General non-fiction - Books By George

■ REVIEW: Flying Kiwis: A History of the OE
Great read captures Kiwi experience

Going on the big OE is something of a rite of passage for many young Kiwis, so it should come as no surprise that there is now a book looking at the history of this trend. This is the first detailed account of the uniquely Kiwi phenomenon: the extended overseas working holiday also known as […]

■ REVIEW: Flying Kiwis: A History of the OE
Great read captures Kiwi experience Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Catch
Shame on the high seas

General non-fiction

The tagline on this book is “How fishing companies reinvented slavery and plunder the oceans”, and that’s exactly what it’s about. Michael Field has done an outstanding job outlining the disgraceful state of conditions on foreign charter vessels fishing in New Zealand waters for New Zealand quota. The Catch is a fascinating, yet horrifying, expose

■ REVIEW: The Catch
Shame on the high seas Read Post »

■ REVIEW: One Summer: America, 1927
The summer that changed the world

General non-fiction

British author Bill Bryson has come up with an interesting concept for this fact-packed trip back in time, telling the story of one summer in the history of America that changed the world forever. In 1927, the world between the two world wars, the United States was half-way through Prohibition and facing a time of

■ REVIEW: One Summer: America, 1927
The summer that changed the world Read Post »

■ REVIEW: The Bassett Road Machine-Gun Murders
Gangland killings a shock

General non-fiction, NZ books

This book was published to mark the 50th anniversary of a shocking crime that drew a line in New Zealand’s criminal history and heralded a more sinister era. Set against a backdrop of six o’clock closings, a Chicago-style underworld, bent cops, prostitution and the lure of a quick buck or two, the book helpfully provides

■ REVIEW: The Bassett Road Machine-Gun Murders
Gangland killings a shock Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Farmageddon The True Cost of Cheap Meat
Will we pay the price?

General non-fiction

It’s so easy to feel a disconnect between the vacuum packed offerings in the meat aisle at your local supermarket and the origins of that product on the farm, but it is important that we know – and care about – where our meat comes from. As the world’s population grows, the need to produce

■ REVIEW: Farmageddon The True Cost of Cheap Meat
Will we pay the price? Read Post »

■ REVIEW: In the Hands of Strangers
State’s failure of care a sad tale

General non-fiction, NZ books

When the State steps in to take over the care of a child when families are unable to, those children should be safe. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, and Beverly Wardle-Jackson’s story highlights just how badly things can go wrong. She was born to a broken family, her father drifting in and out of

■ REVIEW: In the Hands of Strangers
State’s failure of care a sad tale Read Post »

■ REVIEW: 100 Things You Will Never Do
Dreaming of the impossible

General non-fiction, Humour

I refuse to set myself a bucket list and believe the phrase should be eradicated from our language, but must admit I did enjoy this trip through what many would see as the ultimate bucket list. Author Daniel Smith has compiled a fun and diverse list of 100 things most of us are unlikely to

■ REVIEW: 100 Things You Will Never Do
Dreaming of the impossible Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Are Men Obsolete
Tackling gender debate with lots of humour

General non-fiction, Humour

This little book takes on the gender debate with four talented feminist writers and critics taking a crack at the argument both for and against those hairy creatures we share our lives with: Men. In centuries past, women have tended to end up getting a bit of a raw deal: We’ve put careers (and sometimes

■ REVIEW: Are Men Obsolete
Tackling gender debate with lots of humour Read Post »

■ REVIEW: Fukushima: Japan's Tsunami and the Inside Story of the Nuclear Meltdowns
Harrowing accounts reveal disaster details

General non-fiction

Three years ago, and just a couple of weeks after the deadly Canterbury quake, Japan was also hit by a big quake. While more than 180 died in the 6.3 magnitude Canterbury quake of February 22, 2011, Japan initially got through the violent March 11 quake (a whopping magnitude 9) relatively unscathed. It was the

■ REVIEW: Fukushima: Japan's Tsunami and the Inside Story of the Nuclear Meltdowns
Harrowing accounts reveal disaster details Read Post »

■ REVIEW: One Hundred Summers
Celebrating the wonder of ‘show day’

General non-fiction, NZ books

In what is a deceptively compact little book, former Southland Times farming reporter John Cutt packed in a wealth of history and information that covers 100 years of the Winton A & P Association. Subtitled ‘‘celebrating the achievements of the Winton A&P Association’’, the book is also a celebration of the people who have contributed

■ REVIEW: One Hundred Summers
Celebrating the wonder of ‘show day’ Read Post »