Walkabout was the very first book I was ever assigned for school. I remember very little of the discussions my class had about the book, but vividly recall almost every page of the book itself. I'm surprised at people saying nothing happens in the book because in my mind, each plot point and each detail of Peter and Mary's interactions with the bush boy stand out clearly even 17-18 years after I read it: Mary clucking like a mother hen around Peter, the bush boy teaching the city kids to get water by sucking reeds, the bush boy trying to communicate with the city kids and vice versa, Mary giving the bush boy her underpants, the frenzied eerie ceremonial dance which is the precursor to tragedy, the bush boy realizing Mary is a girl and tossing her the heaviest load to carry, the kids eating a rock wallaby... It was all so well done and so very memorable.I went in knowing absolutely nothing about Australia, this book was my introduction to words like "outback" and "wallaby". But I never felt lost while reading it, not even in the beginning, which is a testment to the clarity of the prose.The only reason I'm not giving this book more stars is because it also scarred me a little. Mary, you see, is such a wet blanket. Decidedly the Uncool One, the one who clings to meaningless symbols of civilization at the expense of the more meaningful aspects of it, the one most in need of a lesson, the one who is systematically stripped of her power and self-esteem throughout the course of the book, both by the characters and by the narrative. I didn't grow up seeing a lot of strong female characters in the media - I grew up in India in the 1980s, I had never seen or read a book with a female protagonist before. Walkabout's Mary was the FIRST real (i.e. independent) happily-female character (unlike George in Famous Five) I ever read about who was powerful and clearly a protagonist ... as it turned out, only in the beginning. Then the whole point of the story turned out to be to strip her of power and utterly destroy her. I was immensely frustrated with Mary and immensely ashamed of myself by the end of her story. It didn't help that the boys in my class were totally gloating by the end, reading out loud their essays that talked about how this book showed them Mary being a "typical emotional weak girl" and how it fell to boys to show her the way to live and survive. To this day I can't think of Walkabout without that twinge of shame and depression. Then there is the question of racism which is something I only see in the book in retrospect. The book employs the well-worn "noble savage" stereotype in its depiction of the bush boy, often in a direct authorial explanation rather than any "showing" incidents. The moment when the bush boy tosses a heavy load for Mary to carry is actually his most human moment, THE only one where he isn't acting the part of earth-mother native helping white folks. And then, even though the book is called "Walkabout" and it is the bush boy who is on this journey toward manhood, he dies and the journey to manhood becomes Peter's instead. It would have been so easy to avert it but of course the dark skinned helper must die to further the white heroes' journey. Really sad. The book is at kids' reading level but because of the potentially sexist and racist message contained in it, I would NOT recommend it to any kids. So, two stars.
2009 bookcrossing journal:I suppose I am doing this the wrong way around as I have already seen the film and now I am reading the book - don't they say you should always read the book first because it usually is better than the film? In this case I preferred the film to be quite honest. It was a bit darker, grittier somehow - maybe not for children though with a father trying to kill his kids, and then a suicide... but it was interesting to read this book to see where it had all come from. And this particular copy is a bit dark anyway because someone seems to have stabbed the sillhouete of the aborigine lad through the heart on the cover!The story of the outback and the journey across the different Australian landscapes, and how they survived was quite interesting. Are we all taking notes in case we get stranded out there? Now, I know it's a product of it's time and as it's aimed at kids, it's got to be a bit more simplistic, but I really could have given Mary a slap at times - obsessed with her white supremacy and civilised ways of planning to save the heathen from himself with frilly knickers. And they couldn't survive out there on their own, so who was the most intelligent and capable at the end of the day? I suppose it would have been a big culture shock for her, coming from southern USA of the 50s to having to rely on a naked black man to save her. And her little brother was more willing to adapt and learn from the lad - whether that was because he was younger and less corrupted by society or because he was male, who knows. And was this supposed to be some random little tale of the colonisation of the USA by Europeans, killing off the natives with the common cold, told in a tale of three people? Moan moan moan... all right, I did quite enjoy the book anyway, and it's not exactly a tome. I would tell people not to let this put them off seeing the film, as it is quite different, and much better.I actually recently read a short story by a writer I've forgotten the name of; the story was called "Pretty Dick". I do seem to be championing Australian short stories at the moment. Anyway, that was about a little lad who got lost in the Australian bush (different circumstances etc) which was very good, and very evocative of the Australian outback.
Do You like book Walkabout (1979)?
This is a book about an American girl & her brother that get lost in the Australian outback. They join up with a Aboriginal boy that leads them out of the desert & teaches them how to survive.The following quote speaks volumes:"(the white man) had climbed a long way up the latter of progress; they had climbed so far, in fact, that they had forgotten how their climb had started. Coddled in babyhood, psychoanalyzed in childhood, nourished on predigested patent foods, provided with continuous push-button entertainment, the basic realities of life were something they'd never had to face."This really describes our society. We think that we have come a long way, but it makes us totally dependent on industrialism. I don't think that industrialism is bad, but what if modern things, like food production & pharmaceuticals, were taken away, how would we survive? I didn't realize how dependent I am on simple things. I wouldn't know how to survive in the wilderness, or even in my home if there were no grocery store. It would benefit my family and me if I were to learn things to help us be more self-sufficient.
—Leslie
1. Penguin,Level22.10/29=70minutes3.bush,desert,food,water,naked,Aborigine,river4."For the bush boy, and for his tribe, there was a life plan. You were born, and then youwalked with your tribe. After that, you walked alone, on your walkabout. Then you were a man, and you lived with a woman. And after that, you died. It never changed. That was life."In the world of Aborigine, this is a tradition. I thought there are various traditions in the world.5.In this story, two American children lost in the Australian bush, and they met Aboriginal boy. I learned the Aboriginal tradtion: walkabout, through reading this book.
—Takuma Kusagawa
I've read this book numerous times and I still can't get over how beautifully written it is by Marshall about the vastness of Australia's wilderness. The description of the wildlife nature is incredibly intricate which I enjoyed very much. The relationship between the children and the Aborigine boy was simply admirable and touching. The poignant part where the Aborigine boy convinced himself that he was going to die made me think of how fragile, yet how powerful our minds can be, that it can be self-constructive and self-destructive. This book portrays the huge contrast between the "civilised" society that we know of, and the tribal, natural way of life of the Aborigines'. A good escapism, adventurous book that I recommend anyone to read!
—Babita
