Top End girl by Miranda Tapsell
Hachette Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9780733642432.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. If you saw the delightful rom-com
movie Top
End wedding you will enjoy this book. If you missed it
at the cinema, check it out on iTunes. It is a joyous upbeat story
of what happens when an Aboriginal girl takes her English fiance to
meet the family before getting married in her home country, the
glorious setting of the Northern Territory and the Tiwi Islands. Top
End girl is Miranda Tapsell's memoir about her life leading up
to the making of the film which she co-wrote and starred in.
Tapsell is a Larrakia and Tiwi girl; she grew up in Kakadu. A
natural performer, she was inspired by a school workshop with Aaron
Pedersen to pursue an acting career, and won a place at the National
Institute of Dramatic Art. It wasn't an easy time, in fact 'a
baptism of fire', overcoming insecurities and finding her voice. But
she made it, leading to a string of acclaimed dramatic performances,
including winning two Logie Awards. In her acceptance speech she
urged for more Aboriginal people on our screens in ways that
transcend race. It was this vision that led to the film project Top
End wedding, a fun and uplifting film highlighting the warmth
of Aboriginal families and the beauty of their country in the Top
End.
The book is written in a conversational style - you can hear her
voice and her laugh. It is easy to read, so any fan of this actor
will enjoy her story. However there is one chapter that stands out
as a serious statement, 'Making things change', where she writes
about the racism and sexism directed towards Aboriginal people and
Aboriginal women in particular, and argues for greater Aboriginal
representation in the film industry, and a wider recognition and
celebration of Aboriginal culture generally. The issues raised in
this chapter would make good classroom discussion topics.
Hopefully her film and book will be an inspiration to young black
actors and filmmakers, and a great promotion of Aboriginal people
and country, both in Australia and internationally.
Themes: Aboriginal actors, Aboriginal films, Romantic comedy, Self
empowerment, Self belief.
Helen Eddy