Wednesday, November 30, 2022

From Whom the Bell Tolls

By Earnest Hemingway

I am trying to read more literature. This is a good book. It's about a bridge bombing during the Spanish Civil war. The first half is full of background and character building. The action picks up half way through with battles and the actual bombing. 

Monday, November 14, 2022

Sex Lives of Canibals

By J. Maarten Troost.

At the start of the book, Troost and his girlfriend have just graduated from University. They have debts. The thought of a corporate job bores them. They long for adventure. What should they do? Why not get a job in remote Pacific Island!

That island Tarawa in the country of Kiribati. It has unreliable food, power and water and no garbage service or sewage processing. The lagoon is everyone's dump and the smell at low tide is oppressive.

Life on the streets is literally dog-eat-dog. At one point Troost takes an injured stray dog in to health services to be treated. An hour later he is told "We're sorry, but your dog was eaten by another dog."

Despite that, the book is a very light hearted and fast paced. Troost includes his observations on the failures of the World bank and foreign aid to actually make a difference.