Publisher's Synopsis
A Legacy Written in Blood and Pearls...
In 1498, the world was on the brink of a seismic shift. Christopher Columbus, during his fateful third voyage, stumbled upon the Pearl Coast-an enchanting realm teeming with riches beyond imagination. Yet, behind the glistening pearls lay a dark and treacherous history that would forever change the course of human lives.
At the heart of this gripping historical thriller lies Cubagua Island, a place where dreams and nightmares intertwined. Here, the lives of two souls, Charaima, a Native American, and Dembe, an African, were forever altered. Enslaved by the avaricious European invaders and subjected to unimaginable cruelty under the sadistic Captain Pedro, they clung to each other, united by a shared determination to secure their people's freedom.
Hidden amidst the chaos and suffering, a cache of pearls was concealed in a buried clay jar-a symbol of hope and a means to their liberation.
Cubagua Island, once renowned as The Pearl Coast, bore witness to the ruthless harvest of an estimated two-hundred billion oysters, yielding twelve tons of pearls sent to Spain-a treasure that exceeded all other exports combined. But this insatiable greed came at an unthinkable cost. Within two decades, the entire Native population had been decimated, and the first African enslaved people in America toiled as pearl divers on the island's shores.
Blood for Pearls unravels this dark and little-known chapter of history through the tireless efforts of Peter Von Perle, an American researcher and writer. Born in Venezuela, he became captivated by the hidden stories of early American natural saltwater pearl fisheries. For over a decade, he traversed the globe, unearthing secrets of the sixteenth-century pearl trade, and engaging with a multitude of experts, from gemologists and museum curators to archaeologists and historians. Now, he unveils his findings in this pulse-pounding historical thriller.
Prepare to be transported to a world where pearls are more than mere jewels-they are symbols of survival, resilience, and the enduring human spirit. Blood for Pearls is a spellbinding journey through history's most precious bloodshed, where beauty and brutality converge in the name of wealth, and where the true savages were not those who perished, but those who invaded.
Join in the unearthing of this untold history of the Pearl Coast. Get your copy of Blood for Pearls: The First American Genocide today and dive into a mesmerizing saga of adventure, deceit, and the relentless pursuit of freedom and wealth.
