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The White Headhunter: The Story of a 19th-Century Sailor Who Survived a South Seas Heart of Darkness
In 1876, sailor Jack Renton was rescued from the Pacific island home of the headhunting Malaitans, after spending eight years in their captivity. His best-selling memoir of how he went from the slave of their chief, Kabou, to his most trusted warrior and adviser remains the only authenticated account of a Westerner’s “heart of darkness” journey. But his sensational story turns out to have glossed over the key events of his transformation. Renton's story began with being shanghaied in San Francisco, escaping from the ship in an open whaleboat, and drifting for two thousand miles across the Pacific before washing up on Malaita. Through subsequent generations, the Malaitans’ oral history has passed down detailed stories presenting a different version. Documentary filmmaker Nigel Randell spent seven years talking to the Malaitans to piece together this different account. The White Headhunter tells the story of a man who not only adopted their customs but did his best to prepare a people he had grown to love for the onslaught of Western civilization. He lives on in the Malaitans’ memory, his hut and weapons preserved as a shrine still visited by the islanders today.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 15, 2019
I was contacted directly by the publisher of this true biography with the offer of a free copy to review. Since it was also available through NetGalley I downloaded it from there, which meant it has been hanging over me for quite a while - I don’t read much non-fiction, and wasn’t interested enough to prioritise it over my other reviews, but did want to read it eventually, mainly because I work in Travel Medicine and we see quite a few people going to Melanesia, so I was interested to learn more about its history. Well, having curbed my tendency to request everything on offer, I’ve finally caught up, and made the time to read this. It did feel more like study than enjoyment, but I did find it interesting, as well as heart-breaking in places.
Ostensibly this is about Jack Renton, a young Scottish sailor who was shanghaied in San Francisco in 1870 and taken to the Western Pacific, where he jumped ship to escape the horrendous conditions aboard with three others. After weeks of near starvation at sea, they wash up in the Solomon Islands, where Jack is rescued by one tribe from the neighbours who go on to kill and eat his companions.
Over the following eight years, he assimilates into the community, learns the language and becomes a highly trusted adoptive son to the chief, because of his natural skill as a tactician and warrior. After his rescue, his adventures were serialised by an Australian newspaper, but highly edited so as not to offend Victorian sensibilities. Randell has explored his story from the other side to provide a more realistic account of his experiences.
Renton’s story is actually less than half the book, the rest being about the impact that European exploration and exploitation had on the Islands, especially through the rampant practice of “blackbirding” - the recruitment of labourers for the sugarcane fields of Queensland and Fiji. This ranged from trickery and manipulation at best, to violent kidnapping at worst, and led to the decimation of populations through the introduction of guns, disease and European mores, including Christianity. The local chiefs took to the acquisition of guns with a fervour that would entrance the NRA, and soon negotiated a system of payment that provided two fire-arms for each worker sent - one for them on return, and one for the chief.
Written by a documentary film-maker who died in 2014, and originally published in 2003, this was very well researched, but very poorly organised. The narrative jumps all over the place as he digresses about the various events that influenced Renton’s experiences - the main reason the tribe take him in is their positive experience with another white castaway years before, and his (spoiler alert) terrible fate is indirectly caused by the folly, greed and incompetence of his fellow European mariners. My favourite parts were the oral histories handed down by the islanders themselves - including how Renton introduces the children to his passion - football.
Possibly because I do read mostly fiction, I found the style very dry and could only read a few chapters at a time, interspersed with something lighter, as the later chapters make for extremely grim and rather depressing reading. The monstrous treatment of the recruits by first their employers and then the Australian government, but also of those who stayed home, foreshadows their behaviour towards immigrants and refugees now. I knew almost nothing about the headhunting and cannibalism history of the islands, and Randell does a good job of putting these in context as regards their belief and leadership systems. The effects of the introduction of diseases like measles, TB and syphilis are still being felt to this day.
