In gripping, vivid prose crafted over 15 years of healing from trauma, Behind God’s Back: Finding Hope in Hardship, is an unforgettable story of both suffering and redemption, dramatizing the protagonist’s experiences of poverty, food insecurity, abuse, addiction, recovery, and, eventually, a commitment to sustained community service. While exploring childhood and early adult hardships endured in the Arlington Heights projects of Pittsburgh, Miller moves forward to model a path of sober living and transformational leadership that includes the creation of a regional recovery center for women suffering from substance abuse–a former convent turned sanctuary that prioritizes trauma-informed care and women’s health.

Miller’s award-winning memoir is relayed with realism and humor, featuring a diverse cast of wise and “imperfect” mentors who make her transformation possible. In an artistically distinct, compelling, and direct voice, she invites readers to identify their sameness within the work: their own capacity for resilience, healing, and sober recovery. Her book also demonstrates a path of recovery that hinges on outward contributions to family, friends, community, and society, rather than solely documenting personal trauma. This dramatized progression from individual recovery to a commitment to social welfare, community outreach, and servant leadership, distinguishes the book among traditional memoirs exploring trauma, promoting participation rather than isolation.

Behind God’s Back illuminates the beauty and healing that can come out of adversity and pain. While offering a story about trauma in childhood, dysfunctional family circumstances, and recovery from addiction, the memoir highlights the importance of forming meaningful human relationships to heal personally, while cultivating the resources to be of service to others, when we are ready, and sometimes, even when we are still healing. Ultimately, Behind God’s Back shows us all how we can all participate in the creation of a more humane society, embark on a deep healing process for ourselves and our loved ones, and embrace a leadership role in our own families, our own communities, and our own society.