Brigadier General James Devereux's "Story of Wake Island," is based on his own recollection and the few records available at the time. It's less than 200 pages and is the ideal book for the beginner who wants to learn about the struggle for the tiny atoll. Devereux never pretends to speak for anybody but himself, so we see the Wake Island fight unfold in his eyes and at his command post. Still, the author pays heady tribute to the other Marines with whom he served and he illustrates his account with many amusing sidebar stories. For readers who are politically and culturally sensitive, be warned: Devereux uses the epithets "Japs" and "Jap," countless times. However, considering his ordeal in Japanese prison camps, his feelings are well understood. Still, this is a fast read and the General tells his story with simplicity and clarity. Definitely worth looking for if you care to read a good introductory yet concise account of the Battle of Wake Island.

The late Brigadier General James P.S. Devereux commanded the motley detachment of defenders at Wake Island. Virtually cut off from the rest of the world, with just twelve Wildcat fighters serving as all-purpose aircraft and a small number of old heavy guns, the marines held off repeated Japanese landing attempts for an astounding 14 days, until they were eventually overwhelmed and forced to surrender. Despite the seeming defeat, the marines inflicted obscenely huge losses on the invading Japanese forces with disproportionately tiny casualties to themselves. Even the Japanese were genuinely surprised when they eventually discovered the puny forces which had thrown so much at them. The incredible casualty figures (5,700+ Japanese as opposed to 96 Americans) speak for themselves.

Devereux, then Major, writes simply and clearly without mentioning any events beyond his knowledge at the time. His straightforward and detailed account cites practically all notable instances of individual combat, giving readers an exciting ground-zero experience. The epic defense of Wake Island is replete with miracles, small and large, as the marines hold on day after day producing victory after victory despite insurmountable odds, eventually forcing the exasperated Japanese to divert two aircraft carriers to assist in the invasion. The final defeat is borne with equal courage and honour as the men are shipped away to separate prison camps in occupied China. The POW odyssey is detailed in the final chapters.

Before the war, it was not known if the "well-fed, lazy Americans" could resist the Japanese juggernaut. After Wake Island, no one would ever doubt the spirit and heroism of the Marine Corps or the courage of Americans.

This is one of the more enjoyable personal accounts to come out of World War 2. You can't go wrong with this book.

What happens next? You decide. What a great way to hook a reluctant reader! You live the life of a Robinson Crusoe in this suspenseful adventure (written in second person) as you encounter pirates, treasure, islanders, challenging terrain and animals. Danger and excitement pull you in by asking you to make a decision at the end of almost every page and sending you to the page where that story direction continues. Short segments and hopping back and forth in the book keep short attention spans happy. Whether you read Sugarcane Island to your child or he or she reads it alone, the chance to shape the story is empowering and magnetic. And how nice to be with your child as he or she learns to weigh risks and discover the outcomes of decisions, in this safe fictional environment.

Shipwrecked on a small island, the reader is given various unique and fun choices throughout the story. Each choice changes the direction and outcome of the adventure! Many potential adventures and nice illustrations make this book very fun for young people ages 9-14. The original Sugarcane Island, copyright 1976 was one I could not put down as a child.

i thought that the book was wonderful. i loved to read it. its a great coffee table book and i think everyone should have one.

This book is GREAT! But I guess I'm kind of partial because I know the authors. They are good friends of mine. I would certainly reccommend this book to anyone out there looking for a great coffee table book. Its excellent.

World War II had relatively little influence on the culture of Tahiti and the surrounding Society Islands of the South Pacific, unlike its effect on much of Melanesia and Micronesia, further west and north. Rather, major changes began in the early 1960s, when France decided to conduct nuclear tests in the area. This decision, with massive transfers of money, technology, and personnel, had "an explosive effect" on Tahitian culture. Levy conducted the research for this book just as the new period was opening, from 1961 to 1964. Thus, we can probably say that no matter how good it is, TAHITIANS is now a historical document. Nevertheless it is an excellent psycho-portrait of a people at a certain point in history, a portrait that utilizes earlier histories and descriptions from the moment of European contact in 1767.

