Squanto: A Native Odyssey

by Andrew Lipman

Taken to Europe as a slave, he found his way home and changed the course of American history


American schoolchildren have long learned about Squanto, the welcoming Native who made the First Thanksgiving possible, but his story goes deeper than the holiday legend. Born in the Wampanoag-speaking town of Patuxet in the late 1500s, Squanto was kidnapped in 1614 by an English captain, who took him to Spain. From there, Englishmen brought him to London and Newfoundland before sending him home in 1619, when Squanto discovered that most of Patuxet had died in an epidemic. A year later, the Mayflower colonists arrived at his home and renamed it Plymouth.


Prize-winning historian Andrew Lipman explores the mysteries that still surround How did he escape bondage and return home? Why did he help the English after an Englishman enslaved him? Why did he threaten Plymouth’s fragile peace with its neighbors? Was it true that he converted to Christianity on his deathbed? Drawing from a wide range of evidence and newly uncovered sources, Lipman reconstructs Squanto’s upbringing, his transatlantic odyssey, his career as an interpreter, his surprising downfall, and his enigmatic death. The result is a fresh look at an epic life that ended right when many Americans think their story begins.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, American History, Audiobook, Native American, Indigenous

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2024

About the author

Andrew Lipman is an assistant professor of history at Barnard College, Columbia University and lives in New York City. His first book, The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast, was published by Yale University Press in 2015.

Reviews

[Brandon Dalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Lipman’s Squanto: A Native Odyssey explores the remarkable life of Tisquantum, better known as Squanto, the Native American who famously helped the Pilgrims of the Mayflower survive their first year in New England. His story, however, goes far beyond the traditional Thanksgiving narrative. Through detailed research and historical context, Lipman reconstructs Squanto’s journey from his early life in a Wampanoag community to his abduction and time in Europe, back to a homeland devastated by disease, and finally his later years and downfall.

This book is split into three parts. In the first part, so little is known definitively about Squanto’s childhood, that the author tells what we currently know about his tribe and more specifically how children were raised in that tribe and in that environment at that time. Some of the details could feel like they got a little into the weeds—such as detailed discussions of language structures—but it ultimately felt like a smart choice that helps immerse the reader in the world Squanto grew up in. I would imagine it’s the only way a biography like this could work, given how scattered and incomplete the records are about this time in his life.

Part 1 also tells the history of the first contacts between Europeans and the Natives there. I’ve read other books on this subject but this gave an even better understanding of early contact from the start up to when the Pilgrims arrived and beyond. It really gave me context to what they went through on both sides and the scenes were written in such a way that often made them feel visceral and amazing to imagine the reality of them.

For example, there was one story of an English boy who could play this instrument (an ancestor of the modern guitar). The Natives would give the boy many things to get him to play it and then they would break out into song and dance while he strummed along. As a musician myself, it would have been incredible to hear the music that was produced from these two ancient cultures meeting for the first time in this way so things like that were especially interesting to read about.

In Part 2, the author doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of what happened there, covering incidents where European and Native interactions turned violent or exploitative. Squanto’s own kidnapping and time in Europe are paralleled with other accounts of Native Americans who were kidnapped and taken against their will. It was also devastating to read about when Squanto finally returned home from Europe and found his homeland totally ravaged by disease with virtually everyone in his community having passed away. It was chilling to read about how thriving villages described by John Smith just a few years earlier were wiped out by the time Squanto returned.

Lipman’s research felt really well done. Almost every paragraph has an endnote, and I frequently flipped back to the bibliography to dive deeper into sources. The level of detail—down to speculating what kind of English accent Squanto might have had—sometimes felt a little excessive but was ultimately fascinating and helped me picture the era and place me in the scene. The author’s ability to weave together scattered bits of evidence into a coherent narrative really stood out. Also, at times just when I wished I had a map to sort of place things geographically, often the author would include one right then which was really helpful.

In part 3, I appreciated that Lipman doesn’t paint Squanto as a saint. He acknowledges Squanto’s manipulative tendencies later in life and ultimate downfall, which made him feel like a realistic, complex person. In other words, one feels like they got to know the real man (as best as we can with the sources we have) instead of the mythic character we’ve been told about by Disney, etc.

In the end, Squanto: A Native Odyssey gave me a much better understanding of early Native and European contact, and it’s one of those books that left me wanting to read more. It’s not just about Squanto—it’s about a time of incredible change and the people who lived through it. Lipman’s storytelling, combined with his rigorous research, makes this a book I’d recommend to anyone interested in these sorts of subjects.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars Rounded Down

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Andrew Lipman, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley.

