Oceania Books

This collection of twelve original essays examines contemporary seafaring practices and the unique relationship of the islanders to the sea. The book adds a new dimension to present scholarship on the Pacific Islands by focusing on ordinary people and their attachment to the sea in the course of daily life rather than on the spectacular exploits of long-distance voyagers. Contributors to the volume examine islanders who depend on the sea for food and transportation, who paddle their canoes or fire up their outboard motors to transport copra to the local trader, whose songs and dances depict maritime themes, and for whom the sea provides a metaphor for all the vagaries of life. Geographical coverage of the book includes one Micronesian community (Enewetak), three Polynesian communities (Nukumanu, Sikaiana, and Rotuma), and four Melanesian ones (Marovo in the Western Solomons, Omarakana and Kaduwaga in the Trobriands, and Vanatinai in the Louisiade Archipelago). An essay on the Bugis of Indonesia points out the relevance of Island Southeast Asia to understanding seafaring in Oceania.--Book cover description

It is not often that a book, especially a work of non-fiction, moves and excites me enough to make me want to send its author fan mail. While reading Jennifer Deger's Shimmering Screens, I had to resist the urge to do so at the conclusion of each chapter; only the rush to discover what insights and delights awaited me in the next installment kept my fingers from the keyboard. Deger, who is a research fellow in anthropology at Macquarie University in Sydney, has written a brilliant book that offers an analysis of the ways in which one man, Bangana Wunungmurra, took up the challenge of making video from the community of Gapuwiyak in Arnhem Land in order to reinvigorate Yolngu rom (Law) and to pursue a personal redemption. It is a study of the impact of Western technology in (and not necessarily on) a remote community, a memoir of how fieldwork changes the anthropologist, and a meditation on the ways in which Yolngu and whitefellas can interpenetrate each other's worlds. If anthropology in recent years has questioned the possibility of continuing to write conventional ethnography along the lines of Lloyd Warner's classic study of the Yolngu,A Black Civilization: A Study of an Australian Tribe, then Deger's Shimmering Screens achieves a new model for ethnography in the 21st century.

The Ship brings to life Captain Cook's famous voyage of exploration to the South Pacific aboard the square-rigged ship Endeavour. Between August and October 2001 a volunteer crew, sailing an exact replica of Cook's ship, retraced the most perilous stretch of the original voyage from the Great Barrier Reef (off the east coast of Australia) to Indonesia. This book tells the story of Cook's journey through the experience of the modern crew. Featuring original drawings, maps, and artworks, plus spectacular new photographs. I promise you'll enjoy it!

Jackie Huggins is a powerful writer and a real deadly tita, black aussie slang for phat sistah, and if you don't know what that translates to... you better ask somebody! But on the serious tip, I really related to Sister Girl because I am an African American female. Jackie writes about how race and gender blend and how they also have a tendency to collide. Moreover, I went to study abroad in Australia, which was supposed to be the most multi-cultural society-you know the mixed salad bowl theory. Well, after a couple of weeks I realized how white and culturally insensitive this exotic land was, at least it was at the University of Queensland, where I studied. I was in the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia and well I guess you could sort of compare it with an American southern town. Anyway, my most cultural experience was being enrolled in a class entitled Black Australian Literature, where the class read books written by Aboriginal women and men and also engaged in discussions about the social and political construction of race. Sister Girl was one of those books we read. I enjoyed it because it was not like most historical books you read. Jackie masterfully weaves "herstory" within the context of the social issues. I was almost in tears when I read the conversation between Jackie and bell hooks. "Wow, now that's racial solidarity and true sisterhood," I thought. Here we have an Aboriginal woman and an African American woman-two black women from two distinct parts of the world making a conscious effort to embrace each others unique concerns and identities as well as laugh and shout out a "right on sister!" or a "real deadly tita!" at their similarities. Reading this book was an eye opener to current political and social issues in the Aboriginal community and Australian multi-culturalism as a whole.It also gives a context and a history to racism and sexism on a personal and historical level. This book is an interesting read for Americans, regardless of gender or ethnicity, because Australian racism and sexism is so parallel to social issues in the U.S., and these issues effect both male and female/black and white. Jackie also has a way of connecting with the reader, and I'm not so sure if I felt this way because my identity is so closely related to Jackie's. Nonetheless, when I finished the book I felt that I knew who Jackie was, like I had made a personal connection with history. While reading the book I felt like I had gone on a journey with Jackie; I had laughed with her and experienced some of her pain, or at least came to an undersatnding of why a particular experience was painful to her and her people. Through the imagery she so vividly writes in, all of these feelings and understanding were achieved. I had a good time reading the book-and wouldn't you know it, I actually ended up meeting and speaking casually with Jackie Huggins at the end of the semester get-together my professor Sam Watson, another talented Aboriginal author, planned for our entire class. Jackie Huggins' Sister Girl is a real deadly read! I strongly recommend it to all those interested in decolonization, history,feminism and education. And Jackie if your reading this "Write on sister girl, write on!"

