Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on a Tropical Island

by Martha C. Ward (Author)

90 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0881334050

ISBN-10: 0881334057

Why is ISBN important?

Other Sellers

from

Other Sellers

See all 6 versions

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Great Buy Book Outlet

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

FREE delivery Sep 27 - 30. Details

Select delivery location

There is a newer edition of this item:

Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on a Tropical Island, Second Edition
$23.95
(90)
In Stock.

On a magnificent island in the middle of the Pacific lives a people who eat dogs, grow quarter-ton yams in secret, stage extraordinarily dramatic feasts, have exceptionally relaxed attitudes about sex, and ritually share a potent drink called kava. Nest in the Wind is a very personal record of the field experiences of a female anthropologist who managed a scientific research project on the lush, tropical island of Pohnpei in the early 1970s. Her picture of life on Pohnpei is gripping and accurate: living in a tin shack, speaking a new language, observing manners and following customs, finding food, adopting a son, earning a high title, becoming pregnant, and overcoming spells placed on her. The standard questions of ethnography, including family life, sex, childbirth, economics, politics, religion, medicine, magic and death, are thoroughly addressed, clothed in the easy format of personal experiences with real people.

Peter Just
388
Paperback
121 offers from $1.96
Roberta Edwards Lenkeit
27
Paperback
6 offers from $16.00

Peter Just
388
Paperback
121 offers from $1.96
Roberta Edwards Lenkeit
27
Paperback
6 offers from $16.00
OpenStax
631
Paperback
4 offers from $26.79
Andrew Strathern
8
Paperback
3 offers from $36.89
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
9,551
Paperback
127 offers from $2.24
Hayden-McNeil Publishers
2,497
Spiral-bound
3 offers from $18.23

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

"I am committed to writing and communicating the insights of anthropology in a clear and entertaining way, thus, making the material exciting and easily accessible . . . Nest in the Wind was written for those who have a curiosity about the lives of people different from themselves, or who may have wished, from time to time, to live on a tropical island . . . The underlying story is, of course, how we learn first to survive in another culture, then to adjust to strange customs, and later to appreciate the integrity and cohesiveness of another people's lives."

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Waveland Pr Inc (December 31, 1988)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 161 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0881334057
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0881334050
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #10,305,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #48,178 in Cultural Anthropology (Books)
- #72,737 in Ethnic Studies (Books)
- #132,333 in Sociology (Books)

Customer Reviews:
90 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Martha Coonfield Ward

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

5 star		80%
4 star		10%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		5%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Jared J

Pohnpei

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

Nest In The Wind is an anthropological exploration of the island and people of Pohnpei. Martha Ward was brought to Pohnpei with her husband who was assigned their in 1970's. They were sent their on a government project to find out why the Pacific Islanders have such low blood pressure in comparison with Americans. Yet, Martha Ward came away with something even more important, an anthropological study of the people of Pohnpei just before westernization of the country became complete. Ward's book reads more like a travel novel than an anthropological study and her writing can be quite random and off-topic thus the 4 stars. Otherwise, this book is a great exploration of the Pohnpei people and is filled with so much rich information about the islanders. As long as you feel comfortable sifting through Ward's random rants you will be overjoyed to feel closer and closer to the islanders each and every day. Additionally, you will be able to clearly see the change to Pohnpei over the years.

Helpful

Sharon Travis

If you want to be taken away in an early, island culture in the south pacific, this is your book. And it's real, not a novel.

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2016

Verified Purchase

One of my all-time favorite books! I was introduced to Martha Ward's anthropological work while I was in college. This book draws you in to the early culture and lives of the people on a small, French Polynesian island. It is so immersive, I have wanted to travel to that place ever since. She wrote another book as a follow up when she visited the same place years later, but this book is still my favorite.
If you want to be taken away in an early, island culture in the south pacific, this is your book. And it's real, not a novel.
Love love love Martha Ward!

Helpful

Lorlain Oliver

Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on a Tropical Island, Second Edition

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2011

Verified Purchase

I would like to thank the author for writing this book. I bought this book, because I am from the island of Pohnpei, and would like to know if the project was successful and was published. I was not surprised to learn that it was not a very successful project...the people of my island, then, would have been a skeptical bunch, and would not have provided accurate information to questions asked due to family and cultural secrets that they would've believed "must be protected". On the other hand, the evaluation of culture and the role of both men and women on the island was very accurate. My uncle was in the group that caught the crocodile mentioned in the book. :)

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

LisaD.

Bought for class...but I actually liked it!

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Got this for a class I am taking. The beginning is kinda slow,but the rest is pretty interesting. Nice read about how people in Polynesia and Micronesia live their lives,their traditions,etc..from an outsiders POV... :)

Helpful

Yo Mama Tu Madre Omai No Okaasan Ni De MaaMaa Ta Mere Tvoya Mat' Deine Mutter

great read

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought for college course, was well written.

Helpful

AllieSparrow

I may never get to visit Pohnpei, but I almost feel as if I had

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2015

Verified Purchase

I read this book as part of the course reading for my cultural anthropology class, and I loved it.

My only "complaint" is that it was so good that I kept reading ahead, and then had to go back and re-read to complete the assignments because I couldn't always remember which chapter I'd read the answer in. I cried at the end.

Helpful

Kinzi

Nice!

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

Needed it for my Cultural Anthropology class. Great new condition. And a wonderful read!

Helpful

Laurel

Excellent Quality and Price

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book was required for a college course I am taking, and I have no complaints whatsoever! It arrived in a timely manner, was in excellent condition, and was offered at the lowest possible price. Not only is it a great read for anthropology buffs, but it's also exactly what I was looking for. Great!

Helpful

Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on a Tropical Island

There is a newer edition of this item:

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Martha Coonfield Ward

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.