What do you think?
Rate this book
Shauna's Great Expectations
A fresh and compelling novel about an Aboriginal scholarship student and her surprising final year of school.
Shauna is in her final year at an elite private school and has great expectations. She holds an Indigenous scholarship and is determined to be the first member of her family to go to university, no matter what. The year is off to an excellent start and she and her friends are dreaming big about life after school and planning a trip to Paris.
But suddenly she finds she must make a choice that threatens to throw all her plans into disarray. As pressure builds from every corner of her world, Shauna wonders what she'll have to sacrifice to keep hold of her dreams… Can she fulfil her own promise and still keep her promises to others? Will all her expectations be ripped away?
Shauna is in her final year at an elite private school and has great expectations. She holds an Indigenous scholarship and is determined to be the first member of her family to go to university, no matter what. The year is off to an excellent start and she and her friends are dreaming big about life after school and planning a trip to Paris.
But suddenly she finds she must make a choice that threatens to throw all her plans into disarray. As pressure builds from every corner of her world, Shauna wonders what she'll have to sacrifice to keep hold of her dreams… Can she fulfil her own promise and still keep her promises to others? Will all her expectations be ripped away?
308 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2019
2 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 22, 2019
RTC upon posting date for the AusYABloggers blog tour :) thank you AusYABloggers and Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of this book to review, and arranging the tour, respectively!
February 22, 2019
Lots of good here.
Review to come.
Review to come.
May 15, 2019
Shauna is in her final year at her prestigious Sydney private school, determined to make the most of her Indigenous scholarship and become the first person in her family to attend university. Living away from home, feeling disconnected from her sense of country and land, Shauna feels the expectations placed upon her and eventually, something has to give.
Shauna's Great Expectations will ignite discussion about the choices we make as females and the pressure placed upon ourselves by our selves and others. Women should have control over their bodies and any decisions or choices regarding their bodies, including abortion.
Australian literature written by Indigenous authors is a cause for celebration. Especially in young adult literature, Indigenous characters are often written from the white author lens, not able to experience micro aggressions or casual racism towards our First Nations communities. Shauna's strength and determination as a young Indigenous woman is wonderful.
Shauna's Great Expectations will ignite discussion about the choices we make as females and the pressure placed upon ourselves by our selves and others. Women should have control over their bodies and any decisions or choices regarding their bodies, including abortion.
Australian literature written by Indigenous authors is a cause for celebration. Especially in young adult literature, Indigenous characters are often written from the white author lens, not able to experience micro aggressions or casual racism towards our First Nations communities. Shauna's strength and determination as a young Indigenous woman is wonderful.
May 17, 2019
Every First Nations girl in Australia should read this book. I love it for its vivacity, its big ideas and its commitment to life and First Nations peoples.
Themes include:
Self-help has to be based on the individual. The group is the gift of its individuals. If you develop yourself and pursue your dreams in life and become what you can become, then that becomes the gift you make to the group.
Abortion culture in Australia: teenagers who can cope with motherhood should be supported, not bullied into ending their pregnancies. If you are really pro-choice, you should support young mums. Giving birth is a good choice.
Racism is usually pedalled by those with very little real power, like Keli.
Intelligence and industriousness lead to success and are the best antidote to nepotism and racism.
This is a genuinely uplifting book that explores some of the most important issues of our time in a (usually) nuanced way.
Themes include:
Self-help has to be based on the individual. The group is the gift of its individuals. If you develop yourself and pursue your dreams in life and become what you can become, then that becomes the gift you make to the group.
Abortion culture in Australia: teenagers who can cope with motherhood should be supported, not bullied into ending their pregnancies. If you are really pro-choice, you should support young mums. Giving birth is a good choice.
Racism is usually pedalled by those with very little real power, like Keli.
Intelligence and industriousness lead to success and are the best antidote to nepotism and racism.
This is a genuinely uplifting book that explores some of the most important issues of our time in a (usually) nuanced way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2019
Five-star story with a brilliant, kick-arse Aboriginal heroine, who rejects the cult of victimhood to seize what she deserves.
