1421 The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies

First of all, I don’t care what the historians, philosophers or whatnot said about this book. I love this book for a really good reason. Period.

This book entitled “1421 The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies” is a sensational book because it courted heated controversies with its bold claim that China discovered the world hundreds of years earlier than the Europeans.

The implication is immense; courting both supporters and detractors shouting/screaming from both side of the fence. And in the middle lies people like me :-) People who’re open to ideas no matter how crazily it sounds.

This book essentially rewrote the world history so to speak. According to Gavin, Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty; during its epoch, gave royal approval/proclamation to its naval officers (sic) “to proceed all the way to the end of the earth”.

As far as we know, Chinese civilization flourished thousands of years ago and with this book; coupled with evidences (pseudo or otherwise) spread across continents; not to mention, photographic evidence inserted conspicuously within the chapters makes this book an alluring read.

Gavin, a retired British submarine commander wrote most of the opening chapters explaining on the progress of the exploration using longitudes and latitudes; which are basically Greek to me :-P (meaning I don’t understand those explanations).

Therefore, I conveniently skipped those parts and concentrated only on items I understood; and I savour those with great relish and satisfaction.

I have to admit, I wasn’t a book reader until then. In fact, according to my old self, the very idea of picking up a book and read it is a sheer waste of time and money. I held on to my belief until I saw this book.

THIS BOOK IGNITES MY PASSION FOR BOOKS!

I realized that by reading a book, it transported me to an unachievable realm; which transcends the physical barrier.

By reading a book, I can be a hero of olden times, carrying shield and sword as I rush into battles.

By reading a book, I can learn new words, “see”, “touch”, “feel;” and learn new things.

And I owe all these “experiences” to this very book.

Although this book is disclaimed by various critics as utter b*llsh*t (in harsher terms), I held it close to my heart because without this book, there will be one less book reader in this world.

So, to me, this is DA BOOK! :-)


Personal rating: N/A

Cons:
1) N/A

Pros:
1) N/A