Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Post any books set in Papua New Guinea here.

More can be found in the bookshelf: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

Books set in Papua New Guinea:


Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak
Throwim Way Leg: An Adventure by Tim Flannery
The White Mary: A Novel by Kira Salak
Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff
Argonauts Of The Western Pacific by Bronisław Malinowski
Anyan's Story by Virginia Watson
A Diary in the Strict Sense of the Term by Bronisław Malinowski
Peace Child by Don Richardson
A Papuan Plutocracy by John Liep
Papuan Fairy Tales by Ker, Annie
Papua by Peter Watt
Child of the Jungle: The True Story of a Girl Caught Between Two Worlds by Sabine Kuegler
Watched by ancestors: An Australian family in Papua New Guinea by Kathy Golski
The Lost Tribe by Edward Marriott
Maiba: A Novel of Papua New Guinea by Russell Soaba
Pictures of Village Life: On a New Guinean Island by Georg Kunze
Growing Up in New Guinea by Margaret Mead
Notes from a Spinning Planet--Papua New Guinea by Melody Carlson
Wayward Women by Holly Wardlow
Under the Mountain Wall by Peter Matthiessen
The Long Green Shore by John Hepworth
Kokoda by Peter FitzSimons
Travels in Papua New Guinea by Christina Dodwell
Kuru Sorcery: Disease and Danger in the New Guinea Highlands by Shirley Lindenbaum
Grand Valley Dani: Peaceful Warriors by Karl G. Heider
In Papua New Guinea by Christina Dodwell
A Bastard of a Place: The Australians in Papua by Peter Brune
Kokoda by Paul Ham
The Spirit of Kokoda by Patrick Lindsay
The Bone Man of Kokoda by Charles Happell
Trumpet Shall Sound by Peter Worsley

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The Undiscovered Country by Samantha Gillison
The Ghost Mountain Boys by James Campbell
The King of America: A Novel by Samantha Gillison
Where the Spirits Dwell: An Odyssey in the Jungle of New Guinea by Tobias Schneebaum

The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World by Bruce Knauft

Lords of the Earth by Don Richardson

Among my all-time novel favorites

Dark Brown Is The River

The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond

Non-fiction book about traditional society in New Guinea.

Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose

Imperium: A Fiction of the South Seas by Christian Kracht

Kensukes Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

Searching for Pekpek: Cassowaries and Conservation in the New Guinea Rainforest

Playing the Game: Life and Politics in Papua New Guineaby Julius Chan

Hello! I want to read a few books set in Papua New Guinea, preferably either non-fiction written by locals or adventure fiction set there. I'm particularly fascinated with the Asmat region and culture.

I've marked several of these books as 'To Read' and am looking for them at my local library and online, but I would love to hear any personal recommendations from the group. Thank you!

The Asmat people live in West Papua - part of Indonesia. I don't know any books about them but you should be looking for them under Indonesia.

Calzean wrote: "The Asmat people live in West Papua - part of Indonesia. I don't know any books about them but you should be looking for them under Indonesia."
Good to know! I've read several history books about the area, before the island was split. I'll take a look at Indonesia as well, for more recent books. Thank you for the tip!

I might recommend Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak. This is a non-fiction account of a woman's cross-country journey through PNG, and it gives a lot of insight into the people groups that make up the country, as well as current challenges they face. I read the book several years back, but I remember it as a rather fast read.

Mome_Rath wrote: "I might recommend Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak. This is a non-fiction account of a woman's cross-country journey through PNG, ..."

Excellent suggestion! This sounds like what I'm looking for! I've read up on the history of the area and am so intrigued I want to read more recent accounts, as well. Thank you!

Jennifer wrote: "Mome_Rath wrote: "I might recommend Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak. This is a non-fiction account of a woman's cross-country jou..."

Added it! Noticed it was published by National Geographic- I had no idea they published travelogues. I expect there will be gorgeous photos, as well. Fantastic! Thanks again, Mome_Rath.

Just finished Peace Child. Whether a person is religious or not, it is a fascinating account of the mid 20th century tribal customs in Guinea, unchanged for centuries. Really interesting from the anthropological point of view. What made me rethink my not always positive attitude to the idea of mission work was the comment that the 'first contact' was unavoidable, and if you had missionaries on the one hand, and unscrupulous traders and treasure hunters on the other, the missionaries were a better 'bridge' to the new world...

Ewa wrote: "Just finished Peace Child. Whether a person is religious or not, it is a fascinating account of the mid 20th century tribal customs in Guinea, unchanged for centuries. Really interesting from the a..."

Oh man, that sounds fascinating, thank you! I've read several historical books focused on the colonial history and 'first contact'. It is so complex and intriguing. The accounts from the 1940s and 1950s make it sound like the Wild West with all of the shady characters traveling through the area. And all of the missionaries there to 'save' the local population. I really appreciate this suggestion Ewa, and will look for this book.

Jennifer wrote: "Ewa wrote: "Just finished Peace Child. Whether a person is religious or not, it is a fascinating account of the mid 20th century tribal customs in Guinea, unchanged for centuries. Really interestin..."
Let me know how you like it Jenny

Jennifer wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Mome_Rath wrote: "I might recommend Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak. This is a non-fiction account of a woman's ..."

I hope you enjoy it, and that it's as good as I remember. I do recall several pictures in the book, though the image on the front cover is the one I remember most!

Ewa wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Ewa wrote: "Just finished Peace Child. Whether a person is religious or not, it is a fascinating account of the mid 20th century tribal customs in Guinea, unchanged for centuries. ..."

Will do, Ewa!