I'm unfamiliar with this time period in the history of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. As a result, I am unable to judge the accuracy of the historical information shared. I have an audiobook copy and not a digital copy, so I am unsure if this history accurately portrays the sources used. Since this was published before I requested the audiobook I did try Hoopla & Libby for a library copy of the digital book so I could verify the sources used but neither library had a copy of the digital book. Hoopla does have the audiobook for any interested. That said, the sources mentioned in the text check out and seem to be used accurately. The author is a professor, and so his resources in this field are probably accurate or at the least based on the latest research. The text indicates this to be so, and I am unable to verify independently otherwise.

This was a treasure trove of information on the Wampanoag peoples in the early stages of European colonization. I learned so much about living situations, family settings, women's roles in society, children's roles and activities, family life, and just wow. I was so thoroughly engrossed in these details. I had no idea so much information was available to researchers. I truly need a digital copy of this book so I can mine the resources for more information. I need more than what this book offers. 

This is structured in such a way that the reader really learns about early colonization of the Americas by multiple European colonizing peoples. This is important because this period in European history, with which I am very familiar, is frought with complicated history and inter-country struggles. That said, some of the information given on European nations at this time is slanted. 

The author takes great pains to point out that the Wampanoag engaged in slavery adjacent practices and pointed out Arabic and other European slavery adjacent practices at this time. I don't like this. This author is the descendant of the Europeans who committed this genocide in the Americas; less than 3% of the current US population is Native American, and about 5% of Canada is First Nations. Indigenous peoples in these nations live on Reservations & Reserves, they aren't allowed political power, and their population is not represented in the federal government of either colonizing nation at population percentage rates. In many respects, they live in 'ghettos' in which they don’t have access to clean water and food is not affordable. They live under apartheid. We simply don't use those words to describe their treatment because it would reflect badly on our respective countries. They aren't the only marginalized group in North America treated this way, but considering this is their land, it's especially heinous. 

I take issue with the author pretending that Captain John Smith who was briefly captured while he was a mercenary soldier and comparing that to Squanto's capture and expulsion to Europe. Squanto did not hire himself out as a soldier, nor was he fighting a war when he was captured. His captors stole him when he was engaged in regular trade. If John Smith had been stolen from the London wharf while unloading his ship, maybe that would compare. What was done to Squanto and other Indigenous Peoples of the Americas was something that Europeans would never consider doing to other European nations. Such behavior would be considered cowardly, anti-christian, and deeply shocking. Other European nations would've declared war on a European nation that was moving in this manner in Europe. This behavior was only considered okay because it was done to non-Europeans. Early racism is why these horrible practices were carried out, and greed is why they became normalized. Historians need to say this explicitly and not waste time trying to negate the genocidal behaviors of their klancestors.  This pretense that everyone was behaving badly is a very colonialist viewpoint. Squanto and the Wampanoag deserve better.

This audiobook is narrated by David Colacci. David did a decent job with this. His tone was educational but not droning or boring. It's fairly good for an information dense text like this.

Thank you to Andrew Lipman, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read anything I can get my hands on pertaining to indigenous peoples and have since I was a child. Being married to an American Indian spiritual leader makes it all the more real. I have an expert to answer all of my questions!

I met Squanto when I was in grade school and like lots of other kids, thought he was awesome. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have Thanksgiving, right? Wrong. This book reveals what they didn't teach us in school and I believe it only puts a dent in us learning the true history of our indigenous ancestors. The author tells of the real Squanto, good, bad and ugly. It's the truth and needs to be known.

This book goes into depth with the way indigenous people live, work, play, worship and go to war, along with telling Squanto's story. The author did amazing research and taught us much. Some parts did seem a bit long winded hence why I took off a star. Still, it was well written and quite engaging.

Highly recommended to all especially those who love our First People. Look for it in September 2024.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Star Gater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Tantor Audio for allowing me to read and review Squanto, A Native Odyssey, by Andrew Lipman on NetGalley.

Narrator: David Colacci

Published: 09/17/24

Stars: 3.5

Detail driven.

The author begins the book with stating there is not a lot of information on Squanto. He went on to explain that Historians research and develop theories from pieces found. In addition, he stated he would have to say probably, maybe, could be, etc. while telling Squanto's story.

I found the book written in more of an academic manner and less in a storytelling biography fashion. I cannot put into words how hearing repeatedly probably, etc grated on my nerves. I couldn't focus on what information Lipman had to make his assumptions or in some cases disqualify others for all the maybes. There is a lot of information provided.

I have not read another biography written like this. I feel like this would be better marketed academically.

[Zachary Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and concise Wampanoag/Atlantic perspective on the Thanksgiving story. There aren't a lot of sources directly about Squanto's life, but Lipman expertly fills in the gaps with an impressive knowledge of Algonquian language and culture. This book traces Squanto's life from his youth in Massachusetts to Spain, England, Newfoundland, and Virginia. If you want to learn about the indigenous perspective of Thanksgiving this is the book.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Lipman's writing in this biography of Squanto. It is difficult to navigate legendary figures, and it's even harder to navigate people who left very few records behind. Andrew Lipman handled this situation very well, weaving together what we know and presenting it in a way that still makes it clear what is unknown. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about Squanto or the colonial settlement at Plymouth.