May 1, 2019
This book was a real surprise find. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and from an Aussie author to boot. Well written, engaging characters and dialogue, and thought provoking. I hope the author writes more books this good!
October 21, 2020
Really disliked this book and it's anti-abortion rhetoric that overshadowed what I think could have been an amazing addition to Australian YA. The market needs more YA books about Indigenous characters by Indigenous authors, but I couldn't find anything that stated Loughnan is Indigenous which seemed quite suspicious for me. There were far too many unrealistic reactions included in this novel. Many of the issues were not resolved and often just conveniently forgotten about.
May 11, 2019
An Australian YA fiction by an Aboriginal author, featuring a strong female Aboriginal lead. Shauna is attending an elite private school in Sydney on an Indigenous scholarship, living away from her parents and country. She is in her final year, after working through so many the challenges to get to this much pressured achievement of ATAR from a prestigious school and the future that that may bring - being away from home, a significant family loss, the weight and expectations of her cultural difference, plus all the regular experiences of living in a dorm and being at an all girl's school.
This is a hard one to talk about without revealing spoilers - and the "choice that threatens to throw all her plans in disarray" is best served to the reader as Loughnan intended.
This YA coming of age and end of school is about owning your decisions, staying true to what's in your heart, about friendship and standing by your friends and school foes, and realising that everyone is going through their own battles. It also highlights the importance of giving people a chance, and the value of a supportive network of friends, family and mentors.
It did challenge me as a White Australian reader to test some underlying biases, and has me thinking still on the many issues raised. The markers of a well aimed message!
This is a hard one to talk about without revealing spoilers - and the "choice that threatens to throw all her plans in disarray" is best served to the reader as Loughnan intended.
This YA coming of age and end of school is about owning your decisions, staying true to what's in your heart, about friendship and standing by your friends and school foes, and realising that everyone is going through their own battles. It also highlights the importance of giving people a chance, and the value of a supportive network of friends, family and mentors.
It did challenge me as a White Australian reader to test some underlying biases, and has me thinking still on the many issues raised. The markers of a well aimed message!
May 18, 2019
An insightful and important coming of age story with a strong indigenous female protagonist who sends a powerful message to those of marginalised backgrounds. This book reminded me of a more recent "Looking for Alibrandi" whereby Shauna is the indigenous minority who is on a scholarship in an elite school having to deal with racism and discrimination due to her background. Shauna's determination in life was what I found to be her strength and whilst she is subjected to having to deal with negativity around her and live with a life choice that can influence her next life decisions, it was interesting to see how Shauna went about her choices and how she tries to be true to herself. A compelling indigenous voice, a great book and very eye opening!!! Special thanks to Allen and Unwin Publishers for sending me a review copy of this book and to AusYABloggers for having me on board for their Instagram Tour.
May 13, 2019
Giving yourself the chance to find your own identity amongst all the trials and tribulations of being a teenager is tough. And on top of this, our title character, Shauna, had to maintain her Aboriginal scholarship at an elite private girl’s school, battle the ignorance of others and deal with an unplanned pregnant. Talk about having a hard go of things!
Firstly, Loughnan deals with some difficult and challenging issues, whilst still keeping the lens of her storytelling firmly in the adolescent mindset. As an avid YA reader (and a high school English teacher!), I find that a few authors try to ‘preach’ a particular point of view by telling their audience what to think. And as someone who is around teenagers everyday, I can assure you, they do not like to be told what to think! Loughnan manages to instigate a discussion about race, abortion and intense academic pressure by having Shauna’s voice carry the main perspective. Though Shauna can be quite stubborn (and immature!), her take on the issues is more authentic and genuine, as we actually see her acknowledge her flawed opinions and change.
