I knew next to nothing about Captain James Cook when i picked up this audiobook... history books generally glass over his voyages, even though he explored an area that encompasses nearly 1/3 of the globe! Horwitz's urge to learn all he could about the man and his work is infectious... you can see this in the text rubbing off on those around him, as seen in Roger, his companion on many of his "Cook" travels.

Retracing Captain Cook's three voyages, relying heavily on the diaires of Cook himself, Horwitz decides to take a short trip to the Pacific Northwest to sail for 10 days in a replica of Cook's ship. He wanted a feel for the life or a seaman, and he sure gets it!! Next he sets off to Australia and New Zealand. His journalistic style brings in great aspects of history, anthropology, and language. He interviews Maori people in New Zealand and Aborigines in Australia, asking them what memories their people have of Cook and his men. Both groups remember Captain Cook, oftentimes in a negative light. It does not appear that they despise Cook as a man, but more of what he stood for, and what his exploration meant for the native culture.

Horwitz and Roger then begin to island hop around the Pacific. I particularly liked the time they spent on the island of Niue (like Horwitz, I had never heard of this island!) Describing the scene, Horwitz claims it may be the last part of Polynesia that is not spoiled by commercialism and tourists. He and Roger stay for a week on this small island (only 11 miles long!) and try to unravel the mystery of the hula hula (Cook's men were scared away from these islands by men with red teeth, and they named the island Savage Island because they thought the people were cannibals).

Roger and Horwitz go to Yorkshire England, Cook's birthplace (and Roger's too), and take part in a few days of the Cook festival. They meet Cliff, the young president of the Captain Cook society, and try to find out as much as they can about the enigmatic Cook. Going to Cook's own home gives Horwitz a different take on the man, and he learns more about Cook's beliefs and his philosophies.

Cook's travels to Alaska and the Aleutian islands are discussed in the book, and Horwitz marvels at how Captain Cook was able to make it in the Bering Sea, the meeting place of the warm Pacifc winds and the Arctic winds.

Their travels end in Hawaii, like Cook's did in 1778. They commemorate Cook on the beach where he was killed.

I learned a great deal from this book. Polynesian history and culture is drastically overlooked in America. People travel to Hawaii for its sandy beaches, but have no idea about the history of its great people. Horwitz's observation about the vastness and homogenous nature of Polynesian culture was astounding to me. The people of Tonga and Niue had similar rituals, and the islanders of Hawaii, thousands of miles away had many of the same customs. This makes Polynesian culture and ethnicity more expansive than any other.

The other aspect of this book that fascinated me was how Horwitz tried to get into Cook's head. Cook was a son of the Enlightenment, and did not come to Polynesia with preconceived notions of God, Gold, and Glory like the conquistadors. He wanted to discover and learn about others, and was very scientifically conscious for a man of his time.

I found a great interview with Horwitz on Powells.com... it tells so much more about the book! Enjoy! http://www.powells.com/authors/horwitz.html

I received this as a gift from Seferim today. Thank you for your generosity! I look forward to listening to this book!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

This was actually near the Ellen Tracy store but site was not letting me say this.