The White Headhunter

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Pub Date 24 Jan 2019 | Archive Date 25 Feb 2019

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Description

A REMARKABLE TRUE-LIFE HEART OF DARKNESS

In 1868, Jack Renton, a teenage Scots sailor, was shanghaied in San Francisco. In 1876, he was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. After the rescue, in a sensational best-selling memoir, Renton recounted his eight-year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita, was stripped of his clothes, possessions and his very identity, but lived to serve the island’s tribal chief Kabou eventually as his most trusted adviser. For all the authenticity and riveting detail, however, it turns out that Renton’s chronicle glossed over key events that made him the man that Kabou said he loved, "as my first-born son."

Mining the oral history passed down in detail from generations of Malaitans, documentary filmmaker Nigel Randell has pieced together a more complete and grislier account of Renton’s experience—as a man forced to assimilate in order to survive. While The White Headhunter is the story of a man transformed by an island, it is also the story of a man who transformed the island as he prepared it for the onslaught of Western civilization. 

A REMARKABLE TRUE-LIFE HEART OF DARKNESS

In 1868, Jack Renton, a teenage Scots sailor, was shanghaied in San Francisco. In 1876, he was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to...


Advance Praise

“Nigel Randell's extraordinary first book… is an utterly compelling story.”

Daily Mail


“His telling of Renton's story is brilliantly done.”

Sunday Times


“A grisly, fascinating and meticulously spun yarn.”

Good Book Guide

“Nigel Randell's extraordinary first book… is an utterly compelling story.”

Daily Mail


“His telling of Renton's story is brilliantly done.”

Sunday Times


“A grisly, fascinating and meticulously...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781786080479
PRICE £9.99 (GBP)

Average rating from 32 members


Featured Reviews

Thank you Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for The White Headhunter by Nigel Randell.

This is a story of Jack Renton from the late 1800's who was shipwrecked in the Pacific and then rescued by headhunters. They taught him a lot mainly how to headhunt. The tribal chief took him under his wing and trusted him. This is a story you won't read in any history book although I wish it would have. This is a very adventurous book but very gruesome.

I was very hesitate to read this book when the publisher asked. I'm glad I agreed, I have to say I cringed at most parts that were very graphic. Of course I was sucked into this story for the history lesson.

I would recommend this book for the history buffs out there.

Cherie

#NetGallery #TheWhiteHeadhunter

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A REMARKABLE TRUE-Life HEART OF DARKNESS in 1868, Jack Renton, a teenage scots sailor, was Shanghaied in San Francisco. In 1876 he was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. After the rescue, I. A sensational best selling memoir, Renton recounted his eight year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita, was stripped of his clothes, possessions and his very identity, but lived to serve the islands tribal chief Kabou eventually as his most trusted adviser. For all the authenticity and riveting detail, however it turns out that Rentons chronicle glossed over key events that made him the man that Kabou said he loved “ as my first born son”. While the White Headhunter is the story of a man transformed by an island, it is also the story of a man who transformed the island as he prepared it for the onslaught of western civilization.

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I admit, the title and cover of this book did make me cringe. When was this book written- in the 1800’s? No, it wasn’t, and the author makes it very clear that this book is not a tone-deaf “beachcomber memoir” from 150 years ago. Beachcomber memoirs were popular in the 1800’s- exotic accounts of plucky European castaways reinventing themselves on foreign shore through manly acts of heroism. Europeans saving those in darkness was a popular trope of the times.

The author focuses on two main points in this book. First, he does tell the tale of Scots sailor Jack Renton, who was indeed castaway in 1868 on an island in the Solomon’s in the South Pacific. But the author uses the story of Jack and his eight years with a tribe of island headhunters to share with us his research about the history of the times.

This approach makes for a thorough review of the subject, with its careful focus on shipping, exploration, missionaries, and the rise of the sugar plantations in Australia. But it also makes for a more scholarly-type read rather than an adventurous tale, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

The author does give us some eye-popping details such as- Jack’s shanghai experience, the dangers of sea travel and the sacrifice of human victims on the island. I also enjoyed reading about John Harrison, the Yorkshire clockmaker who solved one of the greatest scientific problems of the 18th century with his invention of the chronometer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for a review copy of this interesting book. This is my honest review.

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The White Headhunter reads like fiction, it's perfect for fans of naval adventures and historical journeys. This is a reprint from 2003, so it is possible that you've read it before or that your library already owns a copy.

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This is the true account of a young Scottish sailor Jack Renton washed ashore in 1860 on one of the most isolated Solomon Islands Mala’ita. The book describes how he successfully adapted to the life of the natives tribes who were headhunters. The book is also a history of the society and customs of the natives and why headhunting was so important. The book puts the native islanders into the context of the Australian sugarcane planting and the ensuing slave trade. It also looks at different castaways or beachcombers who lived with natives on other islands. It is a well researched book demonstrating the impact the Whites had on these native societies. By taking oral histories into account a picture of how the island tribes also changed as they dealt with the impact. It would benefit from a better organization but nevertheless a fascinating book.

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Enthralling and easy to read, this details the adventures of sailor Jack Renton in the 1870s. After being adopted by the Malaitans, a head-hunting tribe living on an island in the Solomon Islands, he effectively becomes one of them, rising to be a trusted advisor and member of the tribe. A true story, well presented and fascinating. Well worth the read.

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I'm pretty conservative and demanding as a book reviewer and it's rare that I give 4 stars. This book rates it though. It's a very well written story about an unusual situation, where a Caucasian European gets marooned on an island in the South Pacific. He is taken in rather than eaten, by the local tribe and manages to assimilate even though he's an adult. The author needed to "imagine" quite a lot since no one was there to bear witness, but he uses history, accounts and common sense to do a very believable job. What could have been a thin, simple tale is enriched and broadened in a truly interesting manner. I highly recommend this book.

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The White Headhunter by Nigel Randell is a fascinating treatise on the tale of two men who were not only captured by headhunters in the South Pacific but lived to tell about it. These headhunters were not known for their hospitality, yet these men managed not only to acclimate into their new life quite well but rose to positions of prominence within the tribe. It becomes apparent early in the book that Randell researched the historical records quite well and turned what might ordinarily be a rather dry subject into a retelling that should appeal to a wide variety of readers. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and give it 4/5 stars.

*A copy of this ebook was the only consideration received in exchange for this review.*

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Nigel Randell, in The White Headhunter, presents his reader with a deeply researched true story from the late 19th century in which a young Scots sailor [Jack Renton] , spends 8 years on a remote Pacific island living with primitive head-hunters and yet survived to tell the tale. The author really adds value by blending Jack's version of what he did in those eight years with what he discovered when he visited the island of Malaita for himself. The answers lay in the oral histories told him by today's islanders. And what extraordinary tales they told! How initially Jack endured dreadful physical hardship but survived by using his wits both to introduce new carpentry skills in boat and house-building and also by teaching the tribal leaders new battle strategies which led to them great success in inter-island raids. He became the favoured "son" of the tribal leader and was key to protecting the islanders from falling prey to the false promises of the slave traders. As a result Malaita clung on to its traditional way of life for much longer than neighbouring islands. Indeed by keeping the white man at bay death, by white man's diseases, was also reduced, albeit it could not be avoided altogether. So Jack left a legacy to be proud of.
After he was rescued he returned to his native Shetland for a short time but couldn't settle and returned to Australia where he acted as an inspector on vessels luring natives from the Pacific Islands to work on Australian plantations. Tragically he was murdered on the third of these inspection visits when his landing party was attacked by natives. All in all an extraordinary tale and a masterpiece of research. If I have one criticism it is in the flow of the story which does have a tendency to jump back and forwards over a period of some 40 years. But don't let this deter you from reading what is a true and genuinely ripping yarn!

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An interesting and fascinating read. This is obviously a very well researched book. The book has a lot of facts in it. I enjoyed reading this from an historical point of view.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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This was a fascinating true life adventure/nightmare, involving shanghai'd sailors over a century ago, shipwrecks, cannibals and head hunting natives in the South Seas, and a life that could hardly be imagined by a white European male of that era. Jack Reston was still a teenager when his life ran amok, but survived to tell the tale, though it was abbreviated a bit to suit the tastes of the time. How he survived and almost thrived is not for the delicate, and it made for truly interesting reading!

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

This is a non-fiction book but the story reads more like a fiction. The story is about sailor Jack Renton who is freed from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita. After that, we follow his story and how he rises to serve the island’s tribal chief Kabou and eventually becomes his most trusted adviser.

This story was really interesting and full of adventures, I can't imagine a normal person going through all this. The book has a big bibliography at the end that supports all these extraordinary events. It gives the reader better confidence that what he is reading is not something fictitious but real events and real people were involved.

The White Headhunter is written beautifully and makes all the adventures very enjoyable. It might not be a material that will appeal to the wider audience there but if you are a fan of naval adventures or historical voyages then you will surely enjoy it and should not miss reading it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me a digital copy of this book and this is my honest unbiased review.

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I found this book incredibly engaging and could not put it down. It’s well written and well researched and just a genuine pleasure to read. While I liked the whole book, there is one part that stood out the most:

‘Village history does not reside in the public domain but is owned by various individuals and families- a copyright legitimised by an ancestral connection to a major participant in the narrative.’ This is the line that fully gripped me and made me realise how much I was going to enjoy reading the book. It shows how much research went into writing it, since this is not something that could be easily understood. Randell clearly went to extraordinary lengths to write this book, and it shows. I loved his dedication to making sure the reader understands the culture of the island, and I think that’s what makes the book such a good read.

It appealed to my love of both history and anthropology and I recommend the book to anyone who likes either.

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Interesting! I did not know this story before reading this book. This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of the late 19th century and the Pacific. I found this to be very entertaining and enlightening about the period, if a bit gruesome at times with some of the descriptions. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

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Nigel Randell has written a fascinating and extraordinary account about Jack Renton, a young sailor marooned on a small island in the Solomon Islands. The detailed story of Renton was passed down through descendents of the island’s inhabitants by oral history.
He befriended the local chieftain, who greatly respected Renton’s artisan skills, intelligence and bravery. The large gaps in Renton’s memoirs were skilfully filled in by the author using the islander’s verbal history and the contemporary accounts of his ‘white’ rescuers. Clearly Renton went native and probably became as brutal as the local headhunters.
The accounts of the decimation of the islanders by European diseases are truly tragic. As we are now aware, similar events happened all over the New World. In Brazil, as an example, whole native cultures were wiped out by typhoid, influenza, syphilis, and common colds etc. As often happens, the role of the missionaries had severely negative effects on the spread of disease and the destruction of the islanders culture.
The book also covers the dreadful exploitation of the various groups of islanders by the Australian and European traders and businessmen, leading to drastic falls in population groups.
One of the most beguiling parts of the story, was the use of porpoise teeth as currency by the Solomon islanders. The chieftains tightly controlled the culling of the porpoises in order to regulate the impacts of supply and demand. I suggest it can be compared to De Beers artificially controlling the price of diamonds in today’s global market.
In summary, it is a well written book that also covers a lot of fascinating semi-related topics.

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I love the history lessons in this book and the story is quite a page turner!!! I would love to buy this book for my high school library!!! I think that most all of the students would enjoy this tale as well!!

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Reading “The White Headhunter” was a complete change of genre for me and although I had a few reservations about the choice, I’m really pleased I decided to go with it.

This first book by Nigel Randell is a work of non-fiction. A teenage Scots sailor, Jack Renton, was rescued from captivity on the Pacific island of Malaita, home to a fearsome tribe of headhunters. In his memoir, Renton recounted his eight-year adventure: how he jumped ship and drifted two thousand miles in an open whaleboat to the Solomon Islands, came ashore at Malaita and was stripped of his identity. For all it’s detail and authenticity Renton’s chronicle glossed over many key events. This book is a more complete and grislier account of Renton’s experience.

Very well presented and easy to read “The White Headhunter” contains some fascinating history of the late 19th century and the Pacific with some entertaining and enlightening information about the period. This true story was interesting, enjoyable and well worth the read.

[Thank you to #NetGalley, #ThistlePublishing and #NigelRandell, for a free ARC of #TheWhiteHeadhunter in exchange for an honest review.]

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A wonderful true story that is full of ethnographic and societal detail. This book shines a light on a dim corner of the world that remained isolated into the last century. An absolutely compelling story of a shipwrecked sailor and how he survived.

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This is clearly a well-researched look at one Pacific Islander culture and society. Buried in this long book is the story of a ship-wrecked sailor and how he survived in a world of head hunting and cannibalism. Slow at times, the story is well-written.

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