Trouble's Daughter: The Story of Susanna Hutchinson, Indian Captive

by Katherine Kirkpatrick

In 1643, Susanna Hutchinson, daughter of religious firebrand Anne Hutchinson, moves to the wilderness near Long Island Sound, so her mother would not be persecuted for her beliefs and statements. Mother's visions have led the family in and out of trouble, and now have brought them to this isolated land, where the Dutch and native tribes are at war. One terrifying September afternoon, Lenape warriors descend upon the farm, massacre the family, and take Susanna captive. As they carry her off, someone calls her name. Someone besides Susanna has survived. Who is it? When will she be rescued? This novel combines a compelling story and meticulous research in a rich, vivid reimagining of Susanna Hutchinson's fascinating life.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, Childrens, Native American, Middle Grade

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 1998

Reviews

[Daplace1949gmail.Com · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Susanna Hutchinson is my great-great grandmother, I was interested in how this historical fiction would be presented. Ms. Kirkpatrick did an outstanding job of putting together facts as were available to write a story of one of my family's heroines. I enjoyed the story very much.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this because Susanna is an ancestor. Her mother was amazing and so was she!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to recall the name of a book that I'd read in the 70s. I turned to https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

This book was not it and I'd have known that before reading as it was published in the 90s
I've also read several more, which I'll list and they're nearly all identical, except for the only part I remember: the woman putting bear grease in their hair to prevent lice or some other parasite.

[Janel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by Indian captive stories and it was fun to read a more middle-grade novel about one again.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I initially picked it up to supplement my 10 year old son's homeschool curriculum, started reading it this week and couldn't put it down. He is enjoying it now as well. Fascinating historical context and well paced, well imagined Lenape characters and story line. I found it to be a tear jerker and a haunting emotional journey, yet not too intense for younger readers. Beautifully written!

[Brianna C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trouble’s Daughter is the story of a girl named Susanna Hutchinson. She has many brothers and sisters some of which had died like her father. Susanna’s mom is a person accused of witch craft so the family constantly moves. In this story they live in Connecticut by the Indians. One day Indians come to see them and everyone except Susanna’s mom is worried. The next day the Indians come and kill everyone. Susanna is spared though, she is then taken captive. That is where the story really begins. She is saved because a man, Wam-pak, can see his deceased daughter in her. I thought that was nice that Wam-pak spared her but; I wish her family was not killed. At the end of the book she gets to see her brother and sisters in the Boston area. I liked the book because it presented suspense to me. That is something most other books don’t give me that much. I decided since it was most likely the best book I have ever read that it deserved five stars. When Susanna runs off and finds her family’s grave it makes me sad. I know that I can not stand funerals or seeing my family member’s grave when, there is only one to see at a time. I can’t imagine seeing many graves of my family all in one spot, and knowing that one of them could have been you. The fact that this book had sad, angry, and happy emotions plus suspense made me feel like I must give it five stars.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful journey into another time

Very occasionally I discover a book that is like stepping into a time machine that not only transports me into another world but provides me with a knowledgeable tour guide so I can understand what I am seeing. Trouble's Daughter is just such a book and Katherine Kirkpatrick is a bright and thoughtful tourguide who kept me informed and entertained throughout my trip.
I'm an old man without a lot of time left to go meandering down endless dark alleys of literary flourishes and useless gobbledegook. But make no mistake, Trouble's Daughter is not just for young people. Ms. Kirkpatrick obviously did a lot of research for this book and I was able to coast along in her time machine and have one heck of a learning experience.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susanna Hutchinson and her family moved to the wilderness on land that was owned by the Dutch. Susanna longs to go back to where they lived before, but her mother can't be persuaded, even after she is warned about the Lenape in that area.

The Lenape come and kill all the Hutchinson family, except for Susanna. She resists, but they take her captive and soon she is in the Lenape village.

This is a historical fiction about Susanna Hutchinson, who was a real person that did get taken captive by Indians.

This is the first time I've heard of Susanna Hutchinson, but the book was an interesting read and the author's note explains about the real Susanna and her family. It was a good book.

[Sandra Musser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading the tale of my great (9X over) grandmother. It’s something worth sharing with my own children. Bibliography has some resources on the traditions of the Lenape which I found very interesting.

[Beth Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little book.

I got this when I learned about Susannah Hutchinson. She was my 8th great grandmother. It gave me some insight into how she may have lived. It was well written and kept my interest.

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used “Trouble’s Daughter” as a read-aloud for our history studies this semester. It certainly was an educational read, and I think it treated fairly the relations between the natives and the colonists, but I’m not sure I would choose to read it again. I had to do a fair bit of skimming ahead and skipping as I read aloud. There is a lot of spiritualism and visions wrapped up in the native beliefs, and I didn’t want to major on that. We did have a few interesting conversations from this jumping off point. The worst aspect for the ages of my kids (10 and 12) was the fairly frequent appearance of puberty, menstruation, and an increase in sexual interest. Given that I had both a boy and a girl that haven’t reached puberty, I dropped quite a few sections.

[Amber Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I felt like the writing was very short, but then I realized it is in the characters voice and I had a greater appreciation for the style. I loved reading this story and how much the author put into the research! The complexity of the conflict between communities is really important for us to connect with and better understand.

[Emily Shimshock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago in elementary school and glad that I reread it. The story was good, a little hard to follow at some points because of the Native American names. Inspires me to read more historical fiction from the early time period.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed to read this because of its subject matter. It is a book for teens. In that case, it is good. For adults? Not so much.

