Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time »

Doris Pilkington is also the author of Caprice: A Stockman's Daughter. Rabbit-Proof Fence, her second book, is now a major motion picture from Miramax Films, directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Kenneth Branagh.

The remarkable true story of three young girls who cross the harsh Australian desert on foot to return to their home.

Following an Australian government edict in 1931, black aboriginal children and children of mixed marriages were gathered up by whites and taken to settlements to be assimilated. In Rabbit-Proof Fence, award-winning author Doris Pilkington traces the captivating story of her mother, Molly, one of three young girls uprooted from her community in Southwestern Australia and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement. At the settlement, Milly and her relatives Gracie and Daisy were forbidden to speak their native language, forced to abandon their aboriginal heritage, and taught to be culturally white. After regular stays in solitary confinement, the three girls scared and homesick planned and executed a daring escape from the grim camp, with its harsh life of padlocks, barred windows, and hard cold beds.

The girls headed for the nearby rabbit-proof fence that stretched over 1,000 miles through the desert toward their home. Their journey lasted over a month, and the survived on everything from emus to feral cats, while narrowly avoiding the police, professional trackers, and hostile white settlers. Their story is a truly moving tale of defiance and resilience.

KLIATT

In 1931, three young aboriginal mixed-race children were physically taken from their families and were relocated 1000 miles away at a settlement camp. It was the Australian government's policy that teaching these children "useful skills" such as being a domestic was the best course for them. These girls, led by Molly, the oldest at 14, escaped the camp. Over nine weeks, the girls walked back to their families following the rabbit proof fence for some of their journey. Their story is compelling and horrifying, especially because it is true. Unfortunately it doesn't really capture what these children experienced. In this case, the recent film of the same title seems to do the story more justice. The book includes a brief glossary and bibliography. KLIATT Codes: SA Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1996, Hyperion, 136p. bibliog., Holab-Abelman