David Hill: A story that touched the swaggering seven

Reading empowers boys. It takes them deeper into an understanding of issues and relationships. Photo / 123RF

• David Hill is a writer living in Taranaki.

They came in together, about seven of them among the teenage boys filing into the assembly hall. I noticed them straightaway.

The others strolled in, glancing at me, talking to their mates. But these seven swaggered in, kicking bags out of the way, faces scowling. Everything about them broadcast defiance, aggression. And they were all Maori.

I was there on a visit organised by the Storylines Children's Literature Foundation, a terrific organisation which aims to encourage reading and literacy among New Zealand kids. I've seen that sort of intimidating body language on other visits. It saddens me to say that it comes mostly from Maori. Why? Here's a few tentative and obvious suggestions.

• They do it because they're staunch. They're a band, a gang, so they're loyal to one another. They're making it clear that you don't mess with them or their mates.

• They do it also because they're locked in a feedback loop. Their bearing brings disapproving looks/words from the world of adult authority, and their teenage reaction is to become even more aggressive - especially when it's Pakeha adult authority.

• Their role models do it. That includes bros, cuzzies and the American rap culture with which a lot of our Maori (and Pasifika) kids identify.

• They're missing out, so they're lashing out. When you look at the way young Maori still under-achieve in education, you see it all too clearly. They fail in the system, so they defy the system.

I don't have any smart answers to that last issue, but it's particularly sad when it involves reading. Reading empowers boys. It takes them deeper into an understanding of issues and relationships. It gives them words to explain their feelings; to avoid misunderstandings and confrontations. Boys who read are more likely to stay out of prison, where too many Maori end up.

So did I have any luck with the Swaggering Seven?

Well, while the others sat in varying degrees of polite attention, they sprawled, lolled, stuck their feet out into the aisles.

But.....But.....I read one story which I often use with this age group. There's humour and tenderness in it. I don't claim any credit; I was just lucky enough to hear about the events which led me to write it. It was one of those gifts that authors cherish.

I glanced at the septet as I read. They were still lolling and sprawling. But they weren't scowling; they were smiling and attentive like the rest. While the story lasted, they were vulnerable, receptive adolescent boys.

At the end, they barged out of assembly just as they'd barged in. But that glimpse of their faces reinforces some of my beliefs above. Such boys challenge partly because they feel failures. And reading offers a potential way out of that impasse.

So my thanks to Storylines and similar organisations for what they do. And to all the teachers who work so hard to provide such chances for those boys.

Oh, and absolutely no thanks to those local bodies who cut library funding. You do every male in our society a disservice. Are you listening, Auckland City Council?