Memoir Archives - Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books

Memoir Nonfiction Politics

A Different Kind of Power
by Jacinda Ardern

'Will this book change the minds of the crazies?'

Philip MatthewsJune 8, 2025

Essays Literature Māori Memoir Nonfiction

This Compulsion In Us
by Tina Makereti

An essay collection exploring Māori culture, literature, personal paradoxes and the 'constant argument about place'.

Kelly Ana MoreyMay 21, 2025

History Memoir Military Nonfiction

The Dark Dad
by Mary Kisler

The post-war world as a 'truly lonely place' for a POW

Guy SomersetMay 14, 2025

Memoir Nonfiction

Hastings: A Boy’s Own Adventure
by Dick Frizzell

The boyhood stories of an artist of 'febrile imagination'

Stephanie JohnsonApril 23, 2025

Media Memoir Nonfiction Television

Unreel: A Life in Review
by Diana Wichtel

‘History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as a programme you have to review.’

Stephanie JohnsonNovember 29, 2024

Europe History Memoir Nonfiction

Lily, Oh Lily: Searching for a Nazi Ghost
by Jeffrey Paparoa Holman

'Genealogy is dangerous': a 'compulsive and moving hunt' for family secrets.

Rebecca HillOctober 25, 2024

Memoir Mermaids Nonfiction

The Mermaid Chronicles
by Megan Dunn

On mothers and daughters, and on not writing a book about mermaids.

Guy SomersetSeptember 20, 2024

Memoir Nonfiction

First Things: A Memoir
by Harry Ricketts

'Resilience and honesty lift from every page' of this coming-of-age memoir.

Stephanie JohnsonJune 7, 2024

Anthology Essays Memoir Nonfiction

Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree and child-adjacent
ed. Alie Benge, Lil O’Brien & Kathryn Van Beek

A 'kaleidoscopic' collection of essays and 'a testament to the various connections that shape our lives'.

Sara BucherJune 5, 2024

LGBTQIA+Māori Memoir Nonfiction Politics Society

Hine Toa: A story of bravery
by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku

A compelling memoir: 'vital to write, vital to publish and vital to read.'

Paula MorrisMay 24, 2024

Memoir