A young autistic woman finds her voice and a path toward justice in this uplifting short story about the power of family history by Thomas Keneally, award-winning author of Schindler's List.
When Alison Strange receives a debt claim she can't afford to pay from the Australian government's unemployment office, she's caught completely off-balance. As she wrestles with a slippery bureaucracy, her history-loving grandfather bolsters her resolve with the story of their ancestor John Strange, an English cobbler who was banished to Australia for his part in a political movement. Drawing inspiration from John's life, Alison finds her own unique way to demand a future that's fair for all.
Thomas Keneally's Alison's Conviction is part of A Point in Time, a transporting collection of stories about the pivotal moments, past and present, that change lives. Read or listen to each immersive story in a single sitting.
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Alison Strange was a clever girl of whom it was known by her mother, her grandfather, and her teachers that she could not face tests of knowledge.
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(Amazon Original Stories, 28 July 2022, e-book, 37 pages, borrowed from @AmazonKindle, #PrimeReading, A Point in Time #6)
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I really enjoyed Alison's Convictions. It's my favourite story in the series. There are some funny almost satirical moments as Alison and her family determine to prove she does not owe any money and find themselves effectively talking to a brick wall as the office insist the money is owed as their algorithms said so and Alison would be better paying to stop everyone bothering her. I found this very realistic given the issues people have had when out benefits changed not long ago and people suddenly not qualifying when nothing had changed.