Overall I’m glad I did read this, as I feel I’ve learned quite a lot, but even just having finished it, I would struggle to explain the series of events due to the back and forth nature of the narrative. I think the blurb is a bit misleading as this really isn’t a swashbuckling romantic adventure, neither do we actually get much about Renton’s perspective, but for anyone interested in the history of the Solomons during the 18th and 19th centuries, this would provide a new viewpoint.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review and apologies for the delay in providing it. The White Headhunter is available now.
Ostensibly this is about Jack Renton, a young Scottish sailor who was shanghaied in San Francisco in 1870 and taken to the Western Pacific, where he jumped ship to escape the horrendous conditions aboard with three others. After weeks of near starvation at sea, they wash up in the Solomon Islands, where Jack is rescued by one tribe from the neighbours who go on to kill and eat his companions.
Over the following eight years, he assimilates into the community, learns the language and becomes a highly trusted adoptive son to the chief, because of his natural skill as a tactician and warrior. After his rescue, his adventures were serialised by an Australian newspaper, but highly edited so as not to offend Victorian sensibilities. Randell has explored his story from the other side to provide a more realistic account of his experiences.
Renton’s story is actually less than half the book, the rest being about the impact that European exploration and exploitation had on the Islands, especially through the rampant practice of “blackbirding” - the recruitment of labourers for the sugarcane fields of Queensland and Fiji. This ranged from trickery and manipulation at best, to violent kidnapping at worst, and led to the decimation of populations through the introduction of guns, disease and European mores, including Christianity. The local chiefs took to the acquisition of guns with a fervour that would entrance the NRA, and soon negotiated a system of payment that provided two fire-arms for each worker sent - one for them on return, and one for the chief.
Written by a documentary film-maker who died in 2014, and originally published in 2003, this was very well researched, but very poorly organised. The narrative jumps all over the place as he digresses about the various events that influenced Renton’s experiences - the main reason the tribe take him in is their positive experience with another white castaway years before, and his (spoiler alert) terrible fate is indirectly caused by the folly, greed and incompetence of his fellow European mariners. My favourite parts were the oral histories handed down by the islanders themselves - including how Renton introduces the children to his passion - football.
Possibly because I do read mostly fiction, I found the style very dry and could only read a few chapters at a time, interspersed with something lighter, as the later chapters make for extremely grim and rather depressing reading. The monstrous treatment of the recruits by first their employers and then the Australian government, but also of those who stayed home, foreshadows their behaviour towards immigrants and refugees now. I knew almost nothing about the headhunting and cannibalism history of the islands, and Randell does a good job of putting these in context as regards their belief and leadership systems. The effects of the introduction of diseases like measles, TB and syphilis are still being felt to this day.
Overall I’m glad I did read this, as I feel I’ve learned quite a lot, but even just having finished it, I would struggle to explain the series of events due to the back and forth nature of the narrative. I think the blurb is a bit misleading as this really isn’t a swashbuckling romantic adventure, neither do we actually get much about Renton’s perspective, but for anyone interested in the history of the Solomons during the 18th and 19th centuries, this would provide a new viewpoint.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review and apologies for the delay in providing it. The White Headhunter is available now.
January 28, 2019
The author has spent a lot of time researching the life and times of John Renton who spent 7 years on the Solomon Island of Maliata. The title and the front cover of the book purports the story is all about Renton and his life as a headhunter. There is a bit of this but Renton did not leave a lot of records so his tale is brief. Rather the book is much more about blackbirding, the process of hiring/kidnapping/tricking Pacific Islanders into working in the Queensland cane fields. It also covers early exploration, the impact of Western disease and the change of cultures caused by the arrival of missionaries. The chapter on Christianity and how the locals interpreted it's usefulness was a highlight of the book.
So the book is not as it seems from the cover. It is also a bit disorganised which is a pity as there is plenty of interesting facts and events.
So the book is not as it seems from the cover. It is also a bit disorganised which is a pity as there is plenty of interesting facts and events.
March 17, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
Genre: Nonfiction
This is a non-fiction book but the story reads more like fiction. The story is about sailor Jack Renton who is freed from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita. After that, we follow his story and how he rises to serve the island’s tribal chief Kabou and eventually becomes his most trusted adviser.
