Review: "Coming of Age in the Cannibal Isles" by Fred Bell

Coming of Age in the Cannibal Isles by Fred Bell
Published December 2022 via Peace Corps Worldwide
★★★★

Today in Peace Corps memoirs! Bell was sent to Fiji in 1969 for a two-year forestry stint, and it was a good enough fit that he ended up extending another two years.

Two things that I really appreciate: First, Bell is not shy about acknowledging his own failures when he was in the Peace Corps—sometimes relatively small things, like committing cultural faux pas because he didn't know all the ins and outs of Fiji culture, and sometimes bigger things, like recognizing when he picked up local racism and had to work to recalibrate. (He also acknowledges the advantages he had in being male, and that there were things that were a lot harder for women than for men.) And second, even decades later he's still just really enthusiastic about his experience, and interested in describing things he learned about the culture and place.

The book is a little repetitious in places, and there isn't as much character development for other characters as I'd have liked—the latter I think is just the result of decades passing between events and writing. But it's generally good energy, and I love reading about experiences that I'm unlikely to have myself.