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How to Loiter in a Turf War
A genre-bending work of autobiographical fiction from one of Aotearoa’s fiercest and most versatile artists.
Like nothing you’ve read before, How to Loiter in a Turf War is a lucid, genre-bending, cinematic work of fiction from one of Aotearoa’s most versatile artists.
It’s a day in the life of three friends beefing with their own city, Tamaki Makaurau. With gentrification closing in and racial tensions sweltering, the girls must cling to their friendship like a life raft, determined not to let their neighbourhood drift out to sea.
Fast, ferociously brilliant, crack-up funny and unforgettably true.
Like nothing you’ve read before, How to Loiter in a Turf War is a lucid, genre-bending, cinematic work of fiction from one of Aotearoa’s most versatile artists.
It’s a day in the life of three friends beefing with their own city, Tamaki Makaurau. With gentrification closing in and racial tensions sweltering, the girls must cling to their friendship like a life raft, determined not to let their neighbourhood drift out to sea.
Fast, ferociously brilliant, crack-up funny and unforgettably true.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
40 people are currently reading
1463 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
July 1, 2025
This list doesn't appear to include any Pacific Islander rep. Have to love the butthurt white men in the comments complaining why minorities get heritage months.
I dedicated last year to a large portion of Asian and Asian American reads. In a genre already marginalized, it is seemingly inundated with stories from China, Japan, and South Korea.
I'm trying to highlight something different. Where are the Southeast Asian stories? South Asian? Pacific Islander? When I asked for recommendations, Carol recommended this book.
This is such a short read. If you get a chance to listen to the audio, do, because the author narrates it. This is a story about three friends. Their city is being gentrified. Racial tensions are brewing. One scene is literally about them eating and a white woman getting offended by it. They are doing nothing wrong. The maliciousness and ill intent is felt very strongly by me.
I dedicated last year to a large portion of Asian and Asian American reads. In a genre already marginalized, it is seemingly inundated with stories from China, Japan, and South Korea.
I'm trying to highlight something different. Where are the Southeast Asian stories? South Asian? Pacific Islander? When I asked for recommendations, Carol recommended this book.
This is such a short read. If you get a chance to listen to the audio, do, because the author narrates it. This is a story about three friends. Their city is being gentrified. Racial tensions are brewing. One scene is literally about them eating and a white woman getting offended by it. They are doing nothing wrong. The maliciousness and ill intent is felt very strongly by me.
July 23, 2023
I check out the Goodreads blog posts every now & then. I'm a sucker for a pretty book cover, & sometimes I am in the mood for trollish and/or entitled comments. Certainly on both counts this list https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2... did not disappoint (quite a few comments have now been deleted) What is left is a list that was meant to be both American Asian & American Pacific Islanders. But there are 174 books listed - & only one by an API. Some of the comments give API recommendations, some of which were published by a major publisher. I guess finding those was simply Too Much Trouble.
So I thought I would look at the literature of my own country as Auckland (where I grew up) is considered the Polynesian capital of the world.
Coco Solid (real name Jessica Hansell & the amazing cover art & illustrations in this book are credited under that name) is of Ngāpuhi/Sāmoan descent.
This is a day in the life of three friends who live in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) You may not like the first few stories. (each chapter is a self contained short story really) If, like me, you find them a bit ragged at the start, either persevere or skip through to the final six as these are really good!
Powerful.
I also really like the way this book handles speech.
Recommended for those who like learning about different cultures.
So I thought I would look at the literature of my own country as Auckland (where I grew up) is considered the Polynesian capital of the world.
Coco Solid (real name Jessica Hansell & the amazing cover art & illustrations in this book are credited under that name) is of Ngāpuhi/Sāmoan descent.
This is a day in the life of three friends who live in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) You may not like the first few stories. (each chapter is a self contained short story really) If, like me, you find them a bit ragged at the start, either persevere or skip through to the final six as these are really good!
She gives him a hurled brick wrapped up in a smile
Powerful.
I also really like the way this book handles speech.
Recommended for those who like learning about different cultures.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
July 27, 2022
I encourage listening to the audiobook. Read by the author it is extremely good. A fresh voice, young, cool, and sharp as anything. Listen to the voices of a group of young women, working, making a dollar, spending those dollars on booze, fun and on groceries for their families. This is a book about freedom and the lack of it. Social change happening in front of their eyes. Education, mental health and healing. It sounds so series, but it is laugh-out-loud funny, smirk funny.
