Little Bit Long Time

Little Bit Long Time is a poetry collection by Indigenous Australian writer Ali Cobby Eckermann that captures experiences of Aboriginal life and connection to Country. The poems traverse landscapes both physical and emotional, from the red desert to urban spaces. The collection presents themes of family, displacement, and cultural identity through spare, precise language. Eckermann draws on her personal history as a member of the Stolen Generations and her return to ancestral lands. Eckermann's work moves between moments of intimacy and broader observations of Aboriginal Australian experiences. The poems incorporate Indigenous Australian linguistic elements and storytelling traditions. Through these linked verses, the collection examines the enduring impact of colonization while affirming the persistence of Indigenous knowledge and ways of being. The work speaks to concepts of time, memory, and healing that exist outside Western frameworks.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Ali Cobby Eckermann's overall work: Readers connect deeply with Eckermann's raw honesty in depicting Indigenous Australian experiences and intergenerational trauma. Her poetry collections receive particular praise for their accessibility despite tackling complex themes. What readers liked: - Clear, direct writing style that makes difficult topics approachable - Integration of traditional Aboriginal storytelling techniques - Emotional depth in exploring family separation and reunion - Strong sense of place and connection to land - Effective use of both free verse and traditional forms What readers disliked: - Some found the non-linear narrative structure challenging to follow - A few readers wanted more historical context - Some poetry collections viewed as uneven in quality Ratings: Goodreads: - Ruby Moonlight: 4.3/5 (200+ ratings) - Inside My Mother: 4.1/5 (150+ ratings) - Too Afraid to Cry: 4.4/5 (300+ ratings) Amazon reviews praise her "unflinching examination of cultural loss" and "ability to find beauty in painful experiences." Academic reviewers frequently cite her work in discussions of contemporary Indigenous literature.

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe This examination of Indigenous Australian land management and agriculture practices challenges colonial narratives through historical records and research.

Benang by Kim Scott The story follows a man's investigation into his family's history of forced assimilation and cultural erasure in Western Australia.

The Swan Book by Alexis Wright This narrative weaves Indigenous storytelling with climate change themes through the tale of a mute teenager in future Australia.

Ghost River by Tony Birch Two boys navigate their connection to land and community along Melbourne's Yarra River during urban development in the 1960s.

Too Afraid to Cry by Ali Cobby Eckermann This memoir traces the impact of the Stolen Generations through one family's experience of removal and reconnection to culture.

🌿 Ali Cobby Eckermann is a Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal poet who was forcibly removed from her mother as a baby, making her one of Australia's "Stolen Generation" 📚 The collection explores themes of connection to Country (Aboriginal homeland), intergenerational trauma, and cultural healing through a series of deeply personal poems 🏆 Eckermann won the Windham-Campbell Prize for Poetry in 2017, one of the world's richest literary prizes, worth $165,000 🌏 Many poems in the collection were inspired by the author's experiences living in remote Aboriginal communities and reconnecting with her birth mother as an adult 📖 The title "Little Bit Long Time" comes from Aboriginal English, a dialect that expresses Aboriginal concepts of time and connection, where "little bit long time" suggests both permanence and impermanence