Crossing the Continent 1527-1540: The Story of the First African-American Explorer of the American South

by Robert Goodwin

Book Overview

...an adventure story more thrilling than Defoe or Melville could have imagined.--The Philadelphia Inquirer The true story of America's first great explorer and adventurer--an African slave named... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061140449
• ISBN13: 9780061140440
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Illuminates 15th century Spanish culture and the historian's investigative process

The book illuminates late medieval Spanish culture and how elements of that culture, military, religious, and administrative, interacted in the colonization of America. The principal focus is the story of a black African slave who made pivotally important contributions as a participant in a failed expedition of conquest and his further exploits. Interwoven into this tale is a view into the historian's process of rendering from the scant mention in the historical record, the story of an individual who rated no credit or recognition because of his social status.

From J. Kaye's Book Blog

Crossing the Continent, by Robert Goodwin, is the story of the first African explorer of the American south. Esteban Dorantes (1500-1539?) was a Spanish slave, and through circumstance and ability, he was chosen to be a military commander of a religious expedition to establish a route into Arizona and New Mexico. This book is part detective work since slaves in the Spanish empire at that time were not considered to be noteworthy and only through careful reading of the Spanish documents and Indian legends does Esteban's story come to light. This book is part Goodwin's story on the methods of his research. I found this to be as interesting as Esteban's story. From ancient documents in Seville, Spain to museums in New York and to the Zuni Indians, Robert takes us on his adventure in piecing together the history. This book is part descriptive. Goodwin has great details on life in Seville, Northern Africa, and Spanish America. What the Texas Indians were like and how they ate in early 1500's are much different than in the accounts in the 1700's. His background explanations of the historians and how books of the time shaped popular opinion bring to life how much has not changed. This book is all history. Goodwin writes with an easy to read prose that blends in all parts to make is a good, historically accurate, story. I especially like how he puts people's motives in historical context. It makes for a fuller understanding of the story and the times. Crossing the Continent is not a quick read, but rather an enjoyment and wonderment of a slice of history.