Pago Pago Tango, by John Enright (Thomas & Mercer, 2012). This engrossing tale is the first in Enright’s Jungle Beat Mystery series, featuring Detective Sergeant Apelu Soifua. To quote from the cover copy, “Apelu follows a tangled trail between cultures, dead bodies, hidden codes, and a string of lies on his hunt for the ugly truth buried at the heart of paradise. Set against the steamy backdrop of the Samoan jungle, this thoughtful whodunit introduces a memorable new gumshoe to the ranks of detective fiction.” Others in the series are Fire Knife Dancing, The Dead Don’t Dance, and Blood Jungle Ballet.
My Samoan Chief, by Fay G. Calkins (University of Hawaii Press, 1962). Charmingly illustrated with line drawings by Mircea Vasiliu, this frank and often humorous memoir recounts a young American woman’s adjustment to life in her Samoan husband’s village.
My Samoan Chief, by Fay G. Calkins (University of Hawaii Press, 1962). Charmingly illustrated with line drawings by Mircea Vasiliu, this frank and often humorous memoir recounts a young American woman’s adjustment to life in her Samoan husband’s village.
Aggie Grey: A Samoan Saga, by Fay Alailima (Mutual Publishing Company, 1988). This biography of the iconic innkeeper puts Aggie’s story in perspective against a backdrop of changing times in Samoa.
Aggie Grey: A Samoan Saga, by Fay Alailima (Mutual Publishing Company, 1988). This biography of the iconic innkeeper puts Aggie’s story in perspective against a backdrop of changing times in Samoa.
Coming of Age in Samoa, by Margaret Mead (William Morrow and Company, 1930). Mead’s classic study, based on fieldwork she conducted in Samoa at the age of twenty-three, launched her career as a cultural anthropologist.
Coming of Age in Samoa, by Margaret Mead (William Morrow and Company, 1930). Mead’s classic study, based on fieldwork she conducted in Samoa at the age of twenty-three, launched her career as a cultural anthropologist.
Where We Once Belonged, by Sia Fiegiel (Pasifika Press, 1996). This is Coming of Age in Samoa told from a Samoan woman’s perspective. A bestseller in New Zealand and winner of the prestigious Commonwealth Prize, this book is also notable as the first novel published in the United States by a Samoan woman.
Where We Once Belonged, by Sia Fiegiel (Pasifika Press, 1996). This is Coming of Age in Samoa told from a Samoan woman’s perspective. A bestseller in New Zealand and winner of the prestigious Commonwealth Prize, this book is also notable as the first novel published in the United States by a Samoan woman.
American Samoa: 100 Years Under the United States Flag, by J. Robert Shaffer (Island Heritage, 2000). Published to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Samoan Islands' relationship with the United States, this history is detailed and richly illustrated.