The Moor's Account in Around the World in 80 Books

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Apr 13, 2018 Lindsey Z rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Lalami's narrative from the point of view of Mustafa (Estabanico), the Moroccan slave who was a part of the 16th century Narvaez expedition from Spain to what is now the gulf coast of Florida, is imaginative and visionary. By taking the only one line in historical documents of the failed expedition that acknowledges Mustafa's existence as a part of the crew and the wealth of historical information about the expedition, Lalami imagines what Mustafa would have experienced, seen, and felt while tra Lalami's narrative from the point of view of Mustafa (Estabanico), the Moroccan slave who was a part of the 16th century Narvaez expedition from Spain to what is now the gulf coast of Florida, is imaginative and visionary. By taking the only one line in historical documents of the failed expedition that acknowledges Mustafa's existence as a part of the crew and the wealth of historical information about the expedition, Lalami imagines what Mustafa would have experienced, seen, and felt while traveling across the ocean and then on land with his master and other Spaniards who were looking for gold and to conquer the region. The first third to half of the novel alternates between Mustafa's life back home in Morroco and the tragic occasion for him becoming a slave and the expedition itself, which took place over an 8 year period between 1528 and 1536. Lalami employs many 16th century travelogue and literary conventions (like directly addressing the reader, timely vocabulary, and a more methodical play by play narration of the goings on of the trip) but writes in an entirely accessible and readable way. This story was a little bit more of a slow burn for me, but it was a steady and reliable read. I could see how some might experience the writing style as dry, but Mustafa has a strong voice and I found the writing to be thoughtful and not overly worked. Lalami so brilliantly captures the hardships associated with this type of travel and exploration--from near starvation to cannibalism to disease to conflict with the native peoples of La Florida--in such a visceral yet not grotesque way. The majority of the crew's journey was encountering native community after native community and each one of them comes to life in this novel. I was fascinated with their ways of life, how they interacted with the Spaniards, and their vast differences, even though they were all sharing a relatively small region of land. Mustafa becomes a central figure of the crew once many other crew members die or become separated from the group and takes on the role of a medicine man, using medicinal practices from back home to help cure minor ailments within the native population. In effect, he becomes a leader. And yet his master still claims ownership over him and is not only reticent to give Mustafa his freedom at the end of their very long journey together but considers profiting off of him and selling him to another Spaniard. This novel is sweeping in terms of culture and geography and very closely mirrors the lengthy journey the crew took from the coast of Florida all the way across Texas and into New Mexico, encountering dozens of native tribes along the way. I learned a lot about this time period and the novel is not only a study of how Europeans used African slaves as support on these conquest expeditions but also how their ideas about dealing with native populations were so divergent; some advocated for brute force and violence while others preferred diplomacy. Mustafa is known as one of the first Africans to reach the shores of what is now the United States. I was completely transported to a time and place in history that I didn't even know I had any interest in learning about. At the very least, this novel sheds light on the fact that African slaves were not only used as labor on crop plantations but also played significant roles in exploration and "discovery." ...more

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Feb 06, 2017 Keeley marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-hub

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Nov 10, 2019 Jay Corrales marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: read-next, fiction

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Around the World in 80 Books