Caleb's Crossing

Author: Geraldine Brooks

One-sentence summary: This historical fiction novel tells the story of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in the 1600s through the eyes of the daughter of an English missionary.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved learning about the history and conditions of the time as well as the cultures of the English settlers and the Native Americans.

Our least favorite thing about it: It was a little hard to get into the story at first.

Main Topics of Discussion: History, Native American Culture/Early Settlement Culture, Puritanism, Patriarchy, Education/Intelligence, Spiritualism, Tragedy and Death

Our favorite quote: “In this fallen world, such is our condition. Every happiness is a bright ray between shadows, every gaity bracketed by grief. There is no birth that does not recall a death, no victory but brings to mind a defeat.” (p.283)

Notes: Although we found this story a little hard to get into, we all liked the story as a whole. We thought it an interesting choice to tell Caleb’s story through a young girl’s eyes. So much was said about her life and her position as a woman in early settlement/Puritan society that it almost seemed to be more about her than him, despite the title of the book.

Some of the most interesting parts to us were the comparisons and contrasts between the daily practices and ways of viewing the world among the Native Americans vs. the English settlers. Likewise, the discussions of religion and spirituality as it differed between the two cultures were interesting as well.

We thought the characters were fairly well-rounded. Bethia’s father and brother were especially realistic, whose actions and feelings echoed the triumphs and mistakes, which they equally owned. Strangely, Caleb was one of the characters we felt we knew the least. Some light was shed on his motives, however, his true feelings for Bethia were only hinted at and never really revealed. The same goes for Bethia’s feelings for Caleb, even though she was the narrator of the book.

We discussed a little bit about the Puritanical society and the rules-based religion that ruled the settlements…literally. We also talked about that in light of power and roles in society such as being a woman, or a Native American, or a Native American woman.

Tragedy and death were pervasive themes in this book. Though they threatened to leave us all depressed because there were just so much of them, we all acknowledged the realities of life in the 1600s. The deaths were so central to the movement of the story that you really got a sense of how common they were and how they affected families and communities.

Overall, we enjoyed the story presented in the book and the things it brought to light about a certain time in American history, even though we felt like the book was not exactly what we expected as far as a story about Caleb himself.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This was our second meeting ever at Amberly’s house and Christina’s first birthday month in book club. She opened her first cards and books! Lindsay also pointed out to us that her family “really lives.”

What We Ate: Chicken Artichoke Lasagna, Roasted Asparagus, Caesar Salad, Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes