A bestselling tale of passion and belief, magic and adventure from the author of The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.Bethia Mayfield is a restless and curious young woman growing up in Martha’s vineyard in the 1660s amid a small band of pioneering English Puritans. At age twelve, she meets Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a secret bond that draws each … forge a secret bond that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia’s father is a Calvinist minister who seeks to convert the native Wampanoag, and Caleb becomes a prize in the contest between old ways and new, eventually becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. Inspired by a true story and narrated by the irresistible Bethia, Caleb’s Crossing brilliantly captures the triumphs and turmoil of two brave, openhearted spirits who risk everything in a search for knowledge at a time of superstition and ignorance.
more
Riveting & heart-wrenching. I heard the author speak at a Historical Novel Society conference & then read the book, my favorite of hers.
Caleb’s Crossing is an excellent book about the Harvard education of the first Wampanoag Indian who earned a degree at that university, in 1665. The second Wampanoag who graduated from Harvard did not do so until 2011. Details of the first Wampanoag graduate are scant, but Geraldine Brooks provides readers an elegant interpretation of facts that are known. I highly recommend this book.
This is a part of our history I don’t know much about. The book caused me to do some further research into the real history of the time.
An educational read and informative of injustices.
A very wery well researched and written historical novel. The characters so vividly depicted they come alive for you. You will definetly enjoy this book
Nomy Margalig