One Hundred Years Of Dirt

One Hundred Years of Dirt by Rick Morton is an unflinching Australian memoir that traces how violence, treachery and cruelty can thread through a family line — and what it takes to survive them.

After a horrific accident upends his childhood, Morton follows his mother and siblings as they’re pushed into a world they were never equipped to navigate: grinding poverty, drug addiction, and the everyday pressures that come with being judged from the outside. With sharp, compassionate attention, he shows how fear of others and an obsession with real and imagined borders can shape a life, and a country.

At its heart, this is also a portrait of a mother whose courage is constant, even when there’s no reward waiting at the end.

Perfect for readers drawn to literary nonfiction, family memoirs, and clear-eyed writing about class, resilience and Australian identity.

Add it to your shelf and discover a story that stays with you.