The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap That Shaped America

by Matthew Pearl

On a quiet midsummer day in 1776, weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, thirteen-year-old Jemima Boone and her friends Betsy and Fanny Callaway disappear near the Kentucky settlement of Boonesboro, the echoes of their faraway screams lingering on the air.

A Cherokee-Shawnee raiding party has taken the girls as the latest salvo in the blood feud between American Indians and the colonial settlers who have decimated native lands and resources. Hanging Maw, the raiders’ leader, recognizes one of the captives as Jemima Boone, daughter of Kentucky's most influential pioneers, and realizes she could be a valuable pawn in the battle to drive the colonists out of the contested Kentucky territory for good.

With Daniel Boone and his posse in pursuit, Hanging Maw devises a plan that could ultimately bring greater peace both to the tribes and the colonists. But after the girls find clever ways to create a trail of clues, the raiding party is ambushed by Boone and the rescuers in a battle with reverberations that nobody could predict. As Matthew Pearl reveals, the exciting story of Jemima Boone’s kidnapping vividly illuminates the early days of America’s westward expansion, and the violent and tragic clashes across cultural lines that ensue.

In this enthralling narrative in the tradition of Candice Millard and David Grann, Matthew Pearl unearths a forgotten and dramatic series of events from early in the Revolutionary War that opens a window into America’s transition from colony to nation, with the heavy moral costs incurred amid shocking new alliances and betrayals.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, True Crime, Biography, Historical, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Note from the author:Hi everyone. My newest novel is The Dante Chamber, out May 29, 2018. It's a follow-up to my debut novel, The Dante Club, but you do not have to read one before the other, each stands on its own two feet. Hope you'll enjoy any of books you choose to pick up.

Matthew Pearl's novels have been international and New York Times bestsellers translated into more than 30 languages. His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, The Atavist Magazine, and Slate. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Matthew's books are part of "the growing genre of novel being written nowadays -- the learned, challenging kind that does not condescend." Globe and Mail declares him "a writer of rare talents," Library Journal calls Matthew "the reigning king of popular literary historical thrillers," and the New York Daily News raves "if the past is indeed a foreign country, Matthew Pearl has your passport." Matthew has been chosen Best Author for Boston Magazine's Best of Boston and received the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction.

In addition to Goodreads, you can keep in touch and learn more at my website, www.matthewpearl.com, and:
Twitter: @matthewpearl
Facebook: fb.me/matthewpearlauthor
Instagram: matthewpearlauthor

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

At about the same time that the Declaration of Independence was being signed, three young girls were kidnapped by American Indians near the Boonesboro, the first established settlement in Kentucky territory. One of those young women was Jemima Boone, the 13-year-old daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Boone. Yes, that Daniel Boone. This book not only tells the story of the events surrounding the rescue of those three girls, but also demonstrates the pivotal nature this event had in the formation of the state of Kentucky and further expansion to the west. After reading Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier earlier this year, some of this was a review of the facts presented there. The books actually complement each other quite well and I would definitely recommend reading both. The intersection of the Revolutionary War with Westward Expansion is complicated. Decisions were made then, some inspiring and others gross missteps. We can learn more about our history from books like these and I thank Matthew Pearl for the research done to bring this piece of history to life.

Thank you to Harper and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1776, Daniel Boone’s 13 year old daughter Jemima and two of her friends were abducted by a group of Shawnee men, led by a Cherokee. Jemima’s father and other American settlers tracked and found them. All of that happens in the first quarter of the book. The rest describes the relationships and maneuverings among the Native Americans, British soldiers and American settlers, and the murderous rampages of each group. It also includes the brief time Daniel spent living with the Shawnee.

