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Ocean of Light: 30 years in Tonga and the Pacific
Ocean of Light is Part 2 of Peter’s autobiography. An exciting true adventure story of the author’s 30 years in Tonga and the Pacific, including rescuing castaways building artificial islands, investigating religions, helping to establish schools and operating a fleet of small freighters. An exciting yarn.
256 pages, Paperback
Published August 7, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 2, 2020
Ocean of Light is the middle book in a 3 part memoir, which the author insists is the most interesting of the trilogy. I can’t vouch for the ‘most’ part, but do concur his has been a fascinating life and it is humorously and creatively chronicled here. It is also appreciably brimming with photographs from his 30 years in Tonga and the Pacific. For those unfamiliar with this tiny ocean nation it is actually the Kingdom of Tonga, approximately 170 South Pacific islands, many uninhabited, most lined in white beaches and coral reefs and covered with tropical rain-forest.
Tonga is a constitutional monarchy which enjoyed British protected state status from 1900 through 1970, with the United Kingdom looking after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship. The author, Peter Warner, recounts a brief history of the Polynesian nation from the perspective of its monarchical rulers of the last 100 years. This was my favorite part of the book as the kings (and the one queen) were larger-than-life personalities—and indeed, each was a large¹ individual, physically-speaking, as well. 400 pounds and over six foot was not unusual, even for Tongan women.
But this isn’t what initially drew me to this book. I first heard about and wanted to read Peter Warner’s memoir when I read about his 1966 rescue of six boys stranded on one of the Tongan islands, ‘Ata. In 1954, British author William Golding published the Nobel-Prize winning book, The Lord of the Flies which seemed to settle once and for all that if a group of boys (or girls presumably) are left alone to themselves on a deserted island, they will turn into little savages. So when I read that article about a true story of the rescue of six boys, aged 13-16, who not only managed to survive, but even thrive, for two years on their own, without violence or savagery, I wanted to know how, why and what was the difference.
There are probably a number of variables; excellent health, an active lifestyle, strong survival skills, knowledgeable about the islands and closely-associated with the sea, and their Tongan heritage of family love, community and Christianity. The boys grew up in a strongly Christian environment, with regular reliance on prayer, discipline and going to God. When they had problems with each other on the island, they knew how to work things out. It is easy to dismiss this, but it is actually huge, because they, of course, did have disagreements. At one point, a boy seriously argued with another and he went away to the other side of the island for a while to allow himself to cool down. Another boy broke his leg and the rest did his work and cared for him until he healed. In other words, these young men knew how to deal constructively with problems when they arose.
When Peter Warner found the boys, they were naked, their clothes having long worn out long ago, but they were healthy, well-fed and happy. He kept in touch with them for the rest of their lives. One of the boys wrote an introduction to the book.
Peter later rescued another group of four people, who had only been stranded a matter of months and it was his assessment that they would not have lasted much longer. They had no survival skills to fall back upon, nor little knowledge of the area, sea, etc., and seemingly less faith.
There are so many little vignettes² related by salty sailor Warner that I have to give the book five stars for sheer enjoyment, though the book probably wouldn’t win any literary awards. Still as a series of conversational reflections I found myself very drawn to the author as a person, entrepreneur businessman and eventually a founder of a successful school by the same name as this book.
If you enjoy learning about larger-than-life personalities who have lived life to the fullest, here is a story about a man who has more than done so. Highly recommended!
¹Large size is a valuable personal attribute to the Tongan people.
²One of my favorites concerned an aged French priest who obviously impressed Warner, as he repeated the story, elaborating on it much more in his second mention, going blind, whose poor flock mourned their shepherd leaving them after 30 years of dedicated service so much, they collected enough money to pay for his cataract surgery. Thinking they would probably never see him again as this was back when such surgeries were not so common, and were virtually unheard of for these people. The priest, not only recovered his eyesight, but returned to the islands and was instrumental in the building of a basilica for Tonga.
Tonga is a constitutional monarchy which enjoyed British protected state status from 1900 through 1970, with the United Kingdom looking after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship. The author, Peter Warner, recounts a brief history of the Polynesian nation from the perspective of its monarchical rulers of the last 100 years. This was my favorite part of the book as the kings (and the one queen) were larger-than-life personalities—and indeed, each was a large¹ individual, physically-speaking, as well. 400 pounds and over six foot was not unusual, even for Tongan women.
But this isn’t what initially drew me to this book. I first heard about and wanted to read Peter Warner’s memoir when I read about his 1966 rescue of six boys stranded on one of the Tongan islands, ‘Ata. In 1954, British author William Golding published the Nobel-Prize winning book, The Lord of the Flies which seemed to settle once and for all that if a group of boys (or girls presumably) are left alone to themselves on a deserted island, they will turn into little savages. So when I read that article about a true story of the rescue of six boys, aged 13-16, who not only managed to survive, but even thrive, for two years on their own, without violence or savagery, I wanted to know how, why and what was the difference.