This story was really interesting and full of adventures, I can't imagine a normal person going through all this. The book has a big bibliography at the end that supports all these extraordinary events. It gives the reader better confidence that what he is reading is not something fictitious but real events and real people were involved.
The White Headhunter is written beautifully and makes all the adventures very enjoyable. It might not be a material that will appeal to the wider audience there but if you are a fan of naval adventures or historical voyages then you will surely enjoy it and should not miss reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this book and this is my honest unbiased review.
Genre: Nonfiction
This is a non-fiction book but the story reads more like fiction. The story is about sailor Jack Renton who is freed from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita. After that, we follow his story and how he rises to serve the island’s tribal chief Kabou and eventually becomes his most trusted adviser.
This story was really interesting and full of adventures, I can't imagine a normal person going through all this. The book has a big bibliography at the end that supports all these extraordinary events. It gives the reader better confidence that what he is reading is not something fictitious but real events and real people were involved.
The White Headhunter is written beautifully and makes all the adventures very enjoyable. It might not be a material that will appeal to the wider audience there but if you are a fan of naval adventures or historical voyages then you will surely enjoy it and should not miss reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this book and this is my honest unbiased review.
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December 25, 2018A REMARKABLE TRUE-LIFE HEART OF DARKNESS STORY
In 1868, Jack Renton, a teenage Scots sailor, was shanghaied in San Francisco. In 1876, he was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. After the rescue, in a sensational best-selling memoir, Renton recounted his eight-year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita, was stripped of his clothes, possessions and his very identity, but lived to serve the island’s tribal chief Kabou eventually as his most trusted adviser. For all the authenticity and riveting detail, however, it turns out that Renton’s chronicle glossed over key events that made him the man that Kabou said he loved, "as my first-born son."
Mining the oral history passed down in detail from generations of Malaitans, documentary filmmaker Nigel Randell has pieced together a more complete and grislier account of Renton’s experience—as a man forced to assimilate in order to survive. While The White Headhunter is the story of a man transformed by an island, it is also the story of a man who transformed the island as he prepared it for the onslaught of Western civilization.
My thoughts
When i first heard about it the publisher sent me a message and asked if it would be something that would be of interest to me and as soon as I read the book synopsis i was yes please , it was a new to me author , non fiction which is something i love to read and it was a part of history i never heard of before so whats not to love, but sadly there is a problem, and that problem is i have no idea what is going on with the story , and I mean that 100 %. Its confusing, and the author seems to jump from one thing to another and then back again. I've even tried re reading the chapters I've read to see if i can get an idea of what is going on and i still can't figure it out, So with that said I'm DNF it , with that said I would love to thank the publishers and Netgalley for a lest letting me try to read this and review in change for my honest opinion
In 1868, Jack Renton, a teenage Scots sailor, was shanghaied in San Francisco. In 1876, he was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. After the rescue, in a sensational best-selling memoir, Renton recounted his eight-year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita, was stripped of his clothes, possessions and his very identity, but lived to serve the island’s tribal chief Kabou eventually as his most trusted adviser. For all the authenticity and riveting detail, however, it turns out that Renton’s chronicle glossed over key events that made him the man that Kabou said he loved, "as my first-born son."
Mining the oral history passed down in detail from generations of Malaitans, documentary filmmaker Nigel Randell has pieced together a more complete and grislier account of Renton’s experience—as a man forced to assimilate in order to survive. While The White Headhunter is the story of a man transformed by an island, it is also the story of a man who transformed the island as he prepared it for the onslaught of Western civilization.