[BOOK BOOKS]

LOL I ALSO LOVED THE BOOK TROUBLE'S DAUGHTER, ABOUT A WHITE GIRL BEING CAPTURED BY NATIVE AMERICANS AND LEARNING THEIR WAYS.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like stories about culture. It's why Clan of the Cave Bear is one of my favorite books. When I was in sixth grade I discovered the book Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski. I read the book several times. I loved that book. As a result throughout my 7th grade year at school, I read what I could get my hands on about people taken captive and adopted by Native Americans. From fiction to non-fiction.

Some books were better than others. Somehow, I missed this book. It took me a while to get my hands on a copy but I did manage to rustle one up recently and just finished reading it. Let me say, I wasn't a fan. I think the general idea was cool. I'd heard about Anne Hutchinson but prior to knowledge of this book, I never realized that her daughter was taken captive. Yet this book was not well executed in my opinion. There was a lot of telling in this book and not so much showing, which made for a tedious read, especially at the beginning. I got more into the book as time went on, but I still didn't quite connect to the characters in the way I'd hoped. Maybe I would've enjoyed it better as a kid, but maybe not. In any case, if you have a young person who wants to read a fictionalized account of a real story about living with Native Americans, I definitely recommend looking up Indian Captive.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I saw the cover of this book was when I was finishing my fifth grade year at elementary school in the year 2012 in my home room teachers two short shelved library in the dark back corner of the room. Later as a celebration for the new graduates (next year attending middle school), nearly all of the teachers and several of the media staff set up an additional book fair. While strolling through the many daunting piles of books (daunting, really? I was so short) I had piled a several few in my hands this one being the last I chose. Earlier that year I had finished the book "Island of the Blue Dolphin's" (I cannot remember the author by name) an had enjoyed it immensely. Starting "Trouble's Daughter" in June I finished it even before it was time for me to leave for camp. With the descriptive characterization, well fixed setting, and interesting-yet-changing-plot it was not hard to believe so. I recommend this book to any young teen

[Breanna Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book last week. And it was really good.

It was a true story about a girl who was taken captive by native Americans, and she has to learn to love them (Even after they killed her entire 16 member family). Throughout the book, the characters are built upon, the plot changes (Smoothly), and the ending actually makes you really upset.

The writing was well done. I really appreciate the author who can make a boring topic so intising.

I really enjoyed the facts and plot. It kept me interested the entire time, and I really, really like that. Historical fiction or non fiction tends to draw me in, and this book did it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another of those books that proved to be awkward, similar to Habibi, in that the subject matter seemed to be inappropriate for the targeted age range. As a whole, it is practically identical to Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare, and given a choice between the two, I would definitely choose Speare's. Trouble's Daughter is the true story of Anne Hutchinson, the famous Puritan, and her family, who were murdered by Indians (except for her 9-year-old daughter Susanna). I found it interesting, but a very slow read for only 230 pages.

[Leighan Herzberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trouble's Daughter is the story of Susanna Hutchinson, the daughter of Anne Hutchinson. Anne Hutchinson is known for not being afraid to stand up for her beliefs even if it's illegal. Since Anne gets in trouble a lot the family is constantly moving. When they finally find a place, Indians come and massacre the whole family and take Susanna captive. It is a great story about meeting new people and how somebody you may think is useless can be the useful person to make your life better.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book. I found it really interesting because Susanna Hutchinson the main character I never heard of but her mom Ann Hutchinson is a really famous person in history. I had never read a book about an indian captive until this book and I liked it. It was cool to see how someone can change so much by living with other people. I suggest someone who likes an easy read and historical fiction to read this book.

[Shahar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about Susanna Hutchinson, the daughter of Ann Hutchinson, who was captured by Lenape indians. Susanna Hutchinson is living in New Netherland, what is now New York, on Dutch land.The Lenape are at war with the Dutch, yet the Hutchinson's don't know this. One day Sussan's whole family is killed by the Lenape, and Susanna is taken captive. Susanna has to learn to cope with her togh circumstances, and she may even thrive.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book brings back memories. I read this SO many times when I was in my pre-teens, I'm sure the Librarians were about to just give it to me I checked it out so many times. I was very interested in Indians and Pioneering at this time, so what was one more book about it!.
It was a very good book and I would read it again!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the fourth grade,about 13 years ago. For the longest time I couldn't remember what the author's name was or the title. I happened to come upon it at the library just two minutes ago.

This book sparked my love for reading and is what has made me a HUGE fan of historical fiction.

Beautiful and real this book speaks.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susanna Hutchinson was a 9 year old girl with a visionary mother in 1643. Her family is murdered by Lenape Indians, who take her captive. She joins the family of the medicine woman. She slowly learns to adapt to her new surroundings. She has visions and is trained as a healer until her white family ransoms her back. Susanna is now torn between her two worlds.

[Allizabeth Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best young adult books that I have ever read! Constant plot that had me hooked from page one, and so much detail that I felt like I was in Susanna's moccasins. Have recommended it to several people over the years and they say the same. With there was another volume that talked about her going home.

[Briannae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. it has a lot of suspense and dialogue between characters. the book is about a girl named Susanna Hutchinson who has been kidnapped by a American indian tribe. when you read this book you will know how she survives with the tribe and if she goes back to her family. I would recommend this book to people who like action and suspense.

[Brooklynn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found out about this book because one of my friends found out that she is a descendant of Susanna and did a project about it. It was really cool to think that it had actually happened. But I was wondering about how the Lenape dressed. I thought only natives in tropical areas dressed like that because its too cold to dress as they did in New York. Oh well.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written historical biographical fiction about Susanna Hutchinson, Anne Hutchinson's daughter, who survived a Native American attack in the 1600s and was taken to live with them.
Warning: this book does talk of nakedness (though not ashamedly), menstruation, tobacco, spirits, mentions slavery, early marriage, and other difficult themes.