The island is a microscopic speck in the Pacific Ocean. The beaches are white, the sea is endless and the islanders dance for the tourists whenever a boat happens to pass by. This is the real paradise - or is it? The island belongs to the British colonial power, and although British culture feels more than remote, British law applies. Suspicions of sexual abuse lead to the arrival of three British social workers to investigate.
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ShareDifferent types of abuse
The islanders' free approach to sexuality is neither embellished nor condemned in the book. There is room for lust without shame, but there are also dirty collective secrets. All societies have rules for what is acceptable and what is not - but the question is whether the same rules can apply in different cultures? And who has the right of interpretation?
As social workers investigate the possible abuse of the island's girls, the book tells the story of society's abuse of the Pacific region. Because what are nuclear explosions if not abuse?
Based on real events
The book is based on the events that took place in the British colony of Pitcairn Islands, where a number of men from the island's population were convicted of sexual offences in 2004. Lotta Lundberg tells an interesting story that raises more questions than it answers.
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Kors och Tvärs says:
Thanks for the tip - sounds interesting. Have a nice Pentecost weekend!
17 May 2013 - 20:39
admin says:
Across the board, thank you very much!
17 May 2013 - 20:46
Ditte says:
I have read it and was initially appalled. I still think that it is the women/younger girls who draw the short straw, and I never believe that "we" can come and tell others what to do. But I was troubled. Strong and very thought-provoking reading, I think. And there are more questions than answers.
Absolutely worth reading!
17 May 2013 - 22:16
admin says:
Ditte, it is indeed women who suffer the most ... as in many cultures, perhaps unfortunately. I certainly don't think we should defend that. But the question is how you can get in from the outside. Here you try to stop one kind of abuse, and then maybe you do other kinds of abuse yourself... I thought it was described in a good way, without being simplistic, in the book.
18 May 2013 - 8:01
Milton Sullivan says:
- They think they can govern themselves and create their own rules of behaviour. People outside the island don't know what it's like there. They say it is part of the Polynesian culture but we are not talking about a little sex with minors, we are talking about systematic and extremely serious child abuse," he said.
19 May 2013 - 23:10