The topic of this book may seem a little dry but is actually interesting reading. Ann Beaglehole is a refugee immigrant herself (Hungary 1956), and here examines our country’s response to refugees and asylum seekers since 1840. She looks at why particular groups have been chosen over others and how policies have changed over the […]
Music can evoke memories and emotions and using that ability, Kay McKenzie Cooke has created a collection of poetry that highlights people and places from her past. Cooke grew up in the rural Southland of the 1950s and 60s and the song tracks, titles and lines she has used for inspiration in this collection take
■ REVIEWS: Born to a Red-headed Woman | The White Clock
Kiwi poetry a raw look at life Read Post »
Siobhan Harvey is an internationally recognised poet who has been critically acclaimed through receiving or being shortlisted for many awards. She won the Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award 2013 for her Cloudboy collection. These poems share what life is like with an autistic son. The point of view is Cloudmother’s, and she first compares her son
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 »
Former New Zealand Poet Laureate Cilla McQueen has produced a cute little collection of poetic novellas that will appeal to her existing fans and also provide a great introduction to her work for new fans. Originally one of the works McQueen undertook during her time as Poet Laureate, the project titled Serial was published on
■ REVIEW: Edwin's Egg
Whimsical work a little gem Read Post »
Found only in New Zealand’s waters, Hector’s dolphins are both cute and fascinating. They are also – as the publisher points out – as “Kiwi as the kiwi but their numbers are under threat”. All too often, we lose sight of what it is that makes our little corner of the world so appealing to
■ REVIEW: Dolphins Down Under
Seeing the value in NZ’s dolphins Read Post »
While the horrors of war are something we would all rather avoid, sometimes it is through those horrors that great things emerge. During World War I, surgeons had a new challenge: That so many of the soldiers who survived being injured were left with devastating facial problems. They would survive to go home to their
■ REVIEW: Reconstructing Faces
The ugly face of war Read Post »
Unpacking the Kists: The Scots in New Zealand is an informative study of the nature and effect of Scottish migration to New Zealand. The book by Brad Patterson, Tom Brooking and Jim McAloon covers myriad topics including where in Scotland the settlers came from and their distribution patterns in New Zealand, how Scottish settlers have
■ REVIEW: Unpacking the Kists
Tracing NZ’s tartan history Read Post »
The subject of this biography is an important figure in the settlement of Canterbury. He was the province’s first superintendent, a politician, a watercolourist and founder of the Christchurch Press. He was ahead of his time with such forward thinking ideas as plans to help the famine sufferers in Ireland, ideas for successful colonization, and
This little book offers a fascinating trip down the memory lane of pills, potions and, in some cases I am sure, snake-oil treatments. We would all like to think we are a pretty enlightened bunch, and that we can easily separate the dodgy from the useful. However, a quick flick through this book shows that
■ REVIEW: Pills & Potions
A little something to cure what ails you Read Post »
