Fabulous historical fiction
Caleb's crossing is narrated by Bethia Mayfield who is a clever and devout but questioning twelve year old when the story begins. She is the daughter of a Puritan minister on Martha's Vineyard in the 1650's. Bethia is luckier than most girls because she is at least literate but her only source of further instruction is to surreptitiously listen while her father tutors her brother. Life in the young colony is harsh but Bethia revels in the natural beauty that surrounds her. One day while out looking for clams she meets the Wampanoag boy she will call Caleb. First, he teaches her his language and his love of the island and then she teaches him English and to read. Caleb will be the first Native American'to graduate from Harvard.
Caleb's crossing is about education, about the importance of it, the sacrifices made for it and the way it changes us. It is also about the religious and cultural divide between the Puritans and the Wampanoag and what happens when someone crosses to the other side. If that sounds a bit stuffy don't worry, it is also a page turning good read and the very best kind of historical fiction. You are so completely immersed in the period that when someone does something that wouldn't raise an eyebrow now but would be scandalous to the Puritans, you are truly shocked.
Geraldine Brooks was at the Appel Salon on June 12 and you can see her interview with Michael Enright on YouTube. The book is also available as an eBook and as an audiobook on CD and an eAudiobook, read by the wonderful Jennifer Ehle.
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