Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/01/2017 This young reader’s adaptation of Yale historian Demos’ 1994 title, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, recounts the story of the 1704 raid of Deerfield, Massachusetts, in which seven-year-old Puritan Eunice Williams and her family are kidnapped by French Canadian, Mohawk, and Abenaki warriors and marched into Canada. Eunice is adopted by Mohawks and eventually opts to stay with the group throughout her life, despite pleas from her family to return. The narrative concentrates on Eunice’s early life, and Demos appends clarifications about the facts and fictions in the story as well as detailed source notes. Historical fiction is a fraught genre these days, particularly where indigenous perspectives are involved. Demos, who is not Mohawk, will be criticized for including insider details (origin stories and ceremonial specifics). Still, the story is well researched and told, openly admits that Europeans stole indigenous lands, and offers a clear explanation of the alliances and motivations of the groups involved in this conflict. All in all, a solid upgrade for those currently using older captive narratives. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2018 Gr 5–8—This "Indian captivity" novel is a fictionalized version of the experiences of a Puritan girl who was captured by Mohawk warriors at the age of seven. Eunice and her family settled in Deerfield, MA, just prior to the French and Indian War. Mohawks and settlers were killed, and among the dead were Eunice's mother and newborn sister. Eunice and her family are captured and separated from each other, and she is brought to a Mohawk village in Canada under French rule and influenced by Catholic missions. Her father, a prominent minister, escapes and negotiates the release of her two brothers, but Eunice's new family refuses to let her go. She ultimately decides to remain with the Mohawk family. The story follows her life among the Mohawk and describes various cultural beliefs and customs, the conflict between the Puritan and Catholic beliefs, and the prejudiced views both groups held about the Mohawk. What makes the story of Eunice, who later was given the name Gannenstenhai (She Brings in Corn), compelling is the portrayal of her transition from a white, colonialist culture to the Mohawk way of life. VERDICT Though far from a perfect representation of Mohawk history and culture, this novel nevertheless offers young readers a window into the conflicting cultural privileges and prejudices at play during this period of time. A historical novel best used in conjunction with supplemental texts and nonfiction about the relationship between colonists and Native peoples of the Americas.—Naomi Caldwell, Alabama State University, Montgomery - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.