YOO Book Note: Getting Stoned with Savages

OK, listen up students, and I'll let you in on a secret. If your professor wants you to read a Year of Oceania book for one of your classes this year, pick Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost. It is, in my considered professional opinion, a hoot and a half. I laughed all through it. Troost has got to be one of the most self-deprecatingly witty travel writers around.

In this book, Troost tells about his experiences living on the remote islands of Vanuatu (where cannibalism is, it would seem, a fairly recent memory, and kava--ideally processed through the mastication of prepubescent boys--is the foulest-tasting, absolutely best narcotic social lubricant known to man), and more urban squalor in Fiji. (After reading Troost's narrative, I found myself snickering at the man in front of me at the checkout counter at Target who was buying a massive quantity of Fiji brand bottled water).

Even his (lengthy) chapter titles are hilarious. For example, "Chapter 5, in which the author ponders cannibalism and discovers that he just doesn't get it--not at all, cannot get past the icky factor--and so, left to his own devices by his beguiling wife, he decides to seek enlightenment on the island of Malekula, where until recently, within his own lifetime even, they lunched on people."

or "Chapter 8, in which the author travels to the island of Tanna, where he ascends an active volcano; witnesses the extraordinary Nekowiar ceremony, culminating with the slaughter of two hundred pigs; and meets with villagers deep within the forest who live according to the tenets of kastom, which is another word for naked."

I have to admit, I was a little uncomfortable with the title, as obviously tongue-in-cheek as it was. The progressive in me bristled and was ready to take offense at the colonial term "savages." It is true that Troost shows little regard for political correctness in his writing, but he is far from bigoted against the indigenous people of Oceania. In fact, he is much more at ease drinking kava with the Ni-Vanuatu than hanging around with those of European stock, who tended to have eighteenth- or nineteenth-century attitudes towards the locals. (Troost reserves his sharpest ire for French yacht racers. Boy, there's a bunch of savages Captain Cook would have given a wide berth).

I enjoyed Troost's book so much, I plan to read his previous work The Sex Lives of Cannibals, about his earlier South Pacific experiences living on the island of Tarawa. And lucky me! The library has it through eBrary! Hurrah! So if you have to read two books for The Year of Oceania, there's another option for you.

Take a (virtual) kava break and enjoy the book!

Armed and dangerous...@ your Library

Check out this great story from the Seattle Public Library's Shelf Talk blog, of how a purse-snatcher was foiled by a resourceful patron and a stack of very heavy library books!

Is any of your assigned reading this semester heavy enough to be considered a deadly weapon? Some of mine might be, but most of it is online. I suppose I could crack someone over the head with my computer.

What's your heaviest book?

Don't miss all the fun today!

Hey, folks, make sure to stop by the Gordy/Hasty lawn area today. There's going to be all kinds of fun and games going on with several Welcome Week festivities happening today.

From 11am - 1pm today is the Student Activities Fair. Trust me, from my advanced age looking back on my college years, the more you can get involved with what's going on on campus, the better your college career will be. There's sure to be something to catch your interest. Take a look, find out what's going on around you! Especially be sure to check out the table for the Year of Oceania. Library staff member and artist Stephanie Olsen will be giving temporary tattoos of her own design. Stephanie created the turtle logo for the "Year of" this year (and last year's bear logo). I've already got my awesome whorl tattoo she gave me this morning. You can stop by the library and check ME out.

Then from 4:00 until 8:00pm, the Gordy Lawn is the site of the Block Party sponsored by Residence Life, Aramark, Campus Ministry, and the Residence Hall Association. There will be food, music, more games and give-aways (who doesn't love swag?).

At some point, especially if you're into good, fresh homegrown food and local crafts, you're going to want to mosey over across the street to the parking lot behind the former Waleska First Baptist Church. From 4:30 to 8:30 pm the Waleska Farmer's Market at Reinhardt University will be happening. Get some tasty treats or some pretty plants to take back to your dorm room. Reinhardt's own chef John Young is going to be giving a cooking demonstration, preparing fresh local fruit and salads. If you've not been to one of our farmer's markets, you should see all the fun you've been missing out on this summer. The market is the brainchild of Reinhardt horticulturist Zach White. He started it up in May, and it has just become wildly popular. Seriously, it is the place to be in Waleska! You have no idea.

Enjoy it all today!

Year Of Oceania Book Note: "Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All"

Okay, granted, the book is worth picking up for the title alone...

Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story could be described as an anthropological memoir. Author Christina Thompson, a Caucasian woman from Boston, tells the story of how she met and married a Maori man named Seven, interweaving their personal history with the tumultuous history of the Europeans' interaction with indigenous New Zealanders. (You'll be relieved to hear that the title refers to the latter topic--and even then is a probable misquote).

