Calico Captive

Great story that I remember reading when I was a child.

The Calico Captive is based on the true story of Susanna Johnson, an early American settler, whose family was kidnapped by Indians and eventually taken into French territory. The book is slow paced, but taught me a valuable lesson about the equality of life even among different lifestyles and cultures. One of Susanna's captive daughters is raised by the French and becomes "a fine-mannered and fashionable young lady who could speak nothing but French and could never forget her deep affection for the two kindly women [who raised her in the French territory]". Susanna's captive son is raised by Indians and becomes "a wild young savage who could brandish a tomahawk and bend a bow but could not understand a word of English". My mama-heart just mourned with Susanna that her children were stolen and raised in ways that so much opposed their proper English upbringings. However, when Susanna's sister, Miriam, tries desperately to get her nephew back from the natives but is unable to do so, I found comfort in the wise words of Miriam's suitor, Pierre. He points out to Miriam that she can only see that bad in the ways her nephew is being raised, because that culture is not her own. Pierre is able to show Miriam that in some ways the culture that she refers to as "savage" is actually even better and healthier than the "good and proper" English way (Chapter 17). It helps bring peace to the unsettling situation, by helping the reader know that children are not truly lost, but will each be okay in their own way. This applies to our everyday lives. So often, we find ourselves feeling that if someone doesn't do things the exact same way we do, that they are wrong or living poorly. However, that is not always true. If we take time to pause and consider, we often find that they are doing some things better than we are and that we are both on similar paths even though we are doing it in slightly different ways.

Miriam went from Connecticut, to captured by Indians, to living in Montreal with the French… this story is quite the tale with much coming from a diary of her sister, Susanna! Interesting how her life evolved in a time of war and unrest.

Having read in various books of the French and Indian war of Susanah Johnson's captivity and ordeal, I came across this fictionalized account set through the eyes of her sister, Miriam. Being curious, I purchased it. This is the life developing story of a teenage girl and in that it is a good story. Taking the character from her abduction by savages near fort Number Four (whose attrocities are well documented) to her captivity (something not so well documented)in the native settlement of St. Franceis to her being deliverered to Montreal (she had been sold though no details are shown) in New France to her eventual repatriation. Based on a true story narrated by the heroine's sister Susanna Johnson in 1807, and containing numerous historical innacuracies and clearly some early Politically correct biases of the auttor,this will be interesting reading to a teenager as well as an adult. Though due to lack of availablility, I do not fault the author's numerous historical and cultural inaccuracies in her story, I must confess I do not care for the author portraying the character as narrow minded in comparison to the Abanakis whose label of Savages is well deserved and their attrocities are well documented or of the Catholic French who were hardly the most tolerant of people as French Huegenots in France and many English protestant captives discovered after being sold to them by the natives. Indeed though there is much reported of english captives being purchased from the natives by their French patrons not much is out on the details. Certainly the proto-political correctness could have been done without. Otherwise it is a good story as far as story telling goes. I feel, with proper research to correct its flaws, it would make a nice tv movie for kids.

Calico Captive is one of the lesser-known works by Newbury Medal award winner Elizabeth George Speare. One night in 1756 14-year-old Miriam Willard enjoys her family's party celebrating their return to their homestead outside of Fort Number Four in Charlestown New Hampshire. The next morning she and the family - older (and expecting) sister Susanna, brother-in-law, and their three young children - awaken to an Indian raid. Her family is marched through woods by Abenaki warriors, and eventually sold into slavery in Montreal just before the French-Indian War. The story is a little rough on the Indians, but it was also written in the 1950s. Still, these are not one-dimensional characters. The family is at first sold to the St. Francis Abenaki - a band in northwestern Vermont - and there she learns that the Indians are as human as she is, rather than simply violent pagans out for scalps. In this coming of age tale Miriam keeps learning new things about judgments she had made about others, and in the process grows up and finds herself. This middle-school historical fiction chapter book is amazingly accurate, as it should be since it was based on the true account written by Susannah in the early 1800s. A lot of fun, and made me think about the judgments society hands down to us, and why it is important to approach what happens to us with an open heart and mind.

This is the fifth time I read this book. Once in college, once a year for three years with a group of fourth grade students and now 20 years later. What a wonderful story of growth as Miriam Willard learned the value of what matters most in life and her search to find it!

I was a huge fan of "witch of blackbird pond" so I decided to read this book, too. I was a little disappointed because I am an American history nerd and this one was all about Montreal. The book was well written but as a mom, the story was a little too heartbreaking for me to bear and even harder to know the book was based on a true story. If you don't mind the French setting and you liked her other book, you'll probably like this one, too. But if you prefer American themed novels, pick up something by Ann Rinaldi.

This is the first kindle book I've purchased. I've enjoyed the story; it was fast paced and interesting. It was an easy read. I teach and read textbooks all the time. This was a nice change.

I've read this book time and again, it is interesting and enjoyable. I read it as a teen and now again as an adult - you will find you see things differently.

Its the year 1807 and we are in the colonies of Charlestown, New Hampshire, Miriam Willard, her sister and husband with their three children awake one morning to find the house over run by Indians. They are all taken captive and forced to march north to the Indian village where they are kept as slaves, the couples six year old son adapts well to Indian life but the others find captivity hard. Miriam and her sisters husband along with the two young girls are taken on the Montreal where they were sold into slavery, her sister follows at a later date, this very well written story goes on to show the life they led and their eventual freedom many years later.

My sister LOVED this book as a teenager. Reading it as an adult (our only copy was hogged by said sister). The reason I nixed the stars, even though I enjoyed the story, was because I do take issue with portrayal of the First Nations, though I can see how this is put from the point of view of a white colonist. TL;DR - I enjoyed the book as a fantasy situation because I'm a white woman and can relate to the protagonist in a Mary Sue way. Regardless, I take issue with some of the portrayals put forth.