If you want to learn anything about Nauru, don't bother. If you have a significant emotional investment in the idea that the earth is doomed and western culture is raping the planet, then this is the book for you. Just be sure to read it by candlelight so you aren't guilty of intellectual dishonesty (no animal fat or paraffin candles allowed, either).

But then intellectual dishonesty is at the very core of this book. The Nauran people, who you would think play the central role in this undeniable environmental tragedy, are mere scenery. The authors never bother to provide anything other than shallow reporting of their culture, history or current situation. The fact that the authors are lamenting on their behalf is presumably adequate. Similarly, as pointed out in another review, the authors wrote most of the book without bothering to visit, then spent thousands of dollars to ride on a gas-guzzling, ozone-destroying jet to add some credibility to their preconceived notions. And the whole analogy of Nauru (small isolated island with limited resources and diversity) as Earth (large, diverse lots of resources) is simplistic, but really relevant? The authors never really bother with relevance, because hey, simplistic analogies speak for themselves. In any case, the authors don't seem to have any serious credentials (other than burning sincerity and concern, which is often all you need in some circles), so it is hard to give much credence to what they say about science or anything else.

But what I found most offensive was the authors' condescending western liberal intellectual "gee aren't the natives cute and oh-so-wise" view of certain non-western cultures that they annoint as being "in tune" with their environments. They give a number of examples, but the one that sticks in my mind is the Ladhki (sp.?) people, who supposedly live in harmony with their harsh mountain environment. The authors concede that this culture has a high infant mortality rate, but that individuals who make it past the age of five generally enjoy a long healthy life. Well, that's just fine isn't it? As long as it's someone else's babies who are dying. . . But then that is the real problem, isn't it; too many people. If they would just stop reproducing (or living, at least since premature death is the unspoken aspect of "living in harmony with the environment) and aspiring to the same quality of life that the authors enjoy (well, they probably feel suitably guilty about it), everything would be fine.

Make no mistakes; turning a tropical island into a lunar wasteland is a terrible thing, and the people who have to live there probably wish things were different. But this is so blindingly obvious that a whole book on the subject would be (and is) ridiculous.

This book wasn't too bad. It has a good point, but the author does a lot of extrapolating and does not give a really good solution to the problem of resource overuse. Also, the author insults much of modern industrial society, but when he descibes his trip to Nauru, he mentions that he wants ice cream at one point and describes the food served there (beef, chicken, jello, and more) as good. Notice that these good foods and the availability of them are products of Western industrial society. Perhaps he is just another professor type who thinks he is above the common man because of his Ph.D and that people will not see the hypocrisy in his ideas and actions.

This is a book on the scale of "Silent Spring". Listen and heed it's message; this earth, our home, is in trouble. "Paradise for Sale" shows us, with fascinating and disturbing examples and in graphic detail, what can happen to the earth if we don't start changing our way of life. The good news is that it can be done but it has to start NOW! Read this book, it's important.