My thoughts
When i first heard about it the publisher sent me a message and asked if it would be something that would be of interest to me and as soon as I read the book synopsis i was yes please , it was a new to me author , non fiction which is something i love to read and it was a part of history i never heard of before so whats not to love, but sadly there is a problem, and that problem is i have no idea what is going on with the story , and I mean that 100 %. Its confusing, and the author seems to jump from one thing to another and then back again. I've even tried re reading the chapters I've read to see if i can get an idea of what is going on and i still can't figure it out, So with that said I'm DNF it , with that said I would love to thank the publishers and Netgalley for a lest letting me try to read this and review in change for my honest opinion
November 9, 2014
This a interesting read. The story of a sailor(Jack Renton) captured and adopted by cannibalistic natives on the island of Malaita off the coast of New Guinea. He was shanghaied in San Francisco then 8 years later discovered on a Pacific island living as a native. His story was obtained from his personal account and passed down from the Malaitan natives. The author does a great job in recounting the events of his life before, during and after this amazing adventure. Another story that could have been easily lost in time... but thankfully for the readers of this book... it did not. A cool story. I would recommend this book to anyone.
April 24, 2021
There was a lot of interesting information provided in this non-fiction account which was based on a memoir from the mid 1800s; but quite frankly, I fail to see how it was an improvement on the original memoir written by the teenager who lived and survived the experience. Yes, there was a lot of background information and additional historical accounts, but it was presented in a harem-scarum format so typical of inexperienced writers. There were more questions left unanswered than answered.
Perhaps it would have read better in a hardback rather than an ebook.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I’m sorry I couldn’t give it more stars. It was a worthy effort, but a frustrating read.
Perhaps it would have read better in a hardback rather than an ebook.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I’m sorry I couldn’t give it more stars. It was a worthy effort, but a frustrating read.
July 30, 2019
The White Headhunter is both easy and difficult to read. Easy because it is incredible history, difficult because it is incredible description of that history.
First, there are the accounts from crew members of trading ships that traveled the South Pacific during the mid to late 1800's. Spoken and written records of the fascinating, communal, and barbaric habits and traditions of the islands in the area provide historical insights that are not commonly known. Depictions of cannibalism and its accompanying brutality are informative and graphic.
Secondly, there are the accounts of the slave trade that begins several years after the discovery of the islands and the tribes who inhabit them. Again, depictions of the capture of what were referred to as recruits and the resulting tortures and mutinies are informative and graphic.
Running through both histories, the discovery of the islands and then the recruitment of the tribes for plantation labor, is the story of Jack Renton, a young Scotsman who spent eight years among the natives of one of the islands. Other personal stories enhance the details of the accounts, making them all the more astonishing and all the more credible.
This was not an easy read for me, but I understand how it could be for others. I like history, and this is a fascinating historical document. However, I had to read it in increments because of the detailed accuracy of the events. The same may not be true for all readers. I am glad to have read it and would do so again.
I am grateful to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to have read and reviewed The White Headhunter.
January 4, 2019
I admit, the title and cover of this book did make me cringe. When was this book written- in the 1800’s? No, it wasn’t, and the author makes it very clear that this book is not a tone-deaf “beachcomber memoir” from 150 years ago. Beachcomber memoirs were popular in the 1800’s- exotic accounts of plucky European castaways reinventing themselves on foreign shore through manly acts of heroism. Europeans saving those in darkness was a popular trope of the times.
The author focuses on two main points in this book. First, he does tell the tale of Scots sailor Jack Renton, who was indeed castaway in 1868 on an island in the Solomon’s in the South Pacific. But the author uses the story of Jack and his eight years with a tribe of island headhunters to share with us his research about the history of the times.
This approach makes for a thorough review of the subject, with its careful focus on shipping, exploration, missionaries, and the rise of the sugar plantations in Australia. But it also makes for a more scholarly-type read rather than an adventurous tale, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
The author does give us some eye-popping details such as- Jack’s shanghai experience, the dangers of sea travel and the sacrifice of human victims on the island. I also enjoyed reading about John Harrison, the Yorkshire clockmaker who solved one of the greatest scientific problems of the 18th century with his invention of the chronometer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for a review copy of this interesting book. This is my honest review.
The author focuses on two main points in this book. First, he does tell the tale of Scots sailor Jack Renton, who was indeed castaway in 1868 on an island in the Solomon’s in the South Pacific. But the author uses the story of Jack and his eight years with a tribe of island headhunters to share with us his research about the history of the times.