Structure/formatting: 5/5
Thoroughness of Research: 4*/5
Storytelling: 4.5/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
Prior Knowledge Needed: 4.5*/5 (5 means no knowledge needed prior to reading book)

*I listened to the audiobook for this biography, and that meant I didn't have the luxury of exploring the notes/source citations. With that, I had to rely on any in-text references to the sources being used. Based on what I listened to, I wished the author would have consulted actual indigenous people for some of the rituals and rites that came up in the book. A lot of the sources seemed to come from Winslow (a Mayflower passenger), so it felt like there was a bit of a disconnect between Native American ideology and some of the explanations of things described in the book. Without a broader source pool, I would recommend reading a book like "Braiding Sweetgrass" alongside this book to better understand some of the topics discussed.

[Joe Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book that tells an important story!

I’ve read many books on the pilgrims, but not one quite like this book. The book is very readable and informative in telling a complicated story that confirmed for me that after 400 years we still have much to learn about the founding of the Plymouth colony.

[Sharon Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, honest look at the supposed "friend of the white man" and the mythology surrounding him, as well as what happened with Northeastern Native American peoples.

This book would go well with Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick.

[Ian May · Rating 5 out of 5]

The epic of Squato has for centuries been bent and twisted to the will of its many authoers and retellers, as have many histories. Lipman's account of the life of Squanto, as explained in his prologue, does a brilliant job of bringing his story to life without guessing on its missing details. Rather, where information is absent, situations are approximated based of evidence of the time to help paint what may have actually been the picture. I applaud Lipman in this effort and wish his style is adopted in regard to other famous histoical figured of which we know only pieces of their famous lives.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review:

A brief disclaimer: As a descendant of one of the historical figures in this book, my feelings reading this and upon reflection are...confused. While it is common for many of us to, at some point in our lives, assess and address the actions (and sins) of our ancestors, it is quite another thing to have those actions and sins quite explicitly documented and taught amongst your peers in classrooms (across multiple continents, in my case). My frustration at the actions and the direct impact of my ancestor on the treatment and misrepresentation of Squanto and the original Plymouth settlement infuriated me with every reiteration throughout the relation of these accounts. Hearing from Lipman and all that I have learned has encouraged me to continue researching into the multi-faceted and un-singular realities of my family's origins in this country beyond the half-remembered story I have sat placently by, heard, and regurgitated whenever asked. I have already been exposed to much-needed alternative histories, primary sources, and accounts that require my further investigation in just the hours of reading this book, and I will continue to devote my time and efforts to understanding more of the history I should know and not the historical fiction I have been made to read as fact.

Now, for the book: A great many of modern Americans believe that we "know" the story of the Pilgrims, and some of us would even have had the mind to mention the indigenous parties with whom the Pilgrims interacted in their Plymouth colony. But I sincerely doubt many would be able to remember or name the subject of this book, and next to no one would be able to directly relate any certified facts about the historical figure off-hand. This is because, as Lipman points out, Squanto has long been treated more as a literary figure than as a human being. Throughout children's books, TV shows, Disney movies, and more, Squanto's image and memory has become much more fictionalized and washed than the man deserves. A historical, factual relation of Squanto's story remains about 400 years overdue, which is what drew me most to Lipman's book.

I sincerely appreciate Lipman's explanation and analysis regarding his struggles with accumulating and synthesizing found contemporary information for research, as well as his revelations on his construction of the book and its overall argument in his introduction. Such histories, especially when so scarcely told from the subject's own self or own people, and most specifically when told by those that only benefited from the subject rather than sympathized with him, are incredibly difficult to parse, and Lipman explained his approach and utilization expertly and convincingly. I thought the composite approach of biographical storytelling, when required, provided an important and necessary lens by which to continue to view Squanto in the context of a world and experience few of us are particularly informed on, and far too few of us take the time to learn more on, as we should. I appreciated Lipman's attempt to deconstruct the national pre-conceived notions and caricatures of Squanto through fact, research, and new extrapolation of primary sources. It unfortunately also highlights the centuries-long willful misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Squanto, which Lipman seeks (and I think, succeeds) in counteracting here.

