Amy Belding Brown

Presents a fictionalized account of the life of Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan woman living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who was captured by Native American in 1675 and who developed empathy for her captors before she was released eight months later.

A Novel of Early America

Flight of the Sparrow

Patricia Nelson

Great book. What did I know about 1670's Massachusetts? Not much. But I feel like I got a good glimpse into the Puritan society in power there and the conflicts with the Native Americans during that time. I got pulled into the story, was appalled by the history included in the pages, and was rooting for the main character. I read this because I am part of a book club and this was the latest choice, and while I wouldn't have picked it up, I'm so glad it was chosen. The story is well-written and tells so much history without making it boring or hard to read. I inhaled this book over 36 hours - that's how good it is. Reading it during the same week as the racial tensions in our country explode felt strangely connected. We have a history in our country of treating non-white people horribly, and it's something that I know I didn't leave school being acutely aware of. This author treated this story with care and insight and it's a well-done book. I would recommend!

Jan Talkington

I don't ever remember hearing of Mary Rowlandson before this book. Hers was an interesting story. I can understand the conflicts she had between ways of life. Both the Puritans and the Indians had good and evil. Interesting and thought provoking.

Flight of the Sparrow A Novel of Early America

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