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 enlarge | Author: J. Maarten Troost
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $3.36
You Save: $9.59 (74%)
New (60) Used (72) Collectible (2) from $3.36
Rating:  100 reviews
Sales Rank: 6204
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0767915305
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.099681
EAN: 9780767915304
ASIN: 0767915305
Publication Date: June 8, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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| Customer Reviews:
 Disillusioning experiences in paradise May 11, 2008
Funny story that really isn't about the sex lives of cannibals, although a bit of the sex lives of the Kiribati who live on Tarawa does play into this goofy first-hand account of a man and his, ahem, "wife" (girlfriend) who spent two years there. While the author is annoyingly and self-consciously cute and flippant as a post-graduate slacker in Washington, DC, he becomes more likable and funny as an out-of-place unemployed author, ahem, "slacker" in Tarawa, where it easy to laugh and feel sympathetic as he describes his experience of trying to swim back to the reef which locals are using as a very public outhouse. Or his other disillusioning experiences in Tarawa.
Pair this with Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before to complete your world-tour of South Pacific disillusionment.
Troost also wrote a sequel that didn't quite live up to Sex Lives for me: Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu.
And if you are interested in more historical background on Tarawa, Homer Hickam (yes, the October Sky guy) has written a World War II historical novel based on the action there that is a nice companion as well: The Far Reaches (Josh Thurlow Series #1)
 Bad Title, Wonderful Book May 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The title led me to believe this book would concern the exploits of a drunken fraternity boy. I almost put the book aside without reading it, but you can't tell a book by . . . well, you know.
Luckily, I read the first few pages. I got hooked. It turns out the narrator is an intelligent, literate, self-deprecating observer of his own culture shock as he and his wife immerse themselves into a world quite different from our own. "Sex Lives" is a great read--well written and informative.
By the way, the only cannibals on Tarawa are the dogs. When the local residents aren't hunting them for food, they are hunting each other. Life is hard on Tarawa. It is also surprising and funny.
An Enjoyable read with an edgy title! February 9, 2008
I just finished "Sex Lives of Cannibals" with that relaxing sense of satisfaction. It started off slowly, but picked up quickly. Troost's personal approach to the native island lifestyle and environment are both informative and engaging. I also enjoyed the humor he wove into every one of his experiences, from serious to silly. I felt it gave a decently balanced viewpoint on the struggles surrounding island life.
My only wish is that he would of been a little more scenically detailed and included more historical material. Yet, as he says, most of their history is oral so, I suppose one could only glean so much...
All in all, it was a great read. Being a fan of witty travel logs, like bill bryson, Troost has become my new favorite!
 Light-hearted and amusing January 7, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed J. Maarten Troost's style of writing. It was amusing and really refreshing. Its a cleverly titled book, even though the content does not really cover either cannibalism or sex. It did get me some suspicious glances on flights throughout the southern United States. On the downside I was never really gripped by the content. At least not until the epilogue (returning to "civilisation") which I would have liked to hear more about. I will certainly be trying out the sequel, if indeed that is what it is.
 Been there,, didn't see that January 1, 2008
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
I thought I would be able to enjoy this book since I have been living on a small atoll in the South Pacific. I have visited some of the islands he mentions and I found most of his stories over the top and a few of his stories I would bet are completely fabricated. The title of the book has nothing to do with what the book is about. Troost's writing style is very negative. He comes across as very anti-American. After bashing America several times He ends up moving there after his supposed 2 years experience. Don't waste your time or money.
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