Secondly, the characters are far from perfect. Teenagers do not always need to see perfection on the page (or the screen!). They need to see characters that are like them. Shauna, for instance, is stubborn, and at times, unrelenting in her one-sided view of others – especially in regards to Olivia and her mother. Jill has a bit of a one-track mind and goes about doing things the wrong way, but ultimately has her best friend’s happiness at heart. Nathan loves Shauna and his reaction to her telling him she is pregnant is selfish but understandable. They are real, and I’m sure the teenage audience who reads this book will recognise some of their characteristics in themselves and their friends.
Thirdly, the writing is real. It is understandable. It isn’t flowery. It reads true.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and am looking forward to putting my copy of the novel on my classroom bookshelf!
Thank you @allenandunwin for gifting me a copy to review!
Firstly, Loughnan deals with some difficult and challenging issues, whilst still keeping the lens of her storytelling firmly in the adolescent mindset. As an avid YA reader (and a high school English teacher!), I find that a few authors try to ‘preach’ a particular point of view by telling their audience what to think. And as someone who is around teenagers everyday, I can assure you, they do not like to be told what to think! Loughnan manages to instigate a discussion about race, abortion and intense academic pressure by having Shauna’s voice carry the main perspective. Though Shauna can be quite stubborn (and immature!), her take on the issues is more authentic and genuine, as we actually see her acknowledge her flawed opinions and change.
Secondly, the characters are far from perfect. Teenagers do not always need to see perfection on the page (or the screen!). They need to see characters that are like them. Shauna, for instance, is stubborn, and at times, unrelenting in her one-sided view of others – especially in regards to Olivia and her mother. Jill has a bit of a one-track mind and goes about doing things the wrong way, but ultimately has her best friend’s happiness at heart. Nathan loves Shauna and his reaction to her telling him she is pregnant is selfish but understandable. They are real, and I’m sure the teenage audience who reads this book will recognise some of their characteristics in themselves and their friends.
Thirdly, the writing is real. It is understandable. It isn’t flowery. It reads true.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and am looking forward to putting my copy of the novel on my classroom bookshelf!
Thank you @allenandunwin for gifting me a copy to review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2019
4.5/5 - HIGHLY recommended.
I should have guessed it from the title, but this book wasn't what I was expecting at all.
Shauna, a bright Aboriginal scholarship student, is in Year 12 when she gets some news that promises to wreak havoc her well-laid plans. It seems like all her hard work and struggle throughout high school will go to waste. There is an obvious solution to her dilemma, but she shuns it on moral grounds, and she pays the price for taking a stand.
The characters in this book, especially the three Aboriginal girls - Shauna, Lou-Anne and Olivia - are so vividly drawn that, as a white Australian with no Aboriginal friends or neighbours, I wish I could meet them. The book has some heavy issues, a great deal for the one book, but Shauna's voice is so strong, compelling and often hilarious that the reader is pulled through them. I don't think any reader could fail to be affected by this story, and the polarised ratings and reviews suggest that people are being impacted one way or another. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've put it down.
Classic Aussie YA, raw, haunting and beautiful, but not for the fainthearted.
I should have guessed it from the title, but this book wasn't what I was expecting at all.
Shauna, a bright Aboriginal scholarship student, is in Year 12 when she gets some news that promises to wreak havoc her well-laid plans. It seems like all her hard work and struggle throughout high school will go to waste. There is an obvious solution to her dilemma, but she shuns it on moral grounds, and she pays the price for taking a stand.
The characters in this book, especially the three Aboriginal girls - Shauna, Lou-Anne and Olivia - are so vividly drawn that, as a white Australian with no Aboriginal friends or neighbours, I wish I could meet them. The book has some heavy issues, a great deal for the one book, but Shauna's voice is so strong, compelling and often hilarious that the reader is pulled through them. I don't think any reader could fail to be affected by this story, and the polarised ratings and reviews suggest that people are being impacted one way or another. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've put it down.
Classic Aussie YA, raw, haunting and beautiful, but not for the fainthearted.
