Squanto

A Native Odyssey

By: Andrew Lipman

Narrated by: David Colacci

Taken to Europe as a slave, he found his way home and changed the course of American history

American schoolchildren have long learned about Squanto, the welcoming Native who made the First Thanksgiving possible, but his story goes deeper than the holiday legend. Born in the Wampanoag-speaking town of Patuxet in the late 1500s, Squanto was kidnapped in 1614 by an English captain, who took him to Spain. From there, Englishmen brought him to London and Newfoundland before sending him home in 1619, when Squanto discovered that most of Patuxet had died in an epidemic. A year later, the Mayflower colonists arrived at his home and renamed it Plymouth.

Prize-winning historian Andrew Lipman explores the mysteries that still surround Squanto: How did he escape bondage and return home? Why did he help the English after an Englishman enslaved him? Why did he threaten Plymouth's fragile peace with its neighbors? Was it true that he converted to Christianity on his deathbed? Drawing from a wide range of evidence and newly uncovered sources, Lipman reconstructs Squanto's upbringing, his transatlantic odyssey, his career as an interpreter, his surprising downfall, and his enigmatic death. The result is a fresh look at an epic life that ended right when many Americans think their story begins.

©2024 Andrew Lipman (P)2024 Tantor

Wonderful!

I almost didn't buy this book, thinking I already knew about Squanto's life. I'm so glad I changed my mind because there was a LOT of information in this book I had no idea about. Much was about the Wampanoag and Patuxet people and their lives in the 1600's. Their culture was so rich and unfortunately so impacted when the Mayflower arrived. On previous trips to New England I've explored the Pilgrims side (I'm a descendent of Peter Browne) but on my next trip I plan to learn more about the Wampanoag and Patuxet people. Awesome read!!