TAHITIANS is a work of psychological anthropology, one of the best I have ever seen. It is a work about Tahitian culture and personality formation that delves into a myriad aspects of life from childbirth, the widespread adoption common in all Polynesian societies, homosexuality, and leadership qualities to religion, moral behavior, and dreams. Language plays a big part in the description---over 200 Tahitian words are used, sometimes frequently, in order to describe relationships and feelings more exactly. Many fascinating insights on Tahitian culture in general can be gleaned from his numerous passages on language. Levy's writing is clear and simple throughout, though a few passages were a little too 'field-specific' to psychology for a layman like myself. At over five hundred pages, the book is nothing if not comprehensive, but Levy did sacrifice analysis for the sake of presenting all his data. The analysis appears throughout, but sometimes does not have a clear direction. The author maintains a modest tone, often retiring from a discussion inconclusively. For example, he tackles older anthropological concerns about the difference between the 'content' and 'process' of thought which led previous generations of scholars to write of the "primitive mind". While his answers are good, and strictly in line with what he found in his own work, they do not answer those concerns. [Perhaps impossible, perhaps conducive to racist thinking in a racism-plagued world.] Another section on 'guilt cultures' vs. 'shame cultures' is also rather inconclusive. It might have been more useful to sidestep these old, oft-debated issues [now half a century or more out of date] to concentrate on his subjects, the villagers of Huahine island and the urban dwellers in a section of Papeete, the formerly sleepy capital of Tahiti. The lack of a strong summary is the weakest point about TAHITIANS; such an amazingly vivid description just fizzles out.

I have reviewed another book in this field for amazon.com---"All the Mothers are One" by Stanley Kurtz about India. Kurtz' book is entirely based on analysis of other writers' theories and building some new ones. He did no field work himself. Levy's book, written entirely on extensive field work and interviews, is just the opposite, yet both are extremely useful works for students wishing to delve further into psychological studies of other cultures. Teachers looking for good books to use in courses touching on psychological anthropology or Pacific Studies have come to the right place. TAHITIANS is an overlooked classic that deserves to be read by a much wider audience than has been the case.

Robert I. Levy's classic work on Tahitians is an unusual meeting point between traditional ethnographies (broad cultural surveys with everything from gardening charms to system of government) and the more recent wave of psychological ethnographies (sometimes so specific that they discuss little but folk beliefs about the self, or semantic analysis of emotion terms). The combination is refreshing: a trained psychoanalyst and psychiatrist conducts more than two years of fieldwork in a Tahitian village, and gives us not only his insights, but also his data, his process of interpretation, and the sociocultural context in which he worked. Levy's Tahiti was also in a continuing process of Westernization and modernization. Salient contrasts for the islanders were "traditional" versus "demi-European" Tahitians, and both again versus the French government and Chinese merchants. The "traditional" Tahitian culture itself, however, came from the interaction of an older Tahitian culture with Protestant missionaries in the 19th century. Levy draws on the historical and comparative records to present a sympathetic picture of a small society caught in complicated times. Finally, Levy is simply a good writer, and appears to be a good fieldworker as well. He introduces us to nine Tahitians, not all of whom are nice or happy. Through them (in one of the early examples of person-centered anthropology), we glimpse something of what it means to be Tahitian. Levy's presentation is neither romantic nor sentimental, but in reading this book, one understands why the South Seas, and Tahiti in particular, have occupied such a large place in the European imagination. It's a pity there aren't more books like this in the anthropological canon.

Have used this from a friend. Am so sad that it is not available anymore. It should be republished so many more people can enjoy it!

