On Fiji Islands (Eland Classics)

I have read two other books by Ronald Wright and they have been about South America and the Mayan Civilisation, they can come across as rather dry due to Wright being an expert, in fact I would say his book Time Among The Maya is the go to book to learn all you can about their culture. Fiji was new to Wright and whilst thinking of an idea for his next book he got the chance to travel around Fiji with a friend and jumped at the opportunity. What we get in this book is the lighter side of Wright, his sense of humour comes through as he becomes a tourist for a while. He fully immerses himself and takes part in ceremonies, whilst trying his best to follow their very strict rules. This book is a perfect blend of Wright’s experiences and a history of this little group of islands and it’s people.My knowledge of Fiji was absolutely rubbish…I was way off on it’s location, think I was getting confused with Tasmania…whoops. The more books like this I read the more embarrassed I am for being British, the destruction of other cultures in the name of “The Empire” never fails to shock, in Fiji though there is a bit of hope, amazing what one correct decision can do. One of the first governors of Fiji made the choice to give the locals as many rights as was possible and letting them keep ownership of their land, this allowed the Fijians to survive where other civilisations were destroyed by the British. This start allowed the Fijians time to adapt to the new rules, dodgy dealings and missionaries. Just when things feel hopeful you find out this same Governor made some awful decisions in the future which allowed the destruction of Islands and it’s people, this is covered in great deal in this book and was fascinating to read. If you are interested in cannibalism then this the cook book for you, Wright goes into a lot of detail about this gruesome bit of Fiji’s history.I found this book very interesting, there is so much to learn here and a sure sign of how good a book is how often I annoy the wife by reading out facts. One of the best travel books I’ve ever read.