Rating: 
Summary: The Best TRUE Adventure I've Ever Read
Review: Martin and Osa lived exceptional lives, of a sort that can't really be lived today. The strength of the book is that it is Osa's first-person narrative. This is someone who was really there. And the Johnsons do some amazing things together. The book keeps moving at a fast pace, the adventures keep coming, and I didn't want it to end.
The book is a window into a very different era. The Johnsons were products of their time, and some of their viewpoints will bother a few readers. They were not bigots, and in fact appear to me to be rather enlightened for the time, but some of her descriptions of native peoples seem slightly condescending. I may be reading something that isn't there. Some of their practices while exploring and photographing new places would now be totally unacceptable--Stirring up inoffensive animals to get some action for the cameras, or casually introducing an alien plant (watercress) into Africa. Again, these are products of the views of that day, rather than something to condemn.The book does have some weaknesses: The biggest one is that this is (effectively) "The Authorized Biography". Many problems and difficulties are glossed over. I read in the modern Introduction that Martin continually struggled with health problems during his adventures, but there is no hint of that in the text. Because the book covers so much ground, in many cases the description of their adventures is scanty, and I wanted more detail. And I suspect there's more to the story in some cases. So I am going to find some other books on the Johnsons and try to learn more about them. Perhaps that's the strongest thing to say about the book--That it left me wanting to know more, and inspired to find it out! I'm also going to visit the museum in Kansas dedicated to their work.
Rating: 
Summary: Marvelous, despite its weaknesses
Review: Martin and Osa lived exceptional lives, of a sort that can't really be lived today. The strength of the book is that it is Osa's first-person narrative. This is someone who was really there. And the Johnsons do some amazing things together. The book keeps moving at a fast pace, the adventures keep coming, and I didn't want it to end.
The book is a window into a very different era. The Johnsons were products of their time, and some of their viewpoints will bother a few readers. They were not bigots, and in fact appear to me to be rather enlightened for the time, but some of her descriptions of native peoples seem slightly condescending. I may be reading something that isn't there. Some of their practices while exploring and photographing new places would now be totally unacceptable--Stirring up inoffensive animals to get some action for the cameras, or casually introducing an alien plant (watercress) into Africa. Again, these are products of the views of that day, rather than something to condemn. The book does have some weaknesses: The biggest one is that this is (effectively) "The Authorized Biography". Many problems and difficulties are glossed over. I read in the modern Introduction that Martin continually struggled with health problems during his adventures, but there is no hint of that in the text. Because the book covers so much ground, in many cases the description of their adventures is scanty, and I wanted more detail. And I suspect there's more to the story in some cases. So I am going to find some other books on the Johnsons and try to learn more about them. Perhaps that's the strongest thing to say about the book--That it left me wanting to know more, and inspired to find it out! I'm also going to visit the museum in Kansas dedicated to their work.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Have Ever Read. Period.
Review: My grandmother gave me this book 20 years ago and told me it was her very favorite book. I began reading it just to please her, but soon found out that it was ( and is) my favorite book also. I have recommended it so many times, but I only have one very old,worn out copy. I am so pleased to be able to find it at Amazon. This book is magical, and all the more beautiful because it is true. You will never forget this book once read. A note, I have recently found that there is a museum devoted to the Johnsons in Kansas. I can't wait to go......
Rating:
Summary: Read this 20 years ago as a young adult, GREAT period Bio.
Review: Thanks to Kodansha for republishing this book. I bought
it second- or third-hand twenty years ago as a young adult, and lost it in a house fire two years later. I¹ve been
scrounging used book stores for it ever since. This book has often been in my mind over the years as a story of a
determined young woman who followed her own dreams and found, in her husband, a friend who shared her ideas.
If you have an interest in history from the first quarter
of this century, photography, airplanes, anthropology, wildlife, Africa, headhunters, or just enjoy love stories -- you will find this a fascinating read. I heartily recommend it as a book about the role women had in the exploration of the world early in this century. Amelia Earhart didn¹t go half the places Osa did: she just had better press.
