The Untold Story of the First New Englanders in History

              In the book Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the epic story of the pilgrims trip to America is portrayed in a factual and entertaining way. We read the chapters called "The Heart of Winter" and "In a Dark and Dismal Swamp." They explained their arrival to America, their colonization, and their interactions with the Native Americans that lived in the area. In class, we read these chapters because we are learning about the Pilgrims trip to America. Also, we are having a literary circle to talk about what we read at a greater depth.

               
                  I thought that the book was interesting, and had a lot of detailed, interesting facts. I also thought that Nathaniel Philbrick did a great job turning facts into a story. I think one of the most important parts in the story is their very first interaction with the Native Americans. Squanto came walking towards their settlement at a constant pace. He walked right through the village and would have gone right into their sick house, when a couple of Pilgrims stopped him. He addressed them by saluting and saying "Hello, Englishmen." I think that this is important because we know that the relationship between the Natives and the English was not so good. What people don't realize is that there is a period between their meeting and when they fought, and that was partly due to Squanto's ability to speak English. I thought that the reading was good, not great. Because we had learned about some of this stuff in class, it got repetitive. I do think that if I read the book in 10 years, I would find it much more interesting because I think that it is a very cool story, just more of an adult read. I would recommend the chapters to someone who is in to history, or just wants to read a good story. I think that between the amazing facts and the wonderful storytelling, it would be a great read. I think that for younger readers, it could get boring, so I would probably recommend it to older readers. I think it was a well written book, and the author did a great job writing the amazing story of the first New Englanders.