Gary Lonesborough's "I’m Not Really Here" teachers' review

Brief description and distinctive features

Brief description of I’m Not Really Here

Jonah King is part of a small, close-knot family of his dad Fred and his twin younger brothers, Zeke and Luke. Their mother has died and not only are the family still grieving but her contribution to the family finances was significant. The family are struggling with not meeting rental payments and now have to move around. They return to Patience, a small town where Fred grew up. Jonah is sensible, he cares for his younger brothers, is reliable and is often given the family’s domestic tasks and duties. Jonah has had challenges fitting in at his old school and dreads a recurrence of this at the new school. But he does find friends and he also finds love. For Jonah though, this path to romance is difficult: Jonah is Aboriginal, he is self-conscious of his weight and he is gay. Jonah has a crush on Harley but a relationship with Harley seems impossible. Harley is also Aboriginal, a star footballer, is very popular, good-looking with a well-toned and “chiselled” body.

Jonah is accepted into a friendship group which includes Tegan who is alternate in her behaviour and views, is feisty and very definite about the rules of friendship which she believes Jonah has broken. This provides more navigation for Jonah of the tricky world of adolescence. 

The revelations of Jonah’s feelings for Harley are told with a tenderness and sweetness indicative of Lonesborough’s style. This feature endears the story to boys and girls as the challenges of teenage romance coupled with unrequited love will appeal to a wide range of readers. In addition the scenes set in the high school are very authentic and will resonate with adolescent readers. 

Gary Lonesborough is a proud Yuin man who grew up on the South Coast of NSW and moved to Sydney to study film. Gary was a keen writer from childhood and enjoys talking about writing. His YouTube Writing tips Gary is engaging and offers valuable and accessible writing tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGbyYUbOe_A
Another YouTube is his discussion about reading on Hook into Books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KiKstWU34Y 

Gary has wide experience in working with adolescents including working in the youth justice system. His debut YA novel, The Boy From The Mish, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2021 and We Didn’t Think It Through in July 2023.

Distinctive features of I'm Not Really Here

• Written by First Nations author Gary Lonesborough with insights into his motivation as a writer to be found in the Author’s Note

  ‘I hate that I stopped writing. I stopped reading books too, because I could never see myself in them. Aboriginal characters were always secondary, written by non-Indigenous authors and different from my reality ...

  ‘It is important for Aboriginal kids to be able to read and love books written by Aboriginal authors – books where they can see themselves in the pages.’

• An engaging “coming-of-age” story
• The main character Jonah is seventeen and in Year 11- he is Aboriginal, overweight and gay
• First person narrative through the perspective of Jonah King adds to the power and impact of the narrative
• Recurring motif of the title: I’m Not Really Here and its various layers of meaning
• Engaging exploration of authentic experiences related to youth culture:
• Challenges of growing up
  • The overwhelming need and desire to belong to a group
  • Challenges of fitting in or not
  • Experiences of high school
  • Role of sport
  • Family challenges especially grief and finances
  • Standing up for your friends
  • Racism
  • Homophobia
  • Sexuality
  • The horror and consequences of cyberbullying
• Some delightful and accessible imagery
• Flashbacks are used to provide readers with details of Jonah’s past world, the death of his mother and the difficulties he has in dealing with his own grief
• Endearing scenes with Jonah’s family of younger twin brothers and a struggling dad who tries to do his best
• Authentic conflicts between friendship groups
• Mixed and challenging emotions involving love, romance and relationships.

Ways to use I'm Not Really Here in the classroom

1. Reading in the classroom: Give students the legitimacy, time and opportunity for reading I’m Not Really Here in the classroom. 

2. Discuss the genre “coming of age” or “bildungsroman” and the characteristics of films and novels of this genre? This could include a protagonist who is an adolescent and experiences a range of situations as a typical rite of passage from childhood to adolescence to maturity. Why do such stories resonate so much with people of your age?

3. Focus on the novel’s title: During their reading ask students to take note of the pages where the novel’s title is mentioned as part of the narrative. 
The key word of the title is “really”. In this context “really” is an adverb which modifies/shapes the verbs “I am.” “Really” here implies “in actual fact” and is evoking the idea that the reality is different to what people might imagine is true. Synonyms for “really” could be “in fact,” “in reality,” “actually.”  So, this sentence used by Jonah several times in the story suggests that Jonah might be physically in the situation but emotionally he feels empty, alone or removed: : “I’m not actually here” is closer to what Jonah feels.  

Once students have completed their reading, offer this task: In what ways does Lonesborough use the title as a sentence in his narrative to represent Jonah’s sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth? How does it fit with the novel as a “coming-of age” story? In your response include at least three specific examples from the novel. For example, pp 323, 360.

4. The ending 

“We continue along the crowded street on a busy Saturday morning in Patience…I know what everyone else can see:
Two boys holding hands, walking down the street.”

Examine the novel’s final paragraph. In what ways does it draw together the key concerns of the novel? What has changed from Jonah’s feelings of “I’m not really here?”

5. Characters: Choose a character from each column:

Write a 500 word analysis of your chosen character from column 1 and how that character contributes to the novel’s key ideas. Include three specific references from the novel in your analysis. Add another 300 words where you focus on a character from column 2: what role does this character have in the novel?

6. The author

The syllabus includes this very valuable point about a text’s author: “Analyse how elements of an author’s personal, cultural and political contexts can shape their perspectives and representation of ideas, including form and purpose.”

Encourage students to read/view two sources that explore Gary Lonesborough’s “personal, cultural and political context.” 

Written response: How did this extra reading/viewing help to build your understanding of and insights to “I’m Not Really Here?” What did you learn from this additional research?

