I had read a variety of reviews before beginning the book Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor, so I wasn't precisely sure what to anticipate. Boori Pryor's career path in the Australian Aboriginal culture is described in the book Maybe Tomorrow, which recounts his story. Early in the book, the author mentions the loss of his sister, brother, and cousin. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that this is a common experience for most aboriginal people. Pryor keeps taking us on a journey through his life and the culture and history of the Australian aboriginal people. The primary purpose of Boori Pryor’s book is not about his life, but to encourage the “white men,” or rather the Australian white society to understand the aboriginal people and their culture. Besides, the author wants the Aboriginal people to realize their importance and that of their culture in the society by trusting in their roots and where they come from. Pryor writes that during his adolescent, the “Aboriginal people weren’t regarded as Australians. The struggle for my people even to be regarded as human beings was intense.” According to this passage, it is evident that the aboriginal people in Australia faced a lot of resistance from the white society to be accepted as Australian citizens. The author had to suffer the consequences of not being born white in a segregated racial society. The white man’s perception of the Aborigines was not good.
Pryor’s book narrates events that happened in the past about the aboriginal people. The author explains how it is vital to understand and respect the indigenous population in the society and to be honest, I concur with the author’s message. This is a reconciliation message not only to the Australians but also to the whole world as it is a perfect epitome of how a society should be run to solve the never-ending conflicts and race issues. Currently, many nations are at war with each other for no valid reasons, and the author’s message to these countries is reconciliation and respect to maintain peace and unity. Pryor has been through a lot in his journey of life as he narrates in the story, but one outstanding thing about everything else is how he handles the situation with humor and compassion. In fact, the author is clear on the issue of respect for other people regardless of their culture, race, religion, and identities.
The style of the book Maybe Tomorrow is that of a conversation from one topic to the other. Pryor casually narrates his life experiences and the record of some of the family members and friends and the hardships they had to undergo as aboriginals in Australia. The language used in the autobiographical novel is succinct and real, making it humorous with its conversational style. The author has been through many painful experiences, but the language and style he uses in his narrations say otherwise about it. From this, we learn that we should be real and open about situations and learn to confront them with love and as we maintain a calm atmosphere for peace to prevail. Therefore, the style and language in the book portray a spirit of love and generosity despite the ugly treatment received by the aborigines.
At some point, Boor Pryor notes that we should always be happy about ourselves and where we come from and where we live. This is evident in the passage “To feel happy about yourself you must feel happy about the place you live in.” To be honest, I agree with Pryor because today, several young people run away from their homes and culture because they are not happy with their families or where they come from and this is absurd. In relation to the book, we learn that home is always the best place to be with our family, Moreover, we should learn to appreciate and embrace our culture and identity and this brings confidence in making our future better. In addition, Maybe Tomorrow teaches the readers never to accept failure but to keep on moving despite how ugly the situation is and this is evident through the passage “You can’t fall down. You fall down, you die.” Therefore, in this book, it is apparent that, no matter what happens, just like Pryor, we should never give up, we should focus on fighting on no matter what obstacles we face because there is always a way out at the end of everything.
My favorite character in the book “Maybe Tomorrow” is the author himself Boori Monty Pryor. Pryor struggles greatly to gain an identity in the Australian society by challenging their perception on the aborigines. The author went through many setbacks in his journey in search of a career path. However, since his family was central to his life, he found strength in them in times of need and for this reason; he never gave up on his dreams. He says, “Being part of the group is all important” meaning his extended family that was his source of support. Moreover, he adds, “having a strong family unit, we drew strength from each other in the difficult times” meaning as a family, they were always together despite their problems. Through this, I learned that family is very important and the elders are crucial role models in everything we do because they are our pillars who give us strength to push on. In fact, the author puts it that if we fail to respect and listen to our elders, we will not survive at all. Despite facing tenuous relationships with the white people and their culture, Pryor and his family stayed together and supported each other, in times of need which an important aspect in the novel.
