Pitcairn Island where Fletcher Christian's descendants live, was until recently a rarely visited English-run Polynesian outpost perched in the South Pacific; a tropical paradise. But in 1999, British police, alerted by unsettling reports of a rape, descended on the island. Their investigation developed into a major inquiry that revealed that Pitcairn was the site of widespread and horrific sexual abuse instigated by the island men on girls as young as twelve. Scarcely a man on the island was untainted by the allegations, and almost none of the women had escaped, though most residents feigned ignorance, even when their own daughters were abused. Abusers included the magistrates and police officers as well as brothers and uncles. Few of the victims were able to leave the island; those who did never went back. Kathy Marks was one of a handful of journalists permitted to live on the island while she reported on the ensuing trial and witnessed Pitcairn's domestic workings first hand. In this riveting account, she documents a society gone badly astray, leaving lives shattered, codes broken and a paradise truly lost.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating,
By Jayltee (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pitcairn: Paradise Lost (Paperback)
The time she spent on Pitcairn as an outsider, gives Kathy Marks' account an air of authority, as well as an appropriate sense of claustrophobia. Marks sheds light on something that stood out to me in the news coverage; why many Pitcarin women not only defended the men who abused these girls, but shunned those brave enough to stand up to them. Essentially, their own husbands, sons, brothers and fathers were perpetrators too. Nonetheless, my intellectual understanding of their torn loyalties does not excuse their treatment of the women who testified for the prosecution. Colleen McCullogh deserves a special mention (her husband is a Norfolk Islander). She said that they break the girls in young on Polynesian Islands. This case involves grown men sexually assaulting 9, 10, 11 and 12 year old children. Indefensible.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book,
By Superstar77 (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pitcairn: Paradise Lost (Paperback)
I just finished reading this book after two days. It is written by Kathy Marks, a journalist who was selected to cover the trials of the community members convicted of raping children on Pitcairn Island. The author provides possible explainations as to why the systematic abuse of children could continue for so long without adequate parental, community, church or government intervention. To the victims who showed immense courage in telling their stories, I applaud you. One can only hope that these deplorable acts will not be perpetuated on future generations of children on the island.
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