Blog Archives

Family heritage

31/10/2017

A Long Journey: From Steam to Cyber
by Gracie Stathers

Gracie Stathers explores her family heritage and links it to New Zealand history in this interesting book.
The story begins with a fictionalised history of her European ancestors. The time frame runs roughly from 1840 to 1945. As the author says in her prologue, “never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.”
The families left behind hardship in hope of a better future. They gambled their lives on dangerous sea voyages to unknown destinations, just like the reviled “economic refugees” of today. These were tough people. They endured convict life on Norfolk Island, near-shipwrecks, accidents, and personal loss. The relaxed structure of loosely connected vignettes makes this an easy read. The author weaves together domestic activities, historical facts and dialogue with a practiced hand.
The historical section is followed by a personal biography. Many experiences in the author’s life will be familiar to baby boomers from Australia as well as New Zealand. I was touched by her grandmother’s struggle with her prosthetic leg, the result of childhood poliomyelitis.
The author also outlines the development of her interest in alternative medicine.
The third section of the book is an essay on New Zealand’s future in a century of internet, robotics and globalisation. The cyber future will create unemployment and hardship, just as the industrial revolution did. The author’s pride and confidence in New Zealand’s ability to solve these problems shines through.
A fun short story about settlers colonising Mars forms the epilogue.
Stathers ties her family history and personal memories to wider historical contexts in an original way. The essay section was heavier going, and I would have liked to know more about the Maori perspective on European settlement. However, I enjoyed this very readable book, which would appeal especially to fans of biographies and historical fiction.

Review by Jai Baidell

Title: A Long Journey From Steam to Cyber
Author: Gracie Stathers
Publisher: Wallace Publishing
ISBN: 978-0473383022
RRP: $28.00 paper; kindle US$2.99
Available: Books A Plenty, Tauranga

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Women's voices from the past

24/10/2017

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He Reo Wāhine: Māori Women’s Voices from the Nineteenth Century
by Lachy Paterson & Angela Wanhalla

Years of dedicated research and work have gone into producing this book, and it shows – the result is a literary taonga that adds much to understanding this nation’s past.
When the arts of reading and writing were introduced to Māori society they added to the strong oral tradition already present, and were taken up with enthusiasm.
It is an unfortunate aspect of colonial tradition that the histories, views and words of women were not as valued as those of men, and were largely overlooked and ignored when archives were being compiled. This is true for women overall, and how much more so in the case of Māori women.
  After extensive work, the authors have helped to redress this imbalance. By examining more than 500 texts they have put together this collection, which records examples of the thoughts and experiences of Māori women between 1830 and 1900.
     As He Reo Wāhine shows, they wrote letters to all sorts of people, institutions such as government departments, and newspapers; they gave testimony in court, and made petitions – whether written or oral, in Māori or English. What is recorded in this resource is in their own words.
     The Governor of the day received a good number of direct messages –
     Kei mea mai koe he Tane nana tenei Pukapuka. Kahore [h]e wahine au nama [sic]…
     Do not think that this letter is from a man. No, I am a woman…
     Written requests and petitions, or oral testimonies made to government departments, boards and courts, gave women’s experiences and feelings on a variety of relevant subjects – such as land, war, legal matters.
     …All my interests in the land of the Ngaitahu have been seized by the Government without the payment to me of even the smallest sum of money…
     …One of the children, a little girl, ran out of my house, and the rifles were pointed at her, and fired at her, but she was not hit….
     …I know the prisoner. I saw him on that Saturday. I never saw him before….
     Similarly, Māori women wrote letters to newspapers giving their views –
     We, your female friends, strongly object to the Dog Tax, that it should not be authorised in our districts and in our Māori villages.
     But others were more personal, addressed to friends and family –
     I want to protect my children; I brought them into the world and I must provide for them….I have sent my eldest daughter to Melbourne to be educated.
     Each of the eight chapters includes explanations to put the voices into context. These, with a comprehensive introduction and an epilogue, provide good commentary on the history of the New Zealand colonial period. The 372 pages of the volume also include a glossary, notes, bibliography, and index.
     In giving us this work Lachy Paterson and Angela Wanhalla, associate professors at the University of Otago, have made a major contribution to a fuller and more complete account of this country’s history.

