The Australian experience can be defined when we look at The Aboriginals, The war, The Anzacs, Migrants and many other things. Looking For Alibrandi written by Melina Marchetta looks at the story of Josephine Alibrandi who is a 17 yr old Italian girl growing up in a multi-cultural Australian society. Looking For Alibrandi is about identity and blame, confronting past lies and uncovering family secrets. Everyone has to face up to who they are, where they have come from and what they want. It raises issues that relate to the Australian Experience like living between two-cultures and multi-culturalism.

The main character, Josie lives between two worlds. She is a third generation working class Italian-Australian on a scholarship to Sydney's exclusive St Martha's. This book is the story of a girl who is in her final year of schooling. This is the year where she first falls in love and where her

father comes into her life. Josie tells us the story of her life and the struggles she has living as an Italian-Australian in multi-cultural society. She is struggling to find where she fits into the world that surrounds her. In the book she says she comes up and asks me what nationality I am, I'll look at them and say that I am an Australian with Italian blood flowing rapidly through my veins." She says this right at the end of this book after she has discovered who she is and where she has come from. From this quote you can see that she is proud to be a person growing up in a multi-cultural society.

Secondly, The woman in Migrant Woman On a Melbourne Tram and Josie's nonna plays similar characters. They are both strong and wilful characters who had the strength to leave their country and come to a new country.

Looking For Alibrandi is a novel that ties in with the Australian Experience. This novel clearly sets out a realistic Australian society in which most people can relate to due to the touch of multi-culturalism as one of its main themes.

The Australian Experience interlinks with Looking For Alibrandi in a number of ways. Firstly

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Approximate Word count = 777
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)