Barbara Miller Books Newsletter July 2024

Check out my instagram page where I put regular updates and subscribe here
And follow me on my Facebook page where I also post regularly here

Where would you like to keep your books? In an outdoor garden you can retreat to at night or do you like to read in a sunny lounge room by day?
As always, it’s such a pleasure to connect with you through our monthly newsletter. Sorry it’s been 2 months. Time flies. I’ve acturally been busy helping my husband with his art gallery as he is an Aboriginal artist – Munganbana. You can glimpse his work here

However I want to thank you for being a part of my reader community and I would love to hear more from you. What led you to pick up one of my books and what would you like to hear from me in future? What have you been reading lately and who are your favourite authors?

Right now, I’m at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair at the Cairns Convention Centre where my books are available along with my husband’s art so below is a photo of our stall. We have visitors from all over the world and people are lapping up my books and the art.

AMAZON REVIEWS

If I Survive

foxden53
5.0 out of 5 stars Never forget!
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a story of a survivor of one of the worst chapters of history. We all need to remember all those who died during this horrendous chapter of the 1940s and never ever forget the atrocities that lost so many lives. WE ARE ALL EQUAL IN GOD’S EYES AND WE NEED TO “NEVER FORGET “

This is an older review but so worth a read:

White Australia Has A Black History

Brian Aird
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, Inspirational and Illuminating
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
White Australia Has a Black HIstory: William Cooper And First Nations Peoples’ Political Activism by Barbara Miller is a compelling narrative that chronicles the Aboriginal movement in Australia and their quest for human rights.

Specifically, the book covers the time frame spanning the years of 1860 to 1941. The main inspirational leader is William Cooper as well as a number of other visionary leaders are highlighted and their impact on the nation of Australia.

This historical and exhaustive work is an engaging read that reflects the plight of the Aborigines of Australia. It details the discrimination placed on the indigenous peoples of this down under country by white settlers. Additionally, in an effort to move towards assimilation, the book moves the reader through the other injustices inflicted upon the Aborigines. Some of those injustices include the removal of children from their families, economic destruction, land grab, rationing of food, etc.

However, the proud native Australians push back and utilize peaceful means to secure their people and bring about change and improvement for their lives.

Adding to the impact of the book is the actual verbiage penned from existing diaries of those who fought for equality. This dimension along with actual published photos adds to the impact of the book and personalizes those victims of one race being devalued significantly by another race.

Above all, in addition to being educational, the book is inspirational as it details the value and effectiveness of making a difference when leaders promote a vision of a greater good for all involved. Adding to the inspiration is the display of powerful impact when leaders from both races work together for the benefit of their homeland.

The author, Barbara Miller, has gifted the reader with a truly inspirational narrative of vision, motivated leaders and an oppressed people fighting for equality. Furthermore, it is a relevant read for the people of today who can relate to discriminatory acts of being marginalized either personally or as a group of people.
Both books available on Amazon or my website.

PLENTY OF BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM. GET YOURS TODAY!

Have You Always Dreamed of Being a Published Author? – The Successful Author Kit is for You.

Bestselling author Barbara Miller has produced the following guides to help you on your way to fulfilling your dream. It is called the Successful Author Kit. She knows what it takes to have a successful writing career. You can get the following guides in the kit:

  • Guide to Choosing Your Niche
  • Guide to Finding Your Book Topic and Title
  • Guide to Structuring Your Non-Fiction Book, and as a bonus
  • List of Resources for Authors

Newsletter Dec 2021

Hi all you wonderful readers – We have enjoyed the Hanukkah celebrations ending nightfall of 6 Dec and Christmas will soon be upon us. For those who don’t celebrate these seasons, you will no doubt have holidays to look forward to with maybe some indulgent eating and gift-giving nonetheless. Don’t forget to take a book with you on your travels or stay-at-home break. God bless you and your family. I believe God has called me to write and I look forward to the book He has for me next.

Book Launch 7 Dec 12md AEDT Zoom

6 December 8pm New York time

Zoom ID 116 446 220 Passcode: 498888

You are invited to a zoom book launch of my book Secrets and Lies on Tuesday 7 December at 12md AEDT i.e. Sydney time and Monday night 6 December 8pm New York time.

Mayor of Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire, Ross Andrews, the Hon. Bob Katter, Federal MP, Native American podcaster Marina Maria, American Jewish author Irene Shaland, British editor Tony Crofts, Malaysian pastor Joy Tan, Cairns journalist & reviewer Christine Howes, Australian prayer leader Lilian Schmid and videographer David Jack will be sharing live with videos from authors in South Africa & Jordan. We may be joined by author Dr Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jnr. So it will be an interesting session. Tell your friends.

