BOOKS
COLOURING MY SOUL
by Kat Maxwell Mākaro Press — $25
A supervisor in civil construction by profession, Maxwell turns out to be a gifted writer in this short memoir consisting of a series of brief epiphanies. The longest is just eight pages and most are two or three, recording incidents that are short, sharp shocks of enlightenment from an “ordinary” life.
The focus is on whānau — they are the book’s dedicatees — and “Aunt Marie”, “My Mum” and “Aunty Willy” are typical chapter titles.
Poverty is an over-riding theme. Life is hard in an environment where a pot lid must serve as a dinner plate, and where there are younger siblings to be taken outside to the toilet in the middle of the night.
Language is another focus. It not only shapes identity but also signifies change. Maxwell is discouraged from learning te reo Māori, even
