Oh, the goings-on in oil palm plantations! All revealed in Planter’s Tales in an eye-opening, endearing and entertaining way.

Mahbob Abdullah spent nearly all of his working life in plantation estates in Malaysia and abroad and could probably tell you everything there is to know about plantation life, and he does – in his book, Planter’s Tales.

60 short, easy-to-read episodes cover events, encounters and experiences in Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Cameroon, Zaire, Nigeria and Ghana. They tell of real people in real situations, presenting life in the estates at all levels and across all ethnicities. Told with charming simplicity and clarity, keen human insight and detailed observation, the stories provide a quick yet comprehensive education on the plantation industry as they present an uncommon social perspective.

There is much to chuckle over as foibles and flaws and faux pas surface; and a fair bit to humble as emotional struggles, lessons in friendships, duty and integrity are shared. In each estate, the planter and his community often become larger-than-life persons in a landscape different and isolated from the rest of the country. Yet, as the author puts it, “That was how it was”.

Written with first-hand knowledge, engaging humour and humanity, Planter’s Tales is the first and only book of its kind published in Malaysia. Whether you read it for its wonderful entertainment or education, you will never again see plantations just as hectare upon hectare of swaying green palms and bunches of red fruit.

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