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ajmaese's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, written in a straightforward style but you can easily catch how Cabeza de Vaca viewed himself in his world, that is the ‘new’ world—a Christian before anything else. Also, interesting to read as a native Texan familiar with both the desert and coastal plains, and traveled in Mexico. I only couldn’t figure out which San Miguel Cabeza de Vaca refers to.
Favorite quote:
“The country is so rough and overgrown that often after we had gathered firewood in the forest and dragged it out, we would bleed freely from the thorns and spines that cut and slashed us wherever they touched us. Sometimes it happened that I was unable to carry or drag out the firewood after I had gathered it with great loss of blood. In all that trouble my only relief or consolation was to remember the passion of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the blood he shed for me, and to consider how much greater his sufferings had been from those thorns than I from the ones I was then enduring.” (p. 63)
Favorite quote:
“The country is so rough and overgrown that often after we had gathered firewood in the forest and dragged it out, we would bleed freely from the thorns and spines that cut and slashed us wherever they touched us. Sometimes it happened that I was unable to carry or drag out the firewood after I had gathered it with great loss of blood. In all that trouble my only relief or consolation was to remember the passion of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the blood he shed for me, and to consider how much greater his sufferings had been from those thorns than I from the ones I was then enduring.” (p. 63)
aceofcase's review against another edition
2.0
My favorite part was when the indigenous people were like “…yeah, it’s weird to marry your blood relatives.”
misspalah's review against another edition
2.0
“We traveled over a great part of the country and found it all deserted, since the people had fled to the mountains leaving their houses and fields out of fear for the christians. This filled our hearts with sorrows, seeing the land so fertile and beautiful but abandoned and the places burned down and the people so thin and wan, fleeing and hiding
- ‘How the gave us hearts of deer’ chapter by Cabeza De Vaca (The shipwrecked men)
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I dont know where to start after i finished reading it. It was mundane and pretty boring despite only contained 150 pages. I felt the book was too long for a failed expedition in 1527 narrated by Cabeza De Vaca, the spanish explorer. The fact that the man begins his journey abusing , stealing , kidnapping and even justifiying his actions as to say why he did it in the first place from Native Americans already put this book in a bad spotlight (at least for me). NGL, It took me a while to get used to the term ‘Indians’ which were being used by the author to refer ‘the Natives Americans’. The writing style read like a report and it definitely not meant to be literary. The readers was expected to just follow the journey described in it. Since the expedition is under the banner of the Spanish king, we now knew that to why it sounded like a report. Another thing that i find this book disturbing is when he constantly mentioning GOD as to make sense that he got spared from countless death possibility due to starvation, disease and many ambush attack from native americans themself. I get that in a way maybe he wanted to realign the focus away from hopelessness, one usually turned to GOD but after doing so many crimes, i just couldnt see the point. The tone he made on writing how Christians are here to bring enlightenment to these native americans despite the journey itself thrive on the exploitation of non christians. When the author played some sort of doctor to one of the few tribes he has met and described how he managed to cure them while drawing a cross symbol just reeks phony. I just felt pure rage and disgusted when the native americans were considered evil as they didn't want to be converted by de Vaca and his entourage. It showed how entitled and shameless these colonizers and settlers. Eventually, he survived his ordeal and has been living among natives for almost decade. He managed to adapt with their lifestyle and he felt slightly connected to them. Throughout the book, he noted some of their customs, ranks, language, attires and even the way these natives thrive despite a harsh weather and uncertain environment. When Spaniards found him at last, he told them that natives should have been left alone. Unfortunately, his advice fell on deaf ears. This book made me recalled back Robinson Crusoe. I dont know why i felt the need to do so but i am finding myself asking question especially how Crusoe truly felt about Friday. Overall, i dont want to recommend this. Read at your own risk if you are interested in reading a book about recollections of expedition.
- ‘How the gave us hearts of deer’ chapter by Cabeza De Vaca (The shipwrecked men)
.
.
