The Spinoff Book

by Toby Manhire (Editor), Toby Morris (Illustrator)

New and exclusive writing plus the very best of the past 5 years from the award-winning The Spinoff, New Zealand's hilarious, original, must-read media website.

Five years ago, The Spinoff burst onto New Zealand’s media scene with smart, screamingly funny and seriously relevant writing. Since then, it has enraged and inspired all the right people, respectably won Website of the Year at the 2019 Voyager Media Awards, and
expanded into television, podcasts and now – shockingly – a book.
Edited by Toby Manhire, it’s jam-packed with The Spinoff’s best work, along with full-colour artwork by Toby Morris, photography, collage, poetry and a clutch of new and exclusive essays. Simon Wilson, Jemaine Clement, Lorde, and Jesse Mulligan rub shoulders with Spinoff stars like Alex Casey, Madeleine Chapman and Emily Writes.
From Shortland Street to sports, feminism to fashion and current events to Kiwi onion dip, this is an engrossing, original take on everything that matters in Aotearoa New Zealand in the 21st century.
Featuring

Toby Morris
Hera Lindsay Bird
Leonie Hayden
Michèle A’Court
Ashleigh Young
Lorde
Jemaine Clement
Alex Casey
Madeleine Chapman
Duncan Greive
Simon Wilson
Aldous Harding
Emily Writes
Scotty Stevenson
David Farrier
…and more

"The Spinoff is where we find stories no one else is covering . . . stories we need to hear."
2019 Voyager Media Awards Judges

"Right now, every left-leaning, media-savvy, university-educated hipster you know (and probably their baby-boomer parents) is reading The Spinoff."
Sunday magazine

"Crap and a waste of our money."
Mike Hosking

Genres: Nonfiction

382 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a collection of articles from the past five years from the website The Spinoff and it was an engaging and often funny overview of recent history. I'm embarrassed to say that I had completely forgotten about the flag referendum! I hadn't expected to enjoy all of the articles, even the ones about topics I have no real interest in. My favourites were:

-Finding Rosemary by Hayden Donnell
-No room for doubt I can do this by Toby Manhire
-Bowie's in Space by Jemaine Clement*
-The release by Henry Oliver
-My name is Ally by David Farrier
-National Anthem by Mohamed Hassan

I hope they make this book a regular thing because I found it useful to revisit all of this fairly recent history, and it gave me chance to read some wonderful articles that I missed the first time around. This one made me laugh the most:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-...

And although I'd already this interview with Marlon Williams twice, I happily read it again:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/16-02-...

* https://thespinoff.co.nz/tv/13-01-201...

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

High three stars so rounded up to four. What I particularly liked about this book is that it got me reading stories that I probably wouldn’t choose to click on on the website. Some of them were the naff funny ones, some of them were confronting commentaries on race relations in NZ, others were investigative pieces on stories I didn’t even know about. In a mixtape book like this, not every inclusion is going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I committed to read them all and have come away talking about many of them to family and colleagues (who were probably sick of me coming to the office talking about a new piece each morning).

Keep punching up, The Spinoff. Said in the most endearing way.

[Tanya TL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope this becomes a series that's produced every five years. This book provides a critical & quite candid snapshot of NZ society at this point in time & will be required reading in the future. A hugely satisfying read; laughed at loud at the comical pieces. The dildo at Waitangi piece deserves the nobel. I'll be going back to it again and again.

[Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of writing. Some I read at the time, some that resonates today, some that will keep resonating tomorrow. I can't wait to share this gem with my reading world!!

[Toni Duder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I feel like it beautifully and wittily captures the last decade of NZ culture and happenings. The selection is broad and the writing is high quality and the subjects are intriguing and often quirky. As a millennial leftie, I know I’m taking the bait as their target audience but you know what? I don’t care. The Spinoff is just THAT good.

[Claudia Twine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a surprising read! Got this book as a gift and I am so glad I gave it nudge. I picked this up every other night and I can guarantee laugh out loud moments! Yes left wing slanted commentary, but speaking as a millennial, take that Mike Hosking. Great read about Kiwi History from the Kiwi Onion Dip to a political dildo. Classic.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. I liked the wide variety of content within it and how far reaching I now realise their coverage goes. A good reflection back on the last few years in NZ as well as some good laughs.

[Daria Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a book, with pieces ranging from serious to silly. It's some of The Spinoff's finest work, curated into sections you can dip into and out of at will, or read from cover to cover. I'm eagerly hoping for news that there will be more volumes in the future!

[John Schischka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great range of current writing in Aotearoa - really expanded my horizons and encourages me to read more Spinoff!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining snapshot of NZ during the 2010s

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, innovative journalism

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One to dip in and out of - and I've read quite a bit of it on-line. Covers all the usual Spin Off areas, with a mix of their short and long journalism.
(I got a free copy, as I have been a supporter for several years, however I'm very disappointed with Alix Casey's hatchet job & non-apology to Jacinda Ardern over the so-called Labour Party sexual harassment case, which has been shown to be unsubstantiated & proven that Jacinda did NOT know anything about, and I'm about to cancel my support.)