Lipman's concerted struggles must have mostly been in corroborating facts, but there is no difficulty in making Squanto's story an interesting and important read; Lipman brings the reader along on an incredible, thought-impossible journey that was the reality not only of Squanto, but several other indigenous parties throughout and beyond the 17th century. The composite contexts of Squanto's life growing up in the Dawnlands amongst the Patuxet people were incredibly rich and revealing, providing much-needed knowledge in even earlier interactions between indigenous Americans and the earliest colonizers, and leading in the most exacting nature directly into the earliest reported information we have of Squanto: his abduction and enslavement across the Atlantic. The section "Away" in particular, I believe, contains the most important information to readers, because it is likely the section that has been the most clouded, glossed over, and reformed to fit the narratives of children's Thanksgiving Day pageants and plays. Understanding the suffering and resilience of Squanto during his time in Spain and England is paramount to all. Still incredibly important is the section "Home Again," which relates with fact and reason the experience of the Plymouth pilgrims from the understanding of Squanto and the indigenous parties in the Dawnlands, another area of history that needs this realistic revision of pre-established misinformation. The final chapter was of the most interest to me; after all Lipman's accounting of the facts of history, he traces the deconstruction of Squanto's story and character throughout the 18-20th centuries, making all readers watch the life they had just witnessed be reduced to a children's story character and homogenized into the Mayflower myth. It's infuriating and important and it has stayed with me long since reading.

This is an incredibly important piece of research that brings attention to very niche and under-explored aspects of colonial and imperialist histories. But, as Lipman laments, only so much can be truly regarded as factual when it comes to this kind of representation and relation of historical figures in Squanto's case. Of course, even with Lipman's impressive host of research and provided contexts, the book leaves one with even more questions, and want for confirmation of some lingering curiosities that inevitably still haunt Lipman (personally, finding confirmation of if Squanto and Pocahontas did or did not meet while living within a quarter mile of each other in London will bother me to no end, I already know). I commend Lipman for answering questions too few people were asking, and bringing to truth a history so constantly cast in the wrong light.

[Karen Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author stated that parts of this book are more 'ethnographic' than biographic, in other words many parts are based on what is known about the daily life, culture, language, government, etc of the people of Squanto's life and times. This is a very academic book with quotes, translations and terms hard to understand. There are huge amounts of history and scientific explanations. Not a read for leisure.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read one of these books through the ARC review process, I will occasionally find a GEM, one that I wish everyone would read. . .but it isn't on the media marketing path - it's academic and specific and full of details. Oh, how I wish libraries would pick this one up! Oyez, Oyez Librarians of these North American lands. . . this is a book that clarifies, that tells more of the Other Side of The Story than we've gotten since 1623.

This is a book about Tisquantum. You've known him by another name, Squanto. He's that super helpful only surviving citizen of Patuxet - we call it Plymouth, MA - when religious immigrants just looking for a home claimed his. It was mostly deserted anyway, was their reasoning. Decades, centuries pass, Plymouth blooms in all directions, soon we have a government, a White House, a holiday to celebrate how glad we are to have been led to an empty place that needed taking care of - a gift, you could say (and we do - and we'll do it again in November). Blinders on every eye so we can see what we need to see to do what we are determined to do. . .Thanksgiving. That original feast where everyone collaborated and had such a good time was real - but it was not really a happy thing it was serious diplomacy, intentional acts to "Get Along." It only happened once. A year later, Plymouth was hungry, the indigenous peoples were wary and hungry, and not particularly inclined to bring a bunch of meat to share because it had been a year of tits for tats, and on all sides time to keep your people close, in large groups and weaponed up, especially after dark.

When I come across this kind of book, I like to share the table of contents to give an idea of the goodies promised, and this one is so good - about this powerful, fallible, clever, sad, abandoned man. Only in his thirties when he died, had only spent 2 years with the Plymouth folk, and they were not all easy years. How did he know English? He'd actually been around, this guy. He'd been kidnapped, enslaved, met celebrities while working. He even possibly met Pocahontas (she lived there with her English husband) during his time in London - they were there during the same time and lived within walking distance of each other.

Here's your goodie list:

PART I - HOME
* Infancy (Samuel de Champlain visits his village in 1605!)
* Education (He was good at languages - tribes had different dialects and languages that arose out of the Algonquian family)
* Manhood (Coming of age in a Wampanoag society)
* Dawnlands (Relationship of peoples to the lands upon which they lived long before Europeans turn their faces westward)
PART II - AWAY
* Sassacomoit and Epenow (Trade, strangers land and the struggle commences)
* Capture (an English Explorer needing funding captured over 20 Wampanoag men to sell into the Mediterranean slave trade)
* Spain (Malaga Spain, kept by a Catholic priest)
* England (sold off to London, then back across the pond to Newfoundland, and maybe Jamestown, where he made his way back home to Patuxet)
* The Angry Star (The Great Comet of 1618 - worldwide troubles to it are attributed)
PART II - HOME AGAIN
* Homecoming (1619 - his village has been devastated by disease - he's a lone man on his side of the river)
* The Treaty (They got out of the boat, you see. . .the Mayflower, and made themselves at home)
* Patuxet Reborn (He welcomed them, caught eels and tenderized them with his feet (as he'd been taught) and roasted them up - the pilgrims were impressed. . . )
* Downfall (He gets full of himself and tries to set himself up as a man of power - it all goes south - his people are not happy with him, and the immigrants are caught in the middle - have come to need him - so a spy is sent to keep an eye on him)
* Death (Remember the pandemic? they had one in 1622 - Captain Standish had the fever, and Our Man wasn't masked and soon was downed by it, too.)
* Afterlives (Very interesting wrap up - What Happened to Who, Where Did they End Out, and Why Didn't We Ever Get Taught Any of This?)
* Epilogue (Don't miss the wonder of story holes - memorials of noteworthy happenings)
(Fabulous Endpapers!)
Bonus: maps, illustrations, drawings, historical art from the period - very helpful, and ones I haven't before seen.