I dont know where to start after i finished reading it. It was mundane and pretty boring despite only contained 150 pages. I felt the book was too long for a failed expedition in 1527 narrated by Cabeza De Vaca, the spanish explorer. The fact that the man begins his journey abusing , stealing , kidnapping and even justifiying his actions as to say why he did it in the first place from Native Americans already put this book in a bad spotlight (at least for me). NGL, It took me a while to get used to the term ‘Indians’ which were being used by the author to refer ‘the Natives Americans’. The writing style read like a report and it definitely not meant to be literary. The readers was expected to just follow the journey described in it. Since the expedition is under the banner of the Spanish king, we now knew that to why it sounded like a report. Another thing that i find this book disturbing is when he constantly mentioning GOD as to make sense that he got spared from countless death possibility due to starvation, disease and many ambush attack from native americans themself. I get that in a way maybe he wanted to realign the focus away from hopelessness, one usually turned to GOD but after doing so many crimes, i just couldnt see the point. The tone he made on writing how Christians are here to bring enlightenment to these native americans despite the journey itself thrive on the exploitation of non christians. When the author played some sort of doctor to one of the few tribes he has met and described how he managed to cure them while drawing a cross symbol just reeks phony. I just felt pure rage and disgusted when the native americans were considered evil as they didn't want to be converted by de Vaca and his entourage. It showed how entitled and shameless these colonizers and settlers. Eventually, he survived his ordeal and has been living among natives for almost decade. He managed to adapt with their lifestyle and he felt slightly connected to them. Throughout the book, he noted some of their customs, ranks, language, attires and even the way these natives thrive despite a harsh weather and uncertain environment. When Spaniards found him at last, he told them that natives should have been left alone. Unfortunately, his advice fell on deaf ears. This book made me recalled back Robinson Crusoe. I dont know why i felt the need to do so but i am finding myself asking question especially how Crusoe truly felt about Friday. Overall, i dont want to recommend this. Read at your own risk if you are interested in reading a book about recollections of expedition.
lindseygwilson's review against another edition
3.0
Wow. This is one of my first experiences reading about a historical figure (whom I learned of in school) from a "living book," instead of a textbook. Hearing about Cabeza de Vaca's trials in the New World straight from his own hand blew my mind. I literally remembered nothing about him from school, except his name (memorable) and that he was an explorer. Now I know that he wandered from Cuba, to the coast of Florida, to Texas, and beyond, with nearly every kind of misfortune you can imagine. Now when I go down to Galveston Island, TX, I can think of it as "The Isle of Misfortune" and all the things Cabeza de Vaca and his fellow explorers went through in that time (namely, starvation and being beaten by and enslaved by various groups of Indians).
I thought the most curious element was how Cabeza de Vaca and his companions fell into the position of medicine men for the Indians they met along the way. It does not sound like they pursued the profession or wanted it for themselves, but that they felt they had to in order to appease the Indians and not be killed by them (many of their companions were killed or died along the way).
Now I would like to read a biography about CdV. Some of his own tellings were so confusing because he did not understand the Gulf Coast or the lay of the land, so it was hard to envision exactly where he was for parts of the story.
I thought the most curious element was how Cabeza de Vaca and his companions fell into the position of medicine men for the Indians they met along the way. It does not sound like they pursued the profession or wanted it for themselves, but that they felt they had to in order to appease the Indians and not be killed by them (many of their companions were killed or died along the way).
Now I would like to read a biography about CdV. Some of his own tellings were so confusing because he did not understand the Gulf Coast or the lay of the land, so it was hard to envision exactly where he was for parts of the story.
quisby's review against another edition
5.0
Heart of Darkness if written by a hyper-religious 16th century Salvador Dali. It's awesome.
swoody788's review against another edition
4.0
100th book of 2021. Fascinating to read after passing through some of the parts of Texas where Cabeza de Vaca wandered. I can’t imagine making the trip buck naked and starving as he was.
sierranevada005's review against another edition
3.0
Read for my New World Narratives class! Super fascinating to read narratives from this era of literature. De Vaca's perspective on the native people and colonization is fascinating, but still deeply problematic. It wasn't fun to read, but it was very informative. 3 stars.