Mr. Bowditch, Carry On

This is a biographical story of Nathaniel Bowditch, a famous mathematician and navigator, who lived in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Nathaniel, or Nat, is very gifted in mathematics; when he starts school, his schoolmaster punishes him for suspected cheating because Nat's math skills are so far ahead for his age. After the schoolmaster sees that Nat can solve difficult mathematical problems for himself, he not only apologizes to Nat but says that he sees Nat as Harvard material. So Nat dreams of going to Harvard one day.

However, misfortune strikes Nat's family. He must leave school when he is about ten years old, and at age twelve he is apprenticed as a bookkeeper in a chandlery for nine years. Part of Nat's soul yearns for the sea faring life his father had until his father lost his ship, but no one thinks Nat could be a sailor because he is physically small; he says himself that he is "five feet five, when he stretches." However, Nat does the bookkeeping work well, studying diligently on his own after hours. He teaches himself not only advanced mathematics, but also Latin, French, and other languages.

After Nat completes his apprenticeship, he signs on as a supercargo (navigator) on the Henry. He continues the seafaring life, teaching others what he has discovered about navigation and discovering errors in navigation books of the time. He made five major voyages, the fifth as the ship master. During this time, he wrote The American Practical Navigator, which is still used on U.S. naval vessels.

This book, the Newbery Award winner for 1956, covers Bowditch's early years - from his early childhood until about his late twenties. It deserved the Newbery because it is well-written for the intended audience - approximately fourth- and fifth-graders. Youngsters learning early American history can see what maritime life was like some two hundred plus years ago, and see how Bowditch showed much resilience to overcome poverty, his size, the elements at sea, and much more to become someone who is still a leader in his field. The line drawings by John O'Hara Cosgrave II add to the flavor of the biography.

Purchased at Ships of the Sea Museum in Savannah, Georgia, while visiting there.

Crafted with deftness and a restrained poignancy, this book moved me very much, and is one of the best I've read in children's literature. I especially love the contrast between the beginning and end.

As the story gets underway, little Nat, the uneducated son of a ne'er-do-well drunk, can turn only to superstition - such as jingling change in his pocket under a full moon - in hopes of improving his lot.

As the narrative continues, it becomes clear that Nat will succeed in life not only because of his towering intelligence, but because of his will and spirit. Latham draws a clear contrast between another worker in the chandlery where Nat is apprenticed and Nat himself. This other worker, not untalented, also intelligent, is bitter and beaten by disappointments, and will go nowhere. Nat, by contrast, diligently works and studies, and despite what often seems the hopelessness of his lot, eventually makes his own opportunities.

The ending is as moving as any I've read. The once powerless child is now an accomplished and prosperous man, guiding his crew through treacherous shoals heading into Boston, and the situation seems so dire that every man with him expects to die. But as he calmly counts off seconds to gauge his position and uses his hard-earned knowledge of navigation, Nat confidently brings every man - and the expensive cargo - safely home. He has made himself master of his destiny.

Winner of the 1956 Newbery Medal for Children's Literature, Jean Lee Latham's Carry On, Mr. Bowditch tells the fascinating story of Nathaniel Bowditch, the author of the all-around and famous reference book for sailors, The American Practical Navigator, also known as The Sailor's Bible.

Endowed with a keen intellect towards mathematics and hard science, Nathaniel Bowditch was unable to foster those inherent gifts in an academic setting, most notably, Harvard University, the school of his dreams. However, due to his poor economic circumstances, he had to cast his academic ambitions aside and grow up fast, ultimately becoming an apprenticed servant to the wayfaring lives of sea captains, crews and schooners. Though not in a classroom setting, Nathaniel Bowditch continued on with his self-education after work, analyzing and scrutinizing the navigational tools and mathematical charts of the time. With his real-world experience, love of math and science and acute meticulousness for navigational accuracy, he realized that the available instruments and graphs that sea captains were using were seriously flawed, so detrimental, in fact, that they were in part (with the aid of nature) primarily culpable in the unnecessary deaths of those who made their living by the sea. With that epiphany, he went about correcting long-standing errors that many held to be flawless. With his vast mathematical knowledge and newfound emancipation as a ship's servant, he compiled and wrote the definitive and still-in-use reference book for sailors, The American Practical Navigator.

