When one studies the history of North America, the most common telling begins on the Eastern seaboard with the English settlers, however, the Spanish were among the first European adventurers to explore the North, Central, and South American continents, and among them were most certainly enslaved Africans. Laila Lalami presents the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer
of America: Mustafa al-Zamori, called Estebanico. The slave of a
Spanish conquistador, Estebanico sails for the Americas with his master,
Dorantes, as part of a danger-laden expedition to Florida. Within a
year, Estebanico is one of only four crew members to survive. It is an engrossing tale that gives a voice to one of the millions who have previously had no names, no culture, no voice.As he journeys across America with his Spanish companions, the Old World roles of slave and master fall away, and Estebanico remakes himself as an equal, a healer, and a remarkable storyteller. His tale illuminates the ways in which our narratives can transmigrate into history—and how storytelling can offer a chance at redemption and survival.
336 pages
