Sharon Armas Armas itibaren Hampshire, IL 60140, USA
An interesting read; though I find much of it naive. And, it is a personal account rather than a scholarly critique. Sutton makes some interesting points about dysfunction in Aboriginal communities in remote Australia, and his honest style may "wake up" some colleagues and interested parties to the realities of Indigenous rural Australia. But these points are too frequently lost in a fogg of naive commentary, lacking rigorous analysis. Much of the text is reduced to little more than a collection of personal comments harping on about how bad things are, laced with disingenuous swipes at numerous unnamed opponents who all - seemingly - think in the same idiotic way. It is sad that an anthropologist of his status could have written so poorly on a collection of related issues of such paramount importance. Reading the book, I can't help feeling that Sutton means well, but is overwhelmed by the extent of the social problems that continue to exist in Indigenous communities, races through a series of illogical conclusions and then, defeated and disallusioned, simply gives in; reduced to name calling. Despite the poor quality critique, Sutton's better points are deserving of serious consideration. And certainly his negative polemic makes entertaining reading. I'm glad he has raised the issues, and hope that discussion at a more informed level can take place.
I remember how smoothly the book read and that I finished the book surprised it had read so quickly. His perspective is really supported by many anecdotes that I found really fascinating, but might seem repetitive.i