Customer Reviews

Surviving Paradise: One Year on a Disappearing Island

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Surviving Paradise, One Year on a Disappearing Island, is a timely book. Peter Rudiak-Gould has captured a way of life that is far removed from his California roots. As a young man, he volunteered to teach on Ujae, one of the Marshall Islands. He ventured into a very foreign way of life and studied it with a fine tooth comb. This author is obviously extremely observant of small, interesting details; the ones most of us might never know about except by reading this fascinating tale. Peter's own values were challenged to his bones as he tried to teach the young Marshallese children. But he didn't leave; he got in there and worked his tail off. He learned their language and he learned their values. The writing is superb; intellectual, but easy to read. Not only is it a story of his teaching, but of love, sickness, boredom and adventure. It would be an ideal introduction to an anthropology course because is covers so much in a friendly and easy-to-read way. It would be an adventure for those who might want to try something like this, but who might need a sober introduction! A fun read for any age. Well done!

One of the finest travel-oriented books I've read. It's an engaging look at a country and culture that most of us have probably never thought or heard much about. Perhaps most surprising, when compared to similar books I've read, is the degree to which the author manages to present such a balanced narrative. He compassionate and sensitive when appropriate, but also uncompromising in his criticism and introspective analysis. One note: while the subtitle calls to mind the environmental issues that may be facing these islands, they are NOT the focus of the book. Only a small section at the end is dedicated to the potential role global warming could play in the future of the Marshall Islands. I point this out lest someone might pass this book by, thinking it were a treatise on global warming and the environment, when instead the focus is squarely on the experience of living in one of the most remote and isolated corners of the planet.

I just finished reading Surviving Paradise and I can't recommend it too highly. It is fun to read as well as a sensitive and perceptive account of a year in a different culture and landscape. There was one twist after another where Peter stated a seemingly unequivocal fact or emotion only for the reader to find a little later that nothing was quite as clear cut as it seemed. The writing is beautifully descriptive and sensual, as well as very funny. I finally learned to always expect the unexpected. The book reads like a mystery in that only in the end is the culture (or mix... but I won't give it away) unraveled and found to make pretty good sense. I know what I'm going to be giving for Christmas presents this year; will be ordering more copies!

I was part of the WorldTeach group from 2003-04 and was Peter's "island buddy" for his year in paradise. I am the 'Jeff Wooddell' mentioned in the acknowledgements section. Having spent only one week on Ujae, I certainly never reached the understanding of these people and their culture that Peter did but I can truly say that, if you want to disappear from the rest of the world, Ujae would be the idyllic place to do it. It's tropical, warm, friendly, miles from anywhere, and the snorkeling is excellent.

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Just finished the book. I became more engrossed in the cultural story of the people on Ujae as I read through the book. Even though I spent a year in the Marshall Islands as part of the same group as Peter, and a week on Ujae itself, nothing "educated" me as much as his book did. If there was only one book you could read to learn about all things Marshallese, this would be the book.

I read a lot of travel literature. I was amazed at the writing of this book. He is better than Paul Theroux. He is as good as Jan Morris. I can't believe that this is a first book by a guy who is 23 years old.

I bought Peter Rudiak-Gould's book Surviving Paradise and haven't been able to put it down since it arrived. Peter's a great storyteller and his year in the Marshall Islands provides an interesting, funny, engaging story to tell. I highly recommend this book.

This book became more and more engaging the further I got into it. I enjoyed the author's insights into his experiences with trying to learn and relate to the island's culture. Some of my favorite parts included his changes in perspective as he was able to start to view the world from a context much different than his own.

Peter Rudiak-Gould is twenty one years old, fresh from teacher's college, when he decides to be a volunteer English teacher for a year on Ujae. Ujae is part of the Marshall Islands - a very tiny part - 1/3 of a square mile to be exact. And the school - officially one of the worst in the Pacific.

"...an idea that there was a place so far from everything, so tiny and little known, where men still fished with spears and women still healed with jungle medicine. It was a place unknown and therefore, maybe, perfect...I wanted Ujae to be my far-off paradise."

When Peter steps foot on the atoll, his dream collides with reality. He is not greeted with a welcoming committee as he had imagined. As he settles in for his first night with his host family - "I considered my situation. I was already lonely to the point of physical pain. I had been ignored and welcomed, avoided and stared at, indulged and deprived. All I had learned was that I knew nothing."

I think I really enjoyed this book because of Rudiak-Gould's complete honesty in writing it. Having exposed his naivete in the first two chapters he goes on to candidly document both his observations, feelings and emotions for the remainder of his year. (Yes he lasts the entire year!)

Marshallese society is much different than the North American version Peter grew up with. Children are pretty much on their own from age 4 on. Schooling is not given great importance - this is quite frustrating to Peter. Interaction between child and parent is limited. Indeed, Peter is the only adult who plays with the children. Elders are revered. Peter is being treated well by the Ujae people, but because it differs from his North American expectations, it takes him a bit to figure out the social nuances of social interaction.

"Living in another country had finally made me realize how much I was a product of my own country."

He perseveres and participates in fishing expeditions, festivals, makes friends and learns to speak and write the Marshallese language. (He has since written a Marshallese language textbook)

As for the subtitle? Ujae atoll is in danger of being swamped by the raising ocean levels. Indeed global warming is a threat to much of the Marshall Islands. Rudiak-Gould is currently working on his doctoral thesis, studying indigenous reactions to the threat of climate change.

Surviving Paradise is by turns hilarious, heartbreaking, educational, but above all eye opening. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir!

Wow. I don't think I impress very easily, but you get a "wow, Peter"
Honesty, intelligence, breeding, and the whatever is you you-ness just all combines
wonderfully in this book. And wisdom. One doesn't expect wisdom from one of such tender
years, but you stumbled all around that garden, too.

Thanks, congratulations, and good luck to you with this and wherever it takes you
on the great ocean of all things.

Howie Gordon,
Berkeley, CA.

I was really impressed with Peter Rudiak-Gould's first book. It's one of only a few books that I've read straight through in a sitting, and that's for a reason. It was a top notch read about a very interesting life experience and environmental danger. I recommend this to anyone, particularly those interested in autobiographies and travel. Well done!

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