Reviews

This memoire, Secrets and Lies, tells the story of important events in the relationship between the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments and Aboriginal people on Aurukun and Mornington Island and their struggle to maintain control of their lives in the face of paternalism and racism. It does so from the perspective of the author, who had a unique opportunity to observe the events in which Aboriginal leaders participated and recount the conversations which occurred at meetings between community members and with politicians who played key roles in these events along with what was played out in the public arena and recorded in the media.

It paints an intimate picture of the individuals involved and brings to life the impact which actions of Government have had upon them at a personal and structural level. It provides a detailed insight into how a grass-roots activist organisation, the North Queensland Land Council, with a charismatic leader, Mick Miller, was able to operate in a regional, State, national and international arena in its advocacy of self-determination for Aboriginal people.

It traces the history of on-going advocacy of the author for Aboriginal people and the challenges they face through various changes of direction in her personal life. It is a unique and valuable record of the observations and participation of the author in activism which has as its unwavering focus a dedication to the cause of social justice for Indigenous people.

Greg McIntyre SC, Barrister, Michael Kirby Chambers Perth, Lawyer for the Mabo Case

Secrets and Lies – A powerful, hard-hitting yarn, from the grassroots of Cape York community-life through to the necessary development of life-changing political activism on Cape York in the 1970s and 80s.

This is a story which needs to be told and has to be taught, with lessons to learn about what should be done, and how it should (and shouldn’t) be done.

These yarns are at the roots of what still happens today, in this day and age, making it an essential read for anyone who has ties or in an interest, not just in the Cape York landscape, but across all of Government/Aboriginal politics.

A well-written and fascinating contextual read for anyone with a passion for justice for Aboriginal people.

Christine Howes, FNQ correspondent for Koori Mail

Special almost finished but it’s an honour to celebrate the anniversary of William Cooper again on 6 Dec. Kristallnacht To Cooper Protest Special 9 Nov – 6 Dec

To commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht or the Night of the Broken Glass and the response by Australian Aboriginal William Cooper in leading the Australian Aborigines’ League on one of the few private protests worldwide against Kristallnacht, I have a $10 discount on my William Cooper Gentle Warrior book with free shipping in Australia. 

Shattered Lives Broken Dreams is available from Amazon as well as my website but William Cooper Gentle Warrior is only available from my website and is not available as an ebook.

Question – What is on your reading list for the upcoming holiday? Let me know via email

(New link update!) Barbara Miller Books Newsletter Nov 2021

 

Hi all you wonderful readers – the holiday season is fast approaching and I wish you some wonderful time out with family and friends. Also, let’s hope you can snuggle up with a book around a fireside in colder climates or lay on a beach and read while listening to the waves lapping on a sandy shore. Mine will be the latter.

Barbara miller book ebook promo

Book Launch 7 Dec 12md AEDT Zoom

Zoom ID 116 446 220 Passcode: 498888

You are invited to a zoom book launch of my book Secrets and Lies on Tuesday 7 December at 12md AEDT i.e. Sydney time and Monday night 6 December 8pm New York time. I launched it on amazon for NAIDOC and it has been bestseller in a number of categories from time to time. I was invited to have a physical launch at the Cairns Tropical Writers Festival but it was postponed till next year due to covid. So this zoom launch will enable my friends and book lovers from around the world to join in.

Review

Secrets and Lies: The Shocking Truth of Recent Aboriginal History, A Memoir, is both a political chronicle and a personal memoir – a journey the young Barbara took into political activism and personal transformation, which became life-long. Barbara Miller shows the political and the personal can be two sides of a life journey of service.

There is critical history in this book from an activist on the inside.  Yet the book also shows that political activism is not enough. It must be balanced by personal integrity and pursuit. The journey from the political into the personal, with fulfillment in spiritual practice, is also illuminating. Can we do one without the other?  I think not, whatever the spiritual practice is. 

Barbara’s book bought memories of the days of the Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council (ACC), both of us working at different levels within the ACC to respond to the directions and needs of the old reserve mission controls moving into deeds of grant in trust and ‘self-management’. Barbara’s political background provided essential insight and sound analysis. Mine saw the failure of the services delivered by a racist regime, with the ACC working to meet their legislative responsibilities. Barbara supported this work through research. Hers has been an inspirational journey of service at many levels.

