Return to Uluru: The Hidden History of a Murder in Outback Australia

In 1934, an unarmed Aboriginal Australian man named Yokununna was shot and killed by a white police officer, William McKinnon, in the caves of Uluru (Ayers Rock). Through the lens of this murder, McKenna (history, Univ. of Sydney; An Eye for Eternity) examines the history of Central Australia and the treatment of Aboriginal people by white colonizers. This thorough investigation looks into racism past and present and Aboriginal peoples’ efforts to restore Uluru to a sacred space. McKenna holds nothing back in his account; it’s a refreshingly honest and blunt look at history. Likewise, this book provides a close-up examination of how historical racist laws are impacting present generations of Australians. This history is specific to Australia, but American readers have much to gain from it; there are many similarities to the treatment of Indigenous Americans and Black Americans throughout history.