This fiction author decided to try non-fiction and seemed to rely on legend, tall tales and stories passed down by Boone relatives. I don’t know how to assess the accuracy of any of that, but I was left feeling that he should have dug deeper (although there might not have been much of a record to review). I was mildly interested to learn that “The Last of the Mohicans” was loosely based on the abduction of Daniel Boone’s daughter. I knew next to nothing about Boone and this book really didn’t make me want to find out more. Occasionally, some tidbit of information would pique my interest, but this book is too short to really explore anything beyond a small event in a much larger problem. However, the book did hold my interest, so I am rounding my 3.5 star rating up to 4.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Caren · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a native Kentuckian, I grew up feeling that Daniel Boone was a sort of mythical hero. His statue graces the entrance to Louisville's scenic walking loop through one of the city's most beautiful parks. This book will not disabuse the reader of his near-hero status. He comes across as not only a master at reading nature, but also at reading people. When his daughter and her two friends are taken, as a sort of political leverage tool, he and some other men track them down over the course of days. Jemima and her friends are not portrayed as weak females, but as agents in their own discovery, leaving clues along the path. The rescue gets botched when one of the abductors, a chief's son, is killed. The author uses this one episode as a catalyst to explain the history of those pivotal few years at the start of the our nation's war for independence.. Later Boone himself is abducted, along with some of his men, as they painstakingly made salt by boiling down spring water until the minerals remained. In Boone's months-long absence, his settlement, Fort Boonesborough, falls into disarray and his wife leaves to return to family in the East. The author makes clear that if Boonesborough had fallen at that point to the British, it would have adversely affected the war for independence. There are a couple of things that really fascinated me about this book. One, the settlers were hardy people. From his descriptions of their lives, I think I would never have survived. Second, the settlers also come across as completely tone-deaf and shameful in their behavior toward the American Indians. He makes clear the differences in how the varied tribes perceived the threat the settlers represented. For some, there was a wish to live together peaceably, share the land, and intermarry. During Boone's own imprisonment, he was adopted as a son to replace the one who was killed. There was something so hauntingly poignant about the generosity of that outlook. The portrayal of the American Indians brings to mind another recent book, "Land" (Simon Winchester). European settlers felt the need to own the land and bend the land to their uses; the American Indians passed through the land, sharing it in common with their community. It is really a very different outlook. This is the author's first nonfiction book and with scenes painted with a novelist's eye, it is a pleasure to read. [Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.]

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Taking of Jemima Boone by Matthew Pearl In 1776,weeks after signing of the Declaration of independence, thirteen year old Jemima Boone and her friends disappeared near the Kentucky settlement of Boonesboro,the echo of their faraway screams lingering in the air. A Cherokee-Shawnee raiding party has taken the girls as the latest salvo in the blood feud between American Indians and the colonial settlers, who have decimated native lands and resources. This was a interesting read and I enjoyed it very much, the book was well written.

[Michael Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Taking of Jemima Boone" by Matthew Pearl is a fresh and exciting account of one of American history's heroes. Daniel Boone's legend had its own 1960's tv series, its own theme song, even its own Fes Parker-coonskin-hat-portrayal (somewhat blurred with a Davy Crockett model). Normally any revision to history reveals a crushingly disappointing picture of what really took place. Here some myths are vanquished but we see the real story never needed embellishments.

Jemima Boone, Daniel's thirteen-year-old daughter, is presented as a gutsy three dimensional character-- a depiction of a female rarely shown in historical narratives. As the title implies, the center of the book revolves around her kidnapping by a group of American Indians. The domino effect of this event turns around the lives of the Boone family, the tribes, and the British army looking to squash the American presence in Kentucky.

The cobwebs of stale history books are cleared off, bringing the frontier struggle alive. Daniel Boone is not a god, he is a leader struggling with his decisions he has to make. We also see Native American people with real emotions, real qualities, real flaws. This is so much more interesting than the cardboard character driven paint-by-number tall tales played on television reruns.

Thank you to HarperCollins, NetGalley, and Matthew Pearl for providing the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheTakingofJemimaBoone #NetGalley

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1764, my sixth-great-grandparents were murdered and scalped. The story is told how eight natives led by a white man came into the Shenandoah Valley to rob settlers, who were Swiss Brethren. After they killed my ancestors, the raiders pursued the children, killing one in a pear tree, another in the middle of Tom’s Brook, and kidnapping three (or four). Of those kidnapped, the youngest boy, who was ill, and the girl(s), were killed because they could not keep up. The oldest child, Michael, was taken to Ohio where he lived with the natives for three years before he was returned in a prisoner exchange.

