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A review by apmreads
Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz
4.0
I initially went into this book a) because it's Tony Horwitz and I enjoy his writing style/storytelling, and b) because I wanted still more history on Hawai'i, even if it involved another European explorer that I half-cared about. I checked this out at my library as soon as I could, and I was not disappointed!
Before reading this, I had only heard of Captain Cook briefly, but he never held my interest enough to make an impression. It wasn't until the option of hiking to his monument in Kealakekua Bay for good snorkeling came up that I started questioning more about who he was, what he did, and the legacy he left behind. Particularly, what did that legacy look like in Hawai'i for Hawaiians?
I went into the book expecting the typical explorer trope: they came, they saw, they spread venereal disease and killed indigenous populations for sport; but I was surprised to find that Cook was actually one of the more open-minded, dare I say, caring explorers? Maybe a bit of a stretch, but I think Horwitz's remarks in the closing chapter summed it up nicely: "If there was an overriding message in [Cook's] journals, it was that people, the world over, were alike in their essential nature-even if they ate their enemies, made love in public, worshipped idols, or, like Aborigines, cared not at all for material goods. No matter how strange another society might at first appear, there were almost always grounds for mutual understanding and respect."
Horwitz took to land, air, and sea to follow Cook's paths through the Pacific on his three voyages from the 1760s to 1779. His writing was easy to follow, enjoyable, and humorous while also being fair, informative, and light on making Cook a saintly character in history. I appreciated Horwitz's efforts to talk with local people, explore indigenous cultures and perspectives, and paint Cook's explorations in an unbiased lens.
If you're a fan of travel writing mixed with history set (mostly) in the sunny Pacific Ocean, I say give this book a go. Horwitz was one of my favorite modern writers, and I'm glad this could steal me back to Hawai'i for a few days longer while also teaching me a lot about Captain Cook and the valuable insights his voyages left behind for the rest of us.
Before reading this, I had only heard of Captain Cook briefly, but he never held my interest enough to make an impression. It wasn't until the option of hiking to his monument in Kealakekua Bay for good snorkeling came up that I started questioning more about who he was, what he did, and the legacy he left behind. Particularly, what did that legacy look like in Hawai'i for Hawaiians?
I went into the book expecting the typical explorer trope: they came, they saw, they spread venereal disease and killed indigenous populations for sport; but I was surprised to find that Cook was actually one of the more open-minded, dare I say, caring explorers? Maybe a bit of a stretch, but I think Horwitz's remarks in the closing chapter summed it up nicely: "If there was an overriding message in [Cook's] journals, it was that people, the world over, were alike in their essential nature-even if they ate their enemies, made love in public, worshipped idols, or, like Aborigines, cared not at all for material goods. No matter how strange another society might at first appear, there were almost always grounds for mutual understanding and respect."
Horwitz took to land, air, and sea to follow Cook's paths through the Pacific on his three voyages from the 1760s to 1779. His writing was easy to follow, enjoyable, and humorous while also being fair, informative, and light on making Cook a saintly character in history. I appreciated Horwitz's efforts to talk with local people, explore indigenous cultures and perspectives, and paint Cook's explorations in an unbiased lens.
If you're a fan of travel writing mixed with history set (mostly) in the sunny Pacific Ocean, I say give this book a go. Horwitz was one of my favorite modern writers, and I'm glad this could steal me back to Hawai'i for a few days longer while also teaching me a lot about Captain Cook and the valuable insights his voyages left behind for the rest of us.