Keepers of History - New Zealand Centenarians Tell Their Stories by Renée Hollis

$40.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

In 2017, Renee Hollis interviewed 120 people over the age of 100, living in every region of New Zealand. Along the way, she had the privilege of interviewing 23 World War II veterans. Her goal in compiling the book was to preserve New Zealand history by sharing the stories and memories of our eldest cit izens. She wants all people to value the elderly and to read and appreciate their stories and contribution to our society. Most importantly, she wants to ensure that that they are not forgotten and do not become invisible in our communities, but instead are honoured and celebrated. In this collection of interviews, we meet opera singers and farmers, a politician and a racing car driver, a nun and a freedom fighter with Gandhi, and even a member of Hip Operation - the oldest hip-hop group in the world! They have witnessed momentous global events and technological innovations that have changed our world. From the everyday to the extraordinary, these are the stories of people who have lived through history and whose message of resilience and making the best of things has so much to offer the generations that have followed them. ...Show more

Native Son: The Writer's Memoir by Witi Ihimaera

$40.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography | Reading Level: very good

This is the second memoir of a remarkable Maori writer and of the living myths that inspired him at the beginning of his career. Look at him, the young man on the cover. The year is 1972, he is 28, his first book is about to be published, and he has every reason to kick up his heels. But behind that joy ful smile, and the image of a writer footing it in the Pakeha world, there is another narrative, one that Witi has not told before. The story of a native son, struggling to find a place, a voice and an identity, and to put a secret past to rest. This sequel to the award-winning memoir Maori Boy picks up where it stopped, following Witi through his triumphs and failures at school and university, to experimenting sexually, searching for love and purpose and to becoming our first Maori novelist. It continues in the same vein described by a reviewer of the first volume- 'a rich, powerful, multi-layered and totally unique story . . . something every New Zealander should read'. ...Show more

Driven by the Wind - The Memoir of Captain Henry Rose by Karen Stade

$50.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

...Christmas Day 1847 we were in a gale of a wind in the Bay of Biscay, the ship being deeply laden made rather bad weather of it. One of the boats was struck by a heavy sea and smashed and the First Mate had his leg broken. The Cook... told me that I would never see my mother again... So began the adve ntures of Captain Henry Rose, who went to sea as a 14-year-old apprentice and rose through the ranks to command some of the fastest clipper ships in the world. He sailed the trade routes between England and China, the West Indies and the American seaboard, carrying soldiers and horses to the Crimea, slavesand coolies to American plantations and convicts to Australia. He was aboard the tea clipper Collinsburgh when she raced her rival Truce around Cape Horn from China to Gravesend, and in 1870 he captained the immigrant ship Merope on her record-breaking voyage across the Southern Ocean to New Zealand. ...Show more

A Way Home by Jillian Sullivan

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

When life as she knew it ended, with her marriage over and her last child off into the world, writer Jillian Sullivan set out to fulfil a long-held dream of building a strawbale house. She settled in a small community in Central Otago, and A Way Home tells the story of how she eventually managed to buil d her new home. With her son-in-law Sam as her builder and mentor, and she as the apprentice, Jillian describes the process of having to learn how to use tools, how to be strong and to be safe and, more importantly that there is no such thing as can¿t. The house that arises through this memoir is a physical testament to the rebuilding of a life, of finding your place in a community, and of the unexpected joyousness in joining with others on a building project. People come from all over New Zealand to help ¿ from Nelson, Auckland, Queenstown, from next door and from the next valleys. There are poets and artists, a magician and finance analyst, grandmothers and grandchildren, old friends, new friends and strangers. Each person brings their unique skills and gifts and leaves with new ones. The house absorbs their creativity and kindnesses. A Way Home reflects on our need for home, for community, and for finding a way to live sustainably in this rapidly changing world. The story evokes life in a harsh climate in a small village, the struggle to overcome lack of skills and strength, and to move past loneliness and loss to find a place to call home. This is an affecting story, quietly inspirational and beautifully told by a deft and skilled writer. ...Show more

Simple Gifts by Jan Marsh

$25.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

'Simple Gifts' is a collection of short pieces which reflect on the everyday joys of life.

