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

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

• 
  James (JD) Dittes

  While I completed the book, it didn't meet my expectations. I think Goodwin let his sources dictate the pace of this book, and it was a big mistake. That's the only rationale that can explain why the five-year trek through Texas and Northern Mexico gets less space the the slave markets and court intrigues of Seville--or that Coronado's expedition to New Mexico somehow passes with half-again the focus. The story that intrigues American readers doesn't even begin until pages 190!
  
  Goodwin also uses the pages to settle historical scores: going into way too much detail deconstructing Cabeza da Vaca's "Shipwrecks" account and Dorantes's own accounts sourced in a private letter--or pursuing a hypothesis that Esteban hadn't died until after Coronado arrived in Zuni.
  
  Esteban Dorantes was no doubt the most intrepid of the four Spaniards who survived shipwreck off Galveston Island and wove their way through today's Mexican-US frontier for years. He deserves credit, but this book handles that task very unevenly.
• 
  Pierre

  Only the best authors can have their readers suspend their disbelief. There is no place in Maine called Cabot Cove, dragons don't exist, and alien spaceships aren't battling in outer space.
  
  Historians have a similar problem. They need to convince readers that what they are describing actually happened in the past. Historians normally write in heavily footnoted prose. More adventurous historians writing for a non-academic audience will try to write about their subjects in story form. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
  
  Sadly, I wasn't able to 'unsuspend' my disbelief in the story. The book reads like a poorly written novel. I think my main problem was the use of the "historic narrator" voice. There is shifting between first, second and third person voices, from past to future, that made my head spin. Ugh.
• 
  Robert Downes

  The epic tale of African slave Esteban Dorantes tells of his travails in the North American wilderness with three conquistadors lost in the disastrous 1527 expedition of Panfilo Narvaez.
  Narvaez led an army of 300 men into the swamps of Florida and it was all downhill from there as they wandered through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Searching for treasure, the conquistadors found mostly death from hostile Indians, disease, starvation and exposure.
  A handful of survivors constructed rafts and set sail across the Gulf of Mexico, landing at present-day Galveston Island where they lived as slaves among the Karankawa Indians. By 1533 only four men were left alive, and as author Goodwin tells it, the slave Esteban took a leadership role, affording an escape from the increasingly hostile Karankawas.
  Thereafter, they drifted west from tribe to tribe, throwing themselves on the mercy of Indians who were often on the brink of starvation themselves. Goodwin tells of tribes forced to rely on the most dismal of diets, including prickly pears and mesquite pods, living in abject poverty. On one occasion they encountered a tribe where the men wore no clothes and the women barely covered themselves with deerskins.
  Traveling up the Rio Grande through northeast Mexico, they foursome eventually met up with Indian communities which were well established and prosperous, with fields of corn, squash, beans and a relative abundance of food. Eventually, they managed a few miraculous cures and were hailed as shamans. Esteban took to wearing shamanic feathers, bells and beads, carrying a large calabash rattle that bespoke his status as a witch doctor. By the time they eventually ran into a party of Spanish slavers, the foursome were at the head of an army of hundreds of worshipping Indians who followed them from village to village, heralding their approach.
  Esteban and his companions had spent eight years wandering across what is now the southern United States. Once reunited with the Spanish in Mexico, he faced the grim situation of renewed enslavement. However, his knowledge of the Indians to the north led to an assignment to track down the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola under Coronado. In 1539, Esteban made contact with the Zuni Indians and what was perhaps considered to be the city of Cibola (actually, a humble pueblo) and was either killed, or fled his Spanish captors for a life among the Indians with four wives, depending.
  It's a riveting story and Goodwin's writing is rich with imagery. At times the narrative gets bogged down as he compares three different 16th century accounts of the journey and the reading gets to be a bit of a chore; but you can't fault him for trying to get it right.
  What I enjoyed most about this book was the descriptions of life among the Indians by the first Europeans (and an African) who'd ever made contact. Through sources that are 350 years old, Goodwin gives us an unvarnished vision of Indian life hundreds of years before they were overwhelmed by white settlers.
• 
  Gabriel

  This deserves a proper review, but tonight I just want to say I just finishd it and really enjoyed it. Glad it was prominently displayed at North Portland Library.
  
  Another non-ficiton re-imaging of a time and character with not nearly enough documentation on, Goodwin succeeds in providing a good context for Esteban's travels across America and Mexico (and Spain and Africa) in the eartly 1500's. What's the name of the past possible tense? It can be a little tiresome, yet the tale is worth it. He is nicely self-conscious and filling in his research experiences as part of the whole. I enjoy that sort of thing (so long as the author remains respectful of the cultures he's looking at), and Goodwin uses it to tie present pagaents and practices to Esteban's time.
  
  Reading Rainbow veteran's summary: Did you enjoy the Cartoon Cities of Gold on Nickolodeon? Then you must read Robert Goodwin's Crossing the Continent.
• 
  John

  Not a lot of this book was actually about crossing the continent. Because it is based on information from the early 1500's a lot of it is conjecture. In those days not a lot was written down, especially nothing about the years walking from Florida to Mexico. And what was written down was not often very reliable. A few maps would have been a help too.
• 
  Liz

  After I made it through the forward, introduction and first chapter, I checked around online to see what others thought of this book. Several mentioned that the title was very inaccurate and that if the book had actually been what the title was about, it would have likely been a lot more interesting. Only having made it that far, I already agree. After this point in my reading of this book, I put it down and picked up the similar (and, I saw in my ramblings on the 'net, generally better rated) A Land So Strange. In the first four pages I finally understood an event that Goodwin had spent a good part of the first chapter on but had done so in a rambly, confusing way. Goodwin seems to be one of those postmodern historians who believes that the 'essence' of something is more important than the historical specifics. With almost no citations or references and, as in the event I mention, frequently a lack of interest in telling exactly where something occurred, this is not the historian nor the book for me.
  
  Additionally, he claims in his introduction to be the first historian to have written about the man he calls Esteban, but my search for reviews of his book unintentionally showed that not only is that inaccurate, but that other historians have called him by the name he appears to have actually been known by - Estebanico. And beyond that, even in the amount of pages I read, Goodwin repeatedly does the exact same thing he haughtily accuses other historians of doing - takes history and throws a ton of speculation onto it, labelling said speculation as "must"s - Esteban "must" have been able to escape from his slavers at some particular time and place and chosen not to. The slavers "must" have been thinking this or feeling that. Etc., etc.
  
  If you want to write a postmodern book, why not stick to writing about literature? Sure, history is somewhat subjective, but not to the degree that writing about reading a work that doesn't even claim to be based on fact would be.
• 
  Dave

  The book’s subtitle is quite accurate, although “American South” is misleading. Esteban the Spanish-speaking African traveled along the Gulf coast from the Florida panhandle to Texas, and then spent the rest of his life in the American Southwest and Mexico. He was one of a foursome who were the first non-Native Americans to cross the North American continent. Goodwin convincingly argues that he was the leader of the group and the one responsible for their survival. Lewis and Clark’s journey was a cakewalk compared to his.
  The story starts about 1500 in West Africa, then to North Africa, then on to Spain, the Caribbean, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, NW Mexico, and Mexico City. From Mexico City, Esteban the slave returned to America, and forged the way in advance of Coronado’s famous expedition up into Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. He ended up alone in Zuni, New Mexico, most likely the first non-Native American that the Zuni had ever seen. He may have died there, or perhaps not. Read the book to delve this mystery.
  I found the book very intriguing and well written, but sometimes frustrating. Goodwin devotes half of his account to the details of his historiography, including his personal travels over the past 20 years. He seems most concerned to build his case in the face of objections. The book could be presented as the class notes of a history course in some North American university. The advantage of that is that it is very educational. The disadvantage is that the story is very disjointed. Most readers, like me, will be awed by the incredible ethnic diversity of the Native Americans that Esteban meets along the way. Oh what cultural riches we have lost by extinguishing all of these peoples!
  I'm surprised that this book has not been made into a movie.
  
• 
  Ramiro Guerra

  I was told by my Texas History teachers that the homie Cabeza De Vaca was this brave hero who survived a shipwreck, became a shaman and led his lost band of brothers through hostile Indian territory.
  
  Along the way, he somehow found ways to speak to tribes of nomadic peoples.
  
  
  But the argument in this fine book was that it was actually a slave named Esteban Dorantes who was the leader. But of course, the aristocrat took credit for all of the slaves’ work, even while all were exiled in the unknown wilderness of previously unexplored America...
  
  Sounds like a common theme, ay?
• 
  L. (Being kinder to my books for 2023)

  I'm familiar with the story of four Westerners roughing it in the American Southwest, and there is a potentially interesting story here about Esteban. The problem mainly rests on author Robert Goodwin's writing style, which leaves much to be desired. He's reading between the lines with an electron microscope in an attempt to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Maybe Esteban was the leader of the pack. Maybe he was a giant piece of garbage. Maybe he was a little of both. We just don't have enough information and Goodwin really hasn't found anything more.
• 
  Craig Fiebig

  Fantastic story about both the history and the process of its discovery well worth the investigation. Who really crossed the continent, under what circumstances, what were the motivations and who lead the effort are all addressed in this excellent book. Recommended for anyone interested in early American, pre-colonial history.
• 
  Kristin

  Definitely a time period and story I am not familiar with but will pursue more on this tale.
  
  The best part was as the author described the research he did and the need to "read in between the lines" - what was written and what was omitted. Fascinating.
  
  I listened to it on my commute. Highly recommend.
• 
  Mary

  I listened to the audio version and was constantly frustrated by blatant mispronunciations. And, while there are inclusions of color to round out the storytelling, it often lapses into storytelling about being a historian in archival research. Some serious readers may find those diversions a huge waste of time. Not for historians, I think, but those new to the subject and not particular about scholarship.
• 
  Ardene

  I found the content of this book interesting but uneven. It covers the story of a Spanish expedition to "Florida" - the southern part of what is now the US, focusing on Esteban Dorantes, an African slave who was part of the expedition.
  
  300 men were stranded on the western coast of the Florida peninsula in the 1530s. They attempted to follow the coastline to meet up with Spanish ships on the Mexican gulf. In the process all but three of them died, and 8 years these later these 3 men ran across some Spanish conquistadors in Mexico. The survivors had eventually acclimated to the climate and cultures of the natives and become revered medicine men that traveled the continent.
  
  Because the documentary evidence for what happened is scant (the written testimony of the survivors, given in Mexico, as well as a letter from one Spanish survivor and a book published by the 2nd Spanish survivor), the author does a lot of speculating about where Esteban originated, and what his thoughts and feelings might have been. Of course the author's speculations are based in what he knows of the European slave trade in Africa, and what he knows of Spanish culture in Seville at the time the expedition sailed, and I don't question that bit. I remain a bit suspicious of his guesses at Esteban's thoughts and feelings, since there is no direct testimony from him in the record - he could be accurate, but it feels like he's reaching - I think it's very hard to put ourselves in to the mindset of someone who lived that many centuries ago.
  
  I accept the author's claim that these were the first Europeans on record to almost cross the North American continent (they made it into the Arizona/New Mexico area, but not to the Pacific Coast). But I question the author calling Esteban the first African American, since I'm pretty sure there were African slaves in the Caribbean at this time. Perhaps he was the first African to reach North America (or the first one to arrive and leave a historical record.) And you can call him an American if you want since he lived in North America the rest of his life.
  
  The rest - that he was the leader of the 3 survivors, that he more easily acclimated to Native American mores because his African culture and Native American culture were more similar than the Europeans, is perhaps a reasonable argument, but not a conclusive one in my book since there isn't enough evidence. It could be true, I just don't think there is enough evidence to say definitively that it is.
• 
  Shayla

  This was my first time reading a non-fiction book that wasn't required for school.
  
  It was interesting because I didn't know the story of Esteban or these Spanish "explorers." But what became clear is that there is so much about Esteban that really isn't known, and never will be. The Spanish weren't interested in giving a slave too much credit, so their historical accounts aren't to be trusted. And the Native Mexican and American account isn't even written down and who knows if the oral history is truly to be trusted, because of Spanish influence or misinterpretation by anthropologists and historians.
  
  Goodwin had to fill in so many details with imagination and speculation, when what I really wanted were more facts.
• 
  Jim Bronec

  This was a well written account of what is considered the first African born person (Esteban) to cross the southern part of the United States. The writer used documentation written by the Spaniards who traveled and owned Esteban. This made the story much more from their point of view and didn't give a lot to directly attribute to Esteban. Of course the white people are telling the history. But the author does the best he can of trying to tell it from Esteban's point of view.
• 
  Jared

  I could not get enough of the story of Estaban and traveling from Tampa to Mexico City. I had recently read 1493 and One Vast Winter Count that provided a number of insights into the story of Estaban that helped with understanding the context. Still this is an important story, first time truly told from Estaban's perspective.
• 
  Dee

  The first crossing of North America in recorded history was undertaken by one Estoban -- one of the greatest explorers-- dating back before the pilgrims. He was also one of the first African American explorers. He traveled with his Spanish masters. This is a long overdue account of his life and of the history surrounding the Spanish presence in the new world.
• 
  Barbara

  An historical account of the Spanish explorers in the 1500s. Estiban was a Black slave who accompanied four survivors of a wrecked ship. It's an interesting account of Portugese slave trade in the 1500s and of one man's heroic life with the Spanish explorers.
• 
  Linda

  This is an old book that isn't likely to appeal to anyone except history buffs. I did enjoy parts of it; the exploration of unknown North America in the 1500s. But I also skipped through a lot of boring stuff; the politics of the era.
• 
  Meen

  Cool!
• 
  Jeff Prephan

  A lot of grammar mistakes, but my biggest problem was the lack of facts and mostly the author just making assumptions for his case.
• 
  Athena Dent

  A GREAT book based on facts about American and World information.
• 
  Theophilus (Theo)

  Extrsmely well-written and deeply researched. This is television miniseries material. Esteban was a real person and deserves a prominent place in American history. Thanks for telling this story.
• 
  Drunken_orangetree

  A potentially interesting story buried under the author's digressions.