Ruth, Roger and Me - Debts and Legacies

'Your words of discomfort, loss, and disconnection don't resonate with me at all.' Ruth Richardson to Andrew Dean, 16 December 2014.

A time of major upheaval now stands between young and old in New Zealand. In Ruth, Roger and Me, Andrew Dean explores the lives of the generation of young people brought up in the shadow of the economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, those whom he calls 'the children of the Mother of All Budgets'. Drawing together memoir, history and interviews, he explores the experiences of 'discomfort' and 'disconnection' in modern Aotearoa New Zealand.

'Andrew Dean reveals what life is like for many New Zealanders who grew up in the shadow of Douglas and Richardson's reforms. This is a refreshing and important contribution to the national conversation.' Morgan Godfery

BWB Texts are short books on big subjects by great New Zealand writers. Commissioned to unlock diverse stories, insights and analysis from the best of our past, present and future New Zealand writing.