The Moor's Account - Review, Interviews, and other interesting background (November 2015)

[LindaJ^]

Hi All,

This thread is the place to post reviews, interviews, and other material that will provide background as we begin our discussion of the book. Below are some to get us started. For those of you who want to know nothing, avoid don't read any further!

I didn't read any of these in advance. I bought the book when it showed up on the Man Booker long list.

I was surprised to see how many awards it won or was considered for!

• 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist
• 2014 American Book Award winner
• 2014 Arab American Book Award winner
• 2014 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award winner
• Man Booker Prize 2015 Longlist
• 2014 New York Times Notable Book
• 2014nWall Street Journal Top 10 Books of the Year
• NPR Great Reads of 2014
• Kirkus Best Fiction Books of the Year (2014)

The reviews, interviews, and bio posted below answered some questions I had - especially whether there was any historical basis for the book. (The author's acknowledgment at the end of the paperback provided the first information.) And provide insights into why the author undertook writing this book.

Reviews
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/boo...
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

Interviews
http://rosemaryandreadingglasses.com/...
http://readtowritestories.com/2015/01...

Author Background
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/...

[Whitney]

Here's a link to site on the Narvaez expedition which includes a map of their route:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/expl... Galveston is what they called "The Island of Misfortune".
The links takes you to the page dealing with Mustafa / Esteban. If you click on the links, you'll see information on the other members of the expedition.

The wikipedia article on Cabeza de Vaca is worth a read as well. Almost all the details of the expedition come from his account.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Álvar_N...

[LindaJ^]

Whitney wrote: "Here's a link to site on the Narvaez expedition which includes a map of their route:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/expl... Galveston is what they called "The Island o..."

Thanks Whitney. The map is really interesting. I did not realize what a broad expanse had been covered.

[Janice (JG)]

So, where exactly was Apalache? I was assuming the Appalachian mountains, but apparently not. Is there a legend map that translates the place names in the book to current actual place names? Or, is the author exercising creative freedom?

[Janice (JG)]

Janice George (JG) wrote: "So, where exactly was Apalache? I was assuming the Appalachian mountains, but apparently not. Is there a legend map that translates the place names in the book to current actual place names? Or, is..."

Ah! Never mind, the map on the wiki page about de Vaca pinpoints Apalachee. Thanks Whitney!