''The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific''J. Maarten Troost, ''The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific'', Broadway Books, 2004 (). is a 2004
travelogue
Travelogue may refer to:
Genres
* Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling
* Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...
by author J. Maarten Troost describing the two years he and his girlfriend spent living on the
Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati ''
atoll
An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
in the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
island nation of
Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati ''The Wor ...
.
Plot
In the book Troost described how he and his girlfriend Sylvia adjusted to life on the remote small island in the South Pacific, and built a life for themselves there. Troost described the unusual people they lived with, and bizarre and unfamiliar local customs, as well as the local people's reaction to Troost's own behaviour that they regarded as unusual.
In those two years, the author adjusted to an over-whelming fish-based diet, extreme heat, and an ineffective government, which the author describes as "Coconut Stalinism - though
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
, at least, got something done." He described frequent electrical and water shortages, along with many other idiosyncrasies of living on such a small and remote island.
At the same time, Troost also challenges American complacency toward its own history, by doing so little to remember the many troops who died in the Battle of Tarawa during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, and the many foreign aid workers and consultants, who failed to consider the islanders' real needs or local culture.
Sequel
This book was followed up by '' Getting Stoned with Savages'' (2006), the further adventures of J. Maarten Troost and his wife, Sylvia.