Judy Atkinson, Emeritus Professor, PhD AM

Here is an interesting earlier interview I did with a Native American interviewer, Marina Maria of Faith City Outreach for her podcast:


Check out Marina Maria’s new website!

https://www.globalgospelworshipradio.org/

 

Kristallnacht To Cooper Protest Special 9 Nov – 6 Dec

To commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht or the Night of the Broken Glass and the response by Australian Aboriginal William Cooper in leading the Australian Aborigines’ League on one of the few private protests worldwide against Kristallnacht, I have a $10 discount on my William Cooper Gentle Warrior book with free shipping in Australia.  – https://barbara-miller-books.com/

Shattered Lives Broken Dreams is available from Amazon as well as my website but William Cooper Gentle Warrior is only available from my website and is not available as an ebook.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Keith DeLacy, A Philosophical Journey

Your Price: $39.95
ISBN:9781922449603
Connorcourt Publishing

Sadly Keith DeLacy passed away a few days ago of cancer at 81 years of age but he managed to publish his memoir in time – in September 2021. He even spoke at a function in Brisbane one week before he passed. An outstanding treasurer in the Queensland government, he is reported by a Gympie newspaper as being critical of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in his book, having worked with him in the Goss government. I knew Keith personally in my early days and he seemed to be a person of integrity.John Roskam

DeLacy weaves together a tale of family, sport, politics, and business with candour, humanity, and profound insight. Anyone who wants to understand modern Australia must read this important and significant work.’ Gary Johns

 
‘When he became Treasurer in the Wayne Goss government he knew that Labor had a bad reputation for reckless spending. He set about making sure that he would not repeat the mistakes of other administrations. He succeeded. De Lacy has had a celebrated career after politics as a company director and entrepreneur.

Pre-publication Interview I did with Sylvia Tabua of Torres Strait Islander Radio on my book Secrets and Lies. It was a phone interview and my husband Norman videod me

GET $10 DISCOUNT OFF MY LATEST BOOK

Amazon Australia has a promotion on the paperback of my book Secrets and Lies which would make a good gift. It is $10 off the paperback when ordered by the amazon app. Enter code MAX10 at checkout. Here is the link to get the special – https://www.amazon.com.au/Secrets-Lies-Shocking-Australian-Aboriginal/dp/0648870928/

If you are an avid reader and are in KDP select, all my ebooks are free. I am in KDP select as I pay a low monthly fee and can read 10 books free as often as I like. Sounds good?

Question – What is your favourite book and why in a few words? Or a book that impacted you as a child? Let me know via email

Newsletter Sept 2021

Hi all you wonderful readers – I’m blessed to be living in Cairns in the Sunshine state of Queensland and we have only had 3 days of lockdown due to Covid-19 this year, faring much better than crowded cities like Sydney and Melbourne coping with the Delta strain.

In fact, except for the QR code requirement at venues, life has not changed much in Cairns since Covid-19 struck. My best wishes go out to all of you who have had your lives curtailed by many restrictions. A big hug to all of you who have been doing it tough. I only hope that during this time, you’ve been able to use it creatively to try out new things and to catch up on things you didn’t have time to do before. Maybe you even have more time to read books. Anyway, there is light at the end of the tunnel, so all the best.

Below are 2 photos taken by Norman of the Cairns Esplanade at night. Maybe we should be called a City of Lights.

During NAIDOC Week (National Aborigines and Islanders Week), I was interviewed about my new book Secrets and Lies

by Trevour Timms of Bummera Bippera Indigenous radio in Cairns
for National Indigenous Radio.
Here is the short but lively interview:

Mp3 format

High Maximum quality (WAV) file
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s9j-9RqC5l3NPsI3ORLXd-vbDWSmrW5d/view

SPECIAL PROMOTION

FREE EBOOK – White Woman Black Heart from 14-18 Sept on amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CCMV6CP
Oppressed Aborigines forced off their land at gunpoint. Over a decade later, one passionate young woman would take up their fight. Melbourne, 1970’s. Twenty-three-year-old university student Barbara Miller always stood her ground, even when it made her an outcast in her own family. So when she became a radical Christian advocate for social change, she didn’t think twice about joining the movement for Aboriginal justice. Boldly relocating to tropical Cape York and linking up with a Black activist and mentor on the frontline, she plunged into a life-changing battle despite the State’s threat of legal prosecution.

14-18 Sept the following ebooks will be reduced to 99c on amazon.
The Dying Days of Segregation in Australia – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GF864Q6
Did the deep north of Australia experience racism, discrimination, and segregation? Yes. But it was different from the deep south of the USA. A system similar to South African apartheid existed on Aboriginal reserves like Yarrabah in Queensland till as recently as 1984.

White Australia Has A Black History
https://www.amazon.com/dp/064847223X
Some say he was Australia’s Martin Luther King. William Cooper saw his Aboriginal people dying around him and decided black lives matter. Starvation and discrimination took their toll. He became passionate that they should have a voice in Australia’s federal parliament.

Shattered Lives Broken Dreams
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084Q4SSTX
The Nazis shatter glass and shatter the lives of European Jews at Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust. An Australian Aboriginal, William Cooper, leads the campaign for civil rights for his people who are dying of poverty and mistreatment around him. 1938; two worlds, far apart. Cut to the core after Kristallnacht, can he do anything to stop it?

BOOK OF THE MONTH

There were certainly plenty of good books to choose from. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku is not new but it is certainly acclaimed. It is the WINNER OF THE ABIA BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 2021.

Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you. Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested, and taken to a concentration camp.

Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the ‘happiest man on earth’.

Published as Eddie turns 100, this is a powerful, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful memoir of how happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.

  • SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABA NIELSEN BOOK BOOKSELLERS’ CHOICE – ADULT NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021
  • SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS FOR NON-FICTION 2021
  • LONGLISTED FOR MATT RICHELL AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR 2021 

Interview I did with ABC Radio Cairns for Reconciliation Week on my book Secrets and Lies

 

REVIEW FEATURE

Authors depend on reviews so I help other authors out with reviews when I can so I have decided to feature a few occasionally in case you’re interested. They are usually inexpensive and quick to read as ebooks on amazon.

Instead of the reviews this month, I have included an exciting opportunity for you with a feature called BOOKS YOU MIGHT LIKE.
They are from other non fiction authors. Check it out now – https://storyoriginapp.com/to/RWP8CwX

 

Question- What is your favourite book and why in a few words? Or a book that impacted you as a child? Let me know: 

bmiller-books@bigpond.com 

One of the books that impacted me in childhood was Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, an 1852 anti-slavery novel that had great impact in the US.

 

CAIRNS – CITY IN A RAINFOREST – PAINTING BY ABORIGINAL ARTIST MUNGANBANA. If you want to see more, go to www.munganbana.com.au

Newsletter August 2021

Hi all you wonderful readers – It was an effort to get this newsletter out because I am in my 11th day of being sick with a painful bacterial infection of my leg called cellulitis. After a couple of short stints in hospital and some home nursing from the hospital, I am slowly on the mend at home with antibiotics. I know some of you are in lockdown because of covid. Not an easy situation but I wish you all the best and hope you can take some time out to read.

Announcement My new book Secrets and Lies: The Shocking Truth About Recent Aboriginal History, A Memoir, is available on Amazon for 2.99 US as an ebook. The print book will be available from my website for Australians or from Amazon worldwide. Here is the link – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095SDW3LY

I would love some reviews on Amazon please and for you to share about it on social media. IRealesedon 3 July, it has been no 1 best seller in a number of categories and no. 1 new release in a lot of categories – Civil Law, Public Law, Constitutional Law Discrimination, International Treaties, Sociology of Race Relations, Civil Rights, Australian and NZ History, Australian and Oceanian Politics, Study and Teaching and Education Reference.

I have done interviews with Cairns ABC, The Cairns Post where it was front page as well as inside, Torres Strait Islander Radio, Bumma Bippera Radio and National Indigenous Radio Service and Vision Christian Radio. Below are photos of me with my new book banner outside Munganbana Aboriginal Art Gallery and my article in The Cairns Post. Norman photocopied it with the QR code to my website

barbara miller banner shopfront

barbara miller frontpage paper

BOOK OF THE MONTH

God is Good for You: A Defence of Christianity in troubled times by Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian newspaper.

At a time of crisis for Christianity in the West, God is Good for You shows just why we need faith in our world.

The Judeo-Christian tradition has created and underpinned the moral and legal fabric of Western civilisation for more than 2000 years, yet now we’ve reached a point in both Australia and many parts of the West where Christianity has become a minority faith rather than the mainstream belief. It’s a situation that’s fraught both for Christians and our wider society, where the moral certainties that were the foundation of our institutions and laws are no longer held by the majority.

At this point of crisis for faith, God is Good for You shows us why Christianity is so vital for our personal and social well-being, and how modern Christians have never worked so hard to make the world a better place at a time when their faith has never been less valued. It carries a vital torch for Christianity in a way that’s closely argued, warmly human, good humoured yet passionate, and, above all, convincing.

Interview I did with Vision Christian Radio Australia

Vision radio Q and A

REVIEW FEATURE

Authors depend on reviews so I help other authors out with reviews when I can so I have decided to feature a few occasionally in case you’re interested. They are usually inexpensive and quick to read as ebooks on amazon.

Instead of the reviews this month, I have included an exciting opportunity for you with a feature called – BOOKS YOU MIGHT LIKE.
They are from other non fiction authors. Check it out now – https://storyoriginapp.com/to/RWP8CwX

Books on Yarrabah, Mapoon, William Cooper and de Quiros

The Dying Days of Segregation in Australia: Case Study Yarrabah– https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GF864Q6/ 
White Woman Black Heart: Journey Home to Old Mapoon, A Memoir– https://www.amazon.com/dp-B07CCMV6CP/
White Australia Has A Black History: William Cooper and First Nations Peoples’ Political Activism – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X1MYCDX/
William Cooper Gentle Warrior and The European Quest to Find Terra Australis Incognita:Quiros Torres and Janszoon – www.barbara-miller-books.com

Be blessed and happy reading!