Analytical

In “The Lost Art of Finding Our Way”, it is very clear that the author had put in a lot of time studying and researching the content of this book to develop a phenomenal balance between a conceptual and informational read. The basis of the conceptual piece is what is lost from humanity when finding our way is just a matter of looking into the device in the palm of your hand. This occupies about a quarter of the book. The rest is all different kinds of meathods both modern and ancient civilizations have been using to go on year long life threatening voyages and how well they can use them. From the Inuit living in northern Canada to the pacific islanders, many navigation meathods are taught through this amazing book. Graphs, sub articles and maps are used frequently to reinforce his information.

Books with authors that put a lot of time researching the topic in which they are writing about always seem to be easier for me to read. This attribute is usually clearly evident in books because there are no long spaces between useful pieces and no pointless chapters. The book stays interesting this way because the author has a lot to say. When I read a book, I am for the most part looking for some sort of information rather than just listening to a story. I enjoy directly getting useful information for me to actually use in my daily activities. Go back to the previous three topics I chose to read about this year. The first: Board Culture. After reading the books I chose I learned about global surf spots, life on tour and the development of modern and classic surfboard shapes. The second: Local History. The books I read second quarter just gave me more reason to wander around where I live. It also helped me understand the roots of the local area in terms of how this place became what it is. The Third: Weather. I am going to college to study atmospheric sciences. The knowledge I learned during this quarter may have been the most valuable out of all. I learned how bad weather can get and how it gets that way. This quarter, I have learned some good tips and tricks about placer navigation. Because we all have phones and GPS these skills aren’t as useful to me. But with basic knowledge on getting my bearings and getting somewhere, it will make me a whole lot more comfortable when I’m out on the water and the fog drops down.