The Long Way Home: The Story of a Homes Kid by Kate Shayler

A child separated from family is a truly disturbing prospect. Yet this has been the fate of many thousands of children in Australia’s recent history. 
   The ordeals and triumphs of the Stolen Generations and British child migrants are now being exposed, but there is a great silence about their white Australian contemporaries. How did these children cope in the institutions that housed them after separation from their families by court orders, abandonment or the death of parents? 
   Kate Shayler was born into a happy family that was soon devastated by the death of her mother. Four-year-old Kate was taken to the Burnside Homes to live a childhood of sorts. This is the story of her journey from dreadful loneliness, loss of identity and her father’s betrayal, to rediscovering self-respect, dignity and her place in the world. 
   Far from being a litany of despair, The Long Way Home is a beautifully written memoir full of the hope of childhood. Hard to put down, even harder to forget, this is a timely reminder that every child deserves to be cherished.