We are located in the Todd Mall which is in the city centre.
Address
Shop A, 79 Todd Mall, Alice Springs NT 0870
Spring Hours
Monday to Friday
9am to 5.00pm
Saturday
9am to 2.00pm
Market Sundays
9am to 1pm
Red Kangaroo Books is an independent bookstore in Alice Springs and has been trading for over decade. Our bookstore specialises in Australian and Indigenous books and serves a varied community of readers. We stock a large range of books that cover Indigenous history and art; Indigenous language books; local and regional history; biographies of local and larger-than-life heroes; fiction; children's books; and flora, fauna and natural history books. We believe we are the only bricks-and-mortar bookshop still standing between Port Augusta, Darwin, Broome and Broken Hill.
Day by day Aboriginals and Westerners attempt to communicate with each other, but the results are very uneven. Communication ranges from good to poor. Difficulties occur most often in cross-cultural dealings that involve traditional Aboriginals, that is, people for whom an indigenous language as their first language and who may well live on a remote community. In such places contact with Westerners is relatively limited and despite real efforts to understand each other, problems in mutual understanding still occur. This book considers that difficulty and uncovers an underlying factor through which many problems can be explained. The primary finding of the present enquiry is that for cultural reasons, Aboriginals and Westerners use significantly different abstractions: (a) Aboriginal abstractions always retain a direct link with reality; abstractions used by Westerners often break the link with the real. (b) The two resultant systems are shown by a study of language, worldview, and social relationships. (c) The metaphor ‘gears’ is used as a term covering a procedure through which, the author suggests, the two systems can operate successfully side-by-side. This book was previous titled "White Men are Liars".In his Forward, Fred Chaney states: "[This book] is a sobering but educational read for all of us involved in trying to work with Aboriginal people for whom English is not their first language, to improve their material circumstances and reduce social disadvantage. … It is to be hoped that the book will be read by many people including those who are involved in policy formation and delivery as well as the many new individuals coming into the field of working with Indigenous people. Most will bring good hearts and good intentions to their attempts to formulate and to implement policy. Bain’s book reminded me yet again that few of us bring sufficient humility to the task of understanding those with whom we are dealing. … If we could communicate accurately we are more likely to get beyond good intentions and to achieve the changes Indigenous people want for themselves and their communities".
We are a family owned local business with a passion for reading, all things books and supporting Australian and local authors. We love getting to know our customers and finding just the 'right' book for them. Our staff have the same commitment to service that we do and can offer suggestions on demand! Our focus is on Australian and regional. We have an extensive collection of books and DVDs about Indigenous culture, language and history. We also have a carefully curated selection of international authors. If we do not have what you need, we will make every effort to get it in for you. When you spend money with us, you are contributing to the local economy - but our customers tell us they shop with us because they love our range of books and our service.
We are located in the Todd Mall which is in the city centre.
Spring Hours
Monday to Friday
9am to 5.00pm
Saturday
9am to 2.00pm
Market Sundays
9am to 1pm