Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence

By: Doris (Nugi Garimara) Pilkington

Narrated by: Rachael Maza

The film Rabbit-Proof Fence is based on this true account of Doris Pilkington's mother Molly, who as a young girl led her two sisters on an extraordinary 1,600 kilometer walk home. Under Western Australia's invidious removal policy of the 1930s, the girls were taken from their Aboriginal families at Jigalong on the edge of the Little Sandy Desert, and transported halfway across the state to the Native Settlement at Moore River, north of Perth. Here Aboriginal children were instructed in the ways of white society and forbidden to speak their native tongue.

The three girls—aged 8, 11 and 14—managed to escape from the settlement's repressive conditions and brutal treatment. Barefoot, without provisions or maps, they set out to find the rabbit-proof fence, knowing it passed near their home in the north. Tracked by Native Police and search planes, they hid in terror, surviving on bush tucker, desperate to return to the world they knew.

©1996 Doris Pilkington-Nugi Garimara. (P)2002 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'This is a marvellous adventure story and thriller, celebrating courage and the resilience of the human heart.' (Phillip Noyce, director of the film Rabbit-Proof Fence)

What children will do to go home

What made the experience of listening to Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence the most enjoyable?

This was a very interesting story . I liked reading how the kids took care of each other and did what was necessary in order to get back to their parents.

Any additional comments?

I didn't like the ending .....I was hoping for something a little more dramatic.

Courageous young girls trek for freedom.

Personal account of cultural injustice and cruelty
toward aboriginal children. Makes you respect their ability to survive off the land and their resiliency.

Facinating, riveting, and disturbing

ascinating account of the escape of three girls from forced settlements of half-white half-aboriginal children who were taken from their families by the government and schooled for service or other positions. The book includes a detailed history of the influx of white Britons into Western Australia and the various interactions between the Europeans and the aboriginals up to the 1930s, which is when the main story commences.

I knew somewhat vaguely about these sort of events, but this was still eye-opening and upsetting. It is also a fine testament of the determination of these girls to get back to their families despite the dangers and distance. The more we know about such past injustices, the most likely we are to avoid similar injustices today.

I listened to the audiobook from audible.com. The narrator was pretty good but tended to pause to breathe in the middle of a sentence at times, which is annoying.

Heroic Youth

Mighty girls around the world. Horrible conditions that give insight to disturbing ignorance that continues in Australia. I pray that the Aborigine people will some day recover and given back their land, their dignity, their rights, and reparations for the horrific treatment caused by the filthy rich ignorant selfish people that are the settlers of the country.

the human spirit's Triumph

The book is about family, love, and the human Spirit's triumph over man-made rules. It's made me believe that we can survive what we're going through now.

incredible trek

powerful story of three young girls escaping from a boarding school they were forced to attend

Brave Girls

Fascinating story, and an aspect of history we hear almost nothing about in the United States. I rooted for the girls each step of the way.

Lengthy but Good

An enjoyable read. The beginning is slow but once the escape starts the story picks up pace. A good read full of fine details, which will keep an interested reader/listener captured.

painful story

glad I read it, although it is painful to acknowledge the losses they suffered in the name of "progress. "

Good story

This was a pretty good story. I wish it had more details about the actual trek, but was still worth the time.