Review by Bronwyn Elsmore

Title: He Reo Wāhine: Māori Women’s Voices from the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Lachy Paterson & Angela Wanhalla
Publisher: Auckland University Press
ISBN: 978 1 86940 865 7
RRP: $65
Available: Bookshops

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Raw emotions

18/10/2017

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Mission To Motherhood
by Amira Mikhail

The desire for motherhood is a very strong emotion in the majority of women. It is innate and part of the desire to procreate thus ensuring the survival of the species. That’s just the way it is and as it was for our author Amira Mikhail.
Mikhail was suffering from endometriosis at the top end of the scale and as she grew older she was confronted with many obstacles and problems that were making her end goal, the desire for motherhood, more and more difficult to accomplish.
  As each problem arose the author faced up to them with intelligence, determination and good sound medical knowledge.
Through Mission to Motherhood we accompany her through her journey of the horrors of fibroids causing massive blood loss and accompanying problems: the pain of endometriosis, and a miscarriage at 12 weeks.
The book then leads us through the emotional highs and lows of IVF and finally surrogacy. This story has a happy ending but one can’t help being moved as we read about her miscarriage and the difficulties of her first surrogacy attempt.
  As a retired Registered Nurse with a vast amount of experience in the gynaecological area I have witnessed the agony of miscarriage, prenatal deaths, and endometriosis, and so had an excellent understanding of the medical terminology used throughout the narrative; and I could appreciate the emotional roller coaster that is felt by women, and their suffering, during these times. There were occasions when I was moved to tears at the raw emotions that were experienced by the author – but, as I have said, this story has a happy ending and the delight of the happy parents and the extended family is obvious at all.
  The book is well written and could be used as a textbook for those who are considering surrogacy as it gives in great detail the emotional and legal ramifications for those who are embarking on this journey.
I wish this delightful family every happiness and thank them for sharing their story through the pages of Mission to Motherhood.

Review by Merilyn Mary

Title: Mission To Motherhood
Author: Amira Mikhail
Publisher: Calico Publishing http://calicopublishing.co.nz
ISBN: 978 1877429 20 0
RRP: $40
Available: bookshops

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Easy to follow plot

13/10/2017

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Nothing Bad Happens Here
by Nikki Crutchley

Nothing bad happens here – or does it? The main character is a journalist (one of many, much to her dismay) sent to a sleepy little (ficticious) town on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula, where a decomposing body has been discovered in the bush by some trampers.
The reader quickly becomes familiar with the journalist and the other personalities who gradually weave their way into the story, all with their various complicated and emotional backgrounds.
The hard working, honest policeman of the town suddenly finds himself in the middle of the investigation and then upstaged by a more senior officer sent to head the inquiry who seems to delight in undermining the local cop.
Dark secrets begin to unfold. Why and how did this young girl disappear and end up murdered? Another unexplained event comes to light.
The characters gradually evolve and evoke sympathy, frustration and curiosity in the reader.
It’s a mystery, with a twist at the end.
The book is well written with good grammar and punctuation, chapters just long enough for a bedtime read, and would appeal to readers aged from 16 years upwards wanting an easy read. Younger readers may find the emotional and psychological aspect of the characters hard to comprehend. As events unfold and accelerate, it made me want to read on. It has easy to follow plot with good descriptions.
This is Nikki Crutchley's first work of fiction and I would certainly encourage her to write another.
An enjoyable holiday read – unless you happen to be relaxing in a Health Retreat where anything can happen!

Review by Fran Hartley

Title: Nothing Bad Happens Here
Author: Nikki Crutchley
Publisher: Oak House Press
ISBN: 9780473404505
RRP: $29.99
Available: Paperback: Paper Plus stores in Waikato, King Country, BOP, Carson's Book Shop Thames, McLeod's Book Shop Rotorua, Whanga Books Whangamata, Unity Books Wellington.
E-book on Amazon and Kobo. Or from www.nikkicrutchley.com

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Work of fiction. Or is it?

