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icbikecommuter's review against another edition
3.0
A fun adventure book. The author suspects the Polynesian Islands were inhabited by people from Peru who traveled there in rafts. He builds a raft and proves it is possible with 5 other men. An interesting adventure story.
dadair's review against another edition
5.0
Even after all these years this is a fascinating journey. The language and the ‘prejudice’ of the time just after WWII adds an odd, but interesting, flavor to this book. You get a great story of the trip itself along with a look into the early 1950s. You can almost smell the sea salt and here the South Sea breezes. You are transported back in time and across the Pacific.
mpetty3's review against another edition
5.0
For my money, the best adventure story ever. Its like a trans-continental roadtrip, you, some friends, and your car(or raft) and only this time there is a fair chance you will sink thousands of miles from anything and nobody will ever see you again. Entertaining, exciting and informative. I learned how to shrink a human skull. Seriously, who else can claim to possess such esoteric knowledge?
firstwords's review against another edition
5.0
Beware, reactionaries: Kon-Tiki contains some observations of ethnicity that some may take offense at and postulates/makes observations on "primitive" people that we know now to be incorrect. However, if the reader keeps in mind the time that this was written, and the prevailing (American) attitude of the time, then this book is very liberal. It helps that it was written by a Scandanavian, for an American author of that time would have been more bigoted or paternalistic. Also, the treatment of some sea creatures, now listed as endangered, may anger some. Keep in mind that this was standard practice.
That said, I echo other positive reviews of the book as a true seafaring tale. I could not put it down, and read it over the course of 24 hours. As a lover of the sea and everything in it, the tale of floating across the sea, and the descriptions of the life they encountered, were so enticing as to make my hair stand on end. I wholly recommend this to any lover of the sea. It now ranks up the with Far Tortuga for me.
That said, I echo other positive reviews of the book as a true seafaring tale. I could not put it down, and read it over the course of 24 hours. As a lover of the sea and everything in it, the tale of floating across the sea, and the descriptions of the life they encountered, were so enticing as to make my hair stand on end. I wholly recommend this to any lover of the sea. It now ranks up the with Far Tortuga for me.
gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
3.0
There are a few different levels to this book. First, there is the part about adventure. That part is interesting and fun. Then, there is the part about the science. That part is mixed. The idea that the people of the Pacific Islands came from Peru is wrong (according to linguistic, pottery, and DNA sources, they apparently came from Taiwan), but it is kind of cool that he did all this to prove a theory based on what he was told by indigenous people. Then, there are all the race issues. It is pretty clear that he has a "noble savage" idea and is trying to prove that it was some great white ancestors who came across the seas. So, all in all, it is a slow book that has really interesting moments and some that are frustrating or uncomfortable, because of the way he talks about the native people. I'm glad that I finally got to read it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.
sunsoar25's review against another edition
4.0
Adventurous or reckless? Either way, it's an epic journey!
jessebalster's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes reality is more interesting than any imagined story!
One cool highlight from this book is that they tried to create the raft as similar as possible to those used by ancient civilizations. A lot of naval experts gave the raft no chance of crossing the Atlantic. But it turned out that all the things they mimicked from history books were crucial in keeping the raft adrift. For me this showed that we can easily misjudge the value and importance of old traditions and customs.
One cool highlight from this book is that they tried to create the raft as similar as possible to those used by ancient civilizations. A lot of naval experts gave the raft no chance of crossing the Atlantic. But it turned out that all the things they mimicked from history books were crucial in keeping the raft adrift. For me this showed that we can easily misjudge the value and importance of old traditions and customs.