First published 2017
Major General Sitiveni Rabuka stands at the center of Fiji's political storm in 1987. His supporters see a charismatic warrior defending indigenous rights against immigrant encroachment. Women at Suva parties whisper "coup me baby" when he enters the room. Tourists beg him to stage coups in their own countries. His dazzling smile and common origins mask the magnitude of his actions as he plans and executes Fiji's first military takeover. The excitement of the moment makes his coup seem inevitable, the natural result of years of indigenous frustration. But Rabuka's assertion of native rights brings no paradise. Instead of living happily ever after, the major general watches his country spiral into chronic misadventure. A generation passes before Fiji fully grasps the consequences of his decisions, but by then the damage runs too deep to undo. This human story reveals how one man's charisma and a nation's hopes collided with the brutal realities of power.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, adventure, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: charismatic-leader, power-dynamics
Setting: Fiji, Suva
Period: 1987
384 pages · Paperback · ANU Press
Content warnings: violence