Non-fiction books
THE HOUSE
by Helen Pitt (Allen & Unwin, $37) The extraordinary story of how the Sydney Opera House, the most iconic building in Australia, came to be built. I thought I knew all the bizarre twists and turns of that labyrinthine 20-year tale. But it turns out I didn’t know the half of it. Given architect Jorn Utzon — who conceived the unique design and was one of its first victims — was Danish, it’s appropriately described as a Norse saga. There is certainly enough tragedy . . . though the ending is a triumph rather than a disaster. JE
BLUEPRINT: HOW DNA MAKES US WHO WE ARE
by Robert Plomin (Allen Lane, $40) We all know our genes account for our eye colour and how tall we’re likely to be. But what about our personality, academic ability, chance of suffering from depression or even whether we’re a morning person? Robert Plomin’s emphatic message is that yes, DNA influences those things too. This isn’t easy stuff — the concepts can be hard to grasp, and when you do, Plomin’s arguments can be challenging to accept — but the stimulation makes it worth the effort. MF
GARFIELD TODD: THE END OF THE LIBERAL DREAM IN RHODESIA
by Susan Woodhouse (Weaver Press, orders@africanbookscollective.com) Sir Garfield Todd went from New Zealand to Africa as a missionary and made such an impact that in the 1950s he was Prime Minister of the then Southern Rhodesia (later Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe). Todd endeavoured to put the white-ruled colony on a more liberal — though still paternalistic — path by improving Africans’ status. His principled stance saw him overthrown and detained by his fellow whites then, after Zimbabwe’s creation, initially lauded but later deprived of his citizenship by the Mugabe Government. JE
THE DINOSAUR ARTIST
by Paige Williams (Scribe publications, $38) Fancy something unique for the living room? How about a nice fossil Tyrannosaurus skeleton? Yours for just $1 million-plus. Yes, there’s money in fossils and some fossil-hunters will go to the ends of the earth to dig up valuable specimens. This is the story of one who went a little too far and ended up in jail when the government of Mongolia — a fossil hot spot — objected to him making off with some particularly desirable items. MF
ASIAN WATERS: THE STRUGGLE OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE STRATEGY OF CHINESE EXPANSION
by Humphrey Hawksley (Duckworth, $33) China’s moves to take control of the South China Sea, ignoring other nations’ claims and in disregard of international rules, have created arguably the most dangerous geopolitical hotspot on earth. Hawksley, who has written about the region for many years, offers a captivating, comprehensive analysis of China’s strategy to impose its will on smaller countries and take advantage of US and UN weakness. Should be compulsory reading for the politicians — including in New Zealand — who will have to deal with the consequences. JE