This approach makes for a thorough review of the subject, with its careful focus on shipping, exploration, missionaries, and the rise of the sugar plantations in Australia. But it also makes for a more scholarly-type read rather than an adventurous tale, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
The author does give us some eye-popping details such as- Jack’s shanghai experience, the dangers of sea travel and the sacrifice of human victims on the island. I also enjoyed reading about John Harrison, the Yorkshire clockmaker who solved one of the greatest scientific problems of the 18th century with his invention of the chronometer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for a review copy of this interesting book. This is my honest review.
January 2, 2019
Thank you Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for The White Headhunter by Nigel Randell.
This is a story of Jack Renton from the late 1800's who was shipwrecked in the Pacific and then rescued by headhunters. They taught him a lot mainly how to headhunt. The tribal chief took him under his wing and trusted him. This is a story you won't read in any history book although I wish it would have. This is a very adventurous book but very gruesome.
I was very hesitate to read this book when the publisher asked. I'm glad I agreed, I have to say I cringed at most parts that were very graphic. Of course I was sucked into this story for the history lesson.
I would recommend this book for the history buffs out there.
Cherie
#NetGallery #TheWhiteHeadhunter
This is a story of Jack Renton from the late 1800's who was shipwrecked in the Pacific and then rescued by headhunters. They taught him a lot mainly how to headhunt. The tribal chief took him under his wing and trusted him. This is a story you won't read in any history book although I wish it would have. This is a very adventurous book but very gruesome.
I was very hesitate to read this book when the publisher asked. I'm glad I agreed, I have to say I cringed at most parts that were very graphic. Of course I was sucked into this story for the history lesson.
I would recommend this book for the history buffs out there.
Cherie
#NetGallery #TheWhiteHeadhunter
July 1, 2021
This was a fascinating read. I can't go into too much depth as I read it a few months ago, but I found the story captivating and interesting, and learned quite a few strange things about the cultures of the Malaitans and surrounding societies. There were a lot of parts that just didn't seem real, though I do believe it is historical fact.
I will say there were some chapters/passages that took forever to read, as I couldn't tell how it was supposed to relate to the story, and much of the book isn't actually about Jack Renton's story per se. Anyway, I didn't love the book enough to keep it on my shelf but if you stumble across it, I'd say it's worth a read!
I will say there were some chapters/passages that took forever to read, as I couldn't tell how it was supposed to relate to the story, and much of the book isn't actually about Jack Renton's story per se. Anyway, I didn't love the book enough to keep it on my shelf but if you stumble across it, I'd say it's worth a read!
January 28, 2019
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Enthralling and easy to read, this details the adventures of sailor Jack Renton in the 1870s. After being adopted by the Malaitans, a head-hunting tribe living on an island in the Solomon Islands, he effectively becomes one of them, rising to be a trusted advisor and member of the tribe. A true story, well presented and fascinating. Well worth the read.
Enthralling and easy to read, this details the adventures of sailor Jack Renton in the 1870s. After being adopted by the Malaitans, a head-hunting tribe living on an island in the Solomon Islands, he effectively becomes one of them, rising to be a trusted advisor and member of the tribe. A true story, well presented and fascinating. Well worth the read.
November 21, 2021
Sailor, Jack Renton, would end up spending eight years on South Pacific Islands ruled by headhunters. He would learn to live and assimilate with the tribes people. Much information is pulled from his biography written on his return to civilization. Interesting reading, but not what one would call thrilling.
July 22, 2019
Solomon islands
A very interesting book. I went to school with a fellow who came from Solomon islands. The intertwining of reasons for natives to see whites because of their beliefs is amazing. A good read.
A very interesting book. I went to school with a fellow who came from Solomon islands. The intertwining of reasons for natives to see whites because of their beliefs is amazing. A good read.
November 22, 2020
Interesting book
More than just the story of one man. It uses the story of the castaway that lived like a native to immerse the reader into the world of the mid 19th century South Pacific islands. A truly eye-opening read about a world I knew so little about.
