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Jumping Sundays: The Rise and Fall of the Counterculture in Aotearoa New Zealand by Nick Bollinger
cachoo1999's review
So long. An instance of transphobia that just really lit the whole movement of the book in new uncomfortable light.
maplessence's review
3.0
3.5★
I love supporting my country’s premier literary awards & Illustrated Non-Fiction is my favourite category in the Ockham’s. I was excited to read this one as I have enjoyed another Bollinger title ([b:Goneville|33000237|Goneville|Nick Bollinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481934944l/33000237._SX50_.jpg|54152171]) & the music column Nick used to write for the New Zealand Listener.
So I wanted to love this book more than I did.
This book came alive when Nick talked about New Zealand music. This is Nick’s main field of expertise & this really shows. I just powered through these passages.
Other parts of New Zealand history were very dry & I felt like Nick was having to force himself to push through them as well.
But as a New Zealander I enjoyed reading about people I had had a very slight acquaintance with. A special highlight was reading about Sue Kedgeley’s brief period as a student teacher. After various bouts with authority, she was still allowed to go out on placement, even though she was not allowed to attend Teacher’s College. This explains a lot as I remember reading that Ms Kedgeley was only at Teacher’s College very briefly but she was a student teacher when I was at Selwyn College. Being taught about feminism, the boys behaved how 70s boys behaved & Sue must have thought she was lecturing some of the most spineless teenage girls ever. She often looked incredulous.
Another good point was that counter-culture & going back to the basics wasn’t much fun for the women - especially once they had children. (read Nick's Aunt Helen's account of the toilet!) Sounds like pretty chilled bliss for the guys, frankly.
The illustrations were fantastic - not that I was pictured but the seventies ones made me feel like I was seeing myself on the page.
& the cover was great!
OCKHAM'S AWARD AWARD FOR ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION
I love supporting my country’s premier literary awards & Illustrated Non-Fiction is my favourite category in the Ockham’s. I was excited to read this one as I have enjoyed another Bollinger title ([b:Goneville|33000237|Goneville|Nick Bollinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481934944l/33000237._SX50_.jpg|54152171]) & the music column Nick used to write for the New Zealand Listener.
So I wanted to love this book more than I did.
This book came alive when Nick talked about New Zealand music. This is Nick’s main field of expertise & this really shows. I just powered through these passages.
Other parts of New Zealand history were very dry & I felt like Nick was having to force himself to push through them as well.
But as a New Zealander I enjoyed reading about people I had had a very slight acquaintance with. A special highlight was reading about Sue Kedgeley’s brief period as a student teacher. After various bouts with authority, she was still allowed to go out on placement, even though she was not allowed to attend Teacher’s College. This explains a lot as I remember reading that Ms Kedgeley was only at Teacher’s College very briefly but she was a student teacher when I was at Selwyn College. Being taught about feminism, the boys behaved how 70s boys behaved & Sue must have thought she was lecturing some of the most spineless teenage girls ever. She often looked incredulous.
Another good point was that counter-culture & going back to the basics wasn’t much fun for the women - especially once they had children. (read Nick's Aunt Helen's account of the toilet!) Sounds like pretty chilled bliss for the guys, frankly.
The illustrations were fantastic - not that I was pictured but the seventies ones made me feel like I was seeing myself on the page.
Magazine Cover from 1972
& the cover was great!
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