Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums, and Penis Gourds


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    • Author : Tim Flannery
    • Binding : Paperback
    • EAN : 9780802136657
    • Edition : Reprint
    • ISBN : 0802136656
    • Label : Grove Press
    • List Price : CDN$ 14.78 (CAD)
    • Manufacturer : Grove Press
    • Number Of Pages : 336
    • Package Dimensions : 1.00 inches (Height) x 9.02 inches (Length) x 1.10 pounds (Weight) x 6.02 inches (Width)
    • Publication Date : 2000-01
    • Publisher : Grove Press
    • Studio : Grove Press

    In Throwim Way Leg, Australia-based mammologist-raconteur Tim Flannery recalls scientific expeditions in the wilds of New Guinea that convey both the thrill of discovery and the negotiations necessary to bridge huge clashes of cultures. A world expert on New Guinea's fauna, Flannery has discovered 20 new species during his two decades of research. Yet his ability to convey unalloyed adventure in his taletelling makes these scientific expeditions read more like hair-raising, funky Redmond O'Hanlon-style travels than disciplined, scholarly field trips. Energy and danger run high. Terrific thunderstorms and aircraft mishaps rattle Flannery during his travels. Yet the most memorable quality of Throwim Way Leg is Flannery's incorporation of humans into the natural world he writes about, often contrasting the jungled New Guinea denizens with stark modern technologies. He writes rich profiles of those he has met, and his images are memorable and meaningful: crowds of people gaping at a single television set; the remote landscape of Mt. Albert Edward dotted with cattle, Swiss chalets, and the smoky fires of the Goilala people; the malnourished Yapsiei greeting him reeking of the "sweet, sickly smell" of grile, a form of ringworm. Ultimately, Flannery looks ahead and sees that the age of discovery is not at all complete in New Guinea, as so much remains unknown. But, in an often-told tale, modern political forces are at work, reshaping those unique natural and cultural environments that Throwim Way Leg explores with such vigor. --Byron Ricks

    - From Amazon.com

    Customer Reviews:

    Rated 4.5 stars Customers rated Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums, and Penis Gourds 4.5 stars out of 5.0 based on 18 reviews:

    • Heights of discovery

      by Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - 2002-06-12  Rated 4 stars
      If Tim Flannery isn't the luckiest biologist in the world, then perhaps he's the hardest working. He possesses a spirit of adventure that may exceed both. His twenty years of exploring the mysteries of New Guinea are superbly outlined and related in this engaging account. Although a mammalogist by profession, his interests range far beyond any academic discipline. We follow his efforts to meet and gain acceptance by the remote peoples of the New Guinea highlands. They are a diverse lot, and every new contact is fraught with uncertainty. He introduces us to the teasing pleasures of New Guinea pidgin, a language adopted by indigineous peoples to cross the nearly 1 000 languages that exist on the island.Throwim' Away Leg, New Guinean pidgin for a journey, is an appropriate title for this book. Flannery's 15 long-term expeditions took him over most of the island, meeting the people, tracking animals and assessing the changes in the ecology. It is difficult, in this jet travel age to comprehend the impact of "remote people," but Flannery has done it. He's adept at sharing the wonder he felt in his travels. We feel his fears, his joys of discovery, his sadness at the incursion of industrial civilization in an unprepared land. Flannery's account is given with an astonishing detachment. He recognizes the needs of both the indigenous people and the invaders. Cannibalism, so abhorrent to "civilized" readers, is placed in its true framework as viewed by the New Guinean mountain peoples. He's aware of the population pressures on local resources among the tribes, not excusing, but imparting rare understanding of the reality of life in wilderness.The author's love of wildlife is made clear throughout the book. An encounter with three-metre-long python that tried desperately to throttle him is related with incredible compassion. One can only sympathize with the pilot and passengers who shared the cockpit of a small aircraft with it on its journey to Port Moresby. Flannery's real feelings, however, are for the varieties of tree kangaroos living on the island. He asserts the high point of his travels was the classification of a rare black and white species of this creature. High point, indeed! Three thousand metres up in the New Guinean highlands, local hunters brought him the chewed remains of two "Dingisios" - enough to identify and describe this rare animal.Flannery's enthusiasms and vivid desriptive powers make this book an unforgettable read. His descriptions of the impact of outsiders, from both East and West, portray a land under immense stress. Not only Western mining and lumber companies, who have seared the landscape with roads, mines and felling, but Indonesia's settlement programmes come under his penetrating gaze. He recognizes their needs, but urges better forms of accomodation are required. The biological story is conveyed well integrated with social, political and environmental issues. An all-encompassing study, this book will give the reader many fresh insights and topics for further reflection.

    • A facinating journey through a facinating land!

      by Ajoy Prabhu (Columbia, MD USA) - 2001-08-09  Rated 5 stars
      One of my friends gave me this book and KNEW that I was going to love it. Well, he was right on target. This book is an anthropological delight! I prided myself in my knowledge of the animal kingdom...till I read this book.Tim Flannery has a humble way about him and it reflects in this book for sure. The journeys and adventures that he undertook are not for the faint of heart. He is a true scientist that earns my kudos!Anyone interested in broadening their horizons and is open to concepts that would shake your core beliefs (unless you have already read Dr. Flannery's books) should read it.

    • A facinating journey through a facinating land!

      by Ajoy Prabhu (Columbia, MD USA) - 2001-08-09  Rated 5 stars
      One of my equally mad friends gave me this book and KNEW that I was going to love it. Well, he was right on target. This book is an anthropological delight! I prided myself in my knowledge of the animal kingdom...till I read this book.Tim Flannery has a humble way about him and it reflects in this book for sure. The journeys and adventures that he undertook are not for the faint of heart. He is a true scientist that earns my kudos!Anyone interested in broadening their horizons and is open to concepts that would shake your core beliefs (unless you have already read Dr. Flannery's books) should read it.

    • Heads up - new book coming

      by Diana Muir (Newton, MA) - 2001-04-06  Rated 5 stars
      Flannery's forthcoming Eternal Frontier is absolutely wonderful, something to watch for. As a book reviewer, I got to read it in galleys - all except the illustrations. So while I cannot say anything meaningful about the pictures, the writing is superb.

    • Excellent Book

      by - 2000-10-10  Rated 4 stars
      It«s well written, and describes less visited areas of Papua (Irian Jaya) and P.N.G.. Specially the area around Tembagapura, Bewani and Torricelli Mountain Range. It«s a fascinating account of newly discovered tree-kangaroos and other mammals. I would prefer a more detailed look at the tribal life, but the mission of the author was to collect animals. It«s also a good description of the difference between the two New Guinea countrys.

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