Am so impressed with this book - answering our need to have the other side of the story. All of our stories sum up to something closer than truth than any one of our stories can get us. Thank you Andrew Lipman for the time and effort spent in providing interested readers another direction from which to read.

*A sincere thank you to Andrew Lipman, Yale University Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 52:46

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Yale University Press, for an advance copy of this biography of a man who has unfairly been delegated to the role of bit player in the history of what was to become the United States of America.

The one bit of history we learned every year up until high school was always about the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock and the Native American Squanto who helped the Pilgrims survive. Which gave us Thanksgiving. Every year was the same lesson, and I hate myself for never asking hey, how did this Squanto speak English. I think I remember being taught he learned it from early English explorers, but that always confused the narrative about the Pilgrims great struggle, early explorers and more. History in America is weird. More time is spent hiding history rather than teaching it. I never learned about the man Squanto, or as he was also known Tisquantum, a life that was more fascinating, exciting and heartbreaking than I ever thought. Andrew Lipman, educator, historian and writer in the book Squanto: A Native Odyssey discusses the history of the time, how Tisquantum learned about Western culture, and the short time he dealt with the colonists who lived happily in the village full of ghosts.

Lipman starts the book by discussing that the early life of Tisquantum is not well known. Exact times, places and such and more based on research of the time. Combined with that a lot of information about Tisquantum has been either made up, combined with others, or put out into the world to cloud or influence the narrative. Tisquantum was born a member of the Patuxet tribe of the Wampanoags, in a summer village of the same name. At the time many English explorers were trying to make their fortunes in the area, and one way to do this was to capture prisoners to question, exhibit, or sell as slaves. Tisquantum was of a group of twenty who were imprisoned and brought to the Old World, the country of Spain, where he was sold. Tisquantum was educated by monks in hopes of bringing him over the one true faith something that is still questioned. Eventually Tisquantum travelled to England, where he lived on the same block as Pocohantes, who was also in England at the same time. Tisquantum soon after a few more travels found his way home. A home he found decimated by disease, probably from Europeans. Soon a sail outside his deserted village brought him into contract with a group of people searching for a home, and the story of Squanto began, at least in high school around America.

A very interesting book, not only about the man Tisquantum, but about the era, and the history that is not really taught in schools. I have read a few books recently about the fact that many natives from the America's were brought to Europe, most of this stories do not end well. Lipman is a very good writer, and a funny writer talking about different aspects of the Squanto story and how many historians confused the story in many ways. The book talks quite a bit about other Native Americans who traveled to Europe, some dying in far places with no hope of returning. Lipman is also pretty honest about Squanto, some of the odd things Squanto was a part of. However one is not sure if the story was told right, and without malice. Another part I did not know is that the Pilgrims, took over the dead town of Tisquantum's people, as why let something not be used. I think if I was plotting things, this would give me plenty of reasons.

A very well-written history about a time and place that seems that if one saw it in a movie, one would go, "Oh and he speaks their language, come on." That must have been a magical moment, one I would like to have seen. Fans of history, early American history, and people who love a good biography will quite enjoy this book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Squanto: A Native Odyssey
Author: Andrew Lipman
Narrated by: David Colacci
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: Approximately 8 hours and 59 minutes
Source: Review Copy from NetGalley. Thank you!

What historical personage would you like to learn more about? With Thanksgiving coming up, I decided to listen to an audiobook about Squanto, as I did not know much about the true historical figure.

Historian Andrew Lipman researched and describes Squanto’s childhood, kidnapping, career, downfall, and death using historical records. Squanto had much more of a fascinating life than what is depicted in children’s books about Thanksgiving.

My thoughts on this book:
• Squanto is known as both Squanto and Tisquantum in historical record. He was part of the Patuxet Tribe of the Wampanoags.

• Squanto’s childhood was told in general of how his tribe was known to live at the time.

• The book also discussed the meaning of the Manitou and how the name is passed down in place names such as the down the road town from me, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

• He was kidnapped by explorer, Captain Thomas Hunt, and sold in Spain. By the time he made it back to his tribe, they were gone. They had all died from a disease brought over by the European explorers. Hunt had been exploring the Northeast with Captain John Smith. They parted ways when Hunt decided he was going to make money by tricking Native Americans to board his ship to trade and sailing away with them to sell them as slaves. Afterwards, explorers were instantly attacked when they appeared.