At first I found this book somewhat difficult to use. The cross-indexing of the numbers assigned to each hotel was confusing. Nevertheless, I found this book to be invaluable. Detailed descriptions (often more than one page) of reasonably priced small hotels are grouped together by the section in Sydney in which they are located. By contrast, most guidebooks provide two or three sentence descriptions of hotels with little sense of where they are located. Small Hotels of Sydney gives the reader a working knowledge of the area in which hotels are located and how close they are to public transportation, including transportation to and from the airport. There are descriptions of what each hotel's rooms are like as well as the amenities offered.

I read this book carefully and felt I was making an informed decision about where my hotel was located, how convenient it would be for me, the quality of the hotel and what my room would be like. I selected the Madison Hotel in Kings Cross.The hotel room and location were exactly as described and met my needs, which included reasonable cost, perfectly.

If price is no object and you're staying in a top hotel, there's no need to bother with this book. If, on the other hand, money is an object and you want value for it, this book can give you the means of selecting an hotel within your price range that meets your needs. A vacation can be ruined or compromised by the selection of the wrong hotel. Small Hotels of Sydney minimizes the chances of making this mistake. Considering the cost and time involved in getting to Australia, this book is a bargain.

Mr. Budnick's historical review of the United States "takover" of the Hawaiian Islands unearths the all-too-familiar tale of political intrigue and corruption. This book provides an insider's view of the imperialistic fashion in which the missionaries, large ranch/farming interests, military fanatics and their political cronies collaborated against the Hawiian cultural and political system. It also explains the efforts of native Hawaiians to prevent these actions. Essentially, "Stolen Kingdom" is the non-fiction version of James A. Michener's "Hawaii". I learned much from this well-documented book; and most notably, of the various factions in the US and Hawaii involved in usurping power from the indigenous locals. I recommend this informative writing to all Americans as a primer for Hawaiian Political History.

'Strange Constellations' is one of my best reads for a long time. I may be exhibiting a little (healthy) Aussie bias but perhaps that would make me all the more critical if the product did not stand up. The academic style is totally appropriate, elevating objectivity and providing the keen reader with an opportunity to check sources and interpretations. Given the literary achievements of the authors, I expected a good read so this technical edge is a bonus.

The early focus on the romantic origins of science fiction in Australia is an eye-opener for me and I will be sure to review some classics, on the fringe of the genre, in a new light. The hard-nosed analysis of the booms and busts is, again, appropriate. In the second half, the book moves from analyses of periods to an author-by-author account. This does not seem quite as 'critical' as preceding chapters...

This novel is a sequel to Sooner or Later(also available at Amazon).It tells of a 17 year old boy, Michel Khamis, who is working for the summer holidays for his mother, who's a rock music promoter.In walks Geraldine, a beautiful Aboriginal girl who's determined to be an opera singer--and the pair fall in love.But the course of true love does not always run smooth.. Although the book addresses a lot of 'issues', it does not preach, and presents all its dilemmas through the characters.

This guide was very useful while in the city of Sydney. Helpful hints and ideas for all the local hang-outs. Great tips on using the public transportation. Nice and compact, fit well in a travel bag instead of using one of the larger/heavier guides that cover the entire country.

Great book at fraction of original price. Really helped me out on my trip. Very informative.