Conquering the Pacific

ANDRÉS RESÉNDEZ's most recent book, The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America, was a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the 2017 Bancroft Prize. He is a professor of history at the University of California, Davis, a current Carnegie fellow, and an avid sailor.

"A pacey account [of] a triumph of seamanship over wind and water. And credit for it, Mr. Reséndez shows persuasively, rests with a brilliant pilot whose role has long been neglected." - Wall Street Journal

"Riveting...Enlivened by lucid explanations of navigational techniques, larger-than-life characters, and colorful anecdotes from the age of exploration, this is a rip-roaring maritime adventure." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[Reséndez] makes the details fascinating and compelling. Readers of sailing and adventure stories will find this true account both enlightening and exciting." - Booklist (starred review)

"Andrés Reséndez's Conquering the Pacific is a masterwork of narrative and conception. Reséndez magically transforms dogged archival research into a sweeping vision of the past, capturing the grandest of epochs-of sail, of discovery, of conquest, of slavery and the beginning of globalization-in the thrilling life of a heretofore anonymous master and commander. A riveting tour-de-force." - Greg Grandin, Pultizer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth and Empire's Workshop

"At once learned and lively, Conquering the Pacific is a remarkable journey of discovery. Conquering the Pacific has it all: a covert mission, mutiny and swordplay on the high seas, and a dynamic lead role in Lope Martín, the courageous and heroic Afro-Portuguese navigator. The crisp narrative whirls like a gyre, transporting readers to previously unknown seas and shores. A vital, captivating read." - Buddy Levy, author of Labyrinth of Ice