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jerihurd's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise, and a fun look into 15th century China. But having dug around online, it looks like the Menzies' premise is very thoroughly debunked by people who are actually historians.
jbrito's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
mkesten's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure I believe Menzies thesis, but it this was a terrific read.
wendyclinch's review against another edition
To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This pretty much sums up 1421. I have no problem with the premise that Chinese navigators traveled to all sorts of places. But to Menzies, EVERYTHING is evidence that the Chinese were there (although some of it was conveniently destroyed or is not accessible). A bit much.
annakmeyer's review against another edition
2.0
I actually hope that this book is true, that the Chinese mapped the entire world in 1421. I'm giving it two stars because of the writing style. Constantly being referred to his website was so aggravating. And the reasoning/proof of his theses was circular, so by the end I wasn't even sure if anything had been proven at all. I felt like I was reading one of the papers I wrote so many of in college, where I just kind of made it up as I was going along. The existence of certain maps would prove that the Chinese saw native animals, and the native animals would prove that the Chinese made the maps. I'm inclined to believe his ultimate conclusion, but it's an awfully long book about nothing that leads him to it.
jane_henningsen's review against another edition
3.0
On the one hand, this book is kind of a game changer. I don’t doubt that his overall hypothesis is true. It seems undeniable that the Chinese explored the Americas and most other parts of the world long before the European explorers who receive credit.
We get all kinds of evidence - the spread of Chinese plant and animal species to the new world prior to European discovery, DNA evidence of relatively recent Chinese ancestry in some Native American populations, the fact that Columbus et al already had maps of the new world, etc etc. Loads of evidence.
The issue that I have is that the author adds in some dubious claims along with the strong ones, which undermines the book’s credibility. Wouldn’t his case have been strong enough without him claiming that a tower in Rhode Island was probably built by the Chinese, when a quick google search shows that most scholars disagree and carbon dating makes the theory seem iffy at best? (That’s one example, I’m not all hung up on just the tower thing.) I’m not sure what’s real and what’s questionable, and I’m not going to take time to validate the whole book. I’m sure most of it is backed up by evidence and I read this for fun vs for a history class. Unfortunately the seed of doubt takes away some of the wonder and fun.
Still a pretty interesting read though! Also, if you want a quick rundown of the evidence, save some time and just read the appendix :)
We get all kinds of evidence - the spread of Chinese plant and animal species to the new world prior to European discovery, DNA evidence of relatively recent Chinese ancestry in some Native American populations, the fact that Columbus et al already had maps of the new world, etc etc. Loads of evidence.
The issue that I have is that the author adds in some dubious claims along with the strong ones, which undermines the book’s credibility. Wouldn’t his case have been strong enough without him claiming that a tower in Rhode Island was probably built by the Chinese, when a quick google search shows that most scholars disagree and carbon dating makes the theory seem iffy at best? (That’s one example, I’m not all hung up on just the tower thing.) I’m not sure what’s real and what’s questionable, and I’m not going to take time to validate the whole book. I’m sure most of it is backed up by evidence and I read this for fun vs for a history class. Unfortunately the seed of doubt takes away some of the wonder and fun.
Still a pretty interesting read though! Also, if you want a quick rundown of the evidence, save some time and just read the appendix :)
taigafiend's review against another edition
4.0
0 stars for the book's content, 4 for being the least anti-chinese australian in history
crysdale's review against another edition
2.0
Well, this wasn't what I thought it was going to be at all! I started this wondering why we were never taught in school that the Chinese discovered America before Columbus. Oh...because they didn't.
This is just pseudo-history with one person's wild theory that they MIGHT have discovered America in 1421.
This is just pseudo-history with one person's wild theory that they MIGHT have discovered America in 1421.
gregtatum's review against another edition
1.0
I'll admit I didn't finish this book. The first chapter at the bookstore hooked me. When I got home and read a third of it I discovered I'd hooked an old dirty boot.
It's basically bad conspiracy theory history and not plausible at all. Quite a house of cards.
It's basically bad conspiracy theory history and not plausible at all. Quite a house of cards.
vlionhardt's review against another edition
4.0
Gavin Menzies delivered some interesting theories on how China could have possibly discovered the Americas. However, nothing is really concrete in his presented evidence, and much of what is presented as evidence is refuted by his colleagues. It is a fun right, however.