2 stars,
I usually love reading books about racism and such but this one was a flop. The main character is a white girl named Rosie who acts like such a brat and even though Nona is mentioned in the title, she is barely in there.
If you want to read a book about racism, I recommend either [b:To Kill a Mockingbird|2657|To Kill a Mockingbird|Harper Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553383690l/2657._SY75_.jpg|3275794] or [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] ( )

This was an interesting exploration of implied and overt racism in a place where two cultures collide. My main beef with this novel is the invisibility of Nona. Although the cover shouts her name, she is an absent character and thus her perspective is missing. It's a bit ironic that, although this novel focuses on racism, the main characters are white and they are the ones with voices. By focussing on Rosie's conflicted emotions and guilt, it makes the narrative all about HER. I think this is a missed opportunity. ( )

Told in alternating year chapters , this is the story of Rosie who grew up with her parents in a Yolongu community where she was accepted as part of Nona's family - so much so, that they called each other sisters. Fast forward from 1995 to 2007, Nona has been living in a very remote community for many years and then suddenly comes back to Rosie's school. Rosie, wanting to appear cool to her new "town" friends, disowns Nona with a comment about them never being sisters.
From here we see Rosie trying to fit in with her new boyfriend and his sister, disowning her hippy mother, and fudging the truth about her distant father who works at another community after divorcing Rosie's mother.
All this set against the backdrop of the Howard governments intervention policy and then Rudd's Sorry day.
As well as the indigenous issues raised, there are the usual underage drinking, will-I-have sex with my boyfriend, lying to parents, friendship clashes and the what-do-I-want-to-with-my-life-after-school questions.
Nice balanced and well written book. ( )

Such a warm and vivid look at friendship and community. I loved it. ( )

Well, this was a disappointment. By about halfway through the book I was looking for the end. Anglo-saxon Rosie narrated the story, but I think it would have been a more powerful novel had her best friend, Aboriginal Nona, had a voice, even if only for the flashbacks. After all, they were supposed to be yapas (sisters) and the book focused on racism, but Nona only had a secondary role. ( )