Australian independent booksellers have announced Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr (Black Inc) as the best book from the last year, and the winner of the Indie Book Awards 2024 Book of the Year.

The Book of the Year is voted by independent booksellers across the country from the six category winners. Bookseller judge Meera Govil from Eltham Bookshop described Marr’s book:

“Killing for Country is a brave and bold book that records a story that has rarely been encountered by readers.”

Sentiments shared with bookseller judge Lindy Jones from Abbey’s Bookshop Sydney (NSW) commenting on Marr’s book:

“A magisterial book that will retain its value for years to come, this is a grim and brutal subject handled in a measured and thoroughly researched way. It is not easy reading, but it is necessary reading. Marr’s meticulous research and careful prose tell the brutal colonial history of Indigenous dispossession through the greed and avarice of the squatters, the murderous barbarity of the lawless Native Police, and the criminal hypocrisy and wilful blindness of the governing class, both in Australia and Britain. Read it and weep, then be even more grateful and amazed by the dignity and graciousness of the Indigenous people who welcome us to country.” 

On winning the Award, David Marr said: “This is an extraordinary honour. Thank you for choosing Killing for Country as book of the year. It began as a confession and ended five years of work with my collaborator and partner Sebastian Tesoriero as a history of the conquest of the country. That the independent booksellers have recognised our work in this way means a great deal to us. You are true friends to writers across the country. Thank you.”

David Marr’s Publisher, Chris Feik (Black Inc) said: “It is wonderful to see David Marr’s superb and courageous book recognised by independent booksellers, the most discerning and supportive of judges.”

The Awards recognise and celebrate indie booksellers as the number one supporters of Australian authors. What makes indie booksellers uniquely placed to judge and recommend the best Aussie books of the past year, is their incredible passion and knowledge, their contribution to the cultural diversity of the Australian reading public, by recommending beyond the big brands, and above all, their love of quality writing.

The individual category winners in Fiction, Debut Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustrated Non-Fiction, Children’s and Young Adult were also announced. From these six category winners, the independent booksellers selected the best of the best – The 2024 Indie Book of the Year.

The Winners for the Indie Book Awards 2024 are:

BOOK OF THE YEAR

• Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr (Black Inc.)

FICTION

• Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)

NON-FICTION

• Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr (Black Inc.)

DEBUT FICTION

• The Visitors by Jane Harrison (Fourth Estate Australia)

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION

• The Bird Art of William T. Cooper by Wendy Cooper (National Library of Australia)

CHILDREN’S

• The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet by Jaclyn Moriarty (Allen & Unwin Children’s)

YOUNG ADULT 

• Welcome to Sex by Dr Melissa Kang & Yumi Stynes (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)

Congratulations to all the winners!