THE YIELD

Winch, a member of the Wiradjuri people of Australia, shares an epic story of the impact of colonialism on one Aboriginal family. Tony Briggs, himself Aboriginal, demands listeners' attention with an understated yet compelling narration. He smoothly weaves the indigenous language, defined in an accompanying PDF, into the story as he moves through time to trace the culture from its exposure to colonialism, to its near extinction, to its concerted efforts to recover. His smooth delivery of the stories of Poppy Albert, the patriarch who produces a dictionary; granddaughter August, who is determined to recover and honor her heritage; and the missionary who looks back on the costs of colonialism proves Poppy's belief that "there are few worse things than memory, yet few things better." N.E.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2020]