On Savage Shores

How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe

By: Caroline Dodds Pennock

Narrated by: Caroline Dodds Pennock

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

AN ECONOMIST AND SMITHSONIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A landmark work of narrative history that shatters our previous Eurocentric understanding of the Age of Discovery by telling the story of the Indigenous Americans who journeyed across the Atlantic to Europe after 1492

"On Savage Shores not only changes how we think about the first contact between America and Europe but also sets the methodological standard for a new way of understanding the origin of the modern world."—New York Review of Books

We have long been taught to presume that modern global history began when the "Old World" encountered the "New", when Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492. But, as Caroline Dodds Pennock conclusively shows in this groundbreaking book, for tens of thousands of Aztecs, Maya, Totonacs, Inuit and others—enslaved people, diplomats, explorers, servants, traders—the reverse was true: they discovered Europe. For them, Europe comprised savage shores, a land of riches and marvels, yet perplexing for its brutal disparities of wealth and quality of life, and its baffling beliefs.

The story of these Indigenous Americans abroad is a story of abduction, loss, cultural appropriation, and, as they saw it, of apocalypse—a story that has largely been absent from our collective imagination of the times. From the Brazilian king who met Henry VIII to the Aztecs who mocked up human sacrifice at the court of Charles V; from the Inuk baby who was put on show in a London pub to the mestizo children of Spaniards who returned “home” with their fathers; from the Inuit who harpooned ducks on the Avon river to the many servants employed by Europeans of every rank: here are a people who were rendered exotic, demeaned, and marginalized, but whose worldviews and cultures had a profound impact on European civilization.

Drawing on their surviving literature and poetry and subtly layering European eyewitness accounts against the grain, Pennock gives us a sweeping account of the Indigenous American presence in, and impact on, early modern Europe.

©2023 Caroline Dodds Pennock (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"On Savage Shores is a work of historical recovery . . . few books make as compelling a case for such a reimagining"—David Olusoga, Guardian, Book of the Day

"In On Savage Shores, Dodds Pennock has performed a monumental work of historical excavation. Beautifully written and painstakingly researched, this is first-rate scholarship"―Suzannah Lipscomb, Financial Times

"A thrilling, beautifully written and important book that changes how we look at transatlantic history, finally placing Indigenous peoples not on the side-lines but at the centre of the narrative. Highly recommended."—Peter Frankopan

Wonderful

Insightful and full of detail. Was really excited to listen to this and it did not disappoint!

The Authors ability to portray events without an obvious agenda.

Excellent listen. Written and read very well. The focus on the pre-American history was appreciated and informative.

Vital reading.

A top notch work of general readership history on a critical subject, demonstrating the agency and exchange between indigenous peoples and Europeans and amplifying the voices of indigenous witnesses to the age of colonialism.

Invaluable, yet sparse, information

The idea of this book was quite intriguing and I highly anticipated listening to it. But clearly due to a scarcity of material, much less first-hand documentation, the book tends to cover well trodden ground for the most part, with some interesting reports of European contacts by Indigenous peoples from the American continents. Consequently, it does give the feel of a very familiar story newly packaged within a rather thin premise. But it works, nevertheless. The author does get a bit pedantic about language at times, and I could have sworn she pronounced the vowels in the name Matoaka a few different ways, but couldn't be bothered to check for sure. Altogether, time well spent.

Brutal and inspiring

A great early attempt to share the story of colonization and transatlantic trade from the other point of view. It’s a brutal story, and the author’s passion shines through. It’s important that Europeans and their descendants understand that the brutality of this exchange was more than just acts of violence, but also the dismissive attitudes and the making of the indigenous experience invisible. It’s important that the peoples of the Americas and their descendants know this story so they see Europe’s indigenous population and how their ancestors participated in European society.

Skip

What could be an interesting story is overshadowed by a tedious attempt at virtue signaling.