More than just the story of one man. It uses the story of the castaway that lived like a native to immerse the reader into the world of the mid 19th century South Pacific islands. A truly eye-opening read about a world I knew so little about.
September 19, 2020
Interesting story, but not very well-written. Comma usage had me scratching my editor head.
January 27, 2019
The White Headhunter by Nigel Randell is a fascinating treatise on the tale of two men who were not only captured by headhunters in the South Pacific but lived to tell about it. These headhunters were not known for their hospitality, yet these men managed not only to acclimate into their new life quite well but rose to positions of prominence within the tribe. It becomes apparent early in the book that Randell researched the historical records quite well and turned what might ordinarily be a rather dry subject into a retelling that should appeal to a wide variety of readers. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and give it 4/5 stars.
*A copy of this ebook was the only consideration received in exchange for this review.*
*A copy of this ebook was the only consideration received in exchange for this review.*
February 28, 2019
Reading “The White Headhunter” was a complete change of genre for me and although I had a few reservations about the choice, I’m really pleased I decided to go with it.
This first book by Nigel Randell is a work of non-fiction. A teenage Scots sailor, Jack Renton, was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. In his memoir, Renton recounted his eight-year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita and was stripped of his identity. For all it’s detail and authenticity Renton’s chronicle glossed over many key events. This book is a more complete and grislier account of Renton’s experience.
Very well presented and easy to read “The White Headhunter” contains some fascinating history of the late 19th century and the Pacific with some entertaining and enlightening information about the period. This true story was interesting, enjoyable and well worth the read.
[Thank you to #NetGalley, #ThistlePublishing and #NigelRandell, for a free ARC of #TheWhiteHeadhunter in exchange for an honest review.]
This first book by Nigel Randell is a work of non-fiction. A teenage Scots sailor, Jack Renton, was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. In his memoir, Renton recounted his eight-year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita and was stripped of his identity. For all it’s detail and authenticity Renton’s chronicle glossed over many key events. This book is a more complete and grislier account of Renton’s experience.
Very well presented and easy to read “The White Headhunter” contains some fascinating history of the late 19th century and the Pacific with some entertaining and enlightening information about the period. This true story was interesting, enjoyable and well worth the read.
[Thank you to #NetGalley, #ThistlePublishing and #NigelRandell, for a free ARC of #TheWhiteHeadhunter in exchange for an honest review.]
August 18, 2022
I Originally read about 2/3 of this book something like 12 years ago, but I never finished it. I finally decided to re-read it after wondering why I didn’t finish such a good tale. Well, I remember now. The first half is 5 stars. Excellent and absorbing. The second half is basically anthropology. Personally, I think the second half should have been dispersed among the pages of the first half and it would’ve been fine.
The author’s transitions can be clunky and a better outline was needed from the start. The title character dies with 1/3 of the book left - kinda outta nowhere and it’s just glossed over. “Oh, yeah, he’s killed.” We just invested all this time and effort into him and his death isn’t even really described. “Yeah, he’s killed.” I actually re-read that paragraph to make sure I understood what I thought had just happened.
My recommendation is to read the first 2/3 and skim the rest. Much of the last 100 pages is research that the author did and he was bound & determined to cram it in his book.
The author’s transitions can be clunky and a better outline was needed from the start. The title character dies with 1/3 of the book left - kinda outta nowhere and it’s just glossed over. “Oh, yeah, he’s killed.” We just invested all this time and effort into him and his death isn’t even really described. “Yeah, he’s killed.” I actually re-read that paragraph to make sure I understood what I thought had just happened.
My recommendation is to read the first 2/3 and skim the rest. Much of the last 100 pages is research that the author did and he was bound & determined to cram it in his book.
February 1, 2018
fascinating book, young Orkney sailor escapes from a whaler in the South Pacific with three companions, there eventual landfall. The young Renton is adopted by by a headhunter and cannibal.
The eventual escape to Australia. His return to Orkney with his necklace of human teeth. A moral quandary , well written
The eventual escape to Australia. His return to Orkney with his necklace of human teeth. A moral quandary , well written
July 29, 2010
ugh. the history of civilization is one long long tedious story of greed, brutality, and stupidity.