My ancestor’s experiences were not unique. Thousands of colonists were attacked and taken. Hundreds assimilated into native culture. Some escaped and other were traded back to the colonists. But, it was news to me to learn that Daniel Boone’s daughter had been captured by natives, and that Boone himself had been taken and adopted as the son of a chief.

The Taking of Jemima Boone is the first book of narrative nonfiction by Matthew Pearl. I have enjoyed his historical mystery novels with literary themes. Now, I can attest that Pearl’s nonfiction is just as entertaining and just as riveting.

The capture of Jemima Boone and how her father and others tracked and battled the kidnappers, killing several, began a cycle of revenge. One of the natives Boone killed was the son of a chief who in a later battle took Boone hostage and adopted him as his son. The father of one of the other kidnapped girls vied for control of Boonesboro, later telling a false narrative of the rescue and even accusing Boone of treason.

Boone bonded with his native family, who forgave him when he finally escaped; they understood his desire to see his family, and hoped he would return with them. Boone’s ability to find non-violent ways of solving problems and his connection with the natives is impressive, especially when most colonists preferred immediate, violent action when it came to the natives.

Settlers encroached on native hunting grounds, often illegally according to treaties between the British and the native tribes. But the colonists were also breaking away from Britain and the tribes had to take sides. The Shawnees, Seneca, Cherokee, and other tribes allied with the British, entrenched in their stronghold at Ft. Detroit, and were tasked to destroy Boonesboro, which threatened to allow colonists a western stronghold.

In the book I met Simon Girty, a colonist who, along with his brothers, was kidnapped by natives when a teenager. He became an interpreter, his alliance shifting to the British during the war, which gave him a dreadful reputation. Some histories claim he was the one who led the murder of my ancestors. But, in 1764, Girty had just been released from captivity and reunited with his mother and brothers.

Boone was taken captive along with 28 fellow Boonesboro men on a salt-making expedition. He argued that he and his men be kept alive as war prisoners. Simon Girty’s brothers were there and voted for mercy, “a stance contradicting the notorious, near-demonic reputation the Girtys had developed among settlers.” Simon Girty was unable to save another white man who was brutally tortured and killed.

Boone not only had to content with the British and the native tribes wanting to destroy Boonesboro, internal conflicts between him and other settlers simmered and brewed. Boone’s leadership was under attack on all sides.

Pearl’s book is a wonderful narrative history. The personal stories of Jemima and Daniel Boone are the backbone of the book, a way for readers to connect to the history.

I received a free egalley from the publisher though NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Lizzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A historical look at life in Kentucky in the years around the Revolutionary War. The author tells the story of the kidnapping of Daniel Boone’s daughter and two other girls from Boonesborough by members of one or more local tribes.

I wanted this book to be so much more than it is. I understand that first person source material for this time period is definitely skewed toward white settlers and British soldiers, but dang this was lopsided. Much of the tribal motivations and actions are based on suppositions. Many sections reinforce rumors or stories told decades after the fact using the guise of “family lore said…”

I was uncomfortable reading passages that referred to native people as “braves” and “squaws.” He also refers to tribal members by their “translated” names. So rather than the Cherokee Uskwa'li-gu't, we get the English Hanging Maw. It’s not Tsiyu Gansini but Dragging Canoe. It’s 2022, I think we can learn to read people’s names in their native tongue.

Finally, it just wasn’t a very well told story. Side characters are introduced at inopportune times and never mentioned again. He was introducing new characters in the last chapter of the book! Very disappointing.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 . . . very good story of Boonesborough, KY in its earliest days. The focus of the book is really Daniel Boone & his relationships with the area Indians but author does excellent job of showing how important the kidnapping of Jemima and the 2 others girls was and the after-effects that it had including the later capture, imprisonment by British and adoption of Daniel Boone into a Shawnee family. Jemima remains important in the story as she, of all his family, remains convinced that Daniel is alive during his long time away and she and her husband remain at the Boonesborough fort in spite of great danger when her mother and other siblings return to North Carolina.