Every Day a Picnic in the Bush by John Gilbert

$37.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

Alone in the Tasman: Tony Allan's True Story of Survival at Sea by Les Hill

$38.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

The longest-known survival on the Tasman Sea in a life raft. After competing in the Solo Tasman Yacht Challenge 1974, Christchurch man Tony Allan was sailing back to New Zealand from Mooloolaba when his boat, Rebel II, capsized two days into the journey, leaving him adrift in his life raft for 20 days. Alone in the Tasman, as told to Les Hill, is an inspiring story of survival as Tony battled through nightmares, hearing voices, loneliness, and absolute vulnerability. Tony's is the longest-known survival on the Tasman Sea in a life raft. ...Show more

The Wind at My Back by Josh Komen

$30.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

`I was a lost little boy, trapped in a world where I didn't belong, one that would tear me apart and build me back into someone new . . .' Twenty-three-year-old Josh Komen is on track to represent New Zealand in running at the next Commonwealth Games when he is diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. In a single moment, the course of his life has changed irrevocably. What follows are years of excrutiating pain, brutal treatments both in New Zealand and Australia, and shocking side-effects that send a young man to the brink of despair and back innumerable times. Ultimately, it is the enduring love of his close-knit family and friends, the incredible medical professionals who treat him, his spiritual beliefs, and his passion for nature that carry Josh through the hardest of challenges. The life lessons Josh gathers along the way are an inspiration for us all. This is an incredible story of courage, love and endurance. ...Show more

The Audrey Story by John Ewan

$35.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

The Longest Day: Standing up to Depression and Tackling the Coast to Coast by Matt Calman

$33.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography

What do you do when you reach rock bottom? Matt Calman's most consistent tool for dealing with problems throughout his life was alcohol. But it got to the stage where he was no longer willing to put up with the dark side of his drinking. So he quit. But the problems that had been simmering away for most of his life merely came to a head. It led to a major depressive phase with panic attacks and thoughts of suicide. Finally Matt began the slow climb to rebuild himself. He was ready to find something. It just happened to be the Coast to Coast Multisport World Championships, the toughest endurance race in New Zealand. The Longest Day outlines Matt's path back from depression, his struggles to learn to run, cycle and kayak at an elite level and the culmination of all that training: his Coast to Coast race. Through his training he learns about process rather than outcome, and how true success and enjoyment is embedded in the journey not the destination. This is a riveting read for sports fans and a compelling account of courage and determination. ...Show more

Mophead by Selina Tusitala Marsh

$30.00 NZD

Category: Comics & Graphic Novels

An inspirational graphic memoir of growing up Pasifika in New Zealand, written and illustrated by our fast-talking PI Poet Laureate, Selina Tusitala Marsh. At school, Selina is teased for her big, frizzy hair. Kids call her ‘mophead’. She ties her hair up this way and that way and tries to f it in. Until one day – Sam Hunt plays a role – Selina gives up the game. She decides to let her hair out, to embrace her difference, to be WILD! Selina takes us through special moments in her extraordinary life. She becomes one of the first Pasifika women to hold a PhD. She reads for the Queen of England and Samoan royalty. She meets Barack Obama. And then she is named the New Zealand Poet Laureate. She picks up her special tokotoko, and notices something. It has wild hair coming out the end. It looks like a mop. A kid on the Waiheke ferry teases her about it. So she tells him a story . . . This is an inspirational graphic memoir, full of wry humour, that will appeal to young readers and adults alike. Illustrated with wit and verve by the author – NZ’s bestselling Poet Laureate – Mophead tells the true story of a New Zealand woman realising how her difference can make a difference. ...Show more

Finding the Mountains: An Older Woman's Guide to Skiing by Peeta Wellsford

$19.00 NZD

Category: NZ - Biography