Straddling the Maori and European worlds of the 1860s, Titokowaru was one of New Zealand’s greatest leaders. A brilliant strategist, he used every device he could to save the Taranaki people from European invasion. When peaceful negotiation failed, he embarked on a stunning military campaign against government forces. His victories were many – before the battle he lost. Although he was ‘forgotten by the Pakeha as a child forgets a nightmare’, his was a vision that would endure. I Shall Not Die has been written not only for scholars but for anyone willing to be excited by the past. It is narrative history at its most compelling.

Endorsements                                              

'Belich tells a truly terrible, truly epic story. Titokowaru strides through his pages like a tragic figure from Greek drama.' Maurice Shadbolt

Contents                                                       

Maps and plans
1. Titokowaru’s peace
2. The year of the daughters
3. ‘I shall not die’
4. The Patea Field Force
5. The death of Kane
6. McDonnell’s revenge
7. The beak
8. The little tyrant
9. The battle of Moturoa
10. Handley’s woolshed
11. The brink
12. Tauranga Ika
13. The lion at bay
14. The hunt
Epilogue: The last battle
Glossary
Sources
Bibliography
Index