Very interesting to me was the ideas of family in the colonial time. Author says that even among the white settlers, early deaths were so common that extended family raised children and for the Indians, they adopted both children and adults into their families to replace the many losses they were suffering. Having just read 2 of Louise Erdrich's novels set on the Ojibwa reservation that deal with themes of justice and revenge, it was especially fascinating to see the Shawnee chief, Blackfish, adopt Daniel Boone as his son, to "replace" the son that Boone had killed when rescuing Jemima. Daniel Boone escaped eventually and returned to fight against his adopted father, protecting Boonesborough but it seems there was real affection and respect on both sides.

The time and place were very fluid; it was the early days of the Revolution, very early days in the settlement of Kentucky, where there was a mixture of Indian tribes and attitudes towards settlers. According to the author, there is evidence that the Shawnee chief, Blackfish, envisioned a Kentucky where both Indians and settlers could live if only settlers would integrate in with the Indian villages and communities.

Also very interesting was 13 year old Jemima herself; sometimes portrayed in art and story as a passive victim of the kidnapping but actually leaving clues for the trackers that rescued her, trying to ingratiate herself with the kidnappers. During the siege of Boonesborough, she was wounded actively defending the fort.

Native American politics, alliances and opinions were ever shifting during this time as they were dealing with stress and change pushing at them from so many directions. Some of the Cherokee leaders who I've read about in Carolinas and GA histories, such as Dragging Canoe, show up in this story also.

Author is not a historian and there are at least a couple of side stories that he mentions that don't seem to be well documented but he has many pages of source notes. Really like how he brings in things from the Boones' past and future but the story stays on the short critical time of Jemima's kidnapping and then the Boonesborough siege 2 years later. Book is 232 pages, with another 20 pages of notes and is very readable.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 thoughts soon.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

The day I got this book in the mail, a video went viral showing a guy trying to abduct a five year old boy right in front of his mother...in New York City. The more things change...

The Captive Narrative was one of the first forms of literature to come out of Colonial America. Stories of English settlers abducted by Native Americans abounded, and still today, there is a Romance story subgenre with the same premise.

The abduction of Jemima Boone is one of the most famous of these, as not only was her father a famous frontiersman, he managed to rescue her, due in part to her own ingenuity and resourcefulness.

There's a lot of timorous attempt for context, but it seemed like Pearl was afraid of being cancelled or something.

[Candace · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. Cool story of the kidnapping itself and her rescue: total Liam Neeson move, Daniel Boone! The book was pretty dry, though, a history text for sure with some interesting content.

[Bryn D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads advance reader’s edition in which I won.

To be brief, this is a general but fast paced account of a few of the several violent episodes in American History on the American frontier west of the Appalachians. The premise being that the kidnapping of Daniel Boone’s daughter triggered a series of events that played a significant role in shaping early America.

As someone whom I consider well read on this era I thought this was a good book for general readers but the real history buffs might be let down in its simplicity in that it doesn’t capture the total complexities of the era. First, I think the story of the kidnapping, rescue and aftermath stands out in significance only due to the quasi celebrity status and legendary figure that was Daniel Boone. There were so many raids, kidnappings, Indian adoptions and assimilations, massacres and violent engagements between the 1750s-1780s that but for Daniel Boone’s place in American folklore this tale would have been lost to history. Second, that this story somehow shaped the direction of the country is a stretch. The kidnapping happened in 1776, when tensions between colonists and Great Britain reached its climax forcing colonials and Indians alike to decide their loyalties and alliances. As stated above there were so many incidents, most lost to history, and to state that this one event and subsequent events was special beyond the figures involved is an exaggeration to sell the book. Third, the author makes the common reflexive errors of contemporary popular authors writing history in that he asserts his well intentioned 21st Century values and opinions regarding race, gender equality, slavery and the fate of American Indians on a 18th Century world.

This was a good read but doesn’t add too much to what’s already available for avid history buffs but the general reader will surely enjoy and learn something about this violent region and era.

[CindySR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got my copy from the library and the title is different. The title on my copy is The Taking Of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap That Shaped America. That newer title is much better since Jemima's kidnapping was just the beginning of much more to come, and she only popped up now and then in the years to come during her father's amazing life. If anyone knows of a good fictionalized story about Jemima's life, I'd love to read it.

