I had no idea what Magellan’s journey around the world was like. I had no idea that he defected from Portugal to Spain to get financial support for his armada. I did not know about how much fun his crew had when they stopped in Brazil. I had no idea how hard it was to navigate a boat around the cape of a continent. I had no appreciation for how driven, ambitious, brilliant, unappreciated and arrogant Magellan was.
Most of all, I somehow never knew that he was killed (for pretty good reason) in the Philippine Islands — after making it only half way around the world.That’s right, he didn’t actually circumnavigate the globe. Sorry, history teachers, I guess I was daydreaming when you mentioned that.
This book was written in large part thanks to the unbelievably detailed journal kept by Antonio Pigafetta (say it just like it is spelled) who was the actual hero of this story. It contains political intrigue, mutinies, scurvy, murder, adventure, daring, bravery, honor, and on and on and on. As people processed his journey he was viewed as a failure. Only 22 of the original 260 men he took with him survived the trip. A bunch of others mutinied and went back home as he entered what is now known as the Straight of Magellan. But as Spain sent out several more missions to follow the same path, all failed. It was only after everyone else’s failures that people began to comprehend the brilliance and success of Magellan.
So, if you are a poet, adventurer or president, you should be prepared to be disliked and unappreciated until after you die. Sorry.
I read a recommendation of this book on Scott Berkuns’s blog and am so, so glad I took the time to listen to it.
- Outliers (read)
- The 7 Triggers to Yes (read)
- East of Eden (read)
- Duma Key (listened)
- Past Caring (listened)
- Jesus Wants to Save Christians (listened)
- Ladies and Gentlemen: The Bible by Jonathan Goldstein (read)
- Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice (listened)
- The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (read)
- Over the Edge of the World (Magellan’s terrifying circumnavigation of the globe)
- The Creative Habit (in progress, reading)
- The Go Point
- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
- Peopleware
- Back of the Napkin
- Lisey’s Story
- The Time Paradox
- Revolution by George Barna
- The Relational Way
- The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance
- Spin Selling
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Emergency Sex
- Founders at Work (http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2007/book-review-founders-at-work/)
- E Myth Revisited
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