7/10/2017

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A Killer Harvest
By Paul Cleave

This is the first of this author's books I've read, but it certainly won't be my last.
Do scenarios like these actually happen in our world? It appears plausible enough, so why not?
And if this did happen in our world, which side would I choose, if I were to be any part of it. Would I side with life for all, regardless, or be done and dusted with the bad guys?
In this book, anything is possible.
To have a group of highly specialised 'vigilantes' making decisions on who should live and who should die can evoke many different reactions in one, in me. I read, keeping an open mind. This is, after all, a work of fiction. Or is it?
My mother-heart cried for the blind boy who would regain sight at the cost of his father's life. What a gift, although unintentional at that time. But the boy received far, far more than just his father's eyes.
The plot is intricate and yet masterfully revealed. The writing simple and eloquent.         That this book originally started out as a Young Adult read is apparent by the paucity of bad language throughout. Like the publisher, I feel it's for a much wider audience.
Brilliant portrayal of characters, brilliant medical research into organ donations and harvesting, and cellular memory.
That it is situated in Christchurch, NZ, with stunning scenery descriptions makes it even more appealing.
     Well done, Paul Cleave. Well done!

Review by Susan Tarr

Title: A Killer Harvest
Author: Paul Cleave
Publisher: Upstart Press
ISBN: 978-1-927262-36-8
RRP: $34.99
Available: bookshops

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Privilege to read

3/10/2017

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Tears of Rangi: Experiments Across Worlds
by Anne Salmond

What an extraordinary privilege it is to be reviewing this marvellous book.
At last I got some understanding as to how the fraught relationship between Maori and Pakeha arose. The two parties held such diametrically opposed philosophical positions when they first came into contact.
The missionaries arrived with belief systems that revolved around a single God and the belief that people controlled the world and all in it. This conviction, arising from Genesis, gave them the right to tame natural resources. As kaitiaki (guardians) Maori lived in harmony with the land. It could never be owned, so when land was alienated they were surprised that it had gone out of Maori control forever.
This is simplifying the position put by Dame Anne Salmond and people should read the book in order to fully understand the case she is making.
While the missionaries learnt the language, the nuances behind the words were, naturally enough, missed, intensifying the impression of two groups talking past each other.
Maori cosmology of many Gods juxtaposed with that of one Christian God also made misunderstandings inevitable. Those early differences in world view continue to impact on race relations today. Dame Anne Salmond explains how this plays out.
I was intrigued by her explanations around the practice of cannibalism. While the reasons she outlined made sense I have to admit to recoiling from the thought. However, I am glad she dealt with it openly. Often it is used as an excuse for the way missionaries set about ‘civilising’ Maori. It was a bold move on Anne Salmond’s part to go into this topic in depth. However, unless we face these undercurrents and bring them to the surface they will continue to influence attitudes.
Her book explains why such terrible misunderstandings occurred when settlers swarmed into New Zealand, courtesy of the New Zealand Company. The ground was laid for the inevitable Land Wars that followed the signing of the 1840 Tiriti o Waitangi. I also found myself deeply stirred by admiration for the dogged determination Maori have shown over the years to have injustices and misunderstandings rectified. Nevertheless, there has been a huge social cost which we continue to pay.
But Anne Salmond does not leave it there which is wonderful because she takes those early contact confusions and explains how they have impacted on Maori–Pakeha relationships today.
As I read, I found myself almost exalting. At last someone had the courage to dig deeply into the metaphysical influences that drive Pakeha and Maori actions. Many will not even be aware of what these are.
For example, the fraught question of who owns water is examined. She quotes: Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au I am the river, and the river is me (311). This single whakatauiki (proverb) makes water such a powerful life force that it is easy to understand why Maori and supporters are prepared to put themselves at risk when companies like Petrobras start oil exploration.
An unpolluted ocean is the source of life as are our rivers. Yet so many take water for granted.
How fortunate we are that anthropologists like Dame Anne Salmond take the time to examine these questions in depth.
Without the debate and erudite works like Tears of Rangi: Experiments Across the World, this nation would stand in danger of becoming one homogenised blob. It is never too late to start listening to each perspective and from there agree on a way forward. Anne Salmond’s book shines a light on the path we could each take.

Review by Suraya Dewing
CEO, Stylefit (formerly The Story Mint) http://www.thestorymint.com

Title: Tears of Rangi: Experiments Across Worlds
Author: Anne Salmond
Publisher: Auckland University Press
ISBN: 978 1 86940 865 7
RRP: $65.00
Available: bookshops

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Family heritage

Women's voices from the past

Raw emotions

Easy to follow plot

Work of fiction. Or is it?

Privilege to read

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