In the book, Latham portrays Bowditch not as an entitled academic snob who feels he has been wronged by life; quite the opposite. He is depicted as earthy, approachable, generous, curious, quiet and patient. He comes off as one of the quiet friends in the the group of rowdies who you just naturally embrace because of his inherent decency and good character. Considering the numerous deaths of Bowditch's loved ones throughout his lifespan, Latham could have described him as a severely wounded soul bogged down with life. But perseverance and passion do ring supreme in this impeccable children's book, for it showcases many sterling qualities-via one simple yet complex historical figure-that we would like out kids to be imbued with: perseverance, self-reliance, a love for math and science, determination, inquisitiveness. And a whole lot more. Even as an adult, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, for me, was an eye-opening, fun and learning experience, a nautical yarn that evoked schooners, wharves, tallow candles, stories, adventures on the high seas, but most significantly, the vitalness of math and science in our academic and independent curriculum. A stellar read for kids and adults as well as being a deserving winner of the Newbery Medal.

A little background from wikipedia: "Nathaniel Bowditch (March 26, 1773 - March 16, 1838) was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book The New American Practical Navigator, first published in 1802, is still carried on board every commissioned U.S. Naval vessel."

The book starts out when Nat is six years old, looking to perform a good luck ritual before their family moves. They've had a string of bad luck, and he's hoping the move will change things.

It doesn't. Nat has to leave school at age 10 to help his father's business, and because of his excellent math skills, at age 12 he is indentured for 9 years as an apprentice to be a bookkeeper for a ship chandelry. His dream was to go to Harvard, and being indentured made that impossible. Feeling pretty sorry for himself, on his first day one of the other workers told him, "Only a weakling gives up when he's becalmed! A strong man sails by ash breeze!" (Translation from ship terms - "Only a wealking gives up when the winds aren't blowing! A strong man sails by rowing!")

That simple statement changes Nat's perspective. He no longer waits for good luck. He studies to educate himself, then teaches others.

I enjoyed reading it alone, but it's definitely on my list to read with my children.

Nathaniel Bowditch is incredibly intelligent. In school he did problems on his second day that even the most advanced students couldn't do. When he was very young his mother passed away, followed by his grandmother three months later. When he was twelve he was signed up as an apprentice by his father. As an apprentice he was not allowed to go anywhere unless he was given permission. He learned all about book keeping and navigation, and his intelligence rose. When he was released nine years later, he was given a job as bookkeeper and second mate on a ship. He ended up rewriting "Moore's Navigating Guide" because it had thousands of fatal mistakes, which had cost the lives of numerous sailors. He was eventually promoted to first mate and eventually became captain of his own ship. He also had taught the sailors on most of his ships navigating, and discovered an easier way to use navigating devices. Carry on, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham is a great book about how determination can get you anywhere.

This book was good because it had a human side. Nat was sad when his Mom died. Nat also got caught up in work often, and sometimes this would help him to take his minds off things. No matter how hard things got for Nat, whether humiliation or distress he kept on going which made him seem very human. Also in the book you could see how they impacted him because this book told his entire life and he would reflect on the things he had done later on in the book.

I liked this book because it told Nat's whole life. In this book you really got to see how he matured while he was at sea, or with his marriages. You got to grow up with him and that made it seem really personal. You saw him go from a child to a young adult, and a young adult into a man. It made the book a lot more interesting than the books about certain events.

This book was interesting because Nathaniel achieved so much. When I was finished with the book I felt proud of him. He had sailed into Manila harbor as the first man from Salem to do so. He had corrected numerous mistakes in the prominent sailing manual of the time. Nat discovered a new, faster, and more efficient way to work lunars. He taught sailors how to do everything he knew how to do, and many sailors became second mates, first mates, or captains of their own ships. Nat popularized book sailing, or sailing using graphs and tables which was thought to be very dangerous before then.

This book was great because it had a lot of action. Whether sailing though a storm or struggling through the loss of a family member, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. Nat's life was filled with achievements (plus some bumpy roads), and it was exciting o watch his purpose in life fall into plan. This was just an overall great and exciting book.

G. Bennett

This is probably one of the most fascinating works of historical fiction. It chronicles the life of mathematical genius Nathaniel Bowditch, the author of the American Practical Navigator, a groundbreaking book that took the early 19th century world by storm.

[SPOILER]
It is incredibly well written, and there is never a dull moment. Miss Latham causes the reader to become very attached to the characters, which is quite unfortunate as most of them die.
[END SPOILER]

The book is not geared toward any specific age group. I would categorise it in ages 8 through 100.