This book is as much a story of the infection of primitive culture by european civilization as it is the story of Jack Renton.
This book is as much a story of the infection of primitive culture by european civilization as it is the story of Jack Renton.
November 13, 2008
Not many authors can take an incredibly interesting subject and make it terribly boring. This book was a chore to read and I couldn't wait to be finished with it.
October 24, 2013
Ok for info of the 19th century Solomon Islands - Not much detail about headhunting though
March 14, 2016
Intersting read.
January 4, 2019
I admit, the title and cover of this book did make me cringe. When was this book written- in the 1800’s? No, it wasn’t, and the author makes it very clear that this book is not a tone-deaf “beachcomber memoir” from 150 years ago. Beachcomber memoirs were popular in the 1800’s- exotic accounts of plucky European castaways reinventing themselves on foreign shore through manly acts of heroism. Europeans saving those in darkness was a popular trope of the times.
The author focuses on two main points in this book. First, he does tell the tale of Scots sailor Jack Renton, who was indeed castaway in 1868 on an island in the Solomon’s in the South Pacific. But the author uses the story of Jack and his eight years with a tribe of island headhunters to share with us his research about the history of the times.
This approach makes for a thorough review of the subject, with its careful focus on shipping, exploration, missionaries, and the rise of the sugar plantations in Australia. But it also makes for a more scholarly-type read rather than an adventurous tale, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
The author does give us some eye-popping details such as- Jack’s shanghai experience, the dangers of sea travel and the sacrifice of human victims on the island. I also enjoyed reading about John Harrison, the Yorkshire clockmaker who solved one of the greatest scientific problems of the 18th century with his invention of the chronometer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for a review copy of this interesting book. This is my honest review.
The author focuses on two main points in this book. First, he does tell the tale of Scots sailor Jack Renton, who was indeed castaway in 1868 on an island in the Solomon’s in the South Pacific. But the author uses the story of Jack and his eight years with a tribe of island headhunters to share with us his research about the history of the times.
This approach makes for a thorough review of the subject, with its careful focus on shipping, exploration, missionaries, and the rise of the sugar plantations in Australia. But it also makes for a more scholarly-type read rather than an adventurous tale, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
The author does give us some eye-popping details such as- Jack’s shanghai experience, the dangers of sea travel and the sacrifice of human victims on the island. I also enjoyed reading about John Harrison, the Yorkshire clockmaker who solved one of the greatest scientific problems of the 18th century with his invention of the chronometer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for a review copy of this interesting book. This is my honest review.
January 9, 2019
This is the true account of a young Scottish sailor Jack Renton washed ashore in 1860 on one of the most isolated Solomon Islands Mala’ita. The book describes how he successfully adapted to the life of the natives tribes who were headhunters. The book is also a history of the society and customs of the natives and why headhunting was so important. The book puts the native islanders into the context of the Australian sugarcane planting and the ensuing slave trade. It also looks at different castaways or beachcombers who lived with natives on other islands. It is a well researched book demonstrating the impact the Whites had on these native societies. By taking oral histories into account a picture of how the island tribes also changed as they dealt with the impact. It would benefit from a better organization but nevertheless a fascinating book.
January 16, 2019
Nigel Randell has written a fascinating and extraordinary account about Jack Renton, a young sailor marooned on a small island in the Solomon Islands. The detailed story of Renton was passed down through descendents of the island’s inhabitants by oral history.
He befriended the local chieftain, who greatly respected Renton’s artisan skills, intelligence and bravery. The large gaps in Renton’s memoirs were skilfully filled in by the author using the islander’s verbal history and the contemporary accounts of his ‘white’ rescuers. Clearly Renton went native and probably became as brutal as the local headhunters.
The accounts of the decimation of the islanders by European diseases are truly tragic. As we are now aware, similar events happened all over the New World. In Brazil, as an example, whole native cultures were wiped out by typhoid, influenza, syphilis, and common colds etc. As often happens, the role of the missionaries had severely negative effects on the spread of disease and the destruction of the islanders culture.