In relation to the portrayal of the family in the novel, it is evident that family played a significant position in the life of the narrator. According to Pryor, we should always turn to our family when we need guidance and encouragement. Today, times have changed because many people prefer to stay away from their families, but after reading this book, we truly understand how the family is essential in our journey of life. I agree that family is significant as emphasized in the story and this should be accentuated in our today’s societies.
There is a lot to be learned from Boori Monty Pryor’s book Maybe Tomorrow. It gives the readers an understanding on the Australian aboriginal culture, the difficulties people face from the white Australians, and the coping and adaptation strategies to live with the white Australians. In addition, we learn that family is important and that elders should be respected at all times. If I know about the basics of the aboriginal/indigenous Australian culture, it is because of Pryor’s book Maybe Tomorrow. This book has given me good insights about the culture, traditions, and the life of the Aboriginal Australians. The story is captivating because even though it is full of pain and misfortunes, Boori Pryor narrates it with hope, humor, and an uplifting voice that gives the readers who are in the same situation as him to have hope.
Nonetheless, with just reading a few chapters, I was in a disagreement as to why the book is classified as children/adolescent literature. With the horrific tragedies and the death and suffering present in the novel, I found it hard to imagine how the young people can relate to the unfolding events of the story. However, as the story progressed, I quickly realized that I was very wrong because I realized how relevant the book “Maybe Tomorrow” is to the young people today. The characters in the novel mirror the struggles many aboriginal young people face in the society as they struggle to become important people in their lives. Through the life of the author, readers both young and old are enlightened of the time in the Australian history where the aborigines struggled to be recognized as humans by the white population. Through the book, young people will learn about their history as well as how to deal with certain situations in their lives. Moreover, we learn that elders are vital for our prosperity, and for this reason, we should respect and listen to their advice. Maybe Tomorrow is a story that reflects what several teenagers and youths go through and for this reason, it is an informative and challenging book for young readers. Therefore, to say that I like this book alone will be an understatement because Pryor’s conversational story telling is captivating and it creates an impactful and meaningful account of the lives of aboriginals in Australia and how they fought to be recognized as citizens.
I have thought hard and long to come up with a reason to discredit the book or rather admit that I did not like it but this is more challenging to me. After I finished reading the book, I honestly agree that there is nothing and I repeat completely nothing I disliked about the book because of its captivating conversations from one story to another. While I may say that I did not like the fact that Pryor faced the pangs of death at a tender age, I still insist that he never focused on the pains, rather he focused on making things better than they were. In fact, I saw parts of myself in the author as I read the novel. I saw Pryor’s zeal to make things happen by preaching reconciliation despite the hardships he had to go through. I felt very connected to him because I am one person who never wants to dwell in the past because I always focus on the good the past painful events can bring in the future and this is exactly what Boori Pryor was focused on.
Overall, Maybe Tomorrow is a deeply moving, provocative, and a special book about the success and failures, and the life of the author told in an enthralling and uplifting way. It has a sensational insight about the indigenous and modern Australia. Pryor is an engaging author and an incredible public speaker who explores his triumphs and tragedies in the indigenous Australian culture and how he dedicates his life to reconciliation and reclaiming his Aboriginality. Boori Pryor’s Maybe Tomorrow is a treasure that no one should miss out. It is evident that the author and his family undergo a series of tragedies and intimidations, but despite everything, Pryor preaches mutual respect and reconciliation. In addition, he puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of family and the respect for the elders. He is never angry at anything because all he does is give a poignant emotional appeal for reconciliation and hope and I recommend this book for any reader who is interested in knowing about what transpires between the White Australian people and the Aboriginals together with their cultures.
Bibliography
French, Freida. "Telling stories in Australia: The Depiction of Aboriginal People in Contemporary Young Adult Literature." Access 16, no. 3 (2002): 16.
Foster, John. "White voices/black voices: Indigenous children’s literature." Bush, City, Cyberspace: The Development of Australian Children’s Literature into the 21st Century (2005): 37.
Linning, Lyn. "Aboriginality and cultural identity: some recent texts: review essay." English in Australia 124 (1999): 64.
Pryor, Boori, and McDonald Meme. Maybe Tomorrow. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin: Revised edition, 2010.