This is a non-fiction account, lots of research went into it. Mostly exciting and action packed with enough small boring bits to remind you that this is history. At only about 230 pages, a shorter read, I highly recommend it to young people. It's amazing to me how anyone ever lived to be over 40 years old in the wilderness during colonial times! On my TBR list remains Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier

After all is read and said, I still carry a huge torch for Dan'l, Mingo, Becky, Jemima and Israel, the main characters in the old TV show I grew up with during the 60s. I heart Fess Parker :) <3

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always give book club reads a try, but this one I really couldn't get into. My knowledge of the bloody history of the British/American land theft makes it challenging to consider them the 'good guys,' regardless of how the outcome benefited me.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many readers may not be aware that the legendary pioneer and American Revolutionary, Daniel Boone, had a daughter who was at one point equally as famous. Shortly following the 1776 celebration of the new ‘United States Of America’ over Great Britain, Jemima Boone and her two best friends were kidnapped by a band of American Indians.

Matthew Pearl, stepping for the first time into the realm of narrative nonfiction, provides readers with a Cast Of Characters flow chart at the start of the book which makes it easy to follow the myriad of names that are to follow. In the novel’s prologue, Pearl outlines that Jemima Boone’s kidnapping was not a standalone moment but part of a chain reaction that included another kidnapping, all-out military combat, and a courtroom drama that effectively put these preceding events on trial. THE TAKING OF JEMIMA BOONE highlights all of these events.

Jemima or ‘Duck’ as she was known to friends and family for her ability to take to the water so naturally is a great character who you would believe was a fictional creation rather than a flesh-and-blood young woman. The Boone’s had led the way to Kentucky before the Revolutionary War as they balanced a desire to stake out a new phase of life against portents of violence, which were often ignored. On the afternoon of July 14, 1776, a mere ten days after America’s Independence Day, Jemima, and her friends the Callaway sisters, went for a canoe ride. What was ironic is that the trio’s fathers --- Daniel Boon and Richard Callaway --- were real-life adversaries and the friction between them did not seem to permeate the friendship between the three girls. However, once the girls are kidnapped by an Indian Tribe the finger-pointing between Boone and Callaway is just the tip of the iceberg.

The trouble between the American settlers and the area Indian Tribes can most recently be traced back to an incident known as Lord Dunmore’s War. Needless to say, when Chief Hanging Maw, who was guiding a group of Shawnee braves, saw the opportunity to enact a piece of revenge took it in the form of snatching up the three young women. Hanging Maw was laughingly quoted as: “We have done pretty well for old Boone this time --- got all his young squaws.”

Daniel Boone launched a strategic plan to get the three girls back. Jemima knew in her heart that her father was the one man who was fit and able enough to rescue them. The girls meanwhile were being told by their captors that they were being brought to Shawnee towns. The girls realized they were either going to be killed in a revenge ritual or call to war or chosen as ‘adoptees’ for the tribe as replacements for those killed in combat or murdered in cold blood. The main reason they were inevitably kept alive may have been due to the fact that Hanging Maw fancied Jemima Boone.

The girls are eventually rescued but not without consequences. During the rescue, a popular young Indian and son of War Chief Blackfish is killed. War Chief Blackfish was considered one of the Shawnee’s most feared leaders and strategists. Sides are quickly drawn for additional warfare and bloodshed that will also include Dragging Canoe, a friend and partner of Hanging Maw. Events were taking physical toll on the great Daniel Boone who suffered from a wound he acquired during an ambush as well as another battle where he shattered his ankle.

Jemima eventually married and settled down in Boonseboro. Ironically, her husband’s Uncle was Richard Callaway who was now the undisputed leader of their settlement. Daniel Boone was kidnapped by an Indian tribe who was holding council over his fate. All during this time, Jemima was averring that her father was still alive in the face of rumors spread about his demise. There is a great battle between the settlers and the Indian tribes where the very alive Daniel Boone led the charge.

