Throwim Way Leg

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  • Author: Tim Flannery
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • Catalogue: 156761
  • Size: 13x20cm
Hilarious and riveting, Thowim Way Leg chronicles mammologist Tim Flannery's adventures among the mountain people of New Guinea while in hot pursuit of giant rats, tree-kangaroos, bats, possums and bandicoots. In the local pidgin, "throwim way leg" describes the first decisive step in a journey. Flannery takes that step, clambering up steep peaks and braving jungle critters like sweat bees, hairy spiders, pythons and the occasional crocodile, as well as coming perilously close to ending up in hot water more than once.

Cannibalism, Flannery assures the reader, is a thing of the past, but when he comes into contact with the Miyanmin--a people who refer to a neighbouring tribe as "bokis es bilong mipela" (literally, "our refrigerator") - we're left wondering how he got out alive. It is Flannery's exuberance over the wildlife he encounters and his ability to capture the indigenous perspective of New Guinea makes this book worth reading.