People of the Land – A Pacific Philosophy by John Patterson. Dunmore Press, Palmerston North.

An excellent read, presenting an alternative view to traditional Western ‘ownership’ attitudes to land. Environmental kinship, Mana and the respect for life and the planet being paramount to a harmonious existence as humans. Stopping the cycle of using and depleting resources buy focusing on adding value and beauty, for example using materials such as wood from a majestic tree to create a functional but beautiful chair, or on a larger scale a house or building. A major contrast to the exploitive consumer culture we exist in, encouraging the reader to stop and think before acting.

Highlighting the idea of humans being caretakers rather than dominators of the earth, and without the ‘airy fairy’ attitude that is sometimes associated with environmental philosophies and ideals, this is a book for anyone who is concerned about the environment.

As someone considering the prospect of ‘owning’ my own home and land in the future, I feel it is even more important to treat the earth with high regard. Being determined to enhance and protect rather than simply take from the earth.

Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich. Aurum Press, London.

Rather than dealing with the statistics and technical details regarding the series of explosions that lead to one of the worst nuclear catastrophes of last century, this book presents the human side of nuclear fall out.

Thousands of civilians, largely uneducated in the dangers and risks associated with radioactivity, became the subject of scientific analysis. People were evacuated from their homes, which in many cases were buried or destroyed and transplanted into other cities. Many older people returned, unwanted for fear of contamination. Women’s accounts of losing sons or husbands as these were the first to enter the reactor to put out the fires and ‘clean up’. Generations of women who are afraid to conceive a child because of terrifying defects and increase in cancers.

An attempt to understand the human toll, an excellent but quite depressing read, presenting information that is so easily set aside in the race to procure more ‘efficient’ and ‘effective’ nuclear weapons. An arrogant and dangerous exercise.