May 17, 2019
Some other reviewer has said it was an 'authentic' teen voice but to me it was overwhelmingly a middle-aged lady with a barrow to push and a packed agenda. Lots of strong opinions are beaten about the reader's head, particularly that Indigenous Australians don't care about the date of Australia Day and lots of anti-abortion rhetoric.
It is so hard to come across an Indigenous Australian main character, I really wanted to like this book. There are a lot of issues explored that make it a passable read, however the preachy/nag aspects of it made it a real drudge to get through at some points.
It is so hard to come across an Indigenous Australian main character, I really wanted to like this book. There are a lot of issues explored that make it a passable read, however the preachy/nag aspects of it made it a real drudge to get through at some points.
September 4, 2025
I have so many things to say and not enough space to say them. Our exam on this book is supposed to be 3-7 pages long. I fear our lecturer (T-redacted, for my fellow classmates) will be reading a lot more than that.
August 7, 2019
Let me start by saying, I think this should be mandatory reading for all year 10-12 students in Australia (provided it's supported by the appropriate conversations and dissections). Because of the level of nuance in this book, I had a hard time deciding what to rate it. It definitely needs to be consumed critically, but that doesn't mean it's not a good book. I think I fall somewhere around a 3.5 star area for this book. It's a young adult fiction that looks at the life of Shauna, a year 12 Indigenous girl at a private boarding school in Sydney. Shauna's on an Indigenous scholarship and is on track to be the first girl on that scholarship to actually graduate the school.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Shauna finds out a few months into her final year that she's pregnant. She has no idea what to do, feels completely overwhelmed, and tries to balance up a variety of factors in her life (hopes and dreams, personal feelings towards abortion, family circumstances, her own personality and priorities) to make a choice that works for her.
I have to say, the author is pretty heavy handed with her own politics, but that's nothing unusual for YA, it's riddled with heavy handed politics. I think this was jarring for me because I didn't necessarily agree with them, but they're still important themes to explore. That includes things like: society encourages teen girls to have abortions, teenage pregnancy is not necessarily a bad thing, the attitudes held by Aboriginal people and their communities can be as harmful as white society, education is critical for ending disadvantage, it's important not to give up on people who may need multiple chances to grow and develop, particularly if they're from a disadvantaged background, people can surprise you, the hypocraricy of religion re: teen pregnancies (i.e. you're more harshly punished for a visible pregnancy than an invisible abortion), access and affordability of healthcare. Some of the author's takes are just plain wrong (disagrees with research) but some are really, really thought provoking. I won't go into my thoughts on all of them, but I do think it's a conversation starter, and that alone makes it worth reading.
My major complaint is that it paints so much within the protagonist's control that, in reality, probably wouldn't be, and I object a little to the message that sends, btu then I think about other YA books and, you know what, they're equally as implausible, so let's just roll with it.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Shauna finds out a few months into her final year that she's pregnant. She has no idea what to do, feels completely overwhelmed, and tries to balance up a variety of factors in her life (hopes and dreams, personal feelings towards abortion, family circumstances, her own personality and priorities) to make a choice that works for her.
I have to say, the author is pretty heavy handed with her own politics, but that's nothing unusual for YA, it's riddled with heavy handed politics. I think this was jarring for me because I didn't necessarily agree with them, but they're still important themes to explore. That includes things like: society encourages teen girls to have abortions, teenage pregnancy is not necessarily a bad thing, the attitudes held by Aboriginal people and their communities can be as harmful as white society, education is critical for ending disadvantage, it's important not to give up on people who may need multiple chances to grow and develop, particularly if they're from a disadvantaged background, people can surprise you, the hypocraricy of religion re: teen pregnancies (i.e. you're more harshly punished for a visible pregnancy than an invisible abortion), access and affordability of healthcare. Some of the author's takes are just plain wrong (disagrees with research) but some are really, really thought provoking. I won't go into my thoughts on all of them, but I do think it's a conversation starter, and that alone makes it worth reading.
