Dirt and Dust

by Amelia Olsen, Riley Olsen

Dirt and Dust is the tumultuous story of circumstances surrounding the death of a family member, told by eighteen-year-old Riley and his mum, Amelia, who rode 1400-kilometres on dirt bikes to the tip of Cape York, Queensland - the most northern point of Australia.
With a combination of Amelia’s hilarious, yet heart-warming struggle to complete the physical challenges of the ride, along with Riley’s attempt to comprehend the loss of his father, this account of their epic journey makes a tough topic an easy read.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2021

Reviews

[Deb Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an amazing story of unconditional love of a mother and wife and the respect and love of a young man for his mum. What an adventure they shared with each other and some amazing strangers along the way.

[Katie Clews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read on a teenager’s perspective regarding suicide of a parent .. a raw an honest account .. very brave of mum and son to ride to the tip of Australia.. thanks to Amelia for gifting our bookclub a copy to read

[Kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

⚠️Trigger warning - Suicide and mental health ⚠️

Amelia aka Amy’s husband and Riley and Jacinta’s dad is not an easy man to live with. Suffering from ongoing mental health issues, when Amy finally has the courage to leave him, he takes his own life shortly afterwards.

As Amelia, Riley and Jacinta check off a bucket list of items that he always wanted to do, there remains one adventure left - Riley and his dad riding motorcycles from Cairns to Cape York.

With a resilience from years of walking on eggshells, Amelia takes the place of her husband and she and Riley set off with a group to travel to the top of Australia. What Amelia lacks in riding ability is made up for in a sense of fun, inability to quit, positive attitude and love for her children.

Dirt and Dust by Amelia and Riley Olsen is the story of how the aforementioned unfolded and of their epic adventure from Cairns to the Cape. It’s a tale of adventure and admiration to be sure; but it also doesn’t hold back on their husband/father’s suicide, what it’s like to be married to someone with mental health issues, or have them as your father. It’s honest, frank, candid, deep, sad, funny and eye opening.

The co-authorship of mother and son makes for an interesting read, as you get to see the same scenario from two different perspectives. That made the book for me; and is one of many of the reasons I recommend it.

You don’t need to know someone who has mental health issues or has suicided to be able to appreciate this book. It will appeal to a wide range people and will no doubt give those lucky enough to not have to deal with living with someone who has mental health issues some insight. From high school students to adults, this book may be small in size but it undoubtedly packs a punch for a wide age group of readers.

Thank you Amelia and Riley for having the courage to share your story with us. I don’t expect it was easy; but the more we can talk about mental health, the more we can normalise it and take the stigma out of it. You two have done and excellent job in doing that and I now want to travel to Cape York even more than ever!

To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book which is as amazing as it is emotional. A book that should be read as it shied away from nothing.