• The Pilgrims of history are so different from what I learned in school. As Squanto’s tribe had all died, the Pilgrims just showed up and settled on the tribes cleared land and stole other tribes’ corn to survive. The Pilgrims had a hard time surviving, but it would have been even harder if they would have had to clear their own land and were not able to eat the Natives’ corn.

• The last part of the book was about how the history of Squanto was passed down and how the story was “reimagined” and retold through modern day. It is interesting when the real history doesn’t match the simplified tales that are told. I’ve noticed that people will say this is “rewriting” history, when it is just going back to the historic record rather than inaccuracies that were passed down.

• I thought it was interesting that there were native pirates. They taught themselves how to sail ships that they overtook and surprised European explorers.

• I didn’t realize that Squanto died so young and so soon after the historical Thanksgiving.

• David Colacci, the audiobook narrator, had a newsperson type of voice and made the audiobook interesting.

Overall, Squanto: A Native Odyssey by Andrew Lipman is an informative book and interesting audiobook experience which tells the fascinating history behind the myth of Squanto. I highly recommend it.

This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2024...

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

The above quote, spoken by a small town newspaper journalist, is a line from my favorite movie of all time "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence." Delivered at the penultimate moment in the movie, when the journalist finishes his interview with now Senator Ranse Stottard, an interview where the senator has just disclosed the fraudulent nature of the lore on which his fame and political career hangs upon. This message meets the audience dripping with irony, as director John Ford has just taken us on a 2 hour tour of this individual’s past and how the myth of who shot Liberty Valence came to be.

Like Ford, Lipman seems interested in and deeply committed to myth busting, but not in the sense that he wants to unseat the "greatness" of the historical characters that compose our national folklore, to be a “king slayer,” but rather because he wants to elevate them out of the superficiality of cliche and into the realm of what Aristotle called "spudaios" in the Poetics: to give them weight, ponderance, and to enflesh the skeleton of the mythologies that we have come to accept as fact. The way in which he does this with Tisquantum is nothing but impressive, given how little scholarship had heretofore ever been done on the man.

Lipman does so by building the world in which Tisquantum inhabited, not just through visual description but through all the senses. I was especially struck by his analysis of Wampanoag language, to build not only the auditory world in which this man existed but also the logic and structure of his thinking and communicating (after all, Tisquantum was a communicator between the Native people and the Europeans). He combines traditional archival work with ecological, linguistic, and anthropological analysis to both tell a story thoroughly, completely, but also keep sacred the edges and sparseness of evidence we have, the mystery of Squanto's life, death bed conversion to christianity, and "after life." One particularly exciting moment in this regard is when Lipman speaks of the Malaga trade records found when the manuscript for this book was under development that verify for the first time how Squanto found himself on European soil.

If the scholarship isn't enough, Lipman's writing on top of the methodological work is absolutely superb. I read the book in two sittings, completely captivated by the writing. You are left appreciating the profound sense that Squanto is, as Lipman points out in his Odyssey analogy, a "man of many twists and turns." The story of Squanto is complex, rich, and mysterious. I hope this book is taught in college history courses for some time in the future, to demonstrate to students what tremendous beauty can result from leaning in to the messiness, complexity, and ambiguity of our shared humanity. Its the kind of book that will make students want to become historians.

[June Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time history buff, major, and teacher, I'm embarrassed to admit how little I really knew about Squanto going into this book. How much? Let's see, he helped the Pilgrims. He somehow magically knew how to speak English. He had something to do with the First Thanksgiving. That's about it. Typical kid, I never really questioned how he knew English from prior encounters with the English, not to mention why he'd even want to help them. It wasn't like they were exactly friendly to the Native Americans they would encounter. And, as for that day of thanksgiving, well, let's just say it wasn't planned as an annual event.

Author Andrew Lipman goes a long way toward answering these questions and more. Let's just say, this book was superbly researched and sometimes the facts seem to almost stumble over each other. Despite that and the academic air it has, it was a relatively easy read and, for the most part, kept my attention. It's as much about the times as it is Squanto which wasn't his true name. You'll learn more about the language, culture, family structure, customs and rituals that Squanto grew up with as you get to know the man behind the legend. I mean, did you know he lived in England during Shakespeare's time? That was during his captivity. Not only that, but once resided only 300 yards from where another rather famous Native American, Pocahontas, stayed in England? He even had an earlier encounter with another famous explorer, one John Smith, albeit this one on the New World soil. Having, like millions of others, ancestral roots to the Pilgrims, that era of Squanto's life, of course, held the most interest for me. It brought him to life for me, imagining my own anscestors rugging elbows with him at that first Thanksgiving, that's for sure.

