'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