My major complaint is that it paints so much within the protagonist's control that, in reality, probably wouldn't be, and I object a little to the message that sends, btu then I think about other YA books and, you know what, they're equally as implausible, so let's just roll with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2019
I'm giving this 4 stars but my thoughts are still a bit jumbled. On face value I love this novel. It has a strong, smart, contemporary, Aboriginal protagonist - and we need more of that. Definitely a text for the Senior Fiction collection as it also deals with teen pregnancy and abortion. I think the author tries to be pro-choice ... but I'm not sure she quite gets there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2020
This here is some anti-abortion bullshit.
Read
March 25, 2022
Trigger & Content Warnings
Racism
Anti-abortion rhetoric (theme)
Racism
Anti-abortion rhetoric (theme)
October 1, 2020
4.5 stars
This was the first book I've read that explored Aboriginal culture and I absolutely loved it. If you strip it back, the plot seems a bit basic and maybe even unoriginal to an extent, but there were so many elements that gave it a unique edge. As a Brit living in Australia, Indigenous history is something I know little about, and I'm determined to change that through the medium I love and connect with best, which is novels. Shauna's background, her opinions, and her treatment from others were all explored, which added a completely different perspective to the choice she was faced with. The topic was sensitively tackled in a serious way but with lightheartedness and dry humour sprinkled throughout. I loved the writing style and the characters and was totally sucked into Shauna's boarding school life. It was light yet complex, and moved me more than I was expecting. It has given me a completely new outlook on how people who don't conform to certain expectations are treated and discriminated against. A powerful novel that should not be underestimated.
Rating breakdown
Plot/narrative - 4.1
Writing style/readability - 4.6
Characters - 4.6
Diverse themes - 4.6
Ending - 4.3
Overall - 4.4
This was the first book I've read that explored Aboriginal culture and I absolutely loved it. If you strip it back, the plot seems a bit basic and maybe even unoriginal to an extent, but there were so many elements that gave it a unique edge. As a Brit living in Australia, Indigenous history is something I know little about, and I'm determined to change that through the medium I love and connect with best, which is novels. Shauna's background, her opinions, and her treatment from others were all explored, which added a completely different perspective to the choice she was faced with. The topic was sensitively tackled in a serious way but with lightheartedness and dry humour sprinkled throughout. I loved the writing style and the characters and was totally sucked into Shauna's boarding school life. It was light yet complex, and moved me more than I was expecting. It has given me a completely new outlook on how people who don't conform to certain expectations are treated and discriminated against. A powerful novel that should not be underestimated.
Rating breakdown
Plot/narrative - 4.1
Writing style/readability - 4.6
Characters - 4.6
Diverse themes - 4.6
Ending - 4.3
Overall - 4.4
November 14, 2020
The boarding school story reminded me alot of Malory Towers by Enid Blyton, only this has a darker and more real-life theme. Teenage pregnancy, abortion and racism are all touchy subjects and I thought the author managed to drive home her points pretty well. The part about Jenny standing up to Shauna reminded me when Neville stood up to the trio and what Dumbledore said when he awarded house points to Neville. 'There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.' I would have given this 5 star if a glossary with the meaning of the Australian slangs, and a map showing all the places mentioned were provided.
August 29, 2021
If there is one thing I could do with this book, it would be to sneak it into the school library of the private religious school I went to.