Bottom line, despite occasionally getting lost in the details, hence the rounded up 4.5 star rating, and there are many, many of them shared, I found this an intriguing book and highly recommend teachers and librarians get it on their shelves asap. Needless to say, even history buffs or those wanting to know more about Native American roots and contributions to what would become the American colonies, will find it intriguing. Thanks #NetGalley and #YaleUniversityPress for allowing me to time travel back in time via an early peek at this book. History buffs everywhere should find it of great interest.

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Thanksgiving in America, there are televised parades and millions gather to share a large calorically dense meal. The origins of this popular tradition supposedly date back to the arrival of European settlers to Plymouth. Their survival through a troubled first year is credited to Squanto, a Wampanoag Indian who served as a guide, teacher and interpreter for the colonists. But who was he? There is the Disney and Charlie Brown approved version of him as a friend of the white man, but scholar Andrew Lipman delves into the historical documents giving a much more rounded and complex view of this figure.

Lipman presents the narrative chronologically, discussing Squanto/Tisquantam early years, through an ethnographic approach, an important approach not reliant on non-existent records. Readers learn of seasonal life, communal focused culture and how the Patuxet Native American navigated political life with neighboring peoples. A looming threat that grew in prominence was the arrival of European explorers, some of them kidnapping indigenous peoples and taking them to Europe. It is here the exploration through written records excels showing the slave trade and education methods in Europe, as well as Native American reactions to European life.

The mix of peoples had far worse consequences, as the outbreak of diseases in North America drastically reduced the population, making it appear open for colonization. Squanto/Tisquantam's life at this transition time shows the power of an individual, but that there are still limits that should not be surpassed.

Recommended to readers of American History, Native Americans and biographies of notable people.

I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★

As an American, I can’t believe how little I truly know about Native Americans in general and our own relationships with them in particular. In school it was always “colonists brought disease and enslaved the natives” and “Squanto was a nice man who helped us not starve.”

True. But not entirely.

What we’re taught in school is a watered-down history, made palatable and simple for schoolchildren. Along the way, *a lot of* the true story gets lost.

This book explores the lives and cultures of Native Americans in the Dawnlands (current-day New England) of the United States by reconstructing a hypothetical— but thoroughly grounded in the historical record— account of the life of Squanto. Because Squanto was captured and taken to England for a few years, we also glimpse the realities of European-Native relations on both sides of the Atlantic.

We learn of Europeans who assimilated into Native societies and were even buried in accordance with Native tradition (with tools to bring into the next life). We learn of camaraderie among the Natives and Europeans. We learn of tensions among the different Native tribes as they sought power. We learn of adult Squanto’s true nature of conceit and deceit when he tried to become the pseudo-sachem (Native leader) of Plymouth.

Also I can’t believe I had never heard Epenow’s story until this book! He was captured and taken to England, then returned to Noepe (his home in the Dawnlands) only when he convinced his captors that there was a secret gold mine in the hills. He spent the rest of his life laughing and bragging about having tricked the English, telling the story whenever he got the chance.

There were a few sections where the writing got a bit ramble-y, but overall it was cohesive, giving the perfect amount of context.


Thank you NetGalley and Yale University Press for the e-ARC!

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Thank you to Yale University Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book; I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Like many American children growing up, I had the Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims book that was available through the Scholastic book fair. I always remembered the story and even bought the Disney movie based upon the book when it came out almost 30 years ago. But, as someone who reads a lot of history, I know that my perceptions about Squanto/Tisquantum are shaded by white people’s writings. This book attempts to peel away the layers of the myth of Squanto and get to the historical fact.

This textbook-like book was very interesting, but I’m not sure it will find a wide audience. I enjoyed reading more about the Wampanoag people and what the lily-white American history books left out. I learned a lot, including the fact that while in England, Squanto/Pocahontas lived very close to one another. Maybe they met? I also learned that Tisquantum was not the first Indigenous person to have been captured and then returned. His popularized story is actually an amalgamation of several other people who were enslaved and brought to other countries for years before being sent home.

I sure hope libraries and academic institutions add this volume to their collections; Squanto’s story, and that of his people and their times, is being told in the most accurate light possible.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seemed appropriate to read right before Thanksgiving! (Though the author makes it clear there is little real-life relationship between the historical Squanto and the American myth of Thanksgiving).

I really enjoyed this book! It tells the story of the person we know as Squanto in historical and cultural context of his time. The author fills out the picture by providing, for example, a picture of the family and village life of the indigenous peoples in the vicinity of what we now know as Plymouth. We don’t know any actual details of Squanto’s early life, but learning about typical lives provides a likely view into his.

The author is careful to establish what is known specifically about Squanto, and the source of that knowledge. New information was discovered recently in Spain, for example, relating to Squanto’s captivity there, allowing a fuller picture.

