First published 1949
In 1947, eccentric explorer Thor Heyerdahl and a crew of five set sail from Peru on a hand-built balsa wood raft. Their mission? To cross the vast, unforgiving Pacific and prove a controversial theory - that ancient Peruvians could have colonized Polynesia. Battling raging storms, dehydration, and hungry sharks, the Kon-Tiki team must rely on their wits and sheer determination to make landfall thousands of miles away. What begins as a quixotic experiment becomes an epic struggle for survival against the elements.
Genres: biography, history, adventure, non-fiction
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: epic, survival
Setting: Océano Pacífico, Pacific Ocean, Polinesia, Polynesia, Océan Pacifique, Polynésie
240 pages · Paperback · Washington Square Press