Mandy Thyssen's comprehensive The Palau Islands gives a good understanding of the islands' history and culture.For a broad look at Pacific Island culture, pick up William H Alkire's An Introduction to the Peoples and Cultures of Micronesia, Gene Ashby's Micronesian Customs and Beliefs or Anne Nakono's Broken Canoe: Conversations and Observations in Micronesia.Taking a none-too-friendly view of US intervention, Sue Rabbitt Roff's Overreaching in Paradise: United States Policy in Palau Since 1945 wags a finger at Uncle Sam's bullying ways.Arnold H Leibowitz's Embattled Island: Palau's Struggle for Independence is a more recent publication that takes a less anti-American stance on Palau's postwar political history.James H Hallas' The Devil's Anvil: The Assault on Peleliu is a well-researched account of the WWII US attack on the Japanese-held island, which resulted in the deaths of many thousands of soldiers on both sides. For a more harrowing account of the assault, try EB Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.Learn to talk this way with the New Palauan-English Dictionary by Lewis S Josephs.Dan E Bailey's WWII Wrecks of Palau is a coffee table book on the various wrecks found in Palauan waters.