Nouhad’s Pick
April 2016
The Moor’s Account
Leila Lalami, Pantheon Books 2014
The story is a fictional account of the historical trek to the Gulf area of Florida. It is told by a Moroccan (Moor) slave who accompanied a group of Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500s. Estebanico (ne Mustafa ibn Muhammad) tells how he sold himself as a slave to help his family from starvation only to end up with a Spanish expedition in search of gold and colonization of new territory in the name of the Spanish Crown.
After a long and arduous journey, they found La Florida and went in search of food and inhabitants. They met up with various native tribes, each with its own set of rules and languages. Estebanico (Mustafa) tells of their trials with the tribes and the hardships of navigating the land. With hunger and disease, the only survivors were Estebbanico and three others. Many natives were also sickened and died. Mustafa tried herbs he learned from his mother and succeeded in a cure. This ability became the way to win over some natives and helped them gain some tribal respect.
The story is an accounting of the expedition, its hardships and survival, relationships with the natives and Mustafa’s constant hope for his freedom and return to his home. It is also a reminder of the daring men took in uncharted seas to find the new land, and the role slaves played in its settlement.
I chose this book with the recommendation of my sister. I found myself engrossed in its adventure, and historical information.