There were points in this non-fiction book that I felt like I was reading a fictional story from James Fennimore Cooper in which the role of Daniel Boon was played by Natty “Hawkeye” Bumpo. Matthew Pearl does an expert job utilizing new fictional storytelling to take historic events and have them play out on the pages of this book in a form that read like traditional adventure fiction. Things wrap up with a huge court case that pits the old adversaries --- Boone and Callaway against each other and it is riveting. I can proudly state that Matthew Pearl’s research and branching off into non-fiction narrative storytelling is a huge hit and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of this kind of work from him.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Taking of Jemima Boone, Pearl tells a story that's been rather lost to modern American history as we learn it: the story of three young girls kidnapped on the frontier, their rescue, and the resulting wave of events that so characterized the tenuous state of affairs in the area.

This book is not bad, but it's plagued by a couple pieces that just don't resonate. First, one has the sense that Pearl is grasping, rather, to link everything together. In truth, this story is not about the taking of Jemima Boone: it starts with her taking, but ends in something very different. Pearl at length informs us that all the following events in a sense started with her kidnapping, but sometimes he assures us at such length that it feels false.

Similarly, he's tried to create a narrative arc that follows the usual dramatic journey: exposition, rising action, climax, resolution. But the facts feels stretched to fit this arc. Throughout the narrative, Pearl takes pains to say "Jemima and the other women" as though to remind us that Jemima is a central character in the events following her kidnapping. But this feels false; we don't always have specific historical sources to tell us this, just that the women would have done such-and-such - and presumably, Jemima would have, too.

Pearl's prose feels awkward at times, too. In comparison to an author like Hampton Sides, I felt that he lacked a storyteller's fluency, which compounded the awkward phrasing required to skirt uneven sourcing.

This is a quick and interesting, if somewhat shallow, read. Pearl does do a good job of portraying life on the so-called frontier (it wasn't necessarily a frontier to those who already lived there): the back-and-forth, the changing loyalties, the pressing sense of danger that overwhelmed colonists, the grappling dilemmas of American Indians and their alliances with fellow Indians and the various European nationalities. We get a brief sense of what it was to be a woman - Jemima Boone married at fourteen - but only briefly; Pearl leaves this tantalizing stone unturned, which was disappointing. For a book supposedly about her "taking", Jemima has very little presence as an actual character - Daniel Boone, her father, is clearly the true main character. At numerous points, Jemima does something extraordinary, but Pearl offers no explanation. Perhaps history records none. But without something - anything - to note her strength of character, or any rationale for her choices, Jemima feels flatly rendered, voiceless. Disappearing from the pages too are the thoughts and feelings, really, of all the women - Rebecca Boone, the Calloway girls. I felt that all the women in this story were reduced to mere stock figures. This book is about the taking of Jemima Boone; Jemima Boone in this narrative comes off as just an object to be taken and retaken - never really a human with much sense of agency.

That said, Pearl does portray well the seesawing and fragility of relationships and alliances: of American Indians (the term he identifies as preferred) collaborating inter-tribally, of playing British off Americans and French, etc. He also captures well the extreme dangers of the American frontier - of the constant hovering threat of violence, the extreme ease in which blood could be spilled. Also portrayed well, to a certain extent, is the effect of back-and-forth violence on American and Indian relationships - specifically, the humanity of many Indian tribes, who kidnapped American colonists and made them part of their families, to replace the Indians they had killed, a kind of restorative justice far removed from that practiced by the colonists themselves. This to me was a highlight of Pearl's book; while I'd read of Indians adopting American colonists into their families, I think Pearl did a really beautiful job explaining the reasons and showing the emotions.

For those who don't know much about Daniel Boone - I didn't - this is a quick and helpful primer. And for those looking for a good sense of the frontier and its tumult, its violence, its fragility, and also its lost humanity, this book is a good read. Overall, I felt that Jemima was lost in its telling; so, too, was some of its nuance in its attempt to force unruly history into a neat narrative arc.

