Tom Tatum has published his first novel, a murder mystery and adventure loosely based on his experiences in the Peace Corps in Fiji around 1970 called, fittingly, “Fiji 1970”



The story is narrated by Cooper, an idealistic young man from a Norwood ranching family who joins the Peace Corps and travels to Fiji. Though Tatum himself was in the Peace Corps in Fiji from 1968-1971, Tatum says that Cooper is based on a composite of about 10 fellow volunteers in the Peace Corps. The Fijian characters, on the other hand, are spot-on replications of the Fijians Tatum met while he was there. The only thing he changed, he said, were their names and the names of the villages they came from.

Tom Tatum has published his first novel, a murder mystery and adventure loosely based on his experiences in the Peace Corps in Fiji around 1970 called, fittingly, “Fiji 1970”

‘Fiji 1970’ takes readers beyond the seas

Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2007 7:32 PM CDT
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Book signing today, Between the Covers, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

By Reilly Capps

Local Tom Tatum has published his first novel, a murder mystery and adventure loosely based on his experiences in the Peace Corps in Fiji around 1970 called, fittingly, “Fiji 1970.”

After years making TV shows, documentaries and movies, Tatum decided he wanted to create something wholly on his own.

Television is such a collaborative medium, with sometimes a dozen people consulting on every script change in every scene, that Tatum wanted to do something where he could work completely on his own to translate his visions into a story.

“I had always wanted to do a pure art project that wasn’t written by a committee,” he says. “A book is just the author’s vision, with a little fine-tuning from the editor.”

The book took him 10 years to write, from outline to final proofs.

The story is narrated by Cooper, an idealistic young man from a Norwood ranching family who joins the Peace Corps and travels to Fiji. Though Tatum himself was in the Peace Corps in Fiji from 1968-1971, Tatum says that Cooper is based on a composite of about 10 fellow volunteers in the Peace Corps.

The Fijian characters, on the other hand, are spot-on replications of the Fijians Tatum met while he was there. The only thing he changed, he said, were their names and the names of the villages they came from.

Tatum learned the Fijian language fluently and tried to immerse himself completely in the culture, from the religion to the medicine to the mysticism.

Cooper does much the same as he tries to solve the mystery of his murdered Fijian co-worker. His quest to find the truth leads him to abandon all his traditional Western values and dive into the world of Fijian witchcraft, as well as the ugly side of human nature and its universal greed.

The book is the first in a planned trilogy. The next book will follow Cooper back from the Peace Corps to Norwood and Telluride, a period Tatum lived through calls a “very dynamic” period in the area’s development.

“Fiji 1970” is available at Between the Covers and via the print-on-demand service from Xlibris Publishing.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: April, 2007; Peace Corps Fiji; Directory of Fiji RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Fiji RPCVs; Writing - Fiji; Peace Corps Library; Peace Corps Directory; Peace Corps History; Bulletin Board; Recent Peace Corps News

When this story was posted in June 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Peace Corps Funnies A PCV writing home? Our editor hard at work? Take a look at our Peace Corps Funnies and Peace Corps Cartoons and see why Peace Corps Volunteers say that sometimes a touch of levity can be one of the best ways of dealing with frustrations in the field. Read what RPCVs say about the lighter side of life in the Peace Corps and see why irreverent observations can often contain more than a grain of truth. We'll supply the photos. You supply the captions.

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June 1, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Returned Volunteers and Staff honor Warren Wiggins 15 May Tom Seligman curates "Art of Being Tuareg" 26 May PCV Marilyn Foss dies in China 25 May Poet Susan Rich writes: The Women of Kismayo 22 May Christopher Hill considers visit to North Korea 18 May Peter Hessler talks about time in Fuling as PCV 18 May Murder charges filed in death of PCV Julia Campbell 17 May David Pitts claims JFK offered PC to Lem Billings 16 May Niki Tsongas announces candidacy for Congress 16 May James Rupert writes: Pakistanis talk of Musharraf's departure 16 May Chris Matthews writes: Jerry Falwell's Political Legacy 15 May Ron Tschetter visits volunteers in Botswana 14 May Which assignment to take? Africa, Europe, or Central Asia 14 May Willy Volk writes: New way to keep mosquitoes at bay 14 May Jim Walsh takes special interest in Nepal 13 May NPCA offers podcasts of social entrepreneurs 10 May Gaddi Vasquez showcases food aid work in Central America 10 May Donna Tabor dreamed up Cafe Chavalos 8 May Tom Bissell writing book about Jesus' 13 Apostles 8 May Jody Olsen praises PCV blogging 7 May PC responds to missing volunteers in 2001 and 2007 2 May

