I Am Nannertgarrook
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I Am Nannertgarrook
Narrated by:
Tasma Walton
Buy Now for $26.99
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Narrated by:
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Tasma Walton
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By:
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Tasma Walton
About this listen
Shortlisted for the 2025 NiB Literary Award
Based on the true story of Tasma Walton’s ancestor, a powerful, heart-wrenching novel about maternal love that endures against pitiless odds. Kidnapped by sealers and enslaved far from her homeland, Nannertgarrook has a spirit that refuses to bow …
From her idyllic life in sea country in Nerrm (Port Phillip Bay, Victoria), Nannertgarrook is abducted and taken to a slave market, leaving behind a husband, daughter and son. Pregnant when seized, she soon gives birth to another son, whom she raises with the children of her fellow captives.
Nannertgarrook is separated not only from her Boonwurrung family, but from her birthright – the ceremonies she once was so joyously part of, the majestic whales who are her totem, the land and sky and sea country and its creatures. All these things she loves as deeply as she does her blood kin.
But now, as her reality becomes profoundly different, she must keep that family and her old life alive in her mind. Their rich, pulsating elements sing to us through her beautiful voice, even while Nannertgarrook herself is subjected to the worst of humanity. This sweeping novel asks us to consider who, in colonial history, were the real savages, and what it truly means to be civilised.
Critic Reviews
‘A soulful, breathtaking achievement that lyrically weaves a fearless account of the horrors of brutal colonisation with the resilience of First Nations women and an unbreakable connection to Country. Tasma Walton has emerged as a masterful, mesmerising storyteller.’ (Larissa Behrendt)
‘I am Nannertgarrook is a story of both deep time and contemporary resonance. Within these pages a heartbeat runs through Country as it does our bodies. Through exquisite storytelling and with characters of tremendous strength, Tasma Walton brings us a novel charged with love and courage.’ (Tony Birch)
‘Tasma continues our ancient tradition of storytelling with this important story of our stolen women, and their determination to hold family, culture and language so we can one day return and bring their stories home. I Am Nannertgarrook is a story of the Ancestors that is forever written on our Country and hearts.’ (Senior Elder Aunty Gail Kunwarra Dawson)
‘Tasma’s novel connects us all to the stories of our ancestors – their idyllic life on Country before the brutal realities of the not too distant past. This is truth-telling for a future with more humanity than Nannertgarrook could have ever imagined. Tasma’s Old Ones would be very proud.’ (Narelda Jacobs)
‘A beautiful, heart-wrenching story of a proud woman whose world is ripped apart and whose strength, resilience and love rises above the brutality around her. A hidden Australian story that deserves to come into the light.’ (Isla Fisher)
‘Beautiful and evocative storytelling. Joyfully uplifting and utterly heartbreaking in equal measure.’ (Ben Elton)
‘An extraordinary feat. Tasma takes you to a deep time, a world on the cusp of ending, that's both recognisable to us as a conquered land and unknown to most of us – the words and knowledge, and stories of who was there before. I wept through the final chapters at the tragedy of the end of a world, but will hold close the gift Tasma leaves – an understanding of the women who walked the lands I know, and the knowledge and love they held. The way I see the land of my childhood is forever changed.’ (Rachel Griffiths)
‘Tasma Walton’s extraordinary novel is a momentous feat – ancient and urgent all at once. Nannertgarrook’s heart-rending story echoes across time, commemorating and continuing female lore and legacy with a fierce, furious grace, and urging us to listen and learn. And it is impossible not to. This is profoundly visceral and vivid truth-telling that should be compulsory reading for every Australian.’ (Kate Mulvany)
Deeply meaningful and moving
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A truth that needs to be heard
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.