Seneca

White Indian #9

by Donald Clayton Porter

AN ACT OF DEFIANCE--Fierce warrior of the Seneca, Ghonkaba, grandson of Renno the White Indian, feels his blood run hot with a lust for battle as America revolts against the hated British. But the Seneca refuse to break their traditional alliance with England to join the colonists' fight. His noble heart burning, Ghonkaba realizes that the only chance for freedom is to become a traitor to his heritage and his loved ones to follow the patriots' star-spangled banner into a long and dangerous war.

A MARK OF HONOR--Only the super scouting skills of Ghonkaba and a lithesome Indian girl can lead General Washington's troops to safety in a series of thrilling escapes from the Redcoats' guns. Then Ghonkaba, guided by the Manitou, sacred spirits of the Indian, is plunged into a daring plan to cross the Delaware that is destined to stun the world with a triumphant victory for a nation struggling to be born.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance

295 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

The Colonization of America series was renamed to The White Indian Series with Book V, Renno.

1914-1988.
Noel B. Gerson
aka
Anne Marie Burgess, Samuel Edwards, Leon Phillips, Donald Clayton Porter, Dana Fuller Ross (with James Reasoner)

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seneca, Donald Porter (historical fiction)
Jeff Book Review #284

Ghonkaba is a Seneca warrior during the American Revolution who separates from his tribe so that he can join the Patriot cause. We see action in the Boston Tea Party, the Siege of Boston, the fall of New York, and the crossing of the Delaware River before the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, and then the Battle of Saratoga. Interspersed with these historical events we see a lot of activity via our protagonist Ghonkaba and his family illustrating how Native American tribes in the northeastern colonies worked and fought.

As an inspiring historical fiction, "Seneca" isn't concerned with being especially historically accurate. For example, the thrilling account of the Battle of Trenton concludes with 8,000 British and Hessian soldiers surrendering but the actual number was around 900. Other such liberties are taken in the name of narrative excitement. Similarly, the treatment of Ghonkaba's family is a bit one-noted and probably not a great representation of Seneca culture.

Verdict: Might be a fun read for 4th-8th graders with an interest in American History as long as they don't take too much of the factual details to heart. There's no adult content or descriptive violence, and we check in with a number of historical characters like the Washingtons, Henry Knox, King George III, Dan Morgan, Henry Lee, Benedict Arnold, and Alexander Hamilton.

Jeff's rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seneca by Donald Clayton Porter, is the ninth book of The White Indian series which tells the story of a white man adopted by an Indian chief, and his descendants. This book's main character, Ghonkaba, is a Seneca war chief and grandson of the original white Indian; and lives at the time of the American Revolution fast approaching. The Seneca tribe is allied with Great Britain, but Ghonkaba fought by George Washington's side in past conflicts. Now that both sides are going to war, Ghonkaba finds himself torn between his allegiance to his tribe and their traditions, and his good American friends and their shared ideals. Ghonkaba ends up choosing the Americans, and despite being able to help his friends, he becomes a traitor to his family. Ghonkaba helps the Americans with the Boston Tea Party and takes several high-stakes intelligence missions from General Washington. My favorite part of this book was the fact the Ghonkabas family joined him on his mission to help the Americans despite him telling them not to. I admire the loyalty that his wife and children have to him, to the point where they would leave their whole tribe behind to stay as a family. I recommend this book to people who enjoy historical fiction books, books set in colonial times, and books that bring representation to the Indigenous tribes of the Americas.

[J.L. Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this entire series far more times than I might possibly count, much like a dear old friend, I simply cannot bear not visiting with him and "catching up," time and time again.

Donald Clayton Porter started this masterful series and in my opinion; when in later storylines he characters fade somewhat as Mr. Porter continually pushed out new editions it seemed to dilute the perspective of the original mind-set. In all honestly, after #10 I begin to lose interest and the it just feels to be too much along the lines of pure pulp media and like he is banging away at the keyboards strictly for the sake of monetary gain. I am not an idiot, of course that is why he writes in the first place, but the lineage simply cannot compare with Renno, the "White Indian."

Don't misunderstand me, I still own them all and love them dearly, it is just that I have read 1-10 probably a dozen and a half times each, the rs read just the once.

[Ryan Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a 2 month period I went through the first dozen of this series. I remember enjoying it in high school and they have collected dust on the shelf since. Every time I looked at them I thought I should read them again but not having an electronic version hampered my desire. I finally got back into the world of the Seneca tribe when the pilgrims first came to this country. Following multipal generations of this family is enjoyable. Held up pretty good.

[David Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paperback