The Mayflower and the Pilgrims' New World

September 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-Abridged and adapted from "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War" (Penguin, 2007), this volume highlights both the Pilgrims' determination to find and settle a home where they could worship freely and the perilous journey that it took to make that happen. In accessible prose, the author shatters the American myth of the landing at Plymouth Rock and the first Thanksgiving, instead describing how the Pilgrims first landed on Cape Cod, finding only sandy soil and seemingly hostile, terrifying natives. They eventually moved on to the shores of Plymouth Bay, encountering a more hospitable environment for settlement. Using William Bradford's "Of Plimoth Plantation" as a primary source of information, Philbrick brings to life many of the major figures from history, including Miles Standish, Benjamin Church, Squanto, and William Bradford himself. The various maps, reproductions of historical documents, photographs of significant locations, and illustrations all come together with the text to help separate fact from legend and create a realistic, readable portrayal of the Pilgrims and their first 50 years in America. General readers and students of American history will find plenty to interest them, as many of the encounters with the Native Americans are of dubious intent and usually quite bloody, though Philbrick is careful not to lay blame on any one group or person. An excellent addition to history collections."Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA"

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