What's so amazing and so good about this book is that it not only fosters a love of the sea, but also a love of books and knowledge. It tells just exactly why mathematics is important, why navigation is important; definitely a great lesson for many young people in this modern era.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch contains absolutely fascinating background information about Salem and navigation in the 1700s, providing a valuable context for Nathaniel Bowditch's contributions to maritime navigation and allowing the reader to more fully understand just how remarkable and important they were.

It is quite inspiring to read how Nathaniel Bowditch, who experienced many traumatic events in his youth and childhood, made such a meaningful - albeit a bit obscure today - contribution to mankind by rewriting the book on Maritime navigation. While he had excellent intelligence, he did not have much luck in his early years, and his accomplishments are largely due to his dogmatic perseverence to educate himself against all odds.

My favorite parts of the book described his ocean voyages - how he solved various problems of navigation and how he won the allegiance of the motley crew of every ship he sailed on.

My children are not old enough yet for this story, but I look forward to the day they are.

I was really surprised by this book.

The main character is such a great example of hard work and self-learning. I was amazed at what he was able to accomplish on his own, but searching out and learning what he wanted/needed to. He has a lot of 'bad luck' along the way, but also a lot of people who truly love this humble, industrious man, people who do their best to help him along.

The author did an excellent job developing the characters and moving the action along.

My husband just finished reading this to the kids and they all loved it. I'm sure that a lot of the science and math went over their heads, but the rest of the story was enough to hold their attention. I plan on having them read it when they're older as well.

A valuable addition to any home library and a wonderful man to learn from.

*taken from my review at goodreads

I first read this beautifully and simply written book when I was about ten and it immediately became my favorite. I identified with Nathaniel Bowditch in many respects - my name is also Nathaniel and I also love math - but still he amazed me with his intense desire to learn and persevere through struggles.
I learned alot from this story. I was fascinated by Nathaniel Bowditch's amazing brilliance (writing an almanac as a teenager and doing insanely complex math problems in his head), his hard work (studying multiple languages from books), and his humility (teaching sailors math and navigation, giving them confidence in themselves). Amazingly, he did all this though his life was full of struggles. For me, someone who already liked to learn, this story powerfully reinforced just how exciting and valuable it is to gain more knowledge and then pass it on.
Today, about 10 years since I first read this book, I still love to read it. The title of "favorite book" has since passed on, but something still excites me about the impact one man can have because he dedicated himself to learning and to helping others through what he learned. That's a message young people, especially those already excited about learning, need to hear. And that's why those kids need to read this book.

As a small country strives for her freedom, a small boy also fights to be free. And as that country grows into the powerful United States, the boy grows also.
Nathaniel Bowditch- a small boy in a poor family who has a history of mariners, with a curiosity and a love for math. Nat's dream is to enter Harvard and get a degree. However, that dream is cut short when his father sends him to be apprenticed to a bookkeeper because he cannot support Nat. Even this apprenticeship cannot stop Nat from learning. Using his position to his advantage, he uses the books around him whenever he has time. He comes across Newton's "Principia" He discovers, chagrined, that it is written in Latin, which he cannot comprehend. He tackles this problem by using his memory of the Bible and comparing it with a bible written in Latin. As he slowly but surely translates Principia, he develops a love for languages.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a book that inspires us to never give up our dreams no matter how bad our situation is. Anyone interested in astronomy, math, navigation, or ships in general will most likely love this book.

This book is about a boy named Nathanial Bowditch. No one likes him and he goes to bad school with a mean tearcher. When Nathanal Bowditch is about 10, his teacher found out he was good at math and advanced him to a higher math class where everone respected him. Even though he was he was a indentured servant and he couldn't leave the person's house, he still found the time to study Math,Latin,French.
Then he put all his knowledge together. He also devloped many ways to navigate a ship that we still use today! I liked the book because it is good historical fiction and the author uses good clear nautical terms. Its good to read a book where a boy suceeds in by using his brain, not by muscles or magic, like modern day books.

I think Jean Lee Latham’s, Carry on My Bowditch, is an amazing book. I learned what a log was and lots of other instruments in navigation. I thought the plot was not hard to follow. The author does a very good job of explaining who characters are and why they are doing what they are. Mr. Bowditch has quite the personality along with being a mathematical genius and having a thrilling life. He was even forced to drop out of school at a very young age, but taught himself Latin, French, calculus, and many other subjects. This book is filled with many problems including poverty, death, and superstition. For these reasons I think this would be a great book for middle school students.

