Neespaugot: The Legend of the Indian's Coin

by John Mugglebee

Melba Blue Jay, sixteen, scrambling up a snow-filled mountain path, her knife at a child's throat. Archie Chung at the helm of the South Pacific Belle , foremast snapped like a toothpick, barreling toward a coral reef. Spindly Lydia Freeman, skin the color of dark ale, feeding tea made of birch bark to an Irish murderess. Zeke Roxxmott teetering at three hundred feet on the five-inch ledge of his penthouse, bent on a flawless destruction. Adventurers, inextricably linked by a bloodline... and an Indian's coin.

Genres: Historical Fiction

378 pages, Paperback

Published May 29, 2017

About the author

John Mugglebee is a racial and ethnic jigsaw puzzle. His heritage, in chronological order, includes Native American, African American, Scots-Irish, Chinese and Russian Jew. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, at age eleven he was uprooted to Pasadena, California in the midst of the 60's race riots. Sports, particularly football, was his means of inclusion. John graduated from Dartmouth College and taught high school English and coached in Pasadena before earning a master's in creative writing from Colorado State University. He currently lives in Aix-en-Provence, France, where he heads a language laboratory for French Civil Aviation and where he is an avid road biker. His previous novel, Renaissance in Provence, was published in 2004.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading an epic family storyline like Neespaugot brings so many emotions into play.

Powerful and fascinating men and women that carry out the vision of their ancestors are only the beginning.

Families with their strengths and weaknesses displayed actually allow for more intense feelings.

Not everyone is all good or all bad and this book teaches that point through the relating of brother against brothers and sister against sister.

There are petty grievances and insurmountable odds in these family and it paints the history of the country and the world in the telling of the family dynamics.

Part history and part mystery there is something so compelling about these generations of people that kept me utterly entranced.

Without a doubt this book is a testament to strong family histories, the good, bad, and the ugly.

[Elizabeth Horton-Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weaving a story with historical details, John Mugglebee links together the lives and experiences of generations by following the trail of a coin. Neespaugot: The Legend of the Indian’s Coin is a beautifully written journey through time. Beginning with the coin's original owner, the Native American Runinniduk, a pawwaw or sorcerer in the Praying Village, Mugglebee describes how the old man came to be in possession of the item. He’d received the coin as a gesture of gratitude from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his assistance in translating the Bible into Algonquian. Only Runinniduk and the chief Massasoit were natives in possession of one of these rare coins; one of the first ten minted in what would become America.
Runinniduk, whose name means Snow Hare, is an interesting character. Although he is native he is fair skinned, blue eyed, and looks more like a white man than a member of his people. Once revered, when a tragedy caused by the white men causes the deaths of an entire village, Runinniduk is blamed because of his resemblance to the whites. After surviving a severe punishment, he returns to his people and is given a seat on the tribal council. It is his vote that allows the white people to survive and after many years he questions his decision. He is watching his people and the land they live on slowly being taken over by the strangers from across the sea, the People of the Boat.
Mugglebee skillfully integrates the language of the natives throughout these beginning chapters, setting an authentic tone for the book. The events that follow lead to the coin falling into the possession of Runinniduk’s granddaughter, Melba Blue Jay, who is as pale and blue eyed as her grandfather. When circumstances lead to her arrest, she is chained along with almost two hundred other natives and sent aboard a slave ship to the West Indies. Her name is changed to Clarisse where she is sold into a life of slavery and prostitution.
The descriptions of her life in the nightmare world of slavery are torturous and painful. Amazingly she survives and gives birth to children. A series of dramatic events lead to eventual freedom and she is allowed to escape along with her children. Arriving in New France, present day Canada, the land of the Iroquois and the Mohawk, she began a new life. In her heart, she hopes to someday return to Neespaugot. Eventually, she and her daughter make the long journey. The people they find on their return are the descendants of Massasoit, Metacomet, and Africans.
Following the coin through generations, Mugglebee weaves the voyage of the coin through the lives of the descendants of Runinniduk; a fascinating historical trail that leads from country to country, one hand to another, to the year 2015 and Ruth who is determined to wrest the coin from her uncle Ezra Roxxmott. He describes himself as a “…Native American and African, and Chinese, and Irish, and Russian and Jew and Muslim…”. The coin has returned to Neespaugot, completing a cycle that leads to yet another confrontation. The inscription is no longer readable, the purpose a mystery.
In this time in our history, the tale of the coin as it traversed the world, drawing from each culture and nation incorporated by the descendants, is the tale of America. We are all a blend of the paths our forebears have traveled and Neespaugot is, in many ways, the story of each of us. Capturing the flavors of the past and incorporating them into one final blend of biological uniqueness, Mugglebee holds up a mirror in which every reader might see their own exceptional identity.

[Marion Marchetto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neespaugot: The Legend of the Indian's Coin brings to the reader a tale of history that centers around an old coin given to the Indian Runinniduk for his services to the white settlers of an area in Rhode Island. While the story is fictional it is based on true events that present us with history that few may be aware of. We follow the coin as it is passed from hand to hand and generation to generation. The coin seems to embody the strength of the old Indian and that is what carries through when his descendants face trouble and hard times. And in no uncertain terms their lives are anything but easy.

I adore books that take a seemingly obscure object and explore the history connected with that object. When I come across a family heirloom I often wonder where that object got its start, whose hands it has passed through, and how it may have influenced the lives of others. Add in true historical facts and I'm hooked. It is my belief that if history was taught through story-telling more of us might have been interested.

In Neespaugot: The Legend of the Indian's Coin we are treated to a wonderfully written and researched story that highlights several social problems still alive today. In fact, the Indian Runinniduk is himself of mixed origin with blonde hair and blue eyes - a pariah of sorts within his own tribe. We also follow along as the village of Neespaugot grows over the centuries into a modern town with all the vices and virtues thereof. Some readers may find the early chapters a bit slow but I urge you to stick with the story. Plenty of action, adventure, intrigue, and a bit of Puritan style romance make this a well rounded book.

I received a copy of this book from Teddy at Virtual Authors Tour; this in no way influenced my review.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tribes of Massachusetts are outnumbered by white men, and the white Christian leader of dark-skinned men has fallen prey to drink. Covenants are null and void, their “terms died with the Sachem.” And nothing changes in politics or war.

So starts John Mugglebee’s tale of Indians and more. A coin minted for trust becomes an emblem of belonging and history. Memories are lost with the land. Love is elusive. And family demands a home.

Well-researched details anchor the story in American history. Well-chosen words bring foreign languages to life without ever feeling intrusive. Well-drawn characters are strong, flawed, determined and relatable. And a genuine sense of human sins and frailties fills the pages, from rejected Indian to runaway slave, from Chinaman to French, from Canada to foreign shores and back.

Neespaugot views human sins through unfiltered eyes, recognizes our crimes, then builds stories and characters each with just enough good in them to feel real. The coin might be a tie to the land, or to an idea, to family, belonging or hope. Or it might just be a coin. The land might belong to tribe or nation or none. But the lives belong solely to themselves, transcendence lies beyond the labels we apply, and all of us are mongrels in the end.

The storyline spreads from past to present, through generations of large and small betrayals, assumptions and denials. It’s beautifully told. It’s characters are hauntingly real. And it’s ending, firmly anchored in the present, is smoothly powerful and achingly real. I really enjoyed it.

Disclosure: I was given an ecopy and I freely offer my honest review. I loved it.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing story that spans 400 years. We start with Runinniduk, a Native American PawWaw or sorcerer. He is given on of the first coins minted in America in exchange for translating the Bible. He is the one that decides to help the colonist’s survive. But when an Indian village is destroyed, Runinniduk is blames because of his blond and blue eyed features. He is punished but later goes on to join the Indian counsel.

We then see the coin pass from Runinniduk to his granddaughter Melba Blue Jay. We then follow her hard story around the world. We continue to see the coin passed from hand to hand and location to location until it ends in present day where a daughter is trying to get her inheritance from her father.

This is a wonderful and rich history of the world and the people in it. It shows how blood lines have been muddied throughout that years and how horrible many people were treated. When you realize that this is based on real life events it humbles you to realize this and worse has happened.

This is a great story that might not be your normal read. Don’t let that stop you from reading this book. It is one that should be on everyone’s shelves.

I received Neespaugot: Legend of the Indian’s Coin from Teddy at Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Neespaugot: The Legend of the Indian's Coin" is a quintessential multi-generational American family saga spanning nearly 400 years. Male and female characters with backgrounds ranging from Native American, African American, Scots-Irish, Chinese, Russian Jewish, and Pakistani, come together in this melting pot of lineage to explore what it means to be American. Threads of strength, perseverance, grit, and honor make this a satisfying and memorable read. The fact that Mugglebee's tale is based loosely on his own experience, family stories, and genealogical heritage, makes the story all the more compelling. This book is a must for readers who enjoy historical fiction, family sagas, and tales of the American experience.

[A Holland Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very interesting book. It was a little different at first but the more I read it the more I enjoyed it. How each of the situations are all linked by the legend of the coin was kind of thought provoking. Then when you realize that these are all based on true events makes you really stop and think. I liked the details that the author included and that the stories spanned more than one generation. For me the Native American aspect is what drew me to the book. If you want a story about historical legends then this is the book for you.

[Sherry Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

.Not the kind of book I normally read so I wasn't real sure what to expect. However I was intrigued and not disappointed.
The plot/story ending up very interesting and will keep the
reader involved all the way to the end.
It was an interesting book to read.

The weaving or races and cultures causes the to think.
I recommend anyone to check it out.

I received a complimentary copy from Teddy Rose and Virtual Author Book Tours.

[Bill Jarrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neespaugot, a Massachusetts village that existed well before the first European settlers, is at the center of a roller-coaster ride through the history, geography, and racial and ethnic diversity of North America – and beyond. The story follows the travels of a special coin, a family heirloom around which powerful forces swirl, that is passed from generation to generation.

Over the course of 400 years, the reader witnesses the (mostly positive) transformative powers of the coin in the possession of a large and diverse cast of characters. These characters and their family members, who range from the despicable, to the tragic, to the heroic, share a common attribute – they all must deal with senseless prejudice, often manifested by hate and brutality, due to the color of their skin. Happily, the coin ends up in possession of a young women who is proud of her heritage, has inherited some of the best traits of developed by her determined and transcendent ancestors, and, in our relatively more-tolerant society, appears destined for success and happiness. As one of her ancestors might have proudly proclaimed, “She’s a mover, not a moper.”

This book, which is a testament to the benefits to society of immigrants and mixed ethnicities, is timely given today’s political climate in which nativism and immigration restrictions are driving forces. The book will also be of special interest to the growing ranks of amateur genealogists resulting from the proliferation of inexpensive DNA testing by family-tree websites (e.g., Ancestry.com, 23andMe, GEDmatch, etc.). Today’s myriad of genealogists, who are discovering the ethnic diversity of their own families and the hurdles cleared (and not cleared) by their ancestors, can relate to the incredible and rich generational stories that constitute this book.