When I was very young my father used to read my brothers, my sister and I books from his collection. Yesterday I picked up this book, by chance, in a store and could not put it down. I bought it, read it last night and realized that this was one of those books that had been read to me so long ago. It's funny to think this, but looking back on it I realize that I always believed the story to be fiction. Nothing like this could ever really happen!...but it DID happen, and not too long ago either. Last night I sat down with this book and could not put it down until it was finished. You are drawn into the planning of the expedition, the day-to-day life of the crew and, by the end of the book, you feel as though you were ON the Kon-Tiki with these six men. You reach the end of the book and instantly crave another adventure, or another thousand pages. I would be doing this book an injustice by trying to explain the feeling it gives the reader, but to say that it has effortlessly toppled every notion I ever had about what makes a "good" book would be very accurate indeed. A must read--for anyone of any age in any country.

This book is for the voyeur that wants a window into the lost age of adventure, those years before 1940. The book is rightly regarded as one of the greatest accounts of real life adventures ever written. It paints exhilarating, vivid pictures of risk taking, and of the human hunger for adventure and desire to return to experiencing life through ones primal instincts. This book is about survival, a chase, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It sets The Sea against Man, thin odds against practical ingenuity, conventional academic thought against independent, irreverent, defiant thinkers. Reading about the author's 4,000-mile journey across huge expanses of treacherous ocean brings out the would-be adventurer in the reader. The adventurers' single mindedness and determination against all odds and in the face of nay saying experts (who condemned the journey from the start as foolish, and said their voyage never would or could succeed), sets an inspiring example of how determination and perseverance can lead to accomplishing what self-appointed experts and nay Sayers declare impossible. During their voyage the author and his team pushed the boundaries and commonplace notions of what is possible. The author in part wants us to understand that not all seemingly adventurous fools and are so foolish; that determination can see one across barren, stormy oceans, be they real or metaphorical. On completing the book, all that remains is for the reader to respond to its heed, to push ones own limits to their edge. In a corporate world where too often money is the primary force in leading us to act, where the value of an activity is measured by its potential financial payback, it is refreshing to be reminded of other motivations for action, and of other rewards. The ultimate reward of this book is that it can reawaken in the reader a primal instinct to pursue, instincts which often seems irrelevant or far away in our modern, comfortable lives... this book also reminds the reader of how to dream and the virtues of following dreams. The book serves to remind us of how, why, and where to find adventure ... personally, I walked away from the book exhilarated, and convinced that anything is possible, should I choose to look beyond conventional thought or lifestyle and reach for the stars. ***** Highly Recommended.

As a youngster, I saw the documentary of this amazing story and was thrilled from the start. Soon thereafter, I read this book entirely in three days, completely enthralled in the narrative. Dr. Heyerdahl had proven his skeptics wrong, demonstrating how an early civilization (in this case, the Native Americans of Peru) could cross the Pacific on a raft to populate what is today Polynesia. Based on the Peruvian legend of the hero Kon-Tiki (later deified) who successfully built and sailed a similar raft many centuries ago.
I have since read other Heyerdahl authored works, including "Fatu-Hiva" and "Aku-Aku." Although they too are extremely rousing, I personally feel a greater spirit of adventure in this story, hence it is my favorite.
As mentioned in the title, there is one sad commentary to make: on the day of writing this review (4/18/02), I learned that Dr. Heyerdahl died of a brain tumor at age 87. May he rest in peace.

This a great book for those who like real adventures. It makes you feel like you are taking part of an archeological expedition. The only defect that I found is that it is a little long for its content.

Yes, this is a thick book...but a richly told adventure full of personable characters. The author, his crew and his family spent one year on Easter Island. The purpose: to find archeological treasures and uncover the mysteries of the past. They came with just the right attitude to find success. Without the superior attitude that one often finds in similar adventure stories, they let an open mind and curiosity lead the way. Like any population anywhere, they enounter good people and bad, both the wise and the ignorant. But time, patience, hard work, and respect for the present culture eventually bring success. The result: one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time is brought to light. How many times have we heard that the mysterious statues on Easter Island could be the result of a past alien invasion? Well, the present day inhabitants of Easter Island would certainly find that humorous. Nobody bothered to ask them how the multi-ton statues were moved. When asked they not only explained, they demonstrated. Mystery solved. Yet, judging by how many times Easter Island is mentioned along with Atlantis and the Bermuda triangle one would think that this book had never been written.
Don't avoid reading because it's long...even if you skipped through, you'd still uncover much that is worthwhile and interesting. Native people's all over the world have so much to teach "civilized" societies, if only we would listen. Their history has been handed down verbally through the centuries, in much the same way as other Polynesian wanderers (the Maori) and all kinds of tidbits can be garnered. I was fascinated.

This is one of those good kind of books that goes great with a rainy day and a cup of tea as you sit in your very normal surroundings imagining a place that is unimaginable.

Beware, though, of the large portions of uninteresting zoological mumbojumbo, and even worse, the offensive and continuous ranting of the Darwin-religion rhetoric.

Dig past the rubbish, and you'll find something worthwhile.

This is great book about Heyerdahl's adventures and philosophies before and which inspired Kon-Tiki. Unfortunately, for me, it is an exact, word-for-word copy of Fatu Hiva - except for the title.

Twenty years ago I read Heyerdahl's first book about his year-long stay on Fatu-Hiva. Now out of print, but renewed in this book, is the vivid recollection of his time when the rest of the world stood still and he and his new bride explored a strange new culture and began the process of discovery not only for themselves but for all of us

This slim book (only some 85 pages of text) is a fascinating biography of the controversial anthropologist and explorer Thor Heyerdahl. Starting with his birth in Norway, the book shows his life, and also his development of his theories about the prehistoric movements of peoples. His first three expeditions (Kon-Tiki, Ra I and Ra II) are covered in exquisite detail, showing what he discovered (about prehistoric man and about pollution on the modern world) and how.

This book makes a wonderful addition to the library of anyone interested in Thor Heyerdahl and his theories. Seeing what he learned and when, and how he developed his theories was quite informative to me. Having been published in 1979, it is obvious that there is a great deal of information that is not here. That said, however, this is a wonderful biography, and a great introduction for anyone interested in Mr. Heyerdahl.

A good book if your interested in Easter Island. It was not quite as interesting a read as Heyerdahl's "Kon-Tiki" however. It tends to focus on the natives currently living on the island more than those who created the statues the island is famous for. But, criticisms aside, Heyerdahl proved again to be a very adept writer.

This book was very informative about the expedition to Easter Island by Thor Heyerdahl. While, at times, the writing was characteristic of a journal...it was nevertheless informative and a good read.

Though criticised as commercial and overexposed, Thor Heyerdahl must be considered as one of the first scientists in wide spreading his archeological knowledge in an amusing and understandable way to common readers. And this book is a clear example of his effort. After his scientific expedition to Easter Island in 1957, Thor Heyerdahl wrote this fascinating book of discoveries, new theories and adventures. It was such a pleasure for me reading it that I can only recommend it.