I'd still recommend this book - I had a deep, visceral sense of life in Boonesborough in the 1700s - but was left a little disappointed by some flaws.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography of the Daniel Boone family begins with the abduction of his 13 year old daughter, Jemima, by Shawnee Indians. Boone and a small group of frontiersmen track the Shawnee party for several days, aided by signs left on the trail by Jemima. The frontiersmen successfully rescue Jemima and two other girls abducted, but set in motion a conflict that continues for several years. The book centers around the exploits of Daniel Boone, but gives attention to the bravery and cunning of his daughter during the conflicts to come.
Boone himself was later captured by the Shawnee and adopted by the Chief Blackfish. Boone eventually escapes and returns to Boonesboro where Jemima has waited for his return, against all odds. Her assistance in the defense of Boonesboro against an overwhelming force of Indians points out the importance of brave women in the frontier.
This is not a complete biography of Daniel Boone or his daughter, but it fills in many gaps. It also focuses on the importance of women in the frontier and the disreputable treatment of the indigenous tribes. It is well researched but very readable.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Suellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is October 5, 2021.

Did you know Daniel Boone‘s daughter was kidnapped? Well she was, in 1776 just after the signing of The Declaration of Independence. This is the true story of how that kidnapping occurred while Daniel Boone and his family were building a settlement in Kentucky. A Cherokee-Shawnee raiding party took Jemima Boone and two of her friends during a blood feud between American Indians and the colonial settlers. This book is a truly fascinating look at our young American history.

Since I’m from the Detroit area, I was particularly interested in the history behind the places and street names found in Michigan and the greater Detroit area.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This in Nonfiction/Early American History. Daniel Boone is an iconic figure in Early American History. I have always loved hearing stories about such men and women that helped shape America...whether it was for good or not.

This book felt like a compilation of all the tales that surrounded Daniel Boone, his family, his town, the Indians, and Kentucky. I liked this. I didn't love it, but it is definitely worth the time to read. So 3 stars.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at what happened during the time period in the early history of our country.
The audiobook was excellent and the narrator did a great job not making it sound boring.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers for sending me this ARC for the purpose of review.

If one believes that history is boring, it's because it's usually taught that way, to many a teacher's chagrin. Unfortunately, the curriculum is so packed with need-to-know information, it's hard to get across all of US history in a single year beyond a hasty "this battle and that battle and that guy did that" (and just imagine having to condense all of world history!). It ends up being the hope that students will be compelled to discover more in depth study beyond the confines of the classroom.

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources that make that possible and Matthew Pearl's latest is a perfect example.

The Taking of Jemima Boone is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I entered in with an historian's frame of mind, but it's highly accessible for anyone and reads like fiction.

At its heart, it's the story of the capture of Daniel Boone's daughter Jemima (along with two of her friends) by Cherokee-Shawnee Indians, as well as her rescue and the aftermath, but the narrative is so much richer than that. This gives us a vivid picture (in less than 300 pages) of settler women, of the hardships settlers faced in a hostile landscape and the dangers of going against the British Crown and its colonial authorities, of the social realities of various Native tribes and of course, the complexities of the political and social relationships among European powers, white settlers, and American Indian leaders.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. History lovers will enjoy it and anyone with an interest in the period will learn a great deal from it, especially if one is looking for a more mature look on our past than the simplicity with which our history is treated by talking heads on tv who are more interested in scoring social media likes and hits on their political opponents than getting the story correct.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just weeks before the signing of The Declaration of Independence, Jemima Boone, daughter of Daniel, and two other young girls were kidnapped by a war party of Cherokee-Shawnee Native Americans. Although the title of the book infers this is the main theme of the book, look to the subtitle for the true content. The repercussions of the kidnapping cover 3/4 of the story.

I know only small snippets of the true story of Daniel Boone. Most of them coming from history classes. I must admit most of my questionable knowledge comes from the TV series that ran in the mid 60's.

In 1776 the Revolutionary War was in full swing. Both the British and the Americans trying to swing the Indians to their side. The English had more luck with this, enticing full tribes to help beat down the rebels. In the case of demolishing the settlement of Daniel Boone, Booneville KY., the British had a healthy supply of Native American troops.

The data available for research is sparse and the author duly notes this. A lot of his "sources" come from family legends handed down. In the notes as the end of the book Pearl does included a bibliography, showing he made the effort to get it right.

Recommended only for the true history-nerd

[Jan Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what the subtitle promises, and just the right length. The story provides enough drama to go around while still educating the reader. The Daniel Boone family were one of the more important early settlers of America, and this book tells us why. The good and bad are given pretty equal space in most of the topics. A little "noble savage" on the Native American subject, perhaps, but reflects the current point of view.

