The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

This book was recommended to me as distraction, while I have been convalesing with a difficult-to-manage health problem. The idea is, something that would be fun to read, pass the time, and not be too intellectually challenging, while still being entertaining. And it fit the bill exactly.
Troost and his then girlfriend, now wife agree to spend two years on Tarawa, an atoll in Kiribati (once known as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands). The collection 33 island atolls is located around the equator in the central Pacific Ocean (for those of you who do not have the globe fully memorized) and spread out over an area roughly equivalent to the size of the United States. So it is hot, isolated, and to make matters worse, it is challenging to get from one island to another. Tarawa itself consists of 24 islets, so a boat is required even for travel over a modest distance. To complicate matters further, the place is about 2 feet above sea level. It is the cuntry that is predicted to disappear first as global warming progresses. Islets have already gone under--the population is cramping together into smaller and smaller spaces due to rising sea water, and the fresh water sources are gradually being infiltrated with sea water.
So, in summary, this is not paradise. This is a part of the British Empire that was gladly shed. There is limited water, no centralized government to speak of, limited food, poor housing, no air conditioning, no waste disposal--either trash or septic, and not much hope of changing any of those conditions. The foreigners who are assigned to this outpost to provide solutions can barely function under the living conditions and leave as quickly as a transfer can be arranged--so there is no longitudianl planning to speak of.
Troost's account of his two years there is written in a "laugh so you don't cry" style. It is irreverant and very funny. The balance might be more towards the crude than the refined, and if that style of writing puts you off then you should avoid this, but it is a 'no hold barred' look at a people who have never had it great, and are now on the brink of collapse.