Florida: Catholics, Conquistadores, and Other American Origin Stories

by Kevin Kokomoor

La Florida explores a Spanish thread to early American history that is unfamiliar or even unknown to most Americans. As this book uncovers, it was Spanish influence, and not English, which drove America’s early history. By focusing on America’s Spanish heritage, this collection of stories complicates and sometimes challenges how Americans view their past, which author Kevin Kokomoor refers to as “the country’s founding mythology.” Dig deeper into Hispanic and Caribbean history, and how important happenings elsewhere in the Spanish colonial world influenced the discovery and colonization of the American Southeast. Follow Spanish sailors discovering the edges of a new continent and greedy, violent conquistadors quickly moving in to find riches, along with Catholic missionaries on their search for religious converts. Learn how Spanish colonialism in Florida sparked the British’s plans for colonization of the continent and influenced some of the most enduring traditions of the larger Southeast. The key history presented in the book will challenge the general assumption that whatever is important or interesting about this country is a product of its English past.

Genres: History

440 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2023

Reviews

[Danie Waler · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the scholarship is wonderful and stories fascinating, this book is mostly about places other than La Florida. I believe the author was trying to use info from sources elsewhere to paint a picture of the time. If you already have a solid understanding of the time, this book doesn't add much. If you are just beginning your journey into the time period, it is a good place to start. I did enjoy the accounts of Cabeza de Vaca, Jean Ribault, and Bartolome de las Casas, but even these accounts can be found in greater detail elsewhere. Just be prepared to read a lot about the Caribbean and Mississippian landscape and even the Carolinas. I was hoping to discover more on the local history of Florida and I did not find it here. I did learn some new tidbits on Coquina, citrus, barbecue, and toponyms of Florida. The chapters are short for those who need frequent breaks with their history reads and the footnotes are magnificent. The footnotes were my favorite part really, as I made a list of future reads! Being from Saint Augustine, Florida; I was hoping for much more from this book.

[Lara Reading Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

I really enjoyed this book. The author elegantly blended research with a narrative. He managed to keep the tone engaging and, at times, sarcastic. He actually got a few chuckles out of me. I appreciated how the author choose to structure the book by theme instead of chronologically.

My biggest grip is the physical book itself. The text was damn near microscopic! And whatever technique the manufacturer used to bind it made it impossible to hold open. Made reading a chore.