It was a pulitzer prize for fiction finalist in 2015. The moors account in the moors account, laila lalami tells the story of a 16th century expedition in the new world from a slaves perspective. Spaniards and indians alike are whipped, beaten, shot with arrows, bled from slashed throats like butchered animals. This tale is told from the point of view of a slave named mustafa alzamori, called estebanico by the spanish man who owned him. One of the easiest ways to rewrite history is to resort to. He is widely considered to be the first black explorer of america, but little is known about his early. Pulitzer prize finalistnominated for the man booker prizewinner of the american book awarda new york times notable booka wall street journal top 10 book of the yearan npr great read of 2014a kirkus best fiction book of the year in these pages, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of america. The most moor families were found in the usa in 1880. A fictional memoir narrated by estebanico, a moroccan slave and the first black explorer of america. The moors account is filled with brutalizing hardship and sudden, stunning violence. The questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups experience of reading laila lalamis the moors account. Tremendous and powerful, the moors account is one of the finest historical novels ive encountered in a while.
Read online now the moors account laila lalami ebook pdf at our library. As the dramatic chronicle unfolds, we come to understand that, contrary to popular belief, black men played a significant part in new world exploration and native american men and women were not merely silent. The goal was to conquer land, claim it for spain, subdue the indigenous population, and find gold. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction.
The moors marketplace and moor, here to provide educational tools and moorish products. Lalamis kansas city public library appearance is copresented by metropolitan community collegemaple woods. The book jumps back and forth between his slave labor life and flashbacks of his original home in africa every other chapter. Lalami graciously agreed to be interviewed via email. Fact meets fiction in tale of a slave, explorer and survivor. Those interested in the history of the spanish colonization of the americas will find much to like in the moors account, as will lovers of good yarns of faraway lands and times. During the classical period, the romans interacted with, and later conquered, parts of mauretania, a state that covered modern northern morocco, western algeria, and the spanish cities ceuta and melilla. Moorish head in artistic ceramic of italy sofia ceramiche. If you are selfdistancing and looking for an entertaining way to while away the hours, you can do no better than to pick up a copy of robert moors awardwinning book, on trails. The moors account illuminates the ways in which stories can transmigrate into history, and how storytelling can offer a chance for redemption, reinvention. The narrative, however, unfolds from the perspective of mustafa, the.
In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of america, a moroccan slave whose testimony was. It truly is a remarkable book and, without question, the best hikingrelated work ive read in the past several years. New york timesa wall street journalan npr great read of 2014 a kirkus 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. In 1527, conquistador narvaez sails from spain for florida with an armada of 600 men. Thousands of readers who couldnt be bothered with musty maps, journals and memoirs are always on the lookout for a good historical novel. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
We hope they will provide you with many ways of approaching this groundbreaking historical novel from the author of secret son and hope and other dangerous pursuits. Mar 27, 2020 if you are selfdistancing and looking for an entertaining way to while away the hours, you can do no better than to pick up a copy of robert moors awardwinning book, on trails. How did you light upon the narvaez expedition, which is the starting point for the moors account. Mosquito swarms, stomach afflictions, thirst, and dwindling rations reduce men to grizzled brutes. In the moors account, she turns her hand to historical fiction. In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of america, a moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of the official record.
Castaways, but hers is certainly the most extensive telling of the tale from the moors point of view. She is a history buff and has her bachelors degree in history. Laila lalami recounts the voyage and its brutal aftermath in her new novel, the moors account, from the perspective of estebanico, a moroccan slave of one of the explorers. Get the moors account laila lalami pdf file for free from our online library pdf file. The moors account illuminates the ways in which stories can transmigrate into history, and how storytelling can offer a chance for redemption, reinvention and survival. In her novel, the moors account, laila lalami sets out to resurrect estebanico, giving him a voice to tell the story from his perspective and narrate the details of the illfated expedition. With an overdrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for ataglance. Early on, estebanicos father warns him that trade would open the door to greed and greed was an inconsiderate guest.
This was about 15% of all the recorded moors in the usa. Aug 18, 2015 those interested in the history of the spanish colonization of the americas will find much to like in the moor s account, as will lovers of good yarns of faraway lands and times. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The moors account by laila lalami tredyffrin township. Annoyingly, in my edition of the book there is no map, but you can see it online on lalamis website, to show you where she envisages mustafas. The moors account, by laila lalami the new york times. I tried to keep my expectations modest when opening the book, but it wasnt easy. The story of the avavares the men realize that they must find a tribe in order to. Sep 07, 2014 but the moors account asks something else of fiction. The moors account by laila lalami overdrive rakuten. The protagonist mustafa is a complex character, caught between the role of the slave, who must obey, and the desire to help others and one day return to his home and family.
Their original goal was to explore the land, but greed gets the. In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of america, a moroccan. The moors account quotes showing of 49 a name is precious. At the alhambra palace, christopher columbus receives his contract for the journey to the new world. What role does moneyand the pursuit of moneyplay in this book. Aminatta forna, the commonwealth writers prize and hurston prize legacy awardwinning author of the memory of love, ancestor stones, and the devil that danced on the water. Mustafa is owned by senor dorantes, a captain assigned to the expedition. May 21, 2017 laila lalami s the moor s account was on the 2015 man booker prize longlist and also a finalist for the pulitzer prize.