I just returned from the Islands yesterday and couldn't wait to open my cookbook I purchased a few years ago.. I have made many many recipes from this book and I am always amazed at how great the recipes turn out. I would love to see another edition come with some recipes from some of the newer resturants.Aloha and Mahalo

All three of her books I have read and enjoyed each tremendously. The size (length) may scare away some readers, but they don't know what they're missing. Each of her novels are hard-to-put-down reads. I'm just sorry she has not written more.

This book is brilliant. I can't actually describe how I felt when I read it. I couldn't put it down.

It is about 2 people who love each other more than life. They love each other more than eternity + eternity.

It the spirit of his other book, "Dancing Healers," Dr. Hammerschlag puts together a collection of stories of healing. His insightful approach to using ritual along with "Western Medicine," helps us explore ourselves, our lives and our place in the world. This book should be on every bookshelf in every home. The renewed sense of spirituality and hope the reader obtains through reading this cannot be measured. Truly inspirational reading. Dr. H is a master storyteller.

I use this book as a guide..for my life and my work....As a psychotherapist and healer....i could live and work by this book alone.....filled with gems and insights....truths and all that is good....bravo, Dr. H.......can't wait for more from you

This book gives a wide variety of all the different spots on a barrier island. we use it in enrichment class and I enjoy the book very much.

This book uses descriptive illustrations to add to the enjoyment of its useful information. Its particularly relevant to the Coastal Carolina region and contains interesting and helpful facts for the beachgoer. Its format serves the single page reader as well as those who enjoy larger portions. Highly Recommended

I borrowed this book from a friend because I really wanted to read something about the history of the islands. Dr. Peck shares a unique, humorous yet respectful rendition of life on the islands starting back in the 50's. His admiration of the people and their way of life is heartwarming and gave me an eye opening lesson on what the islanders lived through during the war years. My hats off to this book and its author.

It reads like, because it is, a collection of articles written over the course of a very intersting life. It probably ought to be also filed under Rota and Northern Marianas Islands, since that's where he lives now.

In "The Ties That Bind" the good news is that the wedding day of Olivia King and Jasper Dale is finally approaching. The bad news is that the bride and groom are starting to crack under the pressure. Not caring about the wedding or anything besides marrying Jasper, Olivia tries to stage an elopement. But the surprise escape is foiled and things get immediately worse as Hetty King decides to take over and run the wedding the way she thinks it should be done, regardless of what Olivia, Jasper, Alec, Sara or anybody else has to say about the matter. Of course, things come to a head the night before the wedding when Olivia storms out of Rose Cottage, refusing to spend another night under the same roof with her sister. When Sara quickly follows her Aunt Olivia to the house of Alec and Janet King, Hetty is finally forced to face the fact that she has made a mess of everything. Not that things are all peaches and cream over at the King farm where the frazzled Janet is less than happy with Alec, his family, and their children.

Heather Conkie wrote the storybook for "The Ties That Bind," as well as the original teleplay. I have long noted that Conkie was undoubtedly the best writer on "Avonlea," both in terms of her adaptation of stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery and her original efforts focusing on the show's characters. One of the pleasures of reading this novelization after seeing the television episode is when Conkie explores the thoughts of her characters, going beyond the action and dialogue to show her complete understanding of the Olivia, Jasper and the rest of the King clan. In this story Conkie manages to remind me once again, not only how much I cannot stand Hetty King when she becomes an insufferable martinet and creates utter havoc in the name of familial love, but also how much the old biddy really does care about her family. Besides, the Awkward Man not only gets married but makes an eloquent and romantic toast that caps off the big wedding. In Montgomery's Story Girl sequel "The Golden Road" Aunt Olivia marries some doctor named Seton. However, whoever decided to put Olivia and Jasper together came up with a wonderful improvement upon Montgomery's original story.

This story is funny and touching as it follows Olivia King and Jasper Dales's wedding plans right up to the big day. It is filled with many hilarious antics including a wrong-sized wedding dress, a missing ring, and an attempted elopement. The book also portrays Olivia and Jasper's love for eachother, which is especially evident in Jasper's toast to his bride.