Jennifer wrote: "Ewa wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Ewa wrote: "Just finished Peace Child. Whether a person is religious or not, it is a fascinating account of the mid 20th century tribal customs in Guinea, unchanged for..."
Another one I would recommend is Lily King's Euphoria. Based on Margaret Mead's life and love affair, it focuses on her work in New Guinea. There are intriguing descriptions of tribal customs and a mystery, which makes it a page turner. Thoroughly enjoyable.

More books set in Papua New Guinea:


All the Proud Tribesmen by Kylie Tennant
Almost a Family: A Memoir by John Darnton
Beat Not The Bones by Charlotte Jay
...and Then the Engines Stopped: Flying in Papua New Guinea by Gerard R. Ward
Anthropology in the High Valleys
The Beloved by Annah Faulkner
Birds Pierce the Sun: Poetry by Children by Ulli Beier
The Blue Logic: Something from the Dark Side of Port Moresby by Wiri Yakaipoko
The Brink of Silence by Charlotte Jay
Cannibal Adventure by Willard Price
Crash Dive: A Novel of the Pacific War by Craig DiLouie (1st book in series)
The Crocodile by Vincent Eri
Death of a Muruk: A Play by Bernard Narokobi
A DIMDIM in Paradise: Thirty Six Years in Papua New Guinea by Andy Fletcher
Doctor in New Guinea by Dana James
Doctor in Paradise: Challenges and Rewards in Medical Service, New Guinea, 1958-1970
Elixir by Gary Braver
Euphoria by Lily King
From Modern Production to Imagined Primitive: The Social World of Coffee from Papua New Guinea
The Give and Take of Everyday Life: Language Socialization of Kaluli Children
Gold Dust and Ashes by Ion L. Idriess
Gutsini Posa =: Rough Seas by Regis N Stella
Hanuabada: Poems by John Kasaipwalova
High Savannah: Stories & Poems from Papua New Guinea by Russell Soaba
The High Valley by Kenneth E. Read
I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn
Imagining the Other: The Representation of the Papua New Guinean Subject
Inside the Crocodile by Trish Nicholson
Into the crocodile nest: a journey inside New Guinea by Benedict Allen
The Island of Menstruating Men: Religion in Wogeo, New Guinea
Journeys to the Past: Travels in New Guinea, Madagascar, and the Northern Territory of Australia
Kiki: Ten Thousand Years in a Lifetime: A New Guinea Autobiography
The Killing Stones: Two Years in a Papua New Guinea Jungle Village
Kula: Myth and Magic in the Trobriand Islands by Jutta Malnic
Kundu by Morris West
Kundus, Cannibals and Cargo Cults--: Papua New Guinea in the 1950's
The Last Paradise by Tom Cole
The Last True Explorer: Into Darkest New Guinea by Philip Temple
Lost Among the Baining: Adventure, Marriage, and Other Fieldwork by Gail Pool
Masalai by Ryan Case
Mata Sara by Regis Tove Stella
A Medal Without Honour by Nash G. Sorariba
Melanesian Girl by Amjad I. Adachi
Modern Poetry from Papua New Guinea by Nigel Krauth
Monday Morning Faith by Lori Copeland
The Mountain by Drusilla Modjeska
My Life With The Headhunters by Wyn Sargent

More books set in Papua New Guinea:


New Guinea Moon by Kate Constable
New Lives for Old: Cultural Transformation-Manus, 1928-53 by Margaret Mead
Notebooks from New Guinea: Field Notes of a Tropical Biologist
Papua New Guinea Sojourn: More Pleasures in Exile by E.A. Markham
The People of the Bird by Michael a Jelliffe
Poems by Nora Vagi Brash
Rascal Rain: A Year in Papua New Guinea by Inez Baranay
Reluctant Flame by John Kasaipwalova
Return to the High Valley: Coming Full Circle by Kenneth E. Read
The Ridge And The River by T.A.G. Hungerford
Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art
Seagulls Don't Fly Into the Bush: Cultural Identity and Development in Melanesia
Second Half First by Drusilla Modjeska
Secret Places: My Life In New York & New Guinea by Tobias Schneebaum
The Sexual Life of Savages by Bronisław Malinowski
Sound and Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics, and Song in Kaluli Expression
Stolen World: A Tale of Reptiles, Smugglers, and Skulduggery
The Sun is God by Adrian McKinty
Tomorrow the Mudmen by Lucia Whitney
Traditional Poems, Chants & Songs of Papua New Guinea by Elton Brash
The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea by Annette B. Weiner
Unfolding Petals: Readings in Modern Papua New Guinean Literature
The Unpainted Mask: Short Stories by Steven Edmund Winduo
The Voice of the Spirits by Xavier-Marie Bonnot
When The Moon Was Big, And Other Legends From New Guinea by Ulli Beier
Which Way, Big Man? And Five Other Plays by Nora Vagi Brash
Wild Man by Tobias Schneebaum
Words of Paradise: Poetry of Papua New Guinea by Ulli Beier

Modern Gods by Nick Laird.

I am trying to identify a boys' novel set in Papua New Guinea which would have been published prior to the mid-1960s when I read it. All I recall now is that it involved a trek across the highlands of New Guinea by one or more boys (I assume non-indigenous boys) in which they were awed by the scale of the landscape and the ridge upon ridge of mountains they had to cross. I have tried to trace it through the extensive list of books in this discussion, but so far have not been successful. Any help or ideas appreciated!

Two Months a Savage by Nick Skelton

Remembering Papua New Guinea: An Eccentric Ethnography by William C. Clarke.
Road Belong Cargo: A Study of the Cargo Movement in the Southern Madang District, New Guinea by Peter Lawrence.
The Sorrow of the Lonely and the Burning of the Dancers by Edward L. Schieffelin
The White Man Will Eat You! An Anthropologist among the Imbonggu of New Guinea by William Edward Wormsley.