Waitākere College

Book of the week - Tama Samoa, by Dahlia & Mani Malaeulu

Sione, Lima, Tavita and Filipo are high school friends, uso or brothers. They are part of a special letter-writing project that helps to start a brave new conversation, an open and honest talanoa with themselves starting with the words, Dear Uso ... Here they share the cultural challenges they face, and without realising it, their need to belong, to be accepted and the impact this has on their wellbeing overall.

Tama Samoa is not just a story of friendship, brotherhood and healing. Tama Samoa helps us all to reflect, reconnect and reunite in better supporting each other as who we are. It is also a story of self-discovery and hope for a new tama Samoa code to be created based on real talanoa and understanding.

This book includes: - Study Questions For Students - The Tama Samoa Project: A space created for fourteen Samoan male students and educators to share their own boys-to-men stories, lessons and journeys to help today's tama Samoa, our tama Pasifika, to be better understood and supported in succeeding as themselves.

This book is available from the school library as well as an eBook.