Brutal Journey: The Epic Story of the First Crossing of North America (John MacRae Books by Paul Schneider
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Aside from the first few chapters, Brutal Journey by Paul Schneider was a compelling narrative that occasionally reminded me of reading science fiction, made fantastically remarkable because it is an actual account of the Spanish “conquistadors” adventure exploring from present day Florida to the Pacific coast between 1528 and 1536. Encounters with long lost tribe after tribe of “Indians” with wildly different and bizarre social customs affecting the survival of those few who did survive were told with effective narrative drive and a respect for the unknowable that made for a compelling read.
However, it took Schneider about 60 pages of a historians fight against research ADD to get to the truly remarkable narrative. In those pages, it seems like Schneider probably loses many would be readers. He cannot seem to focus on the main characters long enough to establish a story before he digresses into side stories about other historical figures who are, regardless of historical significance, only minor characters in Brutal Journey. It’s like someone name-dropping at a party, bouncing from one name to the other in the hopes one will impress.
Once the voyage to Florida is underway and the initial landing embarked upon, the story takes off and moves with alacrity, providing fascinating and relevant detail that makes it hard to put down. The transformation from prideful conquistadors to their naked struggle for survival and back to the “civilized” world is a somewhat familiar story. However, Brutal Journey is more than merely a rehash as it provides insight into a time and place few have written about. Throughout, the author respects what is not known about this period of North American history without detracting from the instructive narrative.
Jeffrey Penn May, author of Where the River Splits, Cynthia and the Blue Cat’s Last Meow, and others.
