The Penguin History of New Zealand, by Michael King. This was the comprehensive history book recommended to me by historian friends. It doesn’t disappoint, although if you’re not so into straight-up history, you might get a little bored. At the moment I'm about 2/3 the way through, listening via audible. Sometimes I get distracted by whatever it is I'm doing and after a few minutes I realize I've missed an analysis of a specific prime minister or what the Labour Party did in the early 190os. But really, that's okay with me. I figure I just want to have a general understanding of the broad sweep of history. What I love/hate is realizing how similar their history is to ours. There are some very distinct bits, sure, but the broad outlines-- indigenous people, settlers, colonization, connections to Britain, WWI, WWII, debates about race... it's all so much the same story. How do humans manage to create the same problems on different sides of the planet? |
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ReadingsA record of most of my reading and media intake-- currently focused on education and New Zealand. DisclaimerThe views expressed on this site are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.
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