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shookone's review against another edition
4.0
A highly entertaining account of an absolutely bonkers story. I’d never heard of de Vaca before reading this so the story was all new to me and it took some truly wild turns. Definitely worth checking out.
There’s an attempt in the early sections of the book to summarize Spanish colonization and conquest of the new world prior to de Vaca’s voyage. If I have one minor bit of criticism of the book it’s that this section, while vital for understanding the context of the expedition, reads a little dryly. Another pass on the text might have helped there.
There’s also an attempt at the end of the book to paint de Vaca as a changed man who saw the value in all human life. I can see where Reséndez is coming from with this stuff but it nevertheless reads as bullshit to me. De Vaca was still a colonizer, even if he went about ruling a colony in a manner that was kinder than most, and he was happy to re-enslave Estevanico as soon as he and his companions made it back to colonial Spanish society. Seriously, fuck this guy.
Still a really fun book though.
There’s an attempt in the early sections of the book to summarize Spanish colonization and conquest of the new world prior to de Vaca’s voyage. If I have one minor bit of criticism of the book it’s that this section, while vital for understanding the context of the expedition, reads a little dryly. Another pass on the text might have helped there.
There’s also an attempt at the end of the book to paint de Vaca as a changed man who saw the value in all human life. I can see where Reséndez is coming from with this stuff but it nevertheless reads as bullshit to me. De Vaca was still a colonizer, even if he went about ruling a colony in a manner that was kinder than most, and he was happy to re-enslave Estevanico as soon as he and his companions made it back to colonial Spanish society. Seriously, fuck this guy.
Still a really fun book though.
ajmaese's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing read and an incredible piece of history! I couldn’t put it down. In Texas, we learn Texas history as part of our public education. All I can say is that my teachers really did me a disservice when it came to learning about Cabeza de Vaca. I’m glad I’ve read La Relación and now this.
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
3.0
I’m a sucker for seafaring explorer tales. (Gold standard: Bergreen’s Magellan rouser Over the Edge of the World.) This brisk adventure checks the right boxes. A disastrous 1520s Spanish expedition leaves for the New World with 300 conquistadors. Starvation, elements & angry Native Americans whittle it down to 4—including a Moroccan slave—who walk from Tampa to the Pacific. Lacks some characterization, but has a mix of eye-popping details—from the tribe that puts baby girls out with the dogs to the castaway who outlasted cannibal appetites “because there was no one left to eat him.” Fast & fun.
braddougher's review against another edition
4.0
So many texts on this subject are dry and academic. This is a thrilling page-turner AND it's academic. Choose this as your entry point.
mlind20's review against another edition
3.0
The story of Cabeza de Vaca is of the original Florida man. Charged as the Royal Treasurer on a trip to explore the territory north of Hernan Cortes's, which included the Florida Panhandle west until Sonora in Northern Mexico. Originally intending to go to Rio de las Palmas in eastern Mexico, the voyage is immediately blown into Tampa Bay by the unknowingly strong Gulf Stream. The story then follows the next nine years as Cabeza de Vaca is forced to wander, be enslaved, be exalted, and survive encounters as the first European amongst many different Amerindian peoples.
Inspired to read this by The Dollop Podcast, who have two episodes of about 2 hours each that document the journey, this book provides a ton of information that is left out of the podcast medium and definitely adds depth.
Inspired to read this by The Dollop Podcast, who have two episodes of about 2 hours each that document the journey, this book provides a ton of information that is left out of the podcast medium and definitely adds depth.
beckydham's review against another edition
4.0
What a crazy, beautiful story. I can't believe ANY of this happened.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
It’s a shame so few know of Cabeza de Vaca’s exploits. It’s a story to rival Shackleton’s arduous Antarctica trek. He walked and rafted from Tampa, Florida to the west coast of Mexico, was shipwrecked and enslaved on the coast of Texas, walked to the Pacific coast of Mexico along the corn trail, and returned with a very different perspective on the continent’s indigenous inhabitants than his fellow conquistadors who saw them only as savages or slaves. He did this with two other Spaniards and a Moorish slave named Estebanico. A transformational journey indeed.
It’s a short fascinating read. This is the third book by Resendez I’ve read and all of them have been superbly written. He writes like a journalist without any academic dryness. The professor who is a storyteller.
It’s a short fascinating read. This is the third book by Resendez I’ve read and all of them have been superbly written. He writes like a journalist without any academic dryness. The professor who is a storyteller.
raychelllibby's review against another edition
2.0
Audible | ughhhhhh.
I don’t know if it was the narrator or the writing itself but I could not pay attention to this drab narrative of supposed events of this Spanish conquistador. I guess it doesn’t help that I basically wish dead on all the conquerors of history (even though that would mean I wouldn’t be here). The story might be great but I couldn’t get into it.
I don’t know if it was the narrator or the writing itself but I could not pay attention to this drab narrative of supposed events of this Spanish conquistador. I guess it doesn’t help that I basically wish dead on all the conquerors of history (even though that would mean I wouldn’t be here). The story might be great but I couldn’t get into it.