The book also covers the dreadful exploitation of the various groups of islanders by the Australian and European traders and businessmen, leading to drastic falls in population groups.
One of the most beguiling parts of the story, was the use of porpoise teeth as currency by the Solomon islanders. The chieftains tightly controlled the culling of the porpoises in order to regulate the impacts of supply and demand. I suggest it can be compared to De Beers artificially controlling the price of diamonds in today’s global market.
In summary, it is a well written book that also covers a lot of fascinating semi-related topics.
He befriended the local chieftain, who greatly respected Renton’s artisan skills, intelligence and bravery. The large gaps in Renton’s memoirs were skilfully filled in by the author using the islander’s verbal history and the contemporary accounts of his ‘white’ rescuers. Clearly Renton went native and probably became as brutal as the local headhunters.
The accounts of the decimation of the islanders by European diseases are truly tragic. As we are now aware, similar events happened all over the New World. In Brazil, as an example, whole native cultures were wiped out by typhoid, influenza, syphilis, and common colds etc. As often happens, the role of the missionaries had severely negative effects on the spread of disease and the destruction of the islanders culture.
The book also covers the dreadful exploitation of the various groups of islanders by the Australian and European traders and businessmen, leading to drastic falls in population groups.
One of the most beguiling parts of the story, was the use of porpoise teeth as currency by the Solomon islanders. The chieftains tightly controlled the culling of the porpoises in order to regulate the impacts of supply and demand. I suggest it can be compared to De Beers artificially controlling the price of diamonds in today’s global market.
In summary, it is a well written book that also covers a lot of fascinating semi-related topics.
January 21, 2019
This was a fascinating true life adventure/nightmare, involving shanghai'd sailors over a century ago, shipwrecks, cannibals and head hunting natives in the South Seas, and a life that could hardly be imagined by a white European male of that era. Jack Reston was still a teenager when his life ran amok, but survived to tell the tale, though it was abbreviated a bit to suit the tastes of the time. How he survived and almost thrived is not for the delicate, and it made for truly interesting reading!
January 25, 2019
Nigel Randell, in The White Headhunter, presents his reader with a deeply researched true story from the late 19th century in which a young Scots sailor [Jack Renton] , spends 8 years on a remote Pacific island living with primitive head-hunters and yet survived to tell the tale. The author really adds value by blending Jack's version of what he did in those eight years with what he discovered when he visited the island of Malaita for himself. The answers lay in the oral histories told him by today's islanders. And what extraordinary tales they told! How initially Jack endured dreadful physical hardship but survived by using his wits both to introduce new carpentry skills in boat and house-building and also by teaching the tribal leaders new battle strategies which led to them great success in inter-island raids. He became the favoured "son" of the tribal leader and was key to protecting the islanders from falling prey to the false promises of the slave traders. As a result Malaita clung on to its traditional way of life for much longer than neighbouring islands. Indeed by keeping the white man at bay death, by white man's diseases, was also reduced, albeit it could not be avoided altogether. So Jack left a legacy to be proud of.
After he was rescued he returned to his native Shetland for a short time but couldn't settle and returned to Australia where he acted as an inspector on vessels luring natives from the Pacific Islands to work on Australian plantations. Tragically he was murdered on the third of these inspection visits when his landing party was attacked by natives. All in all an extraordinary tale and a masterpiece of research. If I have one criticism it is in the flow of the story which does have a tendency to jump back and forwards over a period of some 40 years. But don't let this deter you from reading what is a true and genuinely ripping yarn!
After he was rescued he returned to his native Shetland for a short time but couldn't settle and returned to Australia where he acted as an inspector on vessels luring natives from the Pacific Islands to work on Australian plantations. Tragically he was murdered on the third of these inspection visits when his landing party was attacked by natives. All in all an extraordinary tale and a masterpiece of research. If I have one criticism it is in the flow of the story which does have a tendency to jump back and forwards over a period of some 40 years. But don't let this deter you from reading what is a true and genuinely ripping yarn!
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