Also, consider these litlovers talking points to help start a discussion for the moors account. In 1840 there were 82 moor families living in pennsylvania. In estebanicos telling, the journey across the new world makes servants of conquerors and transforms outcasts into dignitaries. The moors account is a fictional memoir of estebanico, the. An interview with laila lalami, author of the moors account. The moor family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. The moors account, a fictional memoir by laila lalami, tells the story through his eyes. The moors account quotes by laila lalami goodreads. Lalami sees the story as a form of moral and spiritual instruction that can lead to transcendence. After reading the moors account, i cant decide whether lalamis purpose was to show that everyone is capable of corrupting the truth in order to make themselves look good or whether she really wanted us to believe that the moor was consistently the most moral man on the expedition one of the few to refuse to rape captured maidens, the most. Gary shteyngart laila lalamis radiant, arrestingly vivid prose instantly draws us into the world of the first black slave in the new world whose name we knowestebanico. Surviving the new world in laila lalamis the moors. The moors account was an american book award winner and a pulitzer prize for fiction finalist. Five years ago, i was reading anouar majids we are all moors, a scholarly work on the connection between european.
Narrated by a muslim slave on the expedition, the moors account offers a pungent alternative history that muses on the ambiguous power of words to either tell the truth or reshape it. Lalamis debut novel, hope and other dangerous pursuits, is the maple woods campuswide common read this spring. In these pages, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of a man rarely mentioned in historical accounts of america. You can see how moor families moved over time by selecting different census years. Tens of thousands of jewish and muslim refugees flee andalusia and settle in fez and beyond. Of the four, his was the only testimony left off the record. I was cautious in approaching the moors account our only surviving historical account of the expedition is almost certainly of questionable accuracy as the survivors needed to present themselves to the spanish authorities in the best possible light but intrigued by the opportunities intrinsic in telling their tale from the slaves. The moors account 2014 is a fictionalized memoir of the first african explorer in the new world. This study guide consists of approximately 53 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the moors account. In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of americaa moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of the official record. She has great fun, too, with the possibilities of a great historical mystery. The moors account feels like a true story and, while the premise is based on historical characters and events, it is in fact a fictional tale.
The way the moor s account differs from the spaniards is amazing. Laila lalamis mesmerizing the moors account presents us a. As elusive as gold, she tells us, is the promise of freedom for estebanico, who provides the very definition of longsuffering. There are no more items in your cart total tax incl. From the pulitzer prize finalist and author of the moors account, here is a timely and powerful novel about the suspicious death of a moroccan immigrant at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story, informed by the treacherous fault lines of american culture. Losing it meant losing my ties to all those things too. Another, an african slave, is barely mentioned in that work and absent even from parkmans footnotes, but he has escaped oblivion as the narrator of laila lalamis novel the moors account. Hes a moor that is forced to sell himself into slavery in order.
The moors account by laila lalami, a fictional memoir, told in a controlled voice that feels at once historical and contemporary. The moors account is more than a good story, its a great one. As this dramatic chronicle unfolds, we come to understand that, contrary to popular belief, black men played a significant part in new world exploration, and that native american men and women were not merely silent. Aug 20, 2015 the moors account is more than a good story, its a great one. The moors account brilliantly captures estebanicos voice and vision, giving us an alternate narrative for this famed expedition. With an overdrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for ataglance information about availability. Maroon, marron, mavro, mauri, cimmaroon, etc, etc, all mean brown. Although new to tredyffrin public library, lois was previously with the dauphin county library system in the harrisburg area for 15 years. In the historical novel entitled the moors account, laila lalami fictionalizes the story of a reallife castilian expedition to the americas in the sixteenth century. But the moors account asks something else of fiction. The book challenges centuries of myth and assumptions focused on his slave nickname of estebanicoestevanico. The moor s account brilliantly captures estebanico s voice and vision, giving us an alternate narrative for this famed expedition. The moor s account, a 2014 novel by laila lalami, is a fictional memoir of estevanico.
Very little is known about him beyond the fact that he was one of. It is important to learn latin and greek roots peace and love. The moors account is a work of creativity and compassion, one which demonstrates the full might of lalamis talent as a writer. The way the moors account differs from the spaniards is amazing. Excerpt of the moors account, by laila lalami by tnb fiction. His objective is to capture that region for the spanish crown and become rich and famous like hernan cortes. Sep 04, 2014 narrated by a muslim slave on the expedition, the moors account offers a pungent alternative history that muses on the ambiguous power of words to either tell the truth or reshape it. But dig a bit deeper and youll find an equally enthralling meditation on friendship and what it means to be truly free. The moors account, by laila lalami, follows a slave named mustafa later called estebanico by his slave owner, a slave in florida in the 16th century. A new york times notable book a wall street journal top 10 book of the year an npr great read of 2014 a kirkus best fiction book of the year in this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of americaa moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of the official record. He is referred to as simply esteban or estevan, more commonly as estevanico, and also referred to as esteban the moor.
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