The book rounds out the story by bringing us from the known and reasonably guessed actual story of Squanto through the creation of American founding story myths and today’s present efforts of the still extant indigenous locals to reclaim their heritage- which includes this well travelled and capable man.

[Ryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tisquantum, better known as Squanto, is best remembered in American textbooks as the Native American that taught the Pilgrams how to live off the land and survive their first winter. That first successful harvest would begin a feast that lasts three days in the Fall of 1621 and would be recognized today as the first Thanksgiving.

Squanto’s story has been significantly condensed but his life was far more interesting than we know, and like most Natives, it’s hugely disappointing to not have his story straight from his own mouth. Andrew Lipman did a commendable job piecing together the world that he lived and traversed.

A member of the Patuxet tribe, Squanto would be kidnapped more than once and at one point sold into slavery. He would travel to Spain, England and Newfoundland, logging an estimated 12,000 nautical miles from his ocean crossings. It was most unfortunate upon his return that he would learn that his tribe was decimated by European disease. These events were the concoction for his life hereafter.

Learning English from his time abroad, he would become the translator between the Wampanoag tribe and the English. He would teach the Pilgrims how to navigate tribal politics and maintain relationships with the locals.

Working with William Bradford, traveling with John Smith and even living in England at the same time as Pocahontas, this book was an enjoyable read!

[Mhowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ for the parts about Squanto.
⭐⭐⭐ because of the rest of the information.

The young lady in the gift shop was reading this book during a recent visit to the Plimoth Patuxet Museum (I highly recommend you visit there). She spoke highly of it.
I was eager to learn about Squanto. Sadly I only learned a whisper of Squanto. It really should have been titled.. A Native Odyssey with a Hint of Squanto.
This book was full of information. Good information. But not a lot was about the man himself.
It reads like a textbook. It was full of names that I would have to look back and remind myself who they were.
It is not a book you would sit down and read for pleasure. For me, I had to read for just a little while then stop to let all the information sink in.
Even though I did enjoy this book, I would not read another book by this author.

[Eunice R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Andrew Lipman sums up Squanto's legacy comprehensively, I'd say. From Squanto's years of infancy to manhood, to his capture and the interim years until his return to his native turf and the ensuing years. I found it of good interest and that it should be to anyone curious about his name and history and that of his fellow Wampanoag peoples. Their interactions with the French and English colonists, their agendas and even that of those Mi' kmaw from Nova Scotia, who wished to expand their maritime territory.


Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger
July 2024

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by Netflix Galley and the publisher.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very thorough and well researched history of Squanto's background and life. I really enjoyed David Colacci's narration, as he made it easy to take in a great deal of information. This book was well structured, beginning with a larger context of what Squanto's childhood and moving through his abduction and return to the colonies. Andrew Lipman does a great job of gathering together a wide range of resources and historical artifacts to create a complete picture of Squanto's life. The writing was focused on the information, and read largely as a textbook which was harder to follow as a member of the general public. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this time period of US history.

Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for providing an ALC for my honest review.

[Kim Armstrong Silcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting academic treatise using primary sources from the Plimouth Colony to dispell the ongoing myths about the Wampanoag man who serves as an interpreter for the Early settlers. Squanto, or Tisquantum, was kidnapped by English explorers and ultimately was returned to his community only to find it empty due to the decimation of the indigenous population from European disease. The myths around Thanksgiving are also explored. the author is being interviewed about this book at The Mount in Lenox, MA this summer.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt right to listen to this over Thanksgiving. Information forward, Lipman pieces together what Squanto's upbringing and life were likely like based on other information from the time due to limited information known on Squanto. Lays out upbringing, kidnapping, being a guide and translator to the colonists, the first "Thanksgiving," the history of Thanksgiving, and the fall of Squanto from the court of the Native tribes.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not quite sure who the audience is for this book, but I’ll assume it will be used as reference material for high school and college students. It’s very thorough and well researched. There are times when it’s almost too detailed and we lose track of our subject, but I thought it was interesting.

My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Magen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this had been more detailed on its discussion of indigenous Americans in Europe. That portion felt short. Otherwise, this is a great history that is succinct enough to be a resource for K-12 students and teachers but thorough enough for adult readers. The audiobook was engaging enough that I recommend it!

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read. I learned soooo much this is what needs to be taught in elementary school. I’ve gotten incredibly sick of the patronizing childish story that is told. The truth is out there, it just needs to be acknowledged and shared. I love having a Thanksgiving holiday but for me it has nothing to do with Plymouth or the Mayflower.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well researched, this book about the Native American who helped Plymouth's English settlers survive their first year in the New World will appeal primarily to historians. In the absence of written records, the author chooses an ethnographic approach, grounding his observations in “daily life, material culture, language, religion, social structure, and government” in Wampanoag society.