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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
It was a 5 star adventure, but the author failed a bit to transmit the effort I guess it took. He probably wanted to make it look easy to prove his theory but I guess it as far from that.
Ever since I first read mention of the Kon-Tiki expedition in Peter Fruechen's Book of the Seven Seas waaaaaay back in middle school, I was curious to get my hands on Thor Heyerdahl's account of that voyage. Setting out with the intention of proving that ancient South Americans could have crossed the the Pacific to Polynesia on balsa rafts, the tale is grounded in dubious science. Whether or not Heyerdahl's theories hold up, the story is still a delight to read. His descriptions of his crewmates' mishaps and their struggles to adapt to life afloat made me laugh out loud more than once. Any book that manages to do that gets an automatic 4 stars from me. The 5th is because when I finished, I felt like I'd been on an adventure, and isn't that kind of the point?
adventurous
medium-paced
Four Stars: I really liked it.
I have an old copy of this book that belonged to my dad and had the wonderful chance to read it at the start of this year. It is a story about six men who traveled on a raft from Peru to the Polynesian islands to prove that was how the founding islanders had traveled and arrived there. It is a full account from how the author first came up with the idea, how the companions were chosen, the events surrounding building the boat, the voyage, how they spent their time, the logistics, and the conclusion. It also has quite a nice collection of pictures from the actual voyage which helps you visualize the journey along with the story.
One of my favorite passages:
"Coal-black seas towered up on all sides, and a glittering myriad of tropical stars drew a faint reflection from plankton in the water. The world was simple - stars in the darkness. Whether it was 1947 B.C. or A.D. suddenly became of no significance. We lived, and that we felt with alert intensity. We realized that life had been full for men before the technical age also - in fact, fuller and richer in many ways than the life of modern man. Time and evolution somehow ceased to exist; all that was real and that mattered were the same today as they had always been and would always be. We were swallowed up in the absolute common measure of history - endless unbroken darkness under a swarm of stars."
I have an old copy of this book that belonged to my dad and had the wonderful chance to read it at the start of this year. It is a story about six men who traveled on a raft from Peru to the Polynesian islands to prove that was how the founding islanders had traveled and arrived there. It is a full account from how the author first came up with the idea, how the companions were chosen, the events surrounding building the boat, the voyage, how they spent their time, the logistics, and the conclusion. It also has quite a nice collection of pictures from the actual voyage which helps you visualize the journey along with the story.
One of my favorite passages:
"Coal-black seas towered up on all sides, and a glittering myriad of tropical stars drew a faint reflection from plankton in the water. The world was simple - stars in the darkness. Whether it was 1947 B.C. or A.D. suddenly became of no significance. We lived, and that we felt with alert intensity. We realized that life had been full for men before the technical age also - in fact, fuller and richer in many ways than the life of modern man. Time and evolution somehow ceased to exist; all that was real and that mattered were the same today as they had always been and would always be. We were swallowed up in the absolute common measure of history - endless unbroken darkness under a swarm of stars."
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Enthralling adventure nonfiction. As written, it is unrelentingly optimistic. No wood of the right kind available? Drive into the jungle in the wet season and find it, obviously. Every obstacle is cheerfully overcome. I wonder if the US army, diplomats, and various heads of state would be as cooperative today as they were to this outfit in 1947?
IT TOOK OVER A YEAR. BUT. I. FINISHED THIS. FINALLY. 4.01 stars
6 stars. One of the most charming books I have ever read. I can’t recount how many times I found myself laughing out loud or holding my breath in anticipation. Kon Tiki is a true story of a group of 6 men who sail from Peru across the Pacific Ocean on a balsa raft made in traditional Polynesian design in search of truth; how were the Polynesian islands populated? Although English is not the author’s native language, he is a natural storyteller and his descriptions of events is anything but dry— his words are vibrant, lively, colorful, animated... Your own surroundings slip away and suddenly you can see, hear, taste, and feel the salty sea. Marvelous.
[A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction]
Considering that travel or journey narratives are not my cup of tea, I found myself surprisingly engaged with Thor Heyerdahl's recount of his adventures on the sea. At times, it was even difficult to believe that it is not fiction, it really happened. From the conception of the idea to cross the Pacific in a raft till reaching one of the islands in Polynesia, it's an amazing story of man's persistence and endurance in the face of difficulties. In the beginning, the story basically read along the lines 'if something can go wrong, it will'. As the six men set out to cross the ocean on a single raft, the author spoils the reader not only with the recount of everyday life on the sea but also insights into the history and culture of different nations and places. It's well written with a healthy dose of humor and suspense to make you want to read on. All my fears of not being able to finish the book because I'll find it too boring were totally unfounded and dismissed. Finally, I could not help but compare my own experience at sea this summer with some of the situations our main heroes were having on board of Kon-Tiki. It was in no way comparable, but it did bring back nice memories.
Considering that travel or journey narratives are not my cup of tea, I found myself surprisingly engaged with Thor Heyerdahl's recount of his adventures on the sea. At times, it was even difficult to believe that it is not fiction, it really happened. From the conception of the idea to cross the Pacific in a raft till reaching one of the islands in Polynesia, it's an amazing story of man's persistence and endurance in the face of difficulties. In the beginning, the story basically read along the lines 'if something can go wrong, it will'. As the six men set out to cross the ocean on a single raft, the author spoils the reader not only with the recount of everyday life on the sea but also insights into the history and culture of different nations and places. It's well written with a healthy dose of humor and suspense to make you want to read on. All my fears of not being able to finish the book because I'll find it too boring were totally unfounded and dismissed. Finally, I could not help but compare my own experience at sea this summer with some of the situations our main heroes were having on board of Kon-Tiki. It was in no way comparable, but it did bring back nice memories.
What a riveting story! Is it possible that primitive people used to cross the ocean from Peru to the Polynesian islands? 6 men set out on a raft, simply crafted as the Polynesians would have used, to find out. I cannot imagine being out in the ocean on a raft for over 3 months with all the dangers they ran into but I couldn't stop reading. They're far braver than I.