August 5, 2021
📖Review: Shauna’s Great Expectations📖
By: Kathleen Loughnan
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ • ✨/ 5
[TW: strong anti-abortion messages (including shaming those who believe in pro-choice and abortions), sexual abuse (by a parent), abuse while in the foster system, bullying, racism and racial slurs]
🟢 What I liked:
↪️ Discussions of racism in Australia: Shauna is an #OwnVoices Indigenous Australian and I enjoyed the way in which Loughnan explored this
🔴 What I didn’t like:
↪️ Extreme anti-abortion messages: I was actually quite shocked when the anti-abortion messages started. Shauna (and other characters) shamed others through her strong opinions on abortion (there will be an example of this at the bottom of the review which is quite intense). This message 100% overshadowed what should have been an important and amazing addition to #LoveOzYa by an Indigenous Australian author
↪️ Unrealistic dialogue and relationships: this is one of my biggest pet peeves in YA books – adult writers who think teenagers talk like middle-aged people with nothing more interesting than our dying gardens and boring jobs. Seriously, I’m over it
By: Kathleen Loughnan
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ • ✨/ 5
[TW: strong anti-abortion messages (including shaming those who believe in pro-choice and abortions), sexual abuse (by a parent), abuse while in the foster system, bullying, racism and racial slurs]
🟢 What I liked:
↪️ Discussions of racism in Australia: Shauna is an #OwnVoices Indigenous Australian and I enjoyed the way in which Loughnan explored this
🔴 What I didn’t like:
↪️ Extreme anti-abortion messages: I was actually quite shocked when the anti-abortion messages started. Shauna (and other characters) shamed others through her strong opinions on abortion (there will be an example of this at the bottom of the review which is quite intense). This message 100% overshadowed what should have been an important and amazing addition to #LoveOzYa by an Indigenous Australian author
↪️ Unrealistic dialogue and relationships: this is one of my biggest pet peeves in YA books – adult writers who think teenagers talk like middle-aged people with nothing more interesting than our dying gardens and boring jobs. Seriously, I’m over it
September 15, 2025
i wish i could give this negative stars, uni reading
May 17, 2019
Shauna’s Great Expectations - Book Review
This book follows 17 year old Shauna, who holds an Indigenous scholarship at Oakholme College a private school where she boards.
Shauna wants to prove to everyone that Aboriginals are just as hard working as everybody else and it shows how smart she truly is.
Seeing how differently Indigenous people are treated is truly heartbreaking, to see it from the point of view of Shauna and how this makes her feel definitely brings everything into perspective.
A line at the beginning I Love is, “we just want to be acknowledged, not as Aboriginal Australians, but as Australians.”
If people would just listen then the community wouldn’t feel this way. This is their home and they deserve to be treated as everybody else.
I love how diverse all the characters are and how they all stick together through the bullying that occurs which the school turns a blind eye to. This shows how even the school doesn’t care.
I feel this book should be on the curriculum at schools to show how no matter how many times somebody tries to tear you down, you should always get back up. It speaks of following your dreams and never backing down. It also speaks of hard truths, loss of family, abortion, family, and not judging a book by its cover.
A 4 star read ⭐️
Thank you Allen and Unwin and Aus YA Bloggers for gifting me this wonderful novel to read and review.
This book follows 17 year old Shauna, who holds an Indigenous scholarship at Oakholme College a private school where she boards.
Shauna wants to prove to everyone that Aboriginals are just as hard working as everybody else and it shows how smart she truly is.
Seeing how differently Indigenous people are treated is truly heartbreaking, to see it from the point of view of Shauna and how this makes her feel definitely brings everything into perspective.
A line at the beginning I Love is, “we just want to be acknowledged, not as Aboriginal Australians, but as Australians.”
If people would just listen then the community wouldn’t feel this way. This is their home and they deserve to be treated as everybody else.
I love how diverse all the characters are and how they all stick together through the bullying that occurs which the school turns a blind eye to. This shows how even the school doesn’t care.
I feel this book should be on the curriculum at schools to show how no matter how many times somebody tries to tear you down, you should always get back up. It speaks of following your dreams and never backing down. It also speaks of hard truths, loss of family, abortion, family, and not judging a book by its cover.
A 4 star read ⭐️
Thank you Allen and Unwin and Aus YA Bloggers for gifting me this wonderful novel to read and review.
June 11, 2020
I love the author’s writing style and how she explored the protagonist’s racial identity, but I don’t fuck with the anti-abortion rhetoric here (much less when it directly references a book written by TERF Germaine Greer).
