Out of the Box: 25 Deaf and disabled artists, activists and adventurers from Aotearoa New Zealand

We are all familiar with the inspirational and biographical books rangatahi love; 'The Rebel Girls' and Boys, 'The Little People Big Dreams' etc. 'Out of the Box' is using a similar template and aiming to inspire and educate young people with stories of successful and interesting New Zealanders who are Deaf or Disabled.

This hardback full colour book showcases the stories of 25 people across New Zealand’s history who have triumphed in their own way, often facing a lot of adversity. Each biography is given around three pages with full colour illustrations and Trish Harris has skilfully captured each voice, the reader can really get a feel for their tone and personality making the book wonderfully varied and each story fresh. The range of biographies is well researched and broad from comedians to athletes, stories from the early 1900’s to the present day, mostly told in their own voices.

The only let down of this accomplished non-fiction book is the illustrations which don’t add much to the text, they are slightly generic.

Following the biographies, Harris has provided a comprehensive timeline of activism and events of interest for Deaf and Disabled New Zealanders. This timeline adds depth and context to the biographies and will expand readers ideas about New Zealand history.