Set just after the Revolutionary War period, tall sailing ships sailed around the world, trading spices, clothing, machines, and ideas, young Nat Bowditch grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, part of a family of sailors. When he was only 12 years old, he was indentured at a Chip Chandlery - a sort of hardware store for ships and sailors. While there, he discovered that he had a knack for learning on his own.

When he was sent on an errand to look something up in Ephraim Chambers' Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, he discovered a whole new world of interesting things to learn about. However, when he got to the advanced math, he became stumped because the Cyclopaedia only skimmed over the subject rather than diving deeply into it. To solve his questions, he was given the loan of a copy of Isaac Newton's Principia" to learn the math, but it was written in Latin. To learn Latin, Nathan began with his Bible, John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He then read it in Latin, used a dictionary to look up words he didn't know, and moved forward. Once he became sufficiently comfortable with Latin and the Bible, Nathan started in on Principia - he would work to translate each word of a sentence, and then had to figure out what the sentence meant!

By the time Nat was 21, and at the end of his indenture, he had learned quite a lot about many different things. He was offered a job with a group of men who were going to survey the countryside around Salem. His great success with this job landed him his first opportunity to sail on a ship, thus beginning his several trips across the oceans and around the world.

Everyone depended on Moore's Navigator to know where things were in and about the ocean, but because of the huge number of computations in each table and the large number of tables in the book, no one had ever checked the math. Therefore, for many years, ships and sailors had been killed by the sea because of the mistakes found in Moore's. Nathaniel Bowditch set out to check each computation so that corrections could be published, but by the time he found 8000 mistakes, he decided it would be easier to just write his own book. "It's a simple matter of mathematics!" he'd say.

Nat included in his book, The American Practical Navigator, simply worded instructions to use a sextant, the definitions of ship words, how to navigate a ship, a new method of "taking a lunar", as well as all the various tables that go with each. His goal in writing the book was that anyone who could follow the instructions and read the charts, along with do simple addition and subtraction, could navigate confidently.

Today, the American Practical Navigator, or "Bowditch"is the standard for ships and sailors around the world. It is an easy-to-read reference book that is interesting and understandable. Regularly updated, it has gone through at least 75 editions since 1802, when it was first published. "Bowditch is carried on the bridge of every U.S. Navy ship and should be the mainstay of any serious navigator's library." (http://astore.the store.com/idrathebesail-20/detail/0939837544)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is one of my personal all-time favorite books, so I was especially happy to re-read it for this assignment. I loved the persistence of young Nat; I loved the sturdy brother, friend, captain, and husband he was; I loved that he worked hard to fulfill a life's dream; and I loved that he learned so thoroughly on his own.

Jean Latham's 1955 Newbery award winner is an easy-to-read fictionalized biography of the early life and career of Nathanial Bowditch of Salem. Set in a proud Massachusetts sailing village and on the high seas, the story rolls along like a Yankee trader: now billowing ahead, now becalmed, now swamped yet often riding triumphant swells with exotic cargo. How a youth denied a Harvard education literally rewrote the book on 18th century navigation, thus making the ocean safer for all sailors.
Since the storyline must obey the facts, the author operates under some literary constraint. The stout-hearted protagonist suffers repeated family losses, yet he clings to his ideal of an accurate book, which captains can trust and will save lives the world over. While indentured in a ship's chandlery, Nat cherishes his dreams of higher education, teaching himself mathematics, astronomy, navigation and three languages.
Nat's genius for detail and swift mental calculations of figures make him a wonder in an age when most sailors relied on gut instincts (Lead, Log and Lookout,)for the common man clung to his inbred superstitions, rejecting fancy book learning from mere lubbers. It took a Yankee youth to identify the fatal errors in Moore's sacred charts. Young readers will appreciate Latham's extensive dialogue and the excellent b/w sketches by John Cosgrave. Read as Biography or Maritime History, this book breezes along like a trim Yankee clipper.

