Christina Thompson (1) (1959–)

This is a mix of memoir, travelogue, and history. The American author uses her experiences in meeting, marrying, and having a family with a Māori man as a starting point for chapters on New Zealand history and Māori culture. It’s a bit different technique but it works and I feel I learned a lot more than had it been just a book about New Zealand and Māori. The only fail is a chapter in which she describes her own genealogy, which goes so far off topic it’s jarring. It feels like it’s added in for the benefit of her kids and family and I wish she’d left it as a personal story for them, or an appendix if she was compelled to include it, or even a separate book.… (meer)