There are probably a number of variables; excellent health, an active lifestyle, strong survival skills, knowledgeable about the islands and closely-associated with the sea, and their Tongan heritage of family love, community and Christianity. The boys grew up in a strongly Christian environment, with regular reliance on prayer, discipline and going to God. When they had problems with each other on the island, they knew how to work things out. It is easy to dismiss this, but it is actually huge, because they, of course, did have disagreements. At one point, a boy seriously argued with another and he went away to the other side of the island for a while to allow himself to cool down. Another boy broke his leg and the rest did his work and cared for him until he healed. In other words, these young men knew how to deal constructively with problems when they arose.
When Peter Warner found the boys, they were naked, their clothes having long worn out long ago, but they were healthy, well-fed and happy. He kept in touch with them for the rest of their lives. One of the boys wrote an introduction to the book.
Peter later rescued another group of four people, who had only been stranded a matter of months and it was his assessment that they would not have lasted much longer. They had no survival skills to fall back upon, nor little knowledge of the area, sea, etc., and seemingly less faith.
There are so many little vignettes² related by salty sailor Warner that I have to give the book five stars for sheer enjoyment, though the book probably wouldn’t win any literary awards. Still as a series of conversational reflections I found myself very drawn to the author as a person, entrepreneur businessman and eventually a founder of a successful school by the same name as this book.
If you enjoy learning about larger-than-life personalities who have lived life to the fullest, here is a story about a man who has more than done so. Highly recommended!
¹Large size is a valuable personal attribute to the Tongan people.
²One of my favorites concerned an aged French priest who obviously impressed Warner, as he repeated the story, elaborating on it much more in his second mention, going blind, whose poor flock mourned their shepherd leaving them after 30 years of dedicated service so much, they collected enough money to pay for his cataract surgery. Thinking they would probably never see him again as this was back when such surgeries were not so common, and were virtually unheard of for these people. The priest, not only recovered his eyesight, but returned to the islands and was instrumental in the building of a basilica for Tonga.
May 13, 2021
So full disclosure, I ordered this book after reading the New York Times obituary of the author.
Just as what I read in the article, his book (the middle volume of 3) exemplified a life fully lived with adventures, set backs and a search for truth ( in his case fulfilled in the Baha’i faith).
The rescue of the boys from the island of ‘Ata was a marvelous highlight of the book. Truly a shipwreck adventure of the sea worthy of telling and retelling. Additionally his years of contact with these young men showed a generous heart.
In a sense I found myself enjoying this on behalf of my father who would have loved this book and added it to his collection of true life adversity and survival volumes.
My rating would have been a 5 plus for sincerity, generosity and spunkiness. My only hesitation in rating “Ocean of Light” more highly was because I know in my heart and mind it needed a bit more revision to flow and be less episodic.
I am profoundly grateful to Peter for Writing his adventure as well as the introduction to the Baha’i faith. Those sections on faith he wrote from his heart and a searching soul. How inspiring to learn of the “Ocean of Light” school that Peter Warner and others so generously founded.
Just as what I read in the article, his book (the middle volume of 3) exemplified a life fully lived with adventures, set backs and a search for truth ( in his case fulfilled in the Baha’i faith).
The rescue of the boys from the island of ‘Ata was a marvelous highlight of the book. Truly a shipwreck adventure of the sea worthy of telling and retelling. Additionally his years of contact with these young men showed a generous heart.
In a sense I found myself enjoying this on behalf of my father who would have loved this book and added it to his collection of true life adversity and survival volumes.
My rating would have been a 5 plus for sincerity, generosity and spunkiness. My only hesitation in rating “Ocean of Light” more highly was because I know in my heart and mind it needed a bit more revision to flow and be less episodic.
I am profoundly grateful to Peter for Writing his adventure as well as the introduction to the Baha’i faith. Those sections on faith he wrote from his heart and a searching soul. How inspiring to learn of the “Ocean of Light” school that Peter Warner and others so generously founded.
June 17, 2021
On the first page of chapter 6, Warner uses the N-word and writes of "n----- heads of coral." This book was published in 2018 (and even 'revised' in 2020). The N-word, in such a recent book? What was the author thinking? (I know he recently died.) Where was the agent, the editor, the publisher, to allow such a hurtful and unnecessary description? 130 years or so ago, Mark Twain used the N-word, and in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1963), the author used it. Maybe those 'historical' examples, among many others, are slightly understandable. But Ocean Of Light is 3 years old! Barely out of toddler hood. I did not finish the book. I returned it to my local book store, asking them to give the publisher my reason for the return. I also emailed the publisher. On a side note, the author is also unimaginative and writes without romance or spark.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews