On a trip to see Plymouth Rock, Horwitz got interested in what happened before the Pilgrims arrived. Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492... but long before he was born, the Vikings were exploring the New Foundland area. And between 1492 and the time when the Mayflower arrived, more than a century had elapsed. Columbus had planted the seeds for European settlements in Hispaniola. Spanish marauders had traipsed all over South America, and the American South, leaving untold numbers of dead Native Americans in their wake. All of this I knew, I guess. But there was lots I didn't know. Did you know that there was a French settlement in Florida that pre-dated Saint Augustine? Guess what happened to them? They were wiped out by the Spaniards who landed next door and set up their own colony! Did you know there is a big controversy over where the bones of Columbus are? Given all the bickering in the southwestern states about English being the "official" language, isn't it funny that Spanish was spoken there long before English?Part history, part travelogue, this book was a lot of fun to read. It's full of colorful characters, and it's fun to learn about lots of your country's history that you never knew! It made me want to go and visit a lot of places I previously didn't have much interest in, to see where all these historical events unfolded. It's so hard to imagine Spanish conquistadors struggling through the tropical heat of the south in all of their armor. We had so much fun visiting Roanoke Island a few years ago. When Ben and I are old and driving our RV around the country, I will definitely put early-European-in-American points of interest on our itinerary.
-Kristin
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