The path that an average, turn-of-the-century woman takes from the ribbons and ruffles of her little-girl days to the pith helmets, rogue elephants, and head hunters that filled her life as a young bride is astounding. I believe that even if Osa had never met Martin Johnson, we would still
be reading about her accomplishments today. What happens to
them in their travels around the world will hardly be believed by today¹s young readers. This was a time when there were still undocumented civilizations, fantastic ³unseen² lands, and undiscovered creatures. Film cameras were turned by a hand crank at just so many revolutions per minute or the film was ruined. Precious film could be ruined
by heat, fungus or moisture. Often, first-encounter footage
was ruined due to spoiled developing chemicals, or was lost in the scramble to leave an island before the Johnson couple became the main course at the next party.
This couple defined the ³travelogue" format in a time before talkies. They are the cinegraphic ancestors to Jacque Cousteau and to shows such as Omaha¹s Wild Kingdom, National Geographic Specials, and Nature. Osa writes of a time in history that few of us today can imagine. Please, let her show you our world, as she saw it for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: Read this 20 years ago as a young adult, GREAT period Bio.
Review: Thanks to Kodansha for republishing this book. I bought it second- or third-hand twenty years ago as a young adult, and lost it in a house fire two years later. I¹ve been scrounging used book stores for it ever since. This book has often been in my mind over the years as a story of a determined young woman who followed her own dreams and found, in her husband, a friend who shared her ideas. If you have an interest in history from the first quarter of this century, photography, airplanes, anthropology, wildlife, Africa, headhunters, or just enjoy love stories -- you will find this a fascinating read. I heartily recommend it as a book about the role women had in the exploration of the world early in this century. Amelia Earhart didn¹t go half the places Osa did: she just had better press. The path that an average, turn-of-the-century woman takes from the ribbons and ruffles of her little-girl days to the pith helmets, rogue elephants, and head hunters that filled her life as a young bride is astounding. I believe that even if Osa had never met Martin Johnson, we would still be reading about her accomplishments today. What happens to them in their travels around the world will hardly be believed by today¹s young readers. This was a time when there were still undocumented civilizations, fantastic ³unseen² lands, and undiscovered creatures. Film cameras were turned by a hand crank at just so many revolutions per minute or the film was ruined. Precious film could be ruined by heat, fungus or moisture. Often, first-encounter footage was ruined due to spoiled developing chemicals, or was lost in the scramble to leave an island before the Johnson couple became the main course at the next party. This couple defined the ³travelogue" format in a time before talkies. They are the cinegraphic ancestors to Jacque Cousteau and to shows such as Omaha¹s Wild Kingdom, National Geographic Specials, and Nature. Osa writes of a time in history that few of us today can imagine. Please, let her show you our world, as she saw it for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I ever read
Review: There was a copy of this book in our family bookshelf as I was growing up. I read this book over and over, as did many of my siblings. This book grabs you on page one and rushes you forward through the most amazing adventures in the South Seas, then Africa. I buy every second hand copy of this book I find and gift it to one of my siblings, so we can pass it on to our children.
Rating:
Summary: My Familys Favorite Book
Review: This book is great for all ages. It is one of the most exciting books I have ever read. I picked this book up thinking it was going to be a dull story about traveling. I couldn't put it down. I think I must have finished it within a week. It is packed with death threating adventure, tragedy, romance and so much more.
Rating:
Summary: A fun, enjoyable book
Review: This would be excellent for an adolescent or teenager, and is pretty good for adults, too. Osa Johnson describes the many adventures of herself and her husband in a "gosh, golly, gee whiz" fashion. In some ways, it seems like an old movie with, say, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in the starring roles. While Osa Johnson does well describing their amazing trips, her weakness is in describing people. Many of the characters in this book come across only as caricatures -- the crusty sea captain, the gentlemanly british national living in Kenya, the faithful-but-slightly-comical African servant. This isn't a book where you get inside the heads of people. Still the Johnsons had remarkable adventures, and since any one of the trips probably could have been a book in itself, you'll likely be left wishing for more details. Also, the book offers an interesting historical perspective on a period (not that long ago) when the world still had many mysterious places to be explored.
|
