Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch...

I've been reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham aloud to the children before bed.  We finished it last week.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is the story of Nathanial Bowditch, the founder of modern maritime navigation, quite possibly a subject we may not have been interested in studying.  However, after reading another Latham book, This Dear Bought Land, we are excited to try all things Latham...and I'm so glad we did!

Nathaniel Bowditch (Nat) was an extremely intelligent man.  He is often touted as a mathematical wizard.  After his mother's death, Nat's father indentured him to a ship chandlery.  Nat was devastated as he hoped to one day go back to school, but being indentured for nine years at age twelve, he knew his dreams of education were lost.  Rather than sulk, Nat spent all his free time self educating.  He studied Latin, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Mathematics, among other things.  I will not give away the ending, but suffice to say Nathaniel Bowditch was an inspiration and excellent role model!

We recommend Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.  It is also a TruthQuest and Sonlight recommendation.   

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