If you like great adventure and historical fiction get this book now! It is about a boy named Nat Bowditch. He is a boy whose family is poor with many kids to feed. Nat is interested in learning and school. He grows up to be a very smart mathematician. Also he is very good at navigation. Nat becomes a captain and he has to sail to very treacherous destinations. Along with his crew they have to face fog, no wind, and bad, bad weather. I would not recommend this to people who don't like when people die in the story. This book is an absolute good book to buy. Something exciting or sad is happening on every page. I'm not into reading much but this book made me want to read it.

If you like great adventure and historical fiction get this book now! It is about a boy named Nat Bowditch. He is a boy whose family is poor with many kids to feed. Nat is interested in learning and school. He grows up to be a very smart mathematician. Also he is very good at navigation. Nat becomes a captain and he has to sail to very treacherous destinations. Along with his crew they have to face fog, no wind, and bad, bad weather. I would not recommend this to people who don't like when people die in the story. This book is an absolute good book to buy. Something exciting or sad is happening on every page. I'm not into reading much but this book made me want to read it.

My brothers and I read this book for our literature class, hearing it was a good and famous book but never having read it before. It was better than I had anticipated, especially considering it came from the point of view of a character whose true loves were mathematics and the sea, neither of which I share with Mr. Bowditch. Even still, Nat's story is a compelling one, filled with the hopes and dreams of a boy as he becomes a man. Nat Bowditch goes through many trials as he tries to find his purpose in life. It's the story of a brilliant boy in a young free America who, coming from a poor family background, was not able to finish his education or go to a college. He is instead indentured as a young man, and later goes off to sea, but the sea is where he shows his true potential. Teaching the once considered inept sailors how to navigate using what he calls, "a matter of simple mathematics" he changes the world of navigation forever. Time and time again Nat is tested and tried by circumstances that seem to want to hold him back, but time and time again Nat holds true making this book a great example of perseverance. I recommend this book to any who want to learn more about navigation, perseverance, or are just looking for a good read. -L. West

Not only is this Newberry award winner based on the life of a real man, Nathaniel Bowditch, but it is also very interesting and exciting to read. Taking only moments for you to become totally engrossed, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch places you directly in this gifted mathematician/astronomer's life during the early 1800s. Complete immersion in this epic story makes you hardly want to set the book down until you have finished reading it.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is quite a refreshing book, which describes life at sea in fantastic detail and realistic fervor. Set with strong emotion and rich character development, this information-filled book is not overly long, and can be read through rather quickly.

Throughout the story, Nathaniel remains true to his morals, and not only does he save many lives, but he also achieves a meaningful life and a wonderful family of his own. If it is adventure, intrigue, and impact you desire, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is the right book for you.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a good book for children 10 years and up. My daughter loved to read it and says that it was worth her time. The book is about a very smart boy who becomes an indentured servant in a chandlery. He learns about ships and becomes a sailor. My daughter liked the book because it was full of adventure and romance.

I remember reading this book as a child; first, being forced to read it for a book report and then finding I could not wait to turn the page! None of the reviews I have read mentioned the ending, guess they didn't want to give away the best part of the book! I have just ordered it for my 9 year old daughter, I hope she enjoys it as much as I did, but, after I read it again first!

I ordered carry on mr bowditch!!!
I received a kids audiobook called men of iron. It isn't even on your website!
I need this for my sons school report.... Seriously?!,,
Then I was given no option to refund and return... Only replace with"exact same product"
So frustrating. Lots of the store issues lately!

Everyone should know about Nathaniel Bowditch. A true pioneer in his day and age, his books are still in use. A man you can look up to; kids should have heroes like this today. An incredibly well spent life, and a very well written book to honor him!

I tried reading this for school and it was really quite boring I tried reading again but I couldn't. I don't recommend this to anyone if your looking for a good book read harry potter, hunger games, or jack secret histories.

This "book" is probably one of the worst examples of literature I have ever read. Pathetic use of word choice, the whole plot was extremely dull. The most annoying part was how "perfect" Mr. Bowditch's life is (was)! Everything just goes his way- even his enemies end up looking up to him in the end! NO ONE acts this way! Oh- his perfect life? Well the only un-perfect part is that probably half his fmaily dies. Before you scorn me for saying "perfect" when he had all this loss- it really didn't seem to hurt him that much. Everyone felt sorry for him- so all the more he gained. He didn't even seem at all sad. The book would be like "And his poor, dear sister died of whatever" and he would be all "oh, I'm sad. :( Oh well, better get back to being happy ol' me again! La la la la..." PLease- buy some better book- not this pitiful excuse of one.