The very best thing is the voice of this novel (is it a novel?). It is like nothing else I've read. It feels exactly like a book for now should be. I'm so looking forward to seeing more from this writer but also I love that this book might just possibly be a book which inspires other young people to write.
Buy this book for your high school and encourage your English teachers to get stuck in, feel the vibe and read it to classes aloud.
The very best thing is the voice of this novel (is it a novel?). It is like nothing else I've read. It feels exactly like a book for now should be. I'm so looking forward to seeing more from this writer but also I love that this book might just possibly be a book which inspires other young people to write.
Buy this book for your high school and encourage your English teachers to get stuck in, feel the vibe and read it to classes aloud.
June 20, 2022
How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solid (Ngāpuhi, Sāmoa) is a novel about a group of wise young brown people in their home. They are thriving despite gentrification, colonisation, and racism.
The novel moves quickly though bus journeys and regular hangouts.
The form of the story is different. I personally enjoyed the way the speech was organised. So easy on the eyes.
I also liked the art at the end of each chapter.
Importantly, it’s a point of view that’s rarely included. A group of young brown intellectuals discussing and experiencing huge topics while hanging out in their own back yard - no ugly trauma, no tropes - just good vibes. But as the reader you know it’s not right. Hard to do - build characters that somehow show things aren’t ok when - actually - the characters themselves are ok. But that’s the magic here. Solid externalises the problems from the characters. Clever as.
You should definitely pick this up.
My copy is from @mcleodsbooksrotorua
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#howtoloiterinaturfwar #penguin #books #bookish #ilovebooks #kidsbooks #booksimreading #readmore #cats #cocosolid
The novel moves quickly though bus journeys and regular hangouts.
The form of the story is different. I personally enjoyed the way the speech was organised. So easy on the eyes.
I also liked the art at the end of each chapter.
Importantly, it’s a point of view that’s rarely included. A group of young brown intellectuals discussing and experiencing huge topics while hanging out in their own back yard - no ugly trauma, no tropes - just good vibes. But as the reader you know it’s not right. Hard to do - build characters that somehow show things aren’t ok when - actually - the characters themselves are ok. But that’s the magic here. Solid externalises the problems from the characters. Clever as.
You should definitely pick this up.
My copy is from @mcleodsbooksrotorua
.
.
.
.
.
#howtoloiterinaturfwar #penguin #books #bookish #ilovebooks #kidsbooks #booksimreading #readmore #cats #cocosolid
October 8, 2024
In Tāmaki Makaurau (a Māori name for Auckland), a group of young Māori friends get together most days to eat, laugh, and support each other while witnessing and commenting on the gentrification, colonisation and racism they experience on a daily basis.
How to Loiter in a Turf War is quite a short book containing many very short chapters. Each chapter concludes with a drawing by the author that sums up, to an extent, the gist of the preceding chapter.
The author’s birth name is Jessica Hansell, but she uses the name she’s known as in her music career—Coco Solid. She’s part of four-piece grunge band Badd Energy; her style is a mixture of hip hop, disco and electronica. Coco is a multi-talented woman of Māori, Pacific and German heritage, and aside from her careers as a writer, musician, and artist, she’s also a songwriter, director and producer; she created the cult Māori animated television series Aroha Bridge. In her bio, she claims to consistently strive to prioritise Oceanic narratives, wāhine, LGBTQIA expression and underground creatives of colour.
Though the novel includes myriad Māori references, all are easily translatable via Google. I enjoyed the novel a lot more than I expected I would, so despite the many instances of Māori language, it was easy to feel a connection to the characters and their situations. It was really quite enjoyable!
3.5 rounded to 4 “Be-silly-Be-honest-Be-kind” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Loiter in a Turf War is quite a short book containing many very short chapters. Each chapter concludes with a drawing by the author that sums up, to an extent, the gist of the preceding chapter.
The author’s birth name is Jessica Hansell, but she uses the name she’s known as in her music career—Coco Solid. She’s part of four-piece grunge band Badd Energy; her style is a mixture of hip hop, disco and electronica. Coco is a multi-talented woman of Māori, Pacific and German heritage, and aside from her careers as a writer, musician, and artist, she’s also a songwriter, director and producer; she created the cult Māori animated television series Aroha Bridge. In her bio, she claims to consistently strive to prioritise Oceanic narratives, wāhine, LGBTQIA expression and underground creatives of colour.
