Customer Reviews

Kon-Tiki Man: An Illustrated Biography of Thor Heyerdahl

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As an English teacher of reading-disabled high school tenth-graders, I have, in teaching an excerpt from the Kon-Tiki, spent two to three days on this account and let it go at that. This year, I wanted the story to seem more real to the students; I wanted them to realize that this was a true, exciting account of an incredible experimental voyage, one which I, as a fourteen-year-old, remembered from Life magazine and radio updates. I researched the library and found this book. The exciting aspect of this book is that we had read and studied the excerpt from the perspective of the narrative genre; we chronicled the duties and adventures of the crew and learned their names. But now, in this biography, we could see Herman, Torstein, Heyerdahl, Erik and the rest! They did exist, and my students could see that this strange boat did, too! They were also amazed that Mr. Heyerdahl is still alive and working. This text has added such life and discussion to our brief excerpt that it has taken its place along with our class textbook and vocabulary. It now remains in my curriculum.