Who Discovered America?: The Untold History of the Peopling of the Americas    by Gavin Menzies & Ian Hudson Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2014 (2013) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch If you thought you knew the answer to this question, 'Who discovered America?', think again! In a new book Gavin Menzies and Ian Hudson present the story, or at least their version, of how mankind came to the Americas. Who Discovered America? The Untold History of the Peopling of the Americas is now available in paperback and not only does this book refute the Columbus discovery theory but also the widely accepted land bridge or Beringia explanation. So if it wasn't a lost explorer in a ship or a group of folks crossing a land bridge between Asia and North America, who was it? The groundbreaking theory presented here suggests that ancient seafaring voyages brought humans to the Americas thousands of years earlier and that these settlers created very sophisticated civilizations. Using DNA evidence, ancient artifacts, and linguistic and archaeological discoveries, the authors set forth an intriguing hypothesis that will offer plenty of food for thought. Could Pacific Ocean currents and prevailing winds have brought ancients from Asia? Do the South American Olmec and Mayan civilizations have ties to Asia? Did Chinese explorers reach the Mississippi and leave their mark from California to Florida? You'll discover the answer is 'Yes!' as you read this intriguing book. You might be a bit skeptical about the claim that huge, ancient Chinese settlements once existed in Nova Scotia and that Japanese travelers landed in 1350 A.D. in Southern California, but what about the link between Native American people and Asia? The authors cite an undeniable linguistic and genetic connection between present-day Japanese and the Native American tribes of New Mexico and Arizona. They also use ancient maps from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to suggest that Chinese explorers set foot in the Western Hemisphere as early as 2200 B.C.. Gavin Menzies loves to shake up the existing and mostly accepted theories of today's historians with his revisionist theories. If you read and enjoyed his 1421: The Year China Discovered America and 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance, you'll want to give this latest volume a glance. The highly readable narrative is augmented by ancient maps and some interesting color photos. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews