Two Women, Two Worlds

Two Women Two Worlds by Audrey McCollum is a very enjoyable read. It made me smile, made me sad, it held my interest. The geographical descriptions along with wonderful photos let me see a part of the world I know I will never see in person.

One might expect "Two Women, Two Worlds" to be informative and enlightening, and it is. I was unprepared for it to be so thoroughly entertaining. The story, stitching through several visits by the author to Papua New Guinea over more than a decade, is a page- turner.Life in the high country of Papua New Guinea is unimaginable to those of us who inhabit the Western World. Brilliantly described by Audrey McCollum, the people and their lifestyle become vivid and close. What a revelation to find that Pirip, a woman from a primitive culture half way around the world, has many of the same priorities that I do, both in terms of sense of self and quality of life.The author, a highly educated and sophisticated woman, generously shares with Pirip, and with us, her readers, her own difficult human experiences. In fact, Audrey's challenges seem to help her relate to Pirip's uphill struggle, as she tries to effect change in her male dominated society. Let me hasten to say, however, that this is not just a "women's book." My husband picked it up and couldn't put it down. "Two Women, Two Worlds" is well worth reading. There's enjoyment on every page, and a great deal to be learned along the way.

The author, a Manhattanite psychotherapist now a long-time resident of New Hampshire, has made many trips to Papua New Guinea over a period of years. Accompanied by her doctor husband, these have also been journies of self-discovery. She meets Pirip, a leader in the new PNG feminist movement and their lives intertwine. Papua New Guinea is changing rapidly as Western civilization encroaches with very uneven results. There are many descriptions of ceremonies such as weddings revolving about brideprice, living conditions, and clothing or lack therof-'as gras'. People are depicted as very real to the reader rather than as exotic 'natives'. There are also many vivid color photographs. The author brings maturity, and insight to this new world. This is a valuable book for adventurous travelers who might like to plan a trip that goes beyond the ordinary to connect to a local culture.

Author McCollum has written a perceptive and fine account of her relationship with a PNG woman, Pirip.The book is based on seven years of repeated visits to PNG accompanied by her husband, a retired medical school dean. She describes her growing relationship with Pirip as one from which they both learned and profited enormously. She expertly weaves together the subtle, and not so subtle problems she encounters (feminism, "progress", the enviroment, men's issues). The book is enhanced by carefully selected photographs. This book was a pleasure to read.

The increasing rapidity of multicultural synthesis and the movement toward gender equality are now major currents of change worldwide. In her iridescent memoir, McCollum interweaves these two currents in microcosm through the life stories of a mountain villager in Papua New Guinea and herself, a psychotherapist in New England. Recounting their very different but often analogous experiences, she explores the clash of indigenous traditions with the exigencies of global economic change and new technology.The shifting roles of women and men, female networking to expand economic opportunities and security for women and their families, and concepts of masculinity in relation to violence and war--these are among the cross-cultural parallels she traces in the two societies 10,000 miles apart. By showing us real people who are meeting change in their lives constructively--with persistence, courage, humor, and a growing sense of our shared humanity--this book gives us hope. Kate Swift, co-author of WORDS AND WOMEN and THE HANDBOOK OF NONSEXIST WRITING