Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea [Library Binding]

Kira Salak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2009

Following the route taken by British explorer Ivan Champion in 1927, and amid breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, Salak traveled across this remote Pacific island-often called the last frontier of adventure travel-by dugout canoe and on foot. Along the way, she stayed in a village where cannibals m was still practiced behind the backs of the missionaries, met the leader of the OPM-the separatist guerrilla movement opposing the Indonesian occupation of Western New Guinea-and undertook an epic trek through the jungle. The New York Times said "Kira Salak is tough, a real-life Lara Croft." And Edward Marriott, proclaimed Four Corners to be "A travel book that transcends the genre?It is, like all the best travel narratives, a resonant interior journey, and offers wisdom for our times."

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 319 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439568731
• ISBN-13: 978-1439568736
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,009,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK I'VE EVER READ, January 13, 2005

By 

Avid Travel Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (Paperback)

This book COMPLETELY engaged me from beginning to end. It tells the story of a young woman drawn to danger and adventure in one of the most remote locations on earth. She reaches distant tribes that haven't seen any white people, where the kids all run off in terror, thinking she's yellow-haired ghost. She spends time with other tribes still practicing cannibalism, puts up with unsavory local traders, meets shamans and fanatical missionaries and all manner of colorful characters. This is an adventure book on two different levels--we not only learn about the fascinating country of New Guinea, but we learn what drove Ms. Salak to go on such a dangerous and remarkable journey. And more incredibly, she went on this journey ALONE. My hat goes off to her.

If you're looking for some dry, academic kind of book on New Guinea culture--like the previous reviewer seemed to be--then I suggest you go to the library and pick up some scientific journals and go nuts. But if you'd like a great, really readable adventure story that will hold your interest from beginning to end, that won't be a waste of your time or money, then this is the book for you. I've shared this gem with all of my friends--world backpackers and arm-chair travelers alike--and they all loved it.

34 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Harangue in disguise, June 11, 2006

By 

Innominate - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (Paperback)

Being keen on New Guinea biota, I have been working to collect all the literature I can on the area. Most resources one finds are by missionaries, anthropologists, or military stories of World War II. Fairly useless for learning of the flora and fauna. Thus, seeing a book of a peregrination along hundreds of miles of lowland territory was intriguing.

Now, I'll concede there are no rules for writing a book about exotic adventures. However, I *did* have some preconceived expectations of travel writing about such an exotic destination.

I did not expect her to spend 1/10th of the book talking about how dangerous Africa is. I did not expect her to mention how dangerous PNG is on nearly every page, and manage to elaborate on it over and over with each mention. If she wants to cross PNG, sure, admit it can be a little dangerous. However, it gets old reading it page after page after page.

I really feel as though she could have packed twice as much information into the pages as she did. I felt as though I got to know few of the characters, and there was scant mention of the background settings. It was all about her, her thoughts, and how she is growing as a person. Now, this is all fine and dandy for some people, but I really wanted to read more about the characters she encountered, adventures she took. It was her book and she is allowed to write as she pleases. It just was NOT what I expected.

I especially find it incredible how she was able to cross the main landmass, and write so little about the flora and fauna she encountered. New Guinea is a mecca for wildlife, and you could write entire books on the subjects you find in 1 metre square. There is almost no mention of any plants or animals.

Despite my criticism, Ms. Salak indeed has a gift for writing and journeyed through one of the Earths most amazing regions. My review offers a poor rating because the book really wasn't about New Guinea, it was about a confused young woman trying to "find" herself.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, January 19, 2005

By 

J. Russell (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (Paperback)

Like all great travelogues, "Four Corners" is an account that recognizes the important fact that the traveler themself is an integral part of the journey. Kira Salak takes us on her adventure through one of the wildest and rawest parts of the world, filled with beauty and danger, friendliness and brutality. Along the way she spends time in introspective examination. Why would someone make this trip? Why subject oneself to the uncertainies of a trip with no itinerary through so remote a place? Her answers are as important to the book as the trip itself. Highly recommended.