Though the novel includes myriad Māori references, all are easily translatable via Google. I enjoyed the novel a lot more than I expected I would, so despite the many instances of Māori language, it was easy to feel a connection to the characters and their situations. It was really quite enjoyable!
3.5 rounded to 4 “Be-silly-Be-honest-Be-kind” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read
June 16, 2022likkkked it. a lot!! the shifts in form are never disconcertingly abrupt and are handled w humility. feels meaningful that a narrative abt gentrification doesn't really go anywhere? endearing tone - blunt and stubborn, but still touched by flowers growing through a fence.
March 6, 2023
More a work of art than a narrative novel, I tore through this vibrant and organic depiction of three Maori/Pacific women trying to live their best lives in Tamaki Makerau despite gentrification, racism, misogyny, and the general existence of softbois. Coco Solid has produced a multimedia experience, which chops between visual, essayistic, poetic, and prose without missing a beat. Absolutely recommend.
June 25, 2022
Real fiction. Affirming, familiar, jagging, fun! Most interesting thing happening in “lit” world for ages.
My indigenous takataapui heart is swollen
My indigenous takataapui heart is swollen
January 18, 2023
When the book is so good it takes you 3 months to even *attempt* to share your thoughts on it…but here goes:
How else could I possibly describe How To Loiter In A Turf War other than utterly brilliant. Set in Tāmaki Makaurau, this book is a raw, funny and fiercely intelligent exploration of female friendship, identity and gentrification.
I absolutely loved the genre-bending narrative structure and would be perfectly content reading Solid’s poetry, academic writing AND her kebab shop/bus stop hang out scenes for days.
But, the thing I loved most about this book was that it was oh so REAL. I recognised so many people in Te Hoia, Q and Rosina, with their banter, frustrated venting and quiet anxieties feeling so reminiscent of conversations I hear on the daily.
If you’re searching for a book that celebrates art, culture and chosen whānau, empowers young wāhine and confronts very real issues in a meaningful way…then look no further. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
****
Need a little more convincing? Here are a few of my favourite quotes:
“She doesn't recognise her neighbourhood anymore, it's true. But there's one thing Te Hoia refuses to feel on her own land, and that's lost.”
“Climate change better not fuck up my Matariki”
“That’s the third person I know without a house.
What the hell is going on?
They’re pulling us out of our own soil… like weeds.
I’m not a weed.”
“Riding New Zealand buses, same as riding dick. You need to be optimistic your next one won’t let you down despite what you know.”
How else could I possibly describe How To Loiter In A Turf War other than utterly brilliant. Set in Tāmaki Makaurau, this book is a raw, funny and fiercely intelligent exploration of female friendship, identity and gentrification.
I absolutely loved the genre-bending narrative structure and would be perfectly content reading Solid’s poetry, academic writing AND her kebab shop/bus stop hang out scenes for days.
But, the thing I loved most about this book was that it was oh so REAL. I recognised so many people in Te Hoia, Q and Rosina, with their banter, frustrated venting and quiet anxieties feeling so reminiscent of conversations I hear on the daily.
If you’re searching for a book that celebrates art, culture and chosen whānau, empowers young wāhine and confronts very real issues in a meaningful way…then look no further. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.
****
Need a little more convincing? Here are a few of my favourite quotes:
“She doesn't recognise her neighbourhood anymore, it's true. But there's one thing Te Hoia refuses to feel on her own land, and that's lost.”
“Climate change better not fuck up my Matariki”
“That’s the third person I know without a house.
What the hell is going on?
They’re pulling us out of our own soil… like weeds.
I’m not a weed.”
“Riding New Zealand buses, same as riding dick. You need to be optimistic your next one won’t let you down despite what you know.”
February 22, 2023
He tino pai rawa atu i tēnei pukapuka, kei te pirangi au i te pānui anō. This pukapuka was such an enjoyable reading experience, I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it before. Seriously loved it.
May 31, 2022
Loved they way this book played with form. It helped keep the pace of the book up but sometimes I think it did that too well and I maybe moved too fast without taking in what was actually trying to be said. In saying that a lot of what is "trying to be said" is laid out plain and clear and not hidden behind metaphors.
