Alumni Bookshelf 2010
Jonathan Stark
Why is 9/11 more important to Catalans? Who was Wilfred the Hairy? When is a wolf's fart edible? Why are bumper stickers of donkeys ubiquitous in Catalonia? What explains the ambivalence of many Catalans to their war generation? Why does Football Club Barcelona have the English flag on its emblem? Does black rice taste better than it sounds?
The answers to these and many other pertinent questions are revealed in 'A Kiwi on the Costa Brava', Jonathan Stark’s sympathetic account of a typical summer on Catalonia’s most famous coast. It begins with him and his Catalan wife returning to the Costa Brava to discover their summer business in crisis just as the season is about to begin. Finding solace in Mediterranean cuisine, breezy terraces and historic landscapes, they witness the yearly transformation that the Costa Brava undergoes with the arrival of millions of foreign and domestic holidaymakers. Simultaneously the author solves a local mystery, experiences ups and downs as he attempts to improve his Catalan and works on a novel set on the Costa Brava.
Anecdotal, entertaining and humorous but also informative and thoughtful, A Kiwi on the Costa Brava allows readers to gain a better insight into a region of Europe that is both fashionable and well visited, but often poorly known and frequently misunderstood.
Diane Stevens, David Ling Publishing Ltd.
In 1883 three young Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart arrived in Temuka, South Canterbury, to teach in the parish school. One hundred years later, the Sisters of St Joseph - affectionately known as the "Brown Joeys" - were teaching in Catholic primary and secondary schools from Panguru in the north to Balclutha in the south.
Their story covers these early years, when the sister coped cheerfully with frugal living conditions and few resources, and charts the changes in religious life set in motion by the Second Vatican Council. The past forty years have seen the sisters respond to the needs of a changing worls by gradually moving our of work in Catholic schools into a range of diverse ministries.
Sue Fitchett, Auckland University Press
Palaver Lava Queen is a poetic mediation in the city of Auckland, in particular its geologically, psychologically, culturally fragmented and fractured nature; and its migratory connections to the countries of the Pacific and the Pacific Rim and beyond. It evokes in complex and unexpected ways the city of volcanoes and of the sea, the Polynesian city and its people, the brash crass city of the Sky Tower and the real estate agent. It creates a sense of things below the surface and a feeling of unease and of risk. The poems alert and awaken the reader to the layers and facets of Auckland and by means of history and tradition they unearth the bones, the links between the fragments.
Order Palaver Lava Queen from AUP and get your alumni discount
James Noble, Atkins
Durrat Al Bahrain describes the analytical process of the design and masterplanning of yet another middle eastern land reclamation "Megaproject" ($16bn). From a kiwi perspective such "new see lands" are interrogated and a solution sought for the problem of how to create a “city for 30,000 inhabitants”. An urban solution is advanced that includes a centre for the non-nomadic service population and long-stay budget traveler. It is argued that such a city-centre could acquire an enduring identity and richness in contrast to the majority of the resort, being comprised of high-turnover, seasonal, tourist accommodation or privately owned but gated and unattached communities. The transient population’s concentration and period of stay are deemed to determine the degree to which the resort can support the kernel of a city. The resort/city dichotomy is deliberately underwoven with other devices, controls and “Scapes” such as Shadowscapes, Carscapes, Greenscapes and "Presence/Abscence": One half of the reclaimed landmass is given over to intensive highrise tower apartments and hotels whereas the other half of the project increases the value of the reclaimed land by building less and embracing the commercial potential of eco-tourism. The area is already recognised for its ecological uniqueness and inherent natural beauty. The final densities of the city/resort are not designed to be rigid but diverse and to yield to constraints and opportunities. These are seeded by aesthetically and socially motivated infrastructure, urban and architectural masterplans.
Durrat Al Bahrain is currently out of print
Michele Powles, Penguin Books
Evoking strong themes of art and unusual friendships, this first novel weaves together three distinct strands of narrative. Weathered Bones tells the story of Antoinette, a widowed grandmother, Grace, an emotional young wife, and Eliza, the lighthouse keeper from another century, in a book of dark water, flowers and midnight paintings. One night, an ancient and cursed storm brings the three together.
Inspired by the real life character of New Zealand’s first light house keeper at Pencarrow Lighthouse, Eliza becomes a presence in Grace and Antoinette’s lives, demanding an audience, a voice, and perhaps even a life of her own in the present day . .
"The tumult of the plot is set beautifully against the wild Wellington coast. It’s a very watery book, full of the sea, waves and rain. With the air “Granny Smith crisp” and the sea “a patch of perfect blue”, Wellington’s harbour is the sensory focus of the story – the view out every window, the soundtrack to every scene. In all its guises, whether welcoming, threatening or tranquilising, it is a setting that is wonderfully evoked and lovingly drawn..."
