Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft

Rating:
Summary: The Great Adventure
Review: "Kon Tiki" is one of the great adventure stories of all time. In 1947, six young Norwegians floated in a balsa-wood raft from Peru to the Polynesian islands of the South Seas. The trip took them 101 days and they traveled 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific without seeing a single other boat or ship. Only occasionally were they able to communicate with the outside world by radio, and the possibility of rescue should their primitive raft sink or break up in the heavy seas they often experienced was slim to none.

The journey was inspired by the theories of Thor Heyerdahl who speculated that the ancient civilizations of Peru had floated across the Pacific to reach the Polynesian islands. Scoffed at by scientists, Heyerdahl organized the expedition to prove that a raft crossing of the Pacific was possible. It was a foolhardy stunt -- but makes for a great story.

"Kon Tiki" tells the story of the expedition from beginning to the end when the crew of the raft is marooned on an idyllic paradise isle in the South Pacific. Rereading the book after many years, I was most impressed with how isolated and empty the Pacific Ocean was and how unexploited was its sea life in 1947. I fear that such is no longer the case.

Heyerdahl's theories of oceanic migrations from the Americas to Polynesia are still pooh-baahed by archaeologists today, although it seems that the sweet potato by some means made it from Peru to Polynesia in pre-historic times. Whatever your opinion may be regarding Heyerdahl as a scientist the story of the "Kon Tiki" is unique and original. Read it and weep because the opportunity for an adventure of such scope and daring is no longer possible in our over-crowded world.

Smallchief

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put the book down!
Review: A book that my father recommended me to read when I was fourteen years old. Fourteen year olds don't like to read....but I read and read and read. An excellent compilation of an amzing story. One that my father read as a boy and remembered years later to tell me about. Now, many years later, I still vividly remember. A story I will recomend to my children, and hopefully they to their children!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A great story if you like modern adventure, biology, anthropology, and exploration or all of the above. Heyerdahl (hard name to spell) uses a pretty straightforward, cheerful writing style that anyone can appreciate. I guess my only complaint is that he doesn't really get in to the "nitty gritty" of the voyage. No squabbles between crew members, no bathroom humor, no ancedotes of that nature. That's allright though, not really the purpose of the book anyways. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A great story if you like modern adventure, biology, anthropology, and exploration or all of the above. Heyerdahl (hard name to spell) uses a pretty straightforward, cheerful writing style that anyone can appreciate. I guess my only complaint is that he doesn't really get in to the "nitty gritty" of the voyage. No squabbles between crew members, no bathroom humor, no ancedotes of that nature. That's allright though, not really the purpose of the book anyways. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Epic adventure engagingly told
Review: Adventurer Thor Heyerdahl was not only a pioneer of exploration and experimentation, but he pioneered a genre of writing: survival in nature, particularly on the sea. Nobody does it better than Heyerdahl, who makes science and nature instantly relatable and intriguing...exciting and relevant. This is a classic story, vividly told, of the monumental task of building a raft, assembling a crew, and setting out for the great unknown in dangerous, shark-infested waters. Simply put, this is one of my favorite books of all time. Read it now, and thank me later.

Rating:
Summary: I now want to sail across the Pacific!
Review: Although the middle part of this book drags (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5), I was really satisfied when I finished reading this book. I was on vacation in Oslo and had visited the Kon-Tiki museum. I had never heard of Thor Heyerdahl before, but from what I saw at the museum, I was very fascinated and intrigued by the story of his trip across the Pacific on a balsa-wood raft. The week I came home I immediately started reading this book, and I was not disappointed. I was really fascinated by the accounts of interaction with sea animals, whales, sharks, dolphins, etc. that I immediately wanted to go sailing on a wide open sea in order to see all these exotic animals that Heyerdahl and his crew encountered. This book allows you to live vicariously and experience three months worth of sailing on a raft in the Pacific Ocean. This is a definite read for the sea lovers and travelers out there in the world who yearn for adventure.

Rating:
Summary: great classic about crossing South Pacific on a raft
Review: Although the theory this adventure was trying to prove (that the South Pacific Islands were populated by people from South America) has been disproved, it still DID prove that ancient natives were indeed capable of great sea voyages using simple boats. (Many experts said this was impossible.) I loved this book and was pulled in from the very first page. I love true stories of people who throw caution to the wind and have astonishing and unique adventures. Imagine sailing over 4,000 nautical miles on a raft. I learned a great deal about sea life as I read the book. I found myself going to the web to find more facts about the fish and other marine life. Also incorporated into the book is legend and lore about Polynesian culture and history. Including Easter Island. I spent 2 weeks on Easter Island, and have a special fascination with it. I enjoyed this book immensely!

Rating:
Summary: A Thrilling Adventure (with a small, sad commentary added)
Review: As a youngster, I saw the documentary of this amazing story and was thrilled from the start. Soon thereafter, I read this book entirely in three days, completely enthralled in the narrative. Dr. Heyerdahl had proven his skeptics wrong, demonstrating how an early civilization (in this case, the Native Americans of Peru) could cross the Pacific on a raft to populate what is today Polynesia. Based on the Peruvian legend of the hero Kon-Tiki (later deified) who successfully built and sailed a similar raft many centuries ago.
I have since read other Heyerdahl authored works, including "Fatu-Hiva" and "Aku-Aku." Although they too are extremely rousing, I personally feel a greater spirit of adventure in this story, hence it is my favorite.
As mentioned in the title, there is one sad commentary to make: on the day of writing this review (4/18/02), I learned that Dr. Heyerdahl died of a brain tumor at age 87. May he rest in peace.

Rating:
Summary: A Thrilling Adventure (with a small, sad commentary added)
Review: As a youngster, I watched the documentary of this amazing story and was immediately hooked on it. A few years later, I read the book and was enthralled. Dr. Heyerdahl's ultimate 'field study' to prove that ancient peoples could cross vast stretches of ocean held my attention from beginning to end; I read the entire book in just a couple of days. Heyerdahl's other works such as "Fatu-Hiva," and "Aku-Aku" are also rousing stories of his real-life exploits. However, it is "Kon-Tiki" which retains the best spirit of adventure and human endeavor, and thus remains my personal favorite.
As the above title states, there is a sad note to include in this review: I learned yesterday (4/18/02) that Dr. Heyerdahl died of a brain tumor at age 87. May he rest in peace.

Rating:
Summary: Kon-Tiki : Across the Pacific by Raft
Review: Do you like reading books that have adventure and keep you in suspense? Then Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl is the book for you. Kon-Tiki is about a few explorers that wanted to prove that the inhabitants of a certain island in the Pacific came from Peru. The explorers start off at Peru, build a raft, and set off to prove their theory on their 2000-mile journey. On their trip they discover interesting things about sea life. They encountered whales, dolphins, sharks and other amazing creatures of the sea on their journey and learned a few things about them. One of my favorite parts about this book is when the explorers catch their food and interact with some of the sea creatures. They use the resources around them to catch their food and discover that living at sea is not as boring as it seems. This is one of the best books of its time. It has every thing to make you enjoy the story. Kon-Tiki will make you laugh and make you nervous. It will keep you in suspense and you will discover amazing things about the sea.