Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea

I've read many travel adventure books,, this is one of the best I've EVER read. Kira has a Phd. in English literature, so it's well-written. Her tale starts out in southern Africa, where she makes the insane decision to cross Mozambique (alone) during its 30+ year civil war. I wondered if she had a death wish. Kira details her strange childhood; being raised by Ayn Rand fanatics who didn't believe in loving their children or celebrating birthdays. To fill the void, Kira decides to travel. Her harrowing, near fatal experience with rebel soldiers in Mozambique sets up her journey to cross Papua New Guinea, by river & trekking, alone. This book was so involving that I couldn't put it down, but I didn't want it to end either. I would have read another 200 pages. As Kira travels & meets ex-pats, tribal people, missionaries (whom all loathe the tribal customs & the tribal people) & guerrilla fighters (fighting the genocide, that's being committed on the New Guinean tribes that live over the border in Irian Jaya, by the Indonesian government), she grows in confidence & begins to discover that she is okay just the way she is: she's worthy of love. Kira's bravery against potential rapists is extraordinary, her ability to learn pidgin & relate to the tribes is wonderful. Kira's travel to the deepest regions of PNG & her descriptions of the different colors of the rain forest, the Birds of Paradise, the colorful headdresses worn by the tribesmen make you feel like you're right there with her. It's a grueling journey; a trek up & down a jungle mountain in a torrential rainstorm at night, barefoot, but she overcomes every obstacle. This is an empowering book for women. My only regret is that Kira didn't bring a camera (this was before digital cameras) so there are no photos. If you want to know what it's like to travel alone, across PNG, as a woman, forgoing all comforts & hotel lodgings, this great book will make you feel that you're on the journey with the author. Her empathy for the tribes people whose entire families are being massacred by the Indonesian Muslims is heartrending. It is a holocaust that we don't hear about in the US press. When New Guinea was divided into independent PNG & Indonesian Irian Jaya, the systematic destruction of the indigenous tribal people & the Indonesian government's illegal deforestation of the rain forest continues to this day. What the Indonesian government has wrought on Borneo; deforestation, burning the remaining brush to make room for palm oil plantations (wiping out the habit of Orangutans) is the same thing that is happening in Irian Jaya, only the tribal people are Melanesian (a different race) & not Muslim, so the Indonesian government continues to slaughter entire tribes. I wish Kira would would write more travel adventure stories. HIGH RECOMMENDED.

Flew through this travel memoir and felt like I joined Kira on her trek. Wonderfully written, like her other novel on her trip to Timbuktu.

I read White Mary a few years ago and was totally entranced by it, one of those books that totally absorbs you. So when I found out I was heading to Papua New Guinea and saw this, also by Kira Salak, I bought it immediately. I was not disappointed at all. Kira's writing grips the reader and she writes extraordinarily well, you feel like you are with her. Probably one of the biggest attractions for me, is her emotional and self-awareness while writing. It is an outer as well as inner journey and she makes this interesting and relate-able for everyone. We are all on a journey of self-identity. I so admire Kira's courage and willingness to put herself in situations that push the boundaries of safety and comfort. This seems stupid at times, too, but it is fascinating to go along for the ride with her. Highly recommended.

Amazing! I rented the book from the library and ended up buying it shortly thereafter just so I would be able to read it again and again. Kira Salak is a wonderful writer and a all around tough chick! It is one of those books that you will be thinking about long after you are finished with the last page.

An ok book for anyone interested in PNG, as Papua New-Guinea is usually referred to. For a trip to the country I had been looking for a book NOT written from a Western perspective, but there simply aren’t any on Kindle. Settling for second best I read Mrs. Salak’s adventure stories, which were most interesting when she is not talking about herself and her doubts and her fears and her fevers and her machete and her childhood and the guy she had left behind in I forgot where in the U.S. Having said that, the episodes are fairly well written and paint a diverse and colorful picture of a country most Westerners don’t know anything about. Ironically, the best part of the book is the prologue, which doesn’t even take place in PNG, but in war torn Mozambique.

This is an amazing story that I didn't want to put down! I have read quite a few travel adventure books and this is definitely one of the best written, awe inspiring, harrowing adventures I have read. The author puts herself in constant danger in order to work out inner demons so it makes for an edge of your seat kind of travel book. I would never travel like Kira did but I admire her for her nerve. I would read more from this author!

Very well written and exciting. Sometimes wonder why she has a death or rape wish. I am off to PNG this month and it gives a glimpse into the psyche of the people there

I read Kira's book on the Congo before I came across this one and found it to be an interesting view of New Guinea as she sees the country form the inside and doesn't try to gloss over its problems. Anyone interested should also read Walking With Ghosts about the Kokoda Trail.

An incredible book. She captures you in the first page and doesn't leave you until the last page. She is the Robert Ludlum of travel writing.

Alles bestens, gerne wieder!

More of a tale about Kira Salak's experiences and her struggle to find acceptance and happiness in herself, with Papua New Guinea as a backdrop, then a really descriptive travel book. Serves as a basic introduction towards PNG that is a good place to start if you want to read more about the subject. I enjoyed Kira's story and how she survived in the jungles of PNG, meeting interesting characters and overcoming many obstacles. Definitely worth reading and I would read her other books as well.

I truly love this book. Read it 10 years ago at school and just had to find it again. It's surprisingly hard to get hold of so I was very pleased to find it here. It is a remarkable book that made me fall in love with adventure all those years ago. You really feel like you on the journey with Kira. It's a gripping read.

One of worst books,never buy