August 21, 2024
Great perspective on gentrification. Would highly recommend!
January 8, 2024
eh. to me this was fine. i was appreciative of the queer femme Pacific Islander rep, and of the topics of gentrification and of colonisation's enduring effects it tackled. i think that could've been more explored tho without solely relying on the inclusion of those verbose essays to kickstart that discussion, and done instead of slice-of-life vignette after vignette. bc some of those to me had little purpose to the actual theme at hand. also the stylistic choice of no speech marks + putting a hyphen before dialogue à la cable TV subtitles made the reading process so much more difficult. like who tf was speaking when, and that wasn't even clarified when the dialogue included more than two people. and another petty critique of mine lol, which is that the art/poetry stuff came off as very pretentious to me. idk if the author's intention is just to make the character's artistic vision so unprecedented and creative and witty but it is mostly just weird. and so mf contrived. i'm actually gonna form a vendetta against all books that include performance art exhibitions bc all my past reads (ahem Activities of Daily Living + Any Other City) which included that annoyed me to some extent
i have to read more Indigenous Pacific Islander literature
i have to read more Indigenous Pacific Islander literature
May 25, 2023
I’ve never wanted to be friends with a trio of characters as much as I have after reading this book. Told through easily digestible vignettes, you get to spend a day in a suburb in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) with three young Māori/Pasifika women who have spunk and smarts (both street and scholarly).
Coco Solid has birthed a genre-bending, creative masterpiece that grapples with ever-present sociological and cultural realities that occur in many cities: gentrification, racism, misogyny, culture and identity loss. But through the eyes of three friends who are adamant to stick-it-to-the-(colonised)-man, and all whom may fall into his trap, you witness the close bonds of their friendship and a joyful stubbornness to cling to the meaning they place on the subjectively routine activities and interactions they have in the suburb they call home.
This book is a breath of fresh air in the world of fiction. As quick as you may inhale it, you’ll exhale new perspectives on the changing face that is suburban life.
Coco Solid has birthed a genre-bending, creative masterpiece that grapples with ever-present sociological and cultural realities that occur in many cities: gentrification, racism, misogyny, culture and identity loss. But through the eyes of three friends who are adamant to stick-it-to-the-(colonised)-man, and all whom may fall into his trap, you witness the close bonds of their friendship and a joyful stubbornness to cling to the meaning they place on the subjectively routine activities and interactions they have in the suburb they call home.
This book is a breath of fresh air in the world of fiction. As quick as you may inhale it, you’ll exhale new perspectives on the changing face that is suburban life.
November 28, 2022
fkn incredible book. coco solid is truly one of those artists who transcends beyond a single medium and genre. we are so lucky
wish piopi was real so i could go read everything she'd written. now to go read more decol housing and urban planning work 😈
wish piopi was real so i could go read everything she'd written. now to go read more decol housing and urban planning work 😈
Read
January 25, 2023Wow this was good. I loved the writing style but found it a little hard to distinguish between characters speaking. The ending is up there as one of my fave endings ever.
September 13, 2025
this was so dope! recalls all my fav parts of tāmaki-makarau (community, culture, friends, youth, history) and my least fav parts (gentrification, homelessness, racism, pain wrought upon Māori and Pasifika).
September 5, 2023
Big fan of bus stop equity. Lovely little book ✨
March 25, 2025
A wry and adroit observation on millennial friendship, race and gentrification in Tāmaki Makarau. Short and sharp- Coco Solid writes in an assured first person narrative voice of a young PI New Zealander (which makes for what is still unfortunately, a novel reading experience) . This deserved more hype when it came out & I'm keen for more of it on the NZ lit scene
March 22, 2025
Read this book in one sitting. Can't fault it. Incredible plays with language, in an accessible and fun way.
April 5, 2024
in the face of adversity, the options are to get a grip, get a nerve or give in: resilience, retaliation or relinquishment
September 17, 2023
"I'm not expert though, don't quote me.
I'm a random Māori girl, not an ambassador for the people."
This book is excellent! It is funny, irreverent, serious, sad, beautiful, relevant, modern, romantic, necessary... Q, Te Hoia & Rosina embody the type of friendship girls/young women need. ♥️
I had the immense privilege of listening to Coco Solid talk about it here in Taranaki & her energy and passion for women's communities is radical!
