Jerry > Recent Status Updates

I think this is another one I’ve read before. Guess that’s why I need to use Goodreads.

It’s still hard to read and follow. But it’s also intriguing enough to keep reading (because I don’t remember how it goes).

It is slow reading. The story incorporates Japanese culture with multiple intrigues, making it rather complex.

I am amazed by the apparent desire of native females to have ex with Cook’s sailors. This seems to be consistent among Cook’s landings, to the point he wanted to avoid inflicting venereal diseases on the local populace.

Cook has explored parts of the coast of Alaska and Kamchatka before encountering the Arctic ice and turning back south.

Cook has been to Tahiti (Moorea, where he had his binge of atrociousness and Huahine, where Mai was left). He thought there was nothing between there and North America but ran into Kaua’i. Now he’s off Oregon.

Up til now Cook had been benevolent, respectful of natives, and fair-minded. Also true in the 1st 2 voyages. He's become less tolerant of his men and flew into a multi-day vindictive, destructive rage on Moorea. Even his men felt the scorched earth approach to a goat theft had been atrocious and extreme.

He’s given a brief overview of Cook’s first 2 expeditions. We know a little about Cook’s character and personality. And we know a lot about Mai, the Polynesian someone else brought back to England but whom Cook is returning to Tahiti.

Pretty sure I’ve read this before but it’s worth a reread.

(I think i read this before but it’s ok)

Cuban missile crisis and fears it’s a ploy for the Soviets to move against West Berlin.

It’s a collection of anecdotes, many of which, including “Calypso”, were previously published.

This is non-fiction even though it reads like fiction.