Read The World - Kiribati - The Sex Lives of Cannibals

Book: The Sex Lives of Cannibals
Author: J. Maarten Troost
Pages: 272
Book takes place in the country: YES
Author is from the country: NO (but he lived there)
I have visited: NO

This is my 100th read for the year

I made it!  100 books by the beginning of September.  Not too shabby!

This is the story of the author's time on the island of Tarawa in Kiribati.  He and his then fiance (now his wife) were tired of the day to day work of their jobs, and decided they needed a change.  His fiance took a job with FSP to help improve the lives of the people of the island, and off they went.  Deep in the South Pacific - truly at the end of the earth - they jumped with both feet into another world.

The island becomes not what they expected.  A tiny atoll, he struggles wtih heat, polluted waters, toxic fish, and terrifying weather.  There are constant power outages and water shortages.  There is nothing to read.  There is nothing to eat beyond fish and rice.  He and his fiance spend the next two years reveling in the pros and cons of living as basic vagabons on a tiny corner surrounded by the vast Pacific Ocean.  

I loved this book.  This is the second book I have read from this author and it has covered two small countries that I needed for my reading challenge.  This book actually comes BEFORE the one I read about Vanuatu, but I am so glad I went back and read this one about Kiribati.  I do learn a significant amount about the island itself and among the history of the island is a hilarious, well written story of the author's time there.  He is a brilliant writer.  Truly.  

This book does not disappoint.  Do NOT let the title keep you from reading this book. (it really has nothing to do with the book itself, and the cannibals he speaks of are animals!) It is a riveting story of this corner of the world, and you will be happy to read it.

Stars: 4 1/2