Book Review: The Wide Wide Sea

I just finished reading a book on Captain James Cook's final voyage titled The Wide Wide Sea. I have never been good at writing (or even verbalizing) book reviews, so why not practice here?

To be honest, I think book reviews are mostly irrelevant, excluding those who are looking to purchase books. If it's unanimous that the book sucks, why waste the money? However, in the status quo, most reviews are politically motivated to some degree, which is sad.

This is the second book in a row that I have read on early British exploration of the high seas. The first book I read was The Wager, a very readable and enjoyable book.

This genre has not only educated me on a historical subject that I should have been better informed of, but also afforded me a new found respect for the men who came before. These men would run circles around modern men in every conceivable aspect. They were real men, driven by a purpose. 

Not to digress, but much of our nihilistic nature today are the results of the conquest of men of yesterday. In many regards, their successes have left their decedents twiddling their thumbs. 

I thought about asking AI for some advice on how to formally write a book review. Actually, I don't want to be dishonest, I did ask AI, "standard outline for writing a book review?" It came up with the 8 or 9 steps that book reviews entail. I very briefly scanned it before deciding, "You know what, this is my book review. I'm going to write it how I want to."

I actually read a physical copy of the book, and didn't listen to the audiobook. It was on loan from the library, and I've already returned it. I didn't take notes. Thus, I can't sit here and type out quotes, which is something most standard book reviews include.

But, a few days after reading the book, I'll tell you what I learned and found interesting.

Up until the time period of this book (18th century), James Cook was the GOAT of explorers. He had ventured further south than anyone (in search of some mythical southern continent that he proved didn't exist) and further north than anyone (up to the ice pack past the 65th parallel). 

He had essentially retired and came out of retirement in his late 40s to make the voyage the book discusses. He had already been all around the world twice, and was a living legend.

His final mission was to find a route above Canada that connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to bypass the need to go all the way around the southern tip of South America to get to the Pacific ocean. There was essentially a "discovery race" between European empires to stake their claims all around the world. It was rumored that a non-British explorer (I can't recall, but I think he might have been French or Danish) had found his way across the top of Canada, and Cook was sent on a "secret mission" to find it.

The number of worldly discoveries Cook is credited with is truly remarkable. So many places were named by him, and/or after him. He was cool, calm and collected as a captain, and even in the most dangerous situations, he was never rattled.

The "not so secret part" of Cook's final voyage, was to return a Polynesian man to Tahiti. His name was Mai, and he was the first Polynesian to come to Britain. It was a multicultural experiment, exposing Europeans to non-Europeans. He was treated like royalty, and became very close with Cook, as well as the King. Mai spent 4 years in Britain, assimilating to British culture. The goal was to take him back "home" and set him up as an extension of Britain (animal husbandry, weaponry, culture, ethics, etc).

When they finally got him back to Polynesia, Mai wasn't received well. The idea for him to live like a Brit, and expose his peers to British life with the goal of the Polynesians becoming an extension of the British (much like multicultural assimilation is today). Rumor had it that he only lived a couple more years (he was in his early 20s), and none of the animals, plant life or cultural norms that he was responsible for sowing took root.

After re-homing Mai, cook "discovered" the Hawaiian islands while on his way to Alaska. Anytime Cook and his crew (there were 2 boats on this journey) would dock in the tropics, trade and sex were the staples of the stop. Cook was very sympathetic to the natives, and was very aware of the venereal diseases his men had. He tried hard to restrict the sexual encounters from happening, but just like dogs in heat, turn your head for a second and their stuck. 

The women of these tropical islands would throw themselves at the sailors. It would only be once the native men came to understand how much the sailors craved sex that it became marketed. The women, until they came to understand their value, never wanted to "sell" themselves, they just wanted sex with strangers.

It was also theorized, that in many of these cultures the whiter the skin the more social prominence one would have. So perhaps there was that angle, that the women were hoping to have offspring with whiter skin as a hierarchal strategy to increase their familial social status.

But, likely on most occasions it was just the desire to have sex (I don't say this as passing judgement, just the opinion I got after reading this book; nobody knows for sure what their initial motivations were). When Cook came back to Hawaii after he failed to find what he was looking for in Alaska, the women would even swim out to the ship amidst dangerous tides trying to sneak on board. They were determined and just as eager as the European men to fornicate. 

There was obviously a language barrier, so there was no courtship, sex would just occur instantly. Often right on the beaches, or out in the open in general.

Once the native men figured out they could monetize the sex trade, they did. Often the men would take a nail or small piece of iron (this was the primary currency of trade the natives sought) and allow the men to pick from his household (wife or daughter). The sexual morays of Island natives was very different from monogamous European culture.

Ultimately what lead to the death of Captain Cook was that he was viewed as a god. When the ships arrived back to the Hawaiian islands from Alaska, there was a festival going on. This festival was the celebration of a God. When Cook arrived, the natives thought he was a God named Lona, for which the celebration was devoted to.

After spending some time on the island, trading, restoring resources like food and water and fixing the ships, the two ships left. Almost immediately the ships ran into a storm and were forced to return. Their welcome had already somewhat been worn out. The Hawaiians viewed things in cycles, and it wasn't time for "god" to return yet, thus raising suspicions about Cook actually being Lona. While back in the harbor, a boat was stolen off the side of the ship, and Cook went to retrieve it (theft was very common and problematic everywhere they went). After coming ashore, a large group of warriors approached him and Cook shot his gun and killed one of them. This lead to Cook being bludgeoned to death, and possibly eaten after being dragged into the hills.

This was a really interesting book. I think honest book reviews (as with journalism in general) should be objective, as opposed to opinionated. What I have written in this review is what I learned from it. I had no knowledge about Captain Cook before reading this book, and now I do. 

Captain James Cook was a legendary explorer.

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Thanks for reading.

God bless!