I had admired the birds who had adapted to their niche in nature, but the Song Makers could adapt the world to suit their needs. They had adapted the ability to adapt. It was dizzying in its audacity.
pickMāori writer Whiti Hereaka turns storytelling on its head in this brilliant retelling of an old story, Hatupatu and the Bird Woman. It‘s told from the viewpoint of Bird Woman, a supernatural being largely shaped by the stories told about her. This NZ award-winning novel can be started from either end, meeting in the middle third part which is the same regardless of direction. Beginnings? Endings? Much depends on the teller. #NewZealand #Indigenous
Much later, when the forest had been replaced by towns & cities, the tūī learned the urban songs of machinery, jackhammers & sirens. Their mimicry of your world still delights, although most of the sounds of the tūī are wasted on you—your ears are too blunt an instrument. The song of the tūī is only truly appreciated by their fellow subjugated species—leaving you to wonder why your dog has picked up his ears.
The song before light is almost a prayer, an entreaty for the light to return. It is a daily miracle, and the birds‘ song is partly joy that the light has returned, and partly joy that they are alive to witness it.
I finished 8 books and DNF‘d 2, so it‘s a long one this week! https://youtu.be/f_h0Uz1Vx0o
#booktube
Kurangaituku | 