Thompson, an academic by trade, has done her research. The book is at its best when she's detailing the historical side of murder, misunderstanding, tragedy and conquest. Compared to the florid historical details, her own story is surprisingly bloodless. In an author's note at the beginning, she explains that she changed details to protect the anonymity of her in-laws. Thompson fairly points out that her husband's family confided in her as a relative and not as a researcher for a potential book. While she does pepper her narrative with some scattered culture-shock observations, it seemed to me that she approached her own story with a certain restraint. When she told how she and Seven eloped, I was surprised, since I'd no idea at that point that they were even romantically involved!

Thompson seems more comfortable with disclosure when she talks about her three sons and the mixed heritage they share. She also shares some of her own family history, which will resonate with those members of the Reinhardt community who participated in last year's "Year Of" theme. She feels guilt that her family prospered at the expense of an indigenous people, while her husband's people suffered at the hands of colonial interests.

The book is a quick read (I finished it in one sitting), and it packs an impressive amount of historical fact and perspective in 253 pages. I recommend it to anyone who wants a quick education about the Maori people and the European colonization of New Zealand.

WELCOME BACK, STUDENTS!

Two things are ever constant on the first day of each semester: I will have the theme song to "Welcome Back Kotter" stuck in my head all day, and almost none of the incoming students (although there are exceptions) are old enough to remember the show.

But welcome back students, and welcome to all of you who are just beginning your time at Reinhardt University (yay)! This is the inaugural year for the university, and I know there are a lot of festivities planned to honor it. What's it like being part of history? On behalf of all the library staff, I would like to let you know that we don't bite! Forget all the scary librarian stereotypes you've heard. We actually do want to help you, so if you have a question--whether it's a research query or if you just need to know where the bathroom is--please ask!

Another thing that is a near-constant on the first day of classes is the question of how to log on to the computers in the library. Things have changed a little since last year, so listen up! We are going to try to keep the computers logged on all day, but if someone logs one off, here is how to log it back on. Type "usernopassword" for the name, and leave the password field blank. That should bring the computer up to the desktop.

Once you have the desktop up, you will see a new icon in the upper right corner. That is how you access your personal drive on the network. You can use your regular sign-on for that.

Good luck, everyone! On a personal note, your blogger friend here is also starting school this semester, so good luck to all of us!

New Books Available in the "Year Of" section!

Aloha y'all!

As most of you know, each year Reinhardt selects a geographic area of the world on which to focus special programming. These year-long programs cross disciplines to expose Reinhardt students to different cultures through in-depth study and hands-on experiences. Last year's program was the Year of North American Indigenous Peoples. This year we are moving farther abroad with the Year of Oceania. We will be celebrating and studying the Pacific region from Hawaii and the Philippines in the north to Australia and New Zealand in the south.

I'll be keeping you posted here about all of the special events we'll be having, including a luau, speakers, crafts, contests and a film-and-discussion series.

In the meantime, come by the library and check out our book display on the second floor! We have a varied selection of books about the region, from the journals of Captain Cook to Marten Troost's travel book Getting Stoned with Savages to a children's compilation of Micronesian folktales called From the Mouth of the Monster Eel.

Turtle logo designed by our own circulation and interlibrary loan specialist Stephanie Olsen!

Congratulations Joel and Michael!

Reinhardt University's library staff was well-represented at yesterday's Employee Awards & Recognition Breakfast!

Our fearless leader, Library Director Michael Martinez received a plaque honoring his five years of dedicated service to Reinhardt. Technical Services Librarian Joel Langford was honored for his QUARTER-CENTURY here! I suppose that means the rumors of his having been Captain Reinhardt's assistant are false, but still, that is quite an accomplishment of dedication!

Our two newest employees, Kirsten Rodning and Drew Childers, have a little ways to go yet before they reach those milestones, but they were recognized as well. Both are members of the graduating class of 2010, and are among the six new hires who are alumni of the school.

We are proud of all four of them for their loyal service!

Farewell/Congratulations, Karen Preslock!

The Hill Freeman Library & Spruill Learning Center would like to wish a fond farewell to our Public Services and Reference Librarian Karen Preslock. Mrs. Preslock has accepted a full-time librarian's position at Chattahoochee Tech in Paulding County. We would like to thank Karen for her hard work and years of dedicated service. She was always available to help a student in need. Whether it was with a term paper or a job search, Karen could point the way to the right resources, and she taught this blogger a lot about research and about library careers in general. I will miss being able to go to her for advice, especially as I start taking classes in the fall.

Thank you very sincerely, Karen. We wish you the best in your new endeavor!