As the AFR noted, Grace's power is not just in what she says but how she says
it. She is direct, articulate and sharp, with a wicked sense of humour
underpinning it all. And, despite everything she's been through, she has a cleareyed optimism for a better future.
Australians from all walks of life have been inspired and moved by Grace Tame's
fire and passion. Here she is sharing her story in full and giving us all a path to
a better future, as individuals and a community.
Grace is: 2020 Tasmanian Australian of the Year; 2021 Australian of the Year
(first Tasmanian winner); AFR's #1 most 'culturally powerful' person in Australia;
first non-celebrity to appear on cover of Marie Claire; subject of a finalist in the
Archibald Prize; named as one of TIME magazine's 'Next Generation Leaders';
won the 2020 Ross Marathon in record time.

Grace Tame has never walked on middle ground.
From a young age, her life was defined by uncertainty - by trauma and strength,
sadness and hope, terrible lows and wondrous highs. As a teenager she found
the courage to speak up after experiencing awful and ongoing child sexual
abuse. This fight to find her voice would not be her last.
In 2021 Grace stepped squarely into the public eye as the Australian of the Year,
and was the catalyst for a tidal wave of conversation and action. Australians
from all walks of life were inspired and moved by her fire and passion. She was
using her voice and encouraging others to use theirs too.
The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner is Grace's story, in Grace's words, on Grace's
terms. Here she returns, again and again, to the things that have driven and
saved her: love, connection and radical, unwavering honesty. Like Grace, it is
sharply intelligent, deeply felt and often blisteringly funny. And, as with all her
work, it offers a constructive and optimistic vision for a better future for all of
us.