I'm a random Māori girl, not an ambassador for the people."
This book is excellent! It is funny, irreverent, serious, sad, beautiful, relevant, modern, romantic, necessary... Q, Te Hoia & Rosina embody the type of friendship girls/young women need. ♥️
I had the immense privilege of listening to Coco Solid talk about it here in Taranaki & her energy and passion for women's communities is radical!
May 29, 2023
HTLIATW is fun, sassy, informed, sensitive, and super creative. It’s important for its coming from a community whose voice is too little heard in mainstream ‘literary’ circles, in NZ let alone the world.
It seemed to tackle just about every issue on the minds of Gen Z’ers in very few pages, switching between prose, poetry, post-colonial academia, and script dialogue. It captures why it’s so difficult to be a young person these days, overwhelmed by anxieties from every corner – the weight of the world’s problems resting on every pair of shoulders. Turangawaewae or sense of place-based identity is a rich theme that’s not explored enough in contemporary writing.
The jokey friendship reminded me of Rebecca K. Reilly’s Greta and Valdin, but I reckon Reilly wore it better.
@alofanui #howtoloiterinaturfwar #book #igreads #bookstagram #booktok #bookrecommendation #bookstagram
It seemed to tackle just about every issue on the minds of Gen Z’ers in very few pages, switching between prose, poetry, post-colonial academia, and script dialogue. It captures why it’s so difficult to be a young person these days, overwhelmed by anxieties from every corner – the weight of the world’s problems resting on every pair of shoulders. Turangawaewae or sense of place-based identity is a rich theme that’s not explored enough in contemporary writing.
The jokey friendship reminded me of Rebecca K. Reilly’s Greta and Valdin, but I reckon Reilly wore it better.
@alofanui #howtoloiterinaturfwar #book #igreads #bookstagram #booktok #bookrecommendation #bookstagram
May 29, 2024
Lillian & Liza book club — book #4
Would definitely recommend this book to others. Truly appreciated the viewpoints on gentrification and how it was impacting the three main characters and their wider community. Adored the art and poems within the book :)
Would definitely recommend this book to others. Truly appreciated the viewpoints on gentrification and how it was impacting the three main characters and their wider community. Adored the art and poems within the book :)
November 7, 2022
This book is fucking deadly. I read it in one sitting.
July 5, 2024
Everyone go buy a copy!
May 19, 2022
This is a very good, easily challenging read! Coco Solid/ Jessica Hansell’s style is poetic in places and prosaic in others. Dialogue tells a lot of the story. I began reading this after a couple of glasses of wine but quickly put it down to savour when I was more awake. I’m so glad I did. The autobiographical story of 3 Tāmaki Makaurau friends, Te Hoia, Q and Rosina (Political Studies student, poet and artist) covers a couple of days but reveals plenty about the city I love. These Polynesian/māori/other girls represent many aspects of TM, not least the gentrification/modern colonisation of many suburbs. Much of that is explained in the words of a fictional professor from the ‘90s, Piopi Ruta-Chris (so realistic I googled the name). There are special moments here and characters who are lightly depicted still resonate and remain in the mind. There is humour and there is no doubt that TM is their city!
July 7, 2022
Pensive, exploratory and fresh, How to Loiter in a Turf War immersed me to a world I haven’t lived in with strength and confidence, but also gentleness and fun. I love how time passes in this book. The meandering speed allowed me to engage with cleverly woven themes. I imagine a second-read will give me much more again - this book has layers on layers to explore.
December 7, 2022
Intelligent and witty this pukapuka made me laugh out loud. The dialogue, characters, and woven poetry are perfectly constructed! Real experiences of pain from gentrification is felt through these characters. I want to be friends with Q, Te Hoia, and Rosina! A must read for anyone living in Tāmaki Makaurau and a should read for everyone else!
May 27, 2023
Absolutely fabulous book! I read the audio, narrated by the author, which I think always adds another (positive) dimension. Loved the voices, loved the anger, loved the love, loved the hate, loved the essays, loved the writing.
Colonisation, gentrification, te Ao Mãori, te Reo Maori, pūrakau
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Y13 NCEA Connections
Y12 NCEA Connections
Colonisation, gentrification, te Ao Mãori, te Reo Maori, pūrakau
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Y13 NCEA Connections
Y12 NCEA Connections
Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews