Testimony to a paradise exposed [Book review]

Abstract

Twenty-one years ago, I wrote a book about indigenous independence and nationalist struggles in the South Pacific. The British publishers wanted a “paradise lost” cover of a beach fringed with coconut palms. It was the opposite of the book’s intended message. The publishers reluctantly changed the design before printing, coming up with an insipid flag cover to better reflect the title, Blood on Their Banner. It was, however, the wrong flag—depicting the ensign of Vanuatu instead of the Kanak banner portraying the sacrifice that inspired the title.