The Listener Review: Under the Weather by Louise O'Brien
Tracey Epps, Edward Elgar
This book examines and critiques the WTO’s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), asking whether it strikes an appropriate balance between conflicting domestic health protection and trade liberalization objectives. It pays particular attention to situations likely to occur but not yet fully examined either in the literature or in WTO law; most importantly, where public opinion demands regulation in the face of scientific uncertainty as to the existence or otherwise of a health risk. Tracey Epps concludes that the SPS Agreement’s science-based framework is capable of dealing with the differing objectives of health and trade, and that it provides countries with more flexibility to respond to scientific uncertainties and public sentiment than many critics contend. This conclusion is strongly influenced by a positive analysis of domestic regulatory decision-making, which finds potential for regulatory capture by domestic protectionist interests and thus emphasizes the importance of ensuring that decisions are made on a sound and principled basis.
Including a historical overview of disputes over trade and health since the 1800s, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of and new perspective on an important area of intersection between international trade law and domestic policy. It will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience including legal and non-legal academics, policy makers and analysts in the field of risk regulation, trade law practitioners in governments, and lawyers and analysts in international institutions.
Buy International Trade and Health Protection from the Edward Elgar website
Dr John Reynolds, Polygraphia Ltd
What would life in New Zealand have been like if it had been occupied by Nazi Germany? Uncommon Enemy, a thriller, paints a realistic picture. Would New Zealanders have resisted or collaborated?
Hamish Beavis quickly joins the New Order and shows all the brutality of a collaborator towards his fellow New Zealanders. The beautiful Carol Peterson, carrying a dark secret, is pressured into an engagement with Hamish but is increasingly drawn towards Stuart Johnson, a University of Auckland student who has joined the expanding resistance network. Carol's crucial decision and its repercussions are set against a background of violence and betrayal in post-war New Zealand under Nazi rule.
Uncommon Enemy moves at a fast pace and the reader will find it hard to put down. Reviews have been positive e.g. "I started to read it with some degree of reluctance and, to my surprise, found I couldn't put it down." Warwick Roger, North and South, September 2007.
The author has a BA (History) and a PhD (Film, TV and Media Studies) from the University of Auckland.
Margaret Sims, Prentice Hall
In this first edition written by Teresa and myself (a second edition is in preparation) we discuss caring for infants and toddlers in a child care setting. The book (although now 10 years old) is still used widely in early education training courses.
Table of Contents
Chapter One. The macrosystem: ideological and cultural blueprints
Chapter Two. The mesosystem - partnerships with parents: building communities
Chapter Three. The microsystem - planning the infant and toddler programme
Chapter four. The microsystem: the physical and human environment
Chapter five. Fostering psychosocial development
Chapter six. Fostering physical development
Chapter seven. Fostering cognitive and language development
Chapter eight. Children who are different
Chapter nine. Programme evaluation and the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System
Tony Woollams, Currency Press
Containing over fifty scenes from Australian and New Zealand plays, Scenes for Young Actors is an invaluable resource book for the school classroom as well as for practising actors and acting students, both male and female. In his extensive introduction Tony Woollams takes you step-by-step through choosing a scene, preparing for performance and interpreting a scene. He outlines different methods of training and practice and provides a wealth of practical exercises aimed at producing a successful presentation.
A scene workshop manual, this is an ideal resource for teachers and the secondary performance students, consisting of duologues and three handers from a selection of Australian and New Zealand plays. The strength of the book lies in its extensive selection of pieces/scenes from various plays covering a host of issues and ideas.
John Ball, Wayland
First-person interviews with people of all backgrounds, occupations and ages showing the New Zealand way of life in its true context: a first-hand view of life as the New Zealanders lead it and as the New Zealanders see it. Specially commissioned colour photographs give an added insight into the nature and quality of life in the country and a separate section provides accessible and concise information about the social and administrative structure of New Zealand.
Was readily available in schools and libraries throughout the English speaking world in the eighties but has dated and is no longer available.
Cherie Appleton, Pearson Publishing
Walking in People's Worlds goes to the very heart of social work, offering students and professionals alike a reflexive exploration of the practical, emotional, and spiritual components of social work practice. Examples from practitioners' experiences are provided throughout and include the often unseen, positive contribution of statutory child protection workers.
This book is intended for social workers, but will also be useful to people working in wider social service areas, including counselling, especially with children and families. The examples used are drawn from statutory child protection and health work.
"Through their disciplined and passionate engagement with the most difficult every day and every night problems that social work practitioners face, the authors have distillled the best of practice wisdom. They offer a refreshing and hopeful vision of solution-focused, strengths-based practice, that is achievable and can make a real difference."
- Dr. Andrew Turnell, Resultions Consultancy, Perth Co-Author of Signs of Safety and Working with Denied Child Abuse
Peter Lowe, Whittles Publishing
An extensively revised and enlarged edition of the 1982 book of a similar title. Much of the added material is based on laboratory research carried out in the School of Engineering in Symonds Street.
