If being powerless makes you jumpy, then being poor makes you envious. You notice when other people are happy and you become keenly aware of those things that they have, that make them happy, that you do not have. Sometimes, you know better than they do about what brings them joy. At the age of eleven, Andrew Sneddon finds himself living in the criminal underbelly of Queensland's Gold Coast. His conman stepfather has moved the family from suburban Canberra to chase his next scam. But in the 1980s, there is scant help for a woman and her three children who are ricocheting between domestic violence and homelessness. As Sneddon charts the sometimes farcical, often frightening, journey of his teenage years, he also reflects on them through his adult archaeologist eyes to ancient civilisations. We are reminded of how impressive the human race has been, but also how utterly predictable and incapable it is of learning from its own past. Told with unflinching candour and refreshing humour, Prehistoric Joy explores the timeless importance of family and the many meanings of 'home' to better understand what brings us all joy.