Passionless People

I've read most of it. I've had it for two or three weeks, and go to bed each night thinking that I'm going to read another few pages, and drop off pretty quickly...

– All Black Brian Lochore 'helps' launch Gordon McLaughlan's book

[McLaughlan] has some damning things to say about New Zealanders. Under the heading 'smiling zombies' he writes: "a fool is a person who doesn't know what he doesn't know, and by this definition a Kiwi is preeminently a fool."

– From the narration

The schools, I think, exert pressure to conform: 'socks up' is more important than thinking for yourself.

– Author Gordon McLaughlan

The New Zealander is as racist as the South African, except that he's decently hypocritical about it.

– Gordon McLaughlan on New Zealand exploiting Pacific Island labour

I don't think it had all that much effect. I don't think many books do. A number of books on a similar theme might. New Zealand literature generally doesn't relate to real life. Most of it's about middle class angst. There are really serious problems in New Zealand. Once Were Warriors touched on real problems, but tell me a book that's done that since.

– Gordon McLauchlan reflects on the book, on the publication of sequel Passionless People Revisited, Stuff website, April 2012