Caleb's Crossing
2 journalers for this copy...
"Nothing links person to person like the frequent passage from hand to hand of a good book."
Read from September 30 to October 03, 2013
This novel is based on the small scraps of information still available about Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, one of the first two Native Americans to graduate from Harvard. Many of the characters in the story are real or very similar to people who existed at the time of the story in the 1600's in Martha's Vineyard and in Cambridge. I heard Geraldine Brooks speak about this book just a few days ago (Oct 2013) in downtown San Diego as part of San Diego City College's 8th Annual Book Fair. "Caleb's Crossing" was selected as the 2013 "One Book One San Diego" book choice for this year, so people are reading it all over town. This was the only book I had not already read by Ms. Brooks, so I read it quickly before I went to hear her speak. She happened upon the bit of information about Caleb in a museum in Martha's Vineyard, where Caleb's people, the Wampanoag, still live. Her astonishment at hearing his story sparked her imagination, and his story came alive for her. The character of Bethia is imagined, but many others, like Bethia's father, were based on real people. It's a remarkable story, and so beautifully told. This is one of the types of stories that thoroughly distress me though, because too many times people from western cultures have repressed and mislead people that they consider savages and pagans by dominating them, controlling them, stripping them of their culture and religion while feeding them Christianity (and often ultimately passing along our diseases and wiping them out).
It was fascinating to hear the author speak about her research -- in particular the difficulty in getting knowledge of the women of that time, since so many women were not taught to write and for the most part were not well educated and certainly did not write books or keep journals. Many of the written accounts of the words of women come from court records of when the women were hauled into court for having said something blasphemous or for treating their husband disrespectfully. It was not an easy time to be a woman. The story is at turns sad, hopeful, uplifting, informative. The author really makes the colony of Puritans and the Wampanoag of Martha's Vineyard come to life for us. Highly recommended!
Read from September 30 to October 03, 2013
This novel is based on the small scraps of information still available about Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, one of the first two Native Americans to graduate from Harvard. Many of the characters in the story are real or very similar to people who existed at the time of the story in the 1600's in Martha's Vineyard and in Cambridge. I heard Geraldine Brooks speak about this book just a few days ago (Oct 2013) in downtown San Diego as part of San Diego City College's 8th Annual Book Fair. "Caleb's Crossing" was selected as the 2013 "One Book One San Diego" book choice for this year, so people are reading it all over town. This was the only book I had not already read by Ms. Brooks, so I read it quickly before I went to hear her speak. She happened upon the bit of information about Caleb in a museum in Martha's Vineyard, where Caleb's people, the Wampanoag, still live. Her astonishment at hearing his story sparked her imagination, and his story came alive for her. The character of Bethia is imagined, but many others, like Bethia's father, were based on real people. It's a remarkable story, and so beautifully told. This is one of the types of stories that thoroughly distress me though, because too many times people from western cultures have repressed and mislead people that they consider savages and pagans by dominating them, controlling them, stripping them of their culture and religion while feeding them Christianity (and often ultimately passing along our diseases and wiping them out).
It was fascinating to hear the author speak about her research -- in particular the difficulty in getting knowledge of the women of that time, since so many women were not taught to write and for the most part were not well educated and certainly did not write books or keep journals. Many of the written accounts of the words of women come from court records of when the women were hauled into court for having said something blasphemous or for treating their husband disrespectfully. It was not an easy time to be a woman. The story is at turns sad, hopeful, uplifting, informative. The author really makes the colony of Puritans and the Wampanoag of Martha's Vineyard come to life for us. Highly recommended!
This book is traveling by mail to a friend. Enjoy!
You have in your hands a gift. This book is yours to do with as you wish...read it, share it, keep it, pass it on. Thanks for finding this book! I hope you enjoy reading it. Please leave a journal entry and let me know where this book has traveled! It can be done anonymously if you wish :)
You have in your hands a gift. This book is yours to do with as you wish...read it, share it, keep it, pass it on. Thanks for finding this book! I hope you enjoy reading it. Please leave a journal entry and let me know where this book has traveled! It can be done anonymously if you wish :)
The book was at the Ramona, CA library. Was an exciting adventure to find the book crossing note on the cover!
I just wanted to say thank you to the anonymous finder who left a journal entry. That makes a bookcrosser's day :)
