A Long and Uncertain Journey: The 27,000 Mile Voyage of Vasco Da Gama
- Book Review,
by Joan Elizabeth Goodman
From Publishers Weekly
Hewing to a format similar to her Beyond the Sea of Ice, Goodman recounts Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's epic journey of 1497-1499. The first European to sail around Africa to India (known for precious spices), da Gama risked not only natural perils like storms but also attack by unfriendly Muslims. Although the voyage produced little in the way of goods and treasure, it was to have broad implications politically and economically, as an afterword makes clear. The author's thorough research is evident throughout, both in the detail she packs into the text as well as in her ability to knit the proceedings into a broad historical context. However, her prose never rises above the workmanlike ("How strange and frightening these unwashed, hairy, overdressed Portuguese must have looked to the Hottentots, the tribe of that region"), and the vast stretches of uninterrupted type may leave some readers at sea. McNeely's (Despite All Obstacles: LaSalle and the Conquest of the Mississippi) panoramic watercolors help enliven things, as does a handsome layout that includes black-bordered pages and short sidebars with entries plucked from da Gama's own journal. A gatefold map allows the audience to follow the outbound and return voyages while reading along. A solid, if somewhat unimpassioned, presentation. Ages 8-18. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-7-Lavish, earth-toned watercolor illustrations extend a lucid, interesting text that details the initial 1497 voyage of Vasco da Gama around Africa to the Orient. Beginning with background on Portuguese exploration, navigation, and the role of Prince Henry the Navigator, the running narrative includes sidebars taken from the journal of one of da Gama's crew members-an excellent example of primary-source material. The objective presentation is matter-of-fact regarding the explorer's brutality and ignorance in dealing with the indigenous populations of Africa and the Near East. However, the author still manages to maintain a focus on the bravery and persistence of the man and his crew. The balanced presentation, which concludes with a summation of the remainder of da Gama's career and the fall of the Portuguese overseas empire, is compellingly written and makes interesting reading. A note on The Lus'ads, an epic poem about da Gama by 16th-century poet Lu's Vaz de Camoes, rounds out this volume. Coupled with Leonard Everett Fisher's Prince Henry the Navigator (Macmillan, 1990; o.p.), it provides a solid introduction to the grand era of Portuguese navigation.Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 4-8. The book begins auspiciously with the verso of the title page opening to reveal a gatefold map accompanied by Goodman's suggestion that the map remain open as readers follows da Gama's journey. This practical, thoughtful touch reflects Goodman's clear-sighted approach as she makes her way through some treacherous historical waters. As children follow along, they'll learn that the Portuguese explorer's voyage was largely financed by trade in African slaves, and that da Gama was selected for the voyage not only because he was a good captain but because he was a "fervent enemy of Moslems." Goodman does an excellent job putting these unsavory facts into historical context, neither justifying nor blaming. She is equally adept at explaining the reactions of the peoples da Gama encountered along the way. The story is a fascinating one: da Gama expected to be treated like royalty, but the trinkets he brought were viewed by the wealthy sultan of Mozambique as unworthy. McNeely's full-page illustrations, which vibrate with life and action, lighten the format, and quotations from the diary of an anonymous sailor on the voyage add fascinating detail and vivid description. An epilogue adds more biographical and historical perspective. A concluding time line and an index help make this a good resource for reports, but the book is also intelligently written and exciting enough for readers who enjoyed recent books such as Jennifer Armstrong's Spirit of Endurance (2000) about Sir Ernest Shackleton. Susan Dove Lempke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Ann Welton, School Library Journal, July 2001
The balanced presentation ... is compellingly written and makes interesting reading.
Ann Welton, School Library Journal, July 2001
Compellingly written and makes interesting reading ... it provides a solid introduction to the grand era of Portuguese navigation.
Publisher's Weekly, June 4, 2001
Thorough research is evident throughout ... [as is the author's] ability to knit the proceedings into a broad historical context.
Connie Forst, Resource Links, June 2001
A fascinating book on the history of Portuguese exploration ... stunning artwork throughout complements the text very well.
Susan Dove Lempke, Booklist, September 1, 2001
STARRED REVIEW: The story is a fascinating one ... McNeely's full-page illustrations vibrate with life and action.
Delia A. Culberson, Voice of Youth Advocates, August 2001
This slender, easy-to-read volume, filled with danger, courage, and treachery, is an exciting adventure tale.
The Horn Book Guide, January-June 2001
Lush watercolor illustrations and a regal design add drama ... Goodman tells the story with flair and balance.
Book Description
Five years after Columbus sailed off to find a sea route to the Orient, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama went on the same quest. His epic, 27,000 mile journey around the bottom of Africa was filled with danger, treachery, sacrifice, cruelty and acts of extraordinary courage. By the time da Gama returned, half his ships were gone, and two thirds of his crew were dead, but he had found what Columbus had not. Da Gama brought back tales of East African and Asian marketplaces overflowing with riches, of rulers who wore emeralds and rubies and pearls the size of grapes, of ships and cannons that were no match for those of the Portuguese. Portugal would soon send more ships and more cannons. The rest of Europe would follow. And the world would never be the same. Joan Elizabeth Goodman's narrative captures both the drama of da Gama's voyage and its central place in world history. Tom McNeely's fluid watercolors give the reader a visceral sense of an unknown world unfolding before the explorer's eyes.
About the Author
Joan Elizabeth Goodman is the author of the first book in The Great Explorers series -- Beyond the Sea of Ice. She lives in New York City. Tom McNeely's work has appeared in the United States, Canada, Britain, Europe and Asia. He has won awards from the Society of Illustrators, The Art Directors Club of New York, The Art Directors Club of Toronto and Communication Arts Magazine. He has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications. He lives and works in Toronto.
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