Other People's Country - Maureen Helen

"Rusty earth stretches into treeless distance...."

This is quality writing with a down-to-earth edge. In her late 50s Maureen Helen decided to become a remote area nurse. In this her first book (she later gained a doctorate in Writing) she gives an intelligent and disturbing account of conditions endured by community nurses in Jigalong WA, among the Martu people. Conditions are made difficult by the dry heat, lack of supplies and isolation, and the feeling of being not quite accepted. It is a detailed insight into the tribal mind; into "sorry business"; into "God's time" (where appointments are missed or forgotten) as opposed to our Western time constricted by timetables. She learns to handle cross-cultural situations with great delicacy. The story is packed with rich humanity, surprises and vivid description, and makes compelling reading.

Janet Samerski - Sylvania Library

Other People's Country - Maureen Helen