Overview

Black Tom Birch was the most feared and hated man in Van Diemen's Land. For four years he kept the colony in a state of terror. He was responsible for the deaths of dozens of settlers. He burnt their buildings and destroyed their livestock and crops. Newspapers raged against him. One demanded he be lynched on capture. Although he was three times in British custody, Black Tom Birch was never tried or punished. Instead, he defected, and history tells us that for the rest of his life he helped the British round up his own people for incarceration on a Bass Strait island. But history is wrong. Now, for the first time, the epic truth is told about this charismatic Aboriginal patriot and his unending fight against invasion. It is a heroic story - and a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

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9781743058671

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Reviews

'A riveting portrait ... destined to become a classic of our time.' - Lyndall Ryan 'We need to know our history in order to know ourselves. Broken Spear is an uncomfortable story but we need not wear it like a hair shirt but rather accept it as a way to reconcile white Australia with its history and prepare to improve it.' - Bruce Pascoe 'What a story it is! The most accomplished fiction writer would be commended for inventing a story as intriguing and improbable as Black Tom's.' - Nick Clements 'An imposing book, the author has authoritatively established that Tom Birch was a figure of real historical importance and indeed one of the most significant Indigenous Australians in the early colonial period ... The fact he has been almost totally forgotten increases the value of this thoroughly researched biography ... What is more, the book is written with great skill. Mr Cox writes with flair and elegance and is a born storyteller.' - Henry Reynolds

'A riveting portrait ... destined to become a classic of our time.' - Lyndall Ryan 'We need to know our history in order to know ourselves. Broken Spear is an uncomfortable story but we need not wear it like a hair shirt but rather accept it as a way to reconcile white Australia with its history and prepare to improve it.' - Bruce Pascoe 'What a story it is! The most accomplished fiction writer would be commended for inventing a story as intriguing and improbable as Black Tom's.' - Nick Clements 'An imposing book, the author has authoritatively established that Tom Birch was a figure of real historical importance and indeed one of the most significant Indigenous Australians in the early colonial period ... The fact he has been almost totally forgotten increases the value of this thoroughly researched biography ... What is more, the book is written with great skill. Mr Cox writes with flair and elegance and is a born storyteller.' - Henry Reynolds

Author Information

Tasmanian Robert Cox is a former copywriter, journalist, newspaper subeditor, and magazine editor with a special interest in the history of his home state. His publications include eight other books and numerous articles, essays, short stories, and reviews, plus an unobtrusive poem or two. He has also done voice work in radio and television and written documentary film scripts. Broken Spear: The untold story of Black Tom Birch, the man who sparked Australia's bloodiest war, was longlisted for the 2024 Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History.

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