"Am going to cross Pacific on a wooden raft to support a theory that the South Sea islands were peopled from Peru. Will you come? —Reply at once." That is how six brave and inquisitive men came to seek a dangerous path to test a scientific theory. On a primitive raft made of forty-foot balsa logs and named "Kon-Tiki" in honor of a legendary sun king, Heyerdahl and five companions deliberately risked their lives to show that the ancient Peruvians could have made the 4,300-mile voyage to the Polynesian islands on a similar craft. (Goodreads)
Reviewed by: Laina, a bookworm
Let me just say this, I am scared stiff of open
water where I cant see what is underneath me. Sharks terrify me and I don't
like seafood. But for some reason Kon-Tiki made me want to go sail the Pacific Ocean
on a raft and eat glowing plankton like oatmeal. Even my mother was a little
shocked when I declared my intentions to be a nautical explorer. I haven't gone
sailing yet, but this book let me see the Ocean. I saw the wildness and beauty
through the eyes of the daring Mr. Heyerdahl.
Kon-Tiki is a true story. Thor Heyerdahl (great
name huh? cant imagine him as a little kid) led the voyage. He set out to prove
a theory he had about how people reached Polynesia. People claimed that a balsa
wood raft, which natives would have used, couldn't possible stay afloat long
enough to reach land. Mr. Heyerdahl wanted to prove that the people of
Polynesia had actually come from South America. So what would any normal person
do to test a theory? Well Thor Heyerdahl would go make himself a nice little
balsa wood raft and try to do what he claimed the Polynesians had done.
Mr. Heyerdahl sailed with five other men. I think
it's funny that he made sure he chose men who didn't know each other previously.
He knew that after spending a lot of time together in close quarters, one's
temper could be, well, short.
Mr. Heyerdahl planned carefully, and he had to go
through a lot to even get his raft and start sailing. Half the journey was getting
started on the journey itself. I loved this book because of its rich
description of the Pacific Ocean. It was so wild and beautiful. The raft was
silent because it was moved only with a sail. One gets a much closer view of
nature when one is quiet. The men on the Kon-Tiki expedition came into very
close contact with Ocean life. Sharks came close enough to touch. There were
fish that stayed with them during the whole watery voyage.
Thor Heyerdahl tells the story of his adventure
beautifully. It is almost poetic at points and always gripping. A small part of
me knew they were going to make it, but there was still the tingling of fear
when large sea creatures got close and fierce storms battered their helpless
raft. There was a wistful longing to go sailing, with nothing around but open
Ocean as far as the eye can see, when I finished this book. So deep down
inside, a little part of me longs for the Ocean, for freedom to sail into the horizon and never look back.
Market: anywhere from early teens to adults, a
documentary
Language: I don't recall any
Sensuality: none
Violence: none
2 comments:
Hurrah for experimental archaeology! I've got to read this -- sounds great. Thanks for the review!
Wow, this sounds terrific! I am soooo terrified of sharks, so the fact that I'm even saying that I want to read a book where sharks come close enough to touch (GAH!) is a Big Deal. But you make it sound awesome, Laina. Thanks for the great review!
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