Kon Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl (4.0)
I believe I enjoyed this book because I tended to ignore the overall purpose of the voyage and focused on the trip itself. The basis of the trip was considered racist and pseudoscientific both before and certainly afterward. In the late 1940’s Heyerdahl wanted to prove his theory that people from Peru could have crossed the Pacific to Polynesia using the materials available at the time and the winds/currents. Against much push-back from scientists and people familiar with crossing the Pacific, he convinced 5 others to join him and they went across the ocean on a large raft. His rendition of the voyage is riveting. I was most surprised at the number and variety of ocean life that followed them throughout the journey. They seemed fascinated with the raft in their territory and surprisingly more curious than aggressive. This is an interesting true tale of adventure.