I get what the author was trying to do in providing a narrative for pregnant teens that shows them receiving support, but this required far more nuance in the life/choice debate.
As such, it’s not something I can personally recommend.
I get what the author was trying to do in providing a narrative for pregnant teens that shows them receiving support, but this required far more nuance in the life/choice debate.
As such, it’s not something I can personally recommend.
August 20, 2019
I really struggled with this book: it's a brilliant coming of age tale... But with a weird anti-choice, pro-life agenda woven through. It's a shame the author chose to push her position on abortion instead of letting the story speak for itself; the pro-life viewpoint feels so forced and doesn't ring true with the rest of the story.
September 25, 2022
I don’t feel like I’m in a position to review this book as a white Australian but I just wanted to add a note for whomever it might distress that it sometimes feels like the author has quite a heavy anti-abortion stance.
May 26, 2019
There are a couple of places in the book where it felt a bit preachy for me. Found Shauna an interesting character.
December 8, 2021
NOTE: This book contains racism and anti abortion content
Shauna's Great Expectations is a book about an indigenous girl wanting to achieve her dreams.
It was well written with engaging characters and an Australian setting.
Shauna is the protagonist and she is a strong female lead, its a book about coming of age and leaving school. It's got friendships, new students, bullies, racism. It even tackles Change the Date rallies.
It makes you think about unknown biased thoughts you feel and about the issues raised.
We see how Shauna has to deal with discrimination on a daily basis and does not receive justice when the people use the disgusting slurs and disguise them as coughs.
Unfortunately, I felt the book was on the verge of declaring itself anti-abortion and while I understand that it is your opinion on whether you're anti or pro, I just don't like when the author's try to manipulate you into forming a certain opinion because no thank you, I have my own opinion already.
So if anti-abortion things affect you, or you can be easily swayed, you may want to take a pass from this book.
The protagonist feels hostility towards someone paying for an abortion and she scolds the doctor who works at an abortion clinic.
I am pro-choice so I was very mad at this book.
Shauna's Great Expectations is a book about an indigenous girl wanting to achieve her dreams.
It was well written with engaging characters and an Australian setting.
Shauna is the protagonist and she is a strong female lead, its a book about coming of age and leaving school. It's got friendships, new students, bullies, racism. It even tackles Change the Date rallies.
It makes you think about unknown biased thoughts you feel and about the issues raised.
We see how Shauna has to deal with discrimination on a daily basis and does not receive justice when the people use the disgusting slurs and disguise them as coughs.
Unfortunately, I felt the book was on the verge of declaring itself anti-abortion and while I understand that it is your opinion on whether you're anti or pro, I just don't like when the author's try to manipulate you into forming a certain opinion because no thank you, I have my own opinion already.
So if anti-abortion things affect you, or you can be easily swayed, you may want to take a pass from this book.
The protagonist feels hostility towards someone paying for an abortion and she scolds the doctor who works at an abortion clinic.
I am pro-choice so I was very mad at this book.
July 8, 2020
The writing in this book was great and the story was unique. Following an Aboriginal Australian protagonist who is attending an elite Sydney boarding school on an Indigenous scholarship, this book took a very different turn than I was expecting it to.
This book deals with racism within Australia of Black and Aboriginal people. It deals with teen pregnancy, abortion, first generation college students, and foster care. It also has a minor character who was sexually abused as a child.
I felt that this book dealt with a side of feminism that we do not talk about much within the choice movement, that being the choice to keep your baby instead of getting an abortion. Choice is about more than one option. The protagonist chooses what is best for her and still feels empowered to pursue her dreams in different ways.
This book deals with racism within Australia of Black and Aboriginal people. It deals with teen pregnancy, abortion, first generation college students, and foster care. It also has a minor character who was sexually abused as a child.
I felt that this book dealt with a side of feminism that we do not talk about much within the choice movement, that being the choice to keep your baby instead of getting an abortion. Choice is about more than one option. The protagonist chooses what is best for her and still feels empowered to pursue her dreams in different ways.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews