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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'For 40,000 years the Central NSW area of Wellington was Aboriginal - Wiradjuri - land. Following the arrival of white men, it became a penal settlement, mission station, gold-mining town and farming centre with a history of white comfort and black marginalisation. In the late 20th century, it was also the subject of the first post-Mabo Native Title claim, bringing new hope - and new controversy - to the area and its people.
Wiradjuri land is also where author Patti Miller was born and, mid-life, it begins to exert a compelling emotional pull, demanding her return. Post-children, having lived a dream life in Paris, it is hard for her to understand, or ignore, and so she is drawn into the story at the heart of Australian identity - who are we in relation to our beloved but stolen country?
Wellington and the Wiradjuri people are the main characters - and in revealing their complex narratives, Patti uncovers her own. Are her connections to this place through her convict forefathers, or through another, secret history? She sets out on a journey of exploration and takes us with her. Black and white politics, the processes of colonisation, family mythologies, generational conflict and the power of place are evoked as Patti weaves a story that is very personal and, at the same time, a universal story of country and belonging.
The Mind of a Thief is about identity, history, place and belonging and, perhaps most of all, about how we create ourselves through our stories.' Source: http://uqp.com.au/ (Sighted 03/04/2012).
Notes
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Dedication: For Connie Miller who was more inclined to read than work 1921-2010.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Large print.
Works about this Work
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y
Exploring Issues of Identity and Belonging
Seven Hills
:
Five Senses Education
,
2014
9010570
2014
selected work
criticism
'Study notes and a workshop approach to Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Patti Miller's The Mind of the Thief, Mudrooroo's Wild Cat Falling, Anthony Fabian's Skin.' (Publication summary)
-
y
Patti Miller's The Mind of a Thief
Cheltenham
:
Insight Publications
,
2014
6896287
2014
single work
criticism
'Insight Text Guides are written by highly qualified specialists in the relevant area of literature or film. All writers are experienced teachers at secondary or tertiary level, and present clear, comprehensive and accessible analyses for students. This guide to Patti Miller’s text covers context and background, genre, narrative structure and style, language, characters and themes.' (Publisher's blurb)
- y The Mind of a Thief : Patti Miller Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2013 9015612 2013 single work criticism
- y The Mind of a Thief, by Patti Miller Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2013 8981836 2013 single work criticism
-
Patti Miller The Mind of a Thief. Reviewed by Anna Maria Dell’oso
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , March 2013;
— Review of The Mind of a Thief 2012 single work autobiography
-
Same Home, Different Stories in a Search for the Self
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 16-17 June 2012; (p. 32-33)
— Review of The Mind of a Thief 2012 single work autobiography -
Off the Shelf : Memoir
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 23 June 2012; (p. 30)
— Review of The Mind of a Thief 2012 single work autobiography -
Non Fiction
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 23 - 24 June 2012; (p. 23)
— Review of The Mind of a Thief 2012 single work autobiography -
Memoir
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 21 July 2012; (p. 21)
— Review of The Mind of a Thief 2012 single work autobiography -
Native Title Not Black and White
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4-5 August 2012; (p. 33)
— Review of The Mind of a Thief 2012 single work autobiography -
Master-Mind of A Thief
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: UQ News , September no. 603 2012; (p. 11) -
Letter From Boy, 14, Inspires French's Prize-Winning Tale About Life in Nazi Germany
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13 September 2013; (p. 12) -
y
Patti Miller's The Mind of a Thief
Cheltenham
:
Insight Publications
,
2014
6896287
2014
single work
criticism
'Insight Text Guides are written by highly qualified specialists in the relevant area of literature or film. All writers are experienced teachers at secondary or tertiary level, and present clear, comprehensive and accessible analyses for students. This guide to Patti Miller’s text covers context and background, genre, narrative structure and style, language, characters and themes.' (Publisher's blurb)
- y The Mind of a Thief, by Patti Miller Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2013 8981836 2013 single work criticism
-
y
Exploring Issues of Identity and Belonging
Seven Hills
:
Five Senses Education
,
2014
9010570
2014
selected work
criticism
'Study notes and a workshop approach to Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Patti Miller's The Mind of the Thief, Mudrooroo's Wild Cat Falling, Anthony Fabian's Skin.' (Publication summary)
Awards
- 2013 winner New South Wales Premier's History Prize — New South Wales Community and Regional History Prize
- 2013 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards — Non-fiction
- 2013 longlisted Kibble Literary Awards — Nita Kibble Literary Award
- 2013 longlisted The Stella Prize
- Wellington, Wellington area, Wellington - Dubbo - Narromine area, Central West NSW, New South Wales,