, and, homesick, escaped from such a settlement. They left with iterally just the clothes on their back. Their only guide home would be a rabbit-proof fence that stretched for over a thousand miles across Australia.

The girls Aboriginal heritage and survival skills would come in handy throughout their nearly nine week long trek across Australia, as they were forced to subsist on the land and the occasional kindness from strangers. They had to endure thirst, hunger, and danger, while avoiding being caught along the way by professional trackers, police on the lookout for them, and white settlers that were unsympathetic to their situation.

This story is a most personal one for the author, as one of the girls, Molly, is the author's mother. Told in a straightforward, factual manner, it is an incredible story that is an indictment of the Australian government's racist policies against its Aboriginal people and its imperialistic self-proclaimed superiority over them.

Words cannot explain how this story blessed my soul. I love(d) Molly, Gracie, and Daisy as if they were my kids. Molly made me proud and also all schools should teach about Aborigines because I had never heard of them nor their history until I tunred the channel one day. I saw it maybe three times. and said to heck with it because I kept missing the beginning. I said I'm going to order this book because those little angels were amazing. The Canadian reviewer said it best; DO NOT RUSH THROUGH THIS BOOK because this is an extremely important story. I am going to spread awareness obo the Aborignals, the Mardujara tribe, and the people of Jigalong.

Do you realize I finished the book Sunday, and I am now readingit again? I will read the book until I get sick of it; over and over. Now, the movie producer changed a lot of important events around. In the movie Gracie was captured on those tracks, but in the book it stated that DAISY WILLINGLY went with some woman to meet her mother, but a few days later that woman turned her in; the producer meant to say Gracie was caught. The producer mixed Gracie up with Daisy. Gracie is now deceased, so Daisy is the one who was in the film with Molly. Mrs. Pinkerton said this was ONE of the greatest escapes of all time; well she was wrong because THIS WAS IN FACT THEE GREATEST ESCAPE OF ALL TIMES, and in my opinion it was the longst walk EVER IN THE WORLD (not just Australia). No one in the USA has ever walked that far, and in that condition. NEVER! Those babies were mentally strong and I hope the Lord will bless the rest of their days with rest and relaxation. I also hope Mrs. Pinkerton was able to talk the two remaining survivors into going on a nice vacation outside of Austrailia. I doubt it though because at the end of the movie Dgudu said "I'm never leaving this place again--I'm staying right here in Jigalong". God, I love her and the younger sisters/cousins as well. They sure blessed my soul through their courage and willpower.

You must count your blessings people. These women lived a hard life, and then the "Protector" of Aboriginals had the audacity to take Molly and the author later in life. What is this I'll teach you housekeeping mess? I sure wish I could have given that nut a piece of my mind. The US President should have done something to help those lovely people. I guess not though back in the 1940's. Black people were still fighting for their rights. Paul Robeson would have set Mr. Neville and Riggs straightaway! He would have definitely been the Aboriginal's advocate :)

I loved this book, and it was very EDUCATIONAL.

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