{"product_id":"first-nations-classics-bitin-back-by-vivienne-cleven","title":"'First Nations Classics: Bitin' Back' by Vivienne Cleven","description":"\u003ch4 data-start=\"11\" data-end=\"549\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eVivienne Cleven\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e delivers a sharp, darkly funny coming-of-age story set in a rough Queensland country town.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"11\" data-end=\"549\"\u003eThe novel follows Mavis Dooley, a young Aboriginal girl navigating school, family life, racism, and the relentless social hierarchies of a small community. Cleven writes with a mix of biting humour and blunt realism, capturing the rhythms of regional life—football clubs, gossip, classrooms, and domestic tension—while exposing the everyday violence and absurdities that shape Mavis’s world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"551\" data-end=\"890\"\u003eFirst published in 2001, the novel quickly became one of the most widely read works of contemporary Aboriginal fiction in Australia. Its voice is irreverent, angry, and very funny, refusing sentimental narratives in favour of something sharper: a portrait of resilience forged through wit, defiance, and the stubborn refusal to stay quiet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"892\" data-end=\"1133\"\u003eThis edition appears in the \u003cstrong data-start=\"920\" data-end=\"946\"\u003eFirst Nations Classics\u003c\/strong\u003e series from \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eUniversity of Queensland Press\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, with a new introduction by \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"whitespace-normal\"\u003eMelissa Lucashenko\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, recognising the novel’s lasting place in Australian literary culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44185722093651,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/ScholarsCreatingDigitalMapsofSpinoza_sEthics-2026-03-13T111522.147.png?v=1773361035","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/first-nations-classics-bitin-back-by-vivienne-cleven","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}