A Voyage Long and Strange owes much of its liveliness to Tony Horwitz's particular brand of gonzo-historical writing whereby the author packs a bag, jumps into his car, and careens along the paths traveled by his subjects hundreds of years before. In so doing, Horwitz unearths the die-hard individuals who for one reason or another have become the true guardians of their local history. From Carlos the museum guide who takes the author to the site of Columbus' burial in Santo Domingo to Lyn Corley, the Florida evangelical who has reinvented herself as a champion and historian of the French Huguenots, we meet an incredible cast of living characters who tie the author's historical narrative to a present day reality.
Though Horwitz's inviting prose and his penchant for immersion in the subject matter via Micmac sweat lodges, conquistador reenactments, and historical repentances make relearning history more inviting than you might expect, it is indeed a long slog down the paths of our Spanish conquistador forefathers before the author finally makes it to the 1600's and the English colonies at Jamestown and Plymouth which end this exploration. A Voyage Long and Strange is indeed true to its title and as such recommended primarily for readers who are firmly dedicated to filling the 128 year educational chasm that many of us seem to have on this topic.
Though Horwitz's inviting prose and his penchant for immersion in the subject matter via Micmac sweat lodges, conquistador reenactments, and historical repentances make relearning history more inviting than you might expect, it is indeed a long slog down the paths of our Spanish conquistador forefathers before the author finally makes it to the 1600's and the English colonies at Jamestown and Plymouth which end this exploration. A Voyage Long and Strange is indeed true to its title and as such recommended primarily for readers who are firmly dedicated to filling the 128 year educational chasm that many of us seem to have on this topic.
