Caleb's Crossing

Caleb's Crossing Geraldine Brooks

Adult Fiction Brooks


In 1665 a young Indian man from Martha's Vinyard graduated from Harvard
College and upon this fact Geraldine Brooks creates a dramatic account of
two cultures engaging and colliding. Bethia Mayfield is growing up in
Great Harbor (Martha's Vineyard) where her widowed father is a tolerant
preacher and where she has time to wonder the island. In her wonderings
she meets an Indian boy, Cheeshahteaumauck, whom she will later call
Caleb. Caleb and another Wampanoag, Joel, eventually come to live with her
family and study with her father. It is at that time that two more
tragedies strike and Makepeace, her brother, along with Caleb and Joel go
to study at Cambridge. Her wealthy grandfather offers her as an indentured
laborer to the school master in order to pay Makepeace's fees.



Eventually Joel and Caleb will attend the Indian College at Harvard
College and distinguish themselves as scholars of Latin, Greek, Hebrew all
for the study of the Bible. While Bethia is prohibited from learning, she
listens in to all their lessons, even getting a job at the Buttery at
Harvard after her brother leaves school.



Brooks uses archaic terms and turns of phrase that give authenticity to
what she calls her diary. What incredibly beautiful writing. I haven't
loved reading/hearing language like this in a long time. Jennifer Ehle
gives a careful reading, timing it as a woman might have spoken in the
1660's.