The title suggests it is a first text, but it is really aimed at graduates, as well as students, since the topic does not get much space afforded it in the UG programme.
One important feature of the book is a survey of the history of the subject, beginning in the pre-Newtonian period and bringing the discussion up to the post '9/11' situation.
'...an unusual, challenging and thought-provoking work. ...the book gives an excellent exposition of the mechanics of plates... ...the profound understanding of the author of how concrete structure behaves. Professional engineers and academics alike would benefit from reading this section ...carefully thought-out ...ideas which... promise new and intersesting developments.' Engineering Structures
Margaret Sims, Common Ground Press
This book discusses the issues around designing community-based famnily/parent support programmes. It covers the theoretical underpinnings of community based family support, and the different ways in which support can be offered.
Buy Designing Family Support Programmes from the Learner website
Warren Holloway, State Mutual Book & Periodical Service Ltd
Root crops are a staple food throughout the world's tropical regions. Nutritional values differ greatly between varieties. An ACIAR project to determine the chemical composition and nutritional status of a wide range of Pacific root crops commenced in 1983. The information is not country-specific, and should therefore be of value to nutritionists and agriculturists concerned with tropical root crops worldwide. The volume contains a literature review summarising previously published data as well as the original data generated by the ACIAR project.
Buy Chemistry of Tropical Root Crops from the Cambridge Jounals website
Martin Edmond, Auckland University Press
New Zealand and Australia were imagined thousands of years before they became real; travellers, writers, map-makers, charlatans and rogues dreamed of other worlds at the back of the sun. Here, Martin Edmond recounts the fantastic history of the Antipodes in the Western imagination.
"He's constantly demonstrating that the natural world is as splendiferous as any fable" - NY Times
Order Zone of the Marvellous direct from AUP for 15% alumni discount
Brian Boyd, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
A century and a half after the publication of Origin of Species, evolutionary thinking has expanded beyond the field of biology to include virtually all human-related subjects—anthropology, archeology, psychology, economics, religion, morality, politics, culture, and art. Now a distinguished scholar offers the first comprehensive account of the evolutionary origins of art and storytelling. Distinguished Professor Brian Boyd explains why we tell stories, how our minds are shaped to understand them, and what difference an evolutionary understanding of human nature makes to stories we love.
Art is a specifically human adaptation, Boyd argues. It offers tangible advantages for human survival, and it derives from play, itself an adaptation widespread among more intelligent animals. More particularly, our fondness for storytelling has sharpened social cognition, encouraged cooperation, and fostered creativity.
After considering art as adaptation, Boyd examines Homer’s Odyssey and Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who! demonstrating how an evolutionary lens can offer new understanding and appreciation of specific works.
Ranginui Walker, Penguin Books
Paki Harrison was widely regarded as New Zealand’s greatest master carver, a man with a huge reputation as a leading tohunga of the art form. Named as one of New Zealand’s Icon Artists in 2005, he was responsible for carving ten of the most important new North Island meeting houses in recent years, in particular the outstanding Tane-nuia-Rangi house at The University of Auckland Marae.
He also taught, researched and wrote extensively on the art of the tohunga whakairo and possessed immense knowledge about the traditional arts of the carver.
In this major biography, published by Penguin Books, alumnus and Emeritus Professor of Māori Studies, Ranginui Walker (BA 1962, MA 1966, PhD 1970) traces Paki Harrison’s life and work.
Juliet Batten, Ishtar Books
Set in Taranaki in the 1940s and 50s, Touching snow: A Taranaki Memoir, published by Ishtar Books, vividly evokes rural New Zealand, the era of the Tangiwai disaster, Hillary’s ascent of Everest, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the entry of the first Māori teachers into mainstream schools.
Author alumna Juliet Batten (BA 1964, MA 1967, PhD 1969) is a teacher, artist and psychotherapist and is well known for her books on personal growth, rituals and the seasons.
Manying Ip, Auckland University Press
How have two very different marginalised groups in New Zealand society – Māori and Chinese – interacted over the last 150 years? The Dragon and the Taniwha: Māori and Chinese in New Zealand, published by Auckland University Press and edited by alumna and associate professor of Asian Studies, Manying Ip (MA 1978, PhD 1983), looks at the relationship between the tangata whenua and the country’s earliest and largest non-European immigrant group for the first time.
Do Māori resent Chinese immigrants? Do Chinese New Zealanders understand the role of the tangata whenua? Contributors tackle such questions from many angles. They analyse how Chinese have been featured in Māori newspapers and on contemporary Māori television and how the Chinese media portray Māori; they examine the changing demography of the Chinese and Māori populations and they assess how Māori and Chinese are represented in New Zealand literature.
Order The Dragon and the Taniwha direct from AUP for 15% alumni discount
