Growing up is hard enough at any time; coping with additional cross-currents of race and religion is a whole new world of hurt. The autobiographical essays in this book provide insights that are personally touching and significant, although the book as a whole is oddly hollow. It was financed in part by the Australia Council, an organisation that has a great liking for nice stories about multiculturalism, and that may explain why it projects a rather SBS view of Australia and the world.