Excellent non-fiction for any American history fan. Jeremy Arthur does a wonderful job with the narration of the audiobook.

[Jerrika Rhone · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%: Jemima was kidnapped and found alive by 24%. The rest is Native/White relations, politics, bleh.

[Julie Rothenfluh]

I didn’t finish this book. Prior to reading this, I’d read Blood and Treasure; Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier. It’s a far better look at the same issue, and more.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good! Sometimes I lost the thread a little bit though. Shout out to squire Boone

[Candida · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was one I had heard an abridged version of on the History Channel. The story was so captivating, but it was missing so much detail.
The author did an amazing job of writing this and the story reads like a novel. It is an adventure throughout and informed me of a new angle on the Revolutionary War and Native American history on the Eastern side of the country. I can't recommend this book enough.

[Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 6.4

[Liz Prather · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native Kentuckian, I enjoyed this book enormously. We read this for our April book club selection.
Here are the questions we used for discussion:

1. In the Prologue of The Taking of Jemima Boone, author Matthew Pearl sets the stage with a minor incident involving Rebecca Boone who fires a gun into the air, then shuts the gates demonstrating to the men the need for constant vigilance. In what way(s) in this book does Pearl show the fierce tenacity of the frontier women of Boonesboro?

2. Boone didn’t heed any warning about the potential for deadly conflict. He “viewed skirmishes as reasons to hasten settlement, not to rethink it of change strategy.” How did this characteristic of Boone put everyone at risk?

3. How does the girls’ kidnapping and the retaliatory events that follow create a turning point for the continued settlement of Kentucky?

4. Who was your favorite character? Why?

5. How would you characterize Daniel Boone’s relationship with his adoptive father, Blackfish? What elements of this relationship surprised or interested you?

6. If you had to choose a villain in this historical drama, who would it be?

7. How would you describe the kind of desire or ambition that leads men like Daniel Boone and women like Jemima and Rebecca Boone to give up the relative ease of life in Virginia to settle a wilderness like Kentucky?

8. We've all heard these stories of Daniel Boone and Boonesboro before in school. Was there any part of this story or any detail that you didn’t know, that surprised you, or interested you?

9. In what way does the leadership friction between Richard Callaway and Daniel Boone play into the drama of this book?

10. How does Pearl characterize the Native Americans and their dealings with both the British forces and the American settlers?

11. The endnotes show Pearl researched deep and wide to gain an understanding of the events and people, but the book never feels like a history book. How does Pearl keep us on the edge of our seats as he unravels this stirring tale?

[Audrey Ashbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Taking of Jemima Boone by Matthew Pearl is a non-fiction book about the 1776 kidnapping of frontiersman Daniel Boone's daughter, Jemima Boone, and her friends, Betsy and Fanny Callaway, from the Kentucky River near their home of Boonesboro. Captured by a small band of Shawnee and Cherokee Native Americans, the young women traveled with them for three days before being found by Daniel Boone. In this book, Pearl explores the far-reaching repercussions of the kidnapping and the fate of Boonesboro and those living there. 

This was a fascinating read! Pearl explains the conflict between the settlers, the British forces, and the Native Americans before, during and after the 1776 kidnapping, and what happened as a result. He also goes into how Daniel Boone was captured and adopted into a Shawnee family in February of 1778 with twenty-seven other men while gathering salt in the Lower Blue Licks. It was so interesting to read about how when/if a Native American was killed, the Native Americans would seek out settlers to become adopted into their families as sort of replacements. Daniel Boone was adopted by Shawnee Chief Blackfish as his son, in replacement for the son who was killed while Boone rescued his daughter. Many of the adopted salt makers would go on to stay with the Native Americans for life by choice. 

The story of Jemima Boone and her father is a sweet one- they really had each other's backs in all danger, no matter the odds, and that was very heart-warming. I loved reading about how brave Jemima Boone was during the siege of the fort. 

American history is so sad… Native Americans having their lands being unjustly taken, settlers fighting for freedom against the British while also taking the land and struggling against the wilderness… it is a horrific and saddening part of history, but very interesting to read about. I would love to read more about the Boones.