Customer Reviews

Green Was the Earth on the Seventh Day: Memories and Journeys of a Lifetime (Kodansha Globe)

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Simply one of the most heart-wrenching and haunting true adventure stories ever written. I was so moved after reading this wonderful book that I could hardly think of anything else for weeks. Nearing the end of this book, I was choking back tears, as Mr. Heyerdahl touches upon truths so profound that they are mind-boggling. He shows us the things that our society has tried so hard to forget. He powerfully reminds us why we should not ignore the trouble our planet is in. Thor Heyerdahl has to be one of the best people who has ever lived. Only a very, very, great man could write a book like this.

Excellent book and a great story, but it is almost word for word the same book as the earlier published Fatu-Hiva (Back To Nature). It appears Heyerdahl edited and added some commmentary to this version, and republished it, not sure why. Maybe he needed the money. The earlier book has more photos and is slightly more detailed.

A fascinating book about the author and his new wife "roughing it" on an island in the South Pacific. They lived in a hut that they made themselves, ate only what they picked from trees or killed, and had no contact with the outside world.
The most interesting part to me though, was the authors quest for God. He seemed to really want to believe, and while his scientific knowledge would not let him interpret the bible literally, he felt that nature was so beautiful and complex that is had to be created by a higher power.

I'd just like to second the comments from "a reader from USA" above. This book is so much more than is stated in the synopsis. While it begins as a very enjoyable adventure and exploration story, it takes the reader beyond the adventure to truths about the present and future that are insightful, important and stated in a way that is compelling to say the least.

I read Heyerdahl's "Fatu-Hiva" (1974) just after "Green was the Earth on the Seventh Day" and was dissappointed to find that this book is mostly just a re-hash of the earlier book with extensive musings on environmental destruction and what seemed to me like a personal statement of support for Intelligent Design, tacked on. The story is well worth reading but I didn't enjoy the pontificating and several of the biological facts are either out of date or just plain wrong.

Do yourself a favor and track down a copy of "Fatu-Hiva" instead. The Marquesas content is almost identical but fuller and with more photographs; and although the overall theme is similar, there are fewer awkward digressions. I know that Heyerdahl's theories about Polynesia are controversial, but I also think that he's a good writer and was a superb adventurer. I've read and enjoyed both "Kon-Tiki" and "Aku-Aku," but I think "Green was the Earth" is really just a vehicle for Heyerdahl's later essay material that otherwise wouldn't have received much attention. Unless you want to read those essays or you can't find a copy of "Fatu-Hiva," this is one to leave on the shelf.

This is one of my all time top three books. It is entertaining and well written, but most of all, I found it incredibly insightful. I first read it about a decade ago; have reread it at least twice and given it as a gift on many occasions. Enjoy!