Wiradyuri author Anita Heiss has recently re-released her earlier works, and Manhattan Dreaming (Simon and Schuster 2010) has had a contemporary revision which maintains its relevance as a light-hearted romantic comedy combined with a powerful Koori protagonist forced to choose between her dream job as an artistic creator in New York City and her dream man (or is he?), a footballer in Canberra.
Lauren is the curator of the National Aboriginal Gallery and she’s deadly good at her job, and passionate about showcasing the art of Australian First Nations people to the world. But when her boss offers her a year-long fellowship at the Smithsonian, Lauren can’t imagine leaving her country, her family, her mob, her friends…and her boyfriend, Adam, who she loves despite his being a player both on and off the field.
Heiss writes everything from chick lit to academic papers, from historical fiction to family drama, but you can tell from reading her more light-hearted novels such as Manhattan Dreaming that this is where she really lets go and has fun with her work, creating over-the-top characters, giddy situations, sexual tension and women who muddle their way through, sometimes getting it wrong, but ultimately displaying the power and ambition and self-esteem that is so empowering for other young women to read about.