This article in The Guardian is very accessible and a valuable starting-point:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/01/i-stopped-reading-because-i-couldnt-see-myself-in-books-so-i-wrote-one-instead

Other links:

• Gary Lonesborough’s website is marvellous: https://garylonesborough.com/
• https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/gary-lonesborough-queer-indigenous-young-adult-author-interview/d99bdedf-8a36-490a-b2ca-cdcd421cabb2
• For a discussion about his journey as a writer, and media interviews, see videos on his website: https://garylonesborough.com/mediaandinterviews 

7. Reading more Gary Lonesborough:

8. Reading and viewing widely about youth culture

While there is no specific definition currently in the new 7-10 English Syllabus glossary, this definition from the English 7-12 Syllabus 2012 is still very relevant:

“The shared beliefs, knowledge, creative activities, customs and lifestyle of young people, particularly teenagers, within a culture.
Youth cultures develop in those societies which differentiate teenagers as a group separate from children and adults. In Australia, the dominant youth culture identifies closely with popular culture and finds expression in the music and multimedia texts of popular culture.”

Consider a Project-Based Learning option for your class.

Students can work independently or in small groups.

Students are to choose 3-5 texts which explore key ideas and experiences related to youth culture. A starting-point for these texts is on pages 8-10 of this blog. 

Choose a specific style of presentation which could include:

• Curated display of texts with explanations and information
• A YouTube film that includes a discussion of the chosen texts, some film excerpts
• A Petcha Kutcha or Prezi or PowerPoint
• A digital essay for a publication like The Guardian.

Relevant details in relation to the new NSW English 7-10 syllabus

Text requirements: I'm Not Really Here is extended prose, a novel by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait author. It has cultural, social and gender perspectives, including from popular and youth cultures.
For more recommended texts suitable for Stage 5, explore our Year 9 texts and study guides and Year 10 texts and study guides.

Concepts could include Context • Representation • Point of View • Characterisation • Connotation, imagery and symbol.

Relevant NSW English 7-10 Syllabus content

Reading, viewing and listening to texts

A student uses a range of personal, creative and critical strategies to interpret complex texts EN5-RVL-01

Reading, viewing and listening skills

• Develop a deeper understanding of themes, ideas or attitudes by revisiting and reinterpreting texts to find new meaning

Reading, viewing and listening for meaning

• Analyse the main ideas and thematic concerns represented in texts
• Investigate how layers of meaning are constructed in texts and how this shapes a reader’s understanding and engagement
• Clarify and justify personal responses to texts, explaining how aspects of the text, such as character, genre, tone, salience or voice, position a reader and influence these personal responses
• Analyse how the use of language forms and features in texts have the capacity to create multiple meanings

Reading for challenge, interest and enjoyment

• Read increasingly complex texts that challenge thinking, pique interest, enhance enjoyment and provoke a personal response
• Engage in sustained and varied reading that presents increasingly diverse and complex perspectives and experiences, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and respond in a range of ways, including through extended written responses
• Consider how the social, cultural and ethical positions represented in texts represent, affirm or challenge views of the world
• Evaluate experiences of reading by sharing responses to texts
• Evaluate the ways reading texts help us understand ourselves and make connections to others and the world

Reflecting

• Understand and reflect on the value of reading for personal growth and cultural richness
• Reflect on how reading promotes a broad and balanced understanding of the world and enables students to explore wider universal issues

Understanding and responding to texts A

A student analyses how meaning is created through the use and interpretation of increasingly complex language forms, features and structures EN5-URA-01

Representation

• Analyse how contextual, creative and unconscious influences shape the composition, understanding and interpretation of all representations

Code and convention

• Use metalanguage effectively to analyse how meaning is constructed by linguistic and stylistic elements in texts
• Analyse how language forms, features and structures, specific or conventional to a text’s medium, context, purpose and audience, shape meaning, and experiment with this understanding through written, spoken, visual and multimodal responses

Connotation, imagery and symbol

• Analyse how figurative language and devices can be used to represent complex ideas, thoughts and feelings to contribute to larger patterns of meaning in texts, and experiment with this in own texts
• Analyse how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors use figurative language and devices to represent culture, identity and experience

Point of view

• Examine elements of focalisation, such as omniscience, limitations, indirect speech, tone, reliability and multiple narrators, and how these interact to shape perceptions of meaning in texts, and apply this in own texts

Characterisation

• Analyse how engaging, dynamic and complex characters are constructed in texts using language features and structures, and use these features and structures in own texts

Narrative

• Analyse how narrative conventions vary across genres, modes, media and contexts and how they can be used to represent ideas and values and shape responses, and apply this understanding in own texts
• Explore how narratives can represent and shape personal and shared identities, values and experiences

Understanding and responding to texts B

A student evaluates how texts represent ideas and experiences, and how they can affirm or challenge values and attitudes EN5-URB-01

Perspective and context

• Understand how the personal perspectives of audiences are a product of historical and cultural contexts
• Analyse how texts can be understood or interpreted from different perspectives, and experiment with this idea in own texts
• Evaluate how texts can position audiences to accept, challenge or reject particular perspectives of the world, and reflect on this in own texts
• Analyse how elements of an author’s personal, cultural and political contexts can shape their perspectives and representation of ideas, including form and purpose
• Explain how texts affirm or challenge established cultural attitudes and values in different contexts

Style

• Analyse how the distinctive aesthetic qualities and stylistic features of a text can shape and be shaped by its purpose, and experiment with this in own texts
• Examine the way an author’s distinct personal style shapes meaning in their work

(English K-10 Syllabus 2022 © NSW Education Standards Authority for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023) 

Connecting texts