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PCOL serves half million PCOL's readership for April exceeded 525,000 visitors - a 50% increase over last year. This year also saw the advent of a new web site: Peace Corps News that together with the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps serve 17,000 RPCVs, Staff, and Friends of the Peace Corps every day. Thanks for making PCOL your source of news for the Peace Corps community. Read more.

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May 2, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Tschetter flew to Manila to support search for missing PCV 15 Apr Michael O'Hanlon writes: A ruthless foe 24 Apr Dodd calls for 'surge of diplomacy' on Iraq 13 Apr Tony Hall works with Opportunity International 22 Apr Mark Gearan Calls for Service, engaged constituency 20 Apr Timothy Obert sentenced in molestation case 20 Apr Moyers indicts news media on Iraq reporting 19 Apr Chris Matthews to moderate May 3 GOP debates 18 Apr Garamendi votes to kill LNG terminal 10 Apr Scheper-Hughes receives William Sloan Coffin Award 7 Apr Petri outraged at Student Loan Corruption 6 Apr Dodd wants to expand Peace Corps to 100,000 4 Apr John Sherman's opera "Biafra" now on web 2 Apr Peter Navarro writes "The Coming China Wars" 30 Mar Carl Pope writes: 2% solution for global warming 28 Mar Philippe Newlin lectures on wine 28 Mar DRI launches program to improve Healthcare in Ghana 26 Mar Gabriela Lena Frank's Compadrazgo debuts in Columbus 26 Mar Reed Hastings appointed to Microsoft Board of Directors 26 Mar Shays supports National Public Service Academy 23 Mar Margaret Krome writes: Peace vigil appropriate response 21 Mar Al Kamen writes: Clinton fired Prosecutors too 21 Mar

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Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences .

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Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps Warren Wiggins, who died at 84 on April 13, became one of the architects of the Peace Corps in 1961 when his paper, "A Towering Task," landed in the lap of Sargent Shriver, just as Shriver was trying to figure out how to turn the Peace Corps into a working federal department. Shriver was electrified by the treatise, which urged the agency to act boldly. Read Mr. Wiggins' obituary and biography, take an opportunity to read the original document that shaped the Peace Corps' mission, and read John Coyne's special issue commemorating "A Towering Task."

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March 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Evacuated PCVs attend Festival on the Niger in Mali 23 Feb Tom Bissell tells the story of how Vietnam came home 13 Mar Mike Honda cites Japan's Sex Slavery 8 Mar Donna Shalala co-chairs presidential commission 7 Mar Sixth Anniversary of Disappearance of PCV Walter Poirier 6 Mar Sam Farr was de-selected during Peace Corps Training 6 Mar Elaine Jones would be good fit for NAACP President 6 Mar Pat Waak re-elected chairwoman of Colorado Dems 5 Mar Astronaut Mae Jemison was PC Medical Officer 4 Mar Guy Consolmagno blends faith and science 3 Mar Doyle Turns Down Federal Abstinence Money 3 Mar Owen Cylke writes: Taxi in the Rain 2 Mar Jody Olsen receives "Founder’s Day" Award 2 Mar Chris Dodd introduces PCV Empowerment Act 1 Mar Michael O'Hanlon writes: Iraq Deserves One More Chance 1 Mar An Excerpt from Jan Worth's Night Blind 28 Feb David Harde sentenced for Medical Marijuana 28 Feb Oscar winner Helen Mirren congratulated by RPCV husband 26 Feb RPCVs distribute mosquito nets 25 Feb Peter McPherson new Chairman of Dow Jones 21 Feb Arabic speakers under-utilized in Homeland Security 9 Feb Dr. J. Michael Taylor co- founded Konbit Sante 4 Feb

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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