To unravel the mystery, Horwitz retraces the three great epic voyages of Cook. We travel with him to such destinations as Bora Bora, the Bering Sea, The Great Barrier Reef, Tonga, Kealakekua Bay, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Savage Island, and Alaska. Meticulously Horwitz researches his topic and brilliantly intertwines his own personal travel experiences with those documented by Cook and his crew.Moreover our author's keen intellect is effectively captured in the conversations he conducts with many of the various local inhabitants whom he spontaneously encounters during his wanderings.
From these discussions and research we notice the dichotomy of Cook's legacy. On the one hand there are those, such as historian Bernard Smith, who contend, "that wherever he went he was spreading the curses much more liberally than the benefits of European civilization."In fact, some of the natives and their descendants Horwitz encounters, considered Cook to be a heinous character that wrought on native people: disease, greed, thievery and prostitution.On the other hand, many rightfully point out that when Cook commenced his voyages, a third of the world remained blank. When he violently was killed in 1779 in Hawaii, the world's map was substantially complete.
Apart from researching the geographical settings of Cook's voyages, Horwitz also experienced the life as a shipman during the era of this great globetrotter.In order to accomplish this feat, the author initiates his journey by signing up as a volunteer crewmember of a museum-quality replica of Cook's first ship called the Endeavour.The boat travelled from Gig Harbour, Washington to Vancouver, British Colombia.At each port the ship's professional crew took on volunteers to help sail the next leg.The objective was to experience the lifestyles of eighteenth century sailors and, as we discover from reading the first chapter, this mission was accomplished, to a limited degree.
Blue Latitudes is a truly remarkable book in that the author tackles a considerable undertaking in order to expose the ghosts of the past. No doubt, after reading the book, we gain a tremendous amount of knowledge pertaining to this renowned adventurer. Although, we may still ask, will the real James Cook stand up, in order that we can identify him?
This review first appeared on reviewer's own sitewww.bookpleasures.com
The most interesting part of the book was the comparision between Cook's recorded history of the islands and native people he visited, versus the current condition today. Nearly all of the locations have become much more westernized, often times for the worse. For example, one island described by Cook as a paradise is now a seedy tourist trap with environmental and economic problems. There are quite a few humorous interludes in the book. I think the funniest ones involve the author meeting with a Polynesian King, or the drunken weekend in the Australian badlands.
Unfortunatley, the author feels like a bit of a dilantette when addressing most of the topics in the book other than his personal observations. Many sources of information are ancedotal or secondhand, based on the experience of locals that he encounters along the way. He is not an expert in cultural anthropology, history, or seamanship...and this shows in his prose. His buddy Roger was a positive addition to the book in that he adds some comic relief and nautical skills but he almost becomes stereotyped as the "drinking buddy" by the end. Had the author been paired with some sort of expert who was familiar with the Pacific Rim or Oceania, I think the end result would've been a world class book.
Although it was well written, I didn't sense the author's passion for the topic at hand, and that is the main reason I gave this book 3 stars. A more rigorous application of academic or historical principles would have also helped.
