The Light in the Forest
The Light in the Forest
By: Conrad Ricther
Book Quote:
"Now go like an Indian, True Son," he said in a low, stern voice.
"Give me no more shame." - Chapter 1, p 7
Library Cat Rating: 😺
Review:
John Cameron Butler was captured on the Pennsylvania frontier when he was only four years old and taken to live with the Lenne Lenape tribe. But that is not where this story begins. Instead, Ritcher brings readers in the story eleven years later when at the age of fifteen John, now known as Lenni Quis or "True Son" is being returned to his white family. During his captivity, John was adopted by the warrior Cuyloga and his family. The Lenne Lenape customs became his customs and Cuyloga, Cuyloga's squaw, and two daughters came to be his only family. Secure within the tribe, it comes as a great shock to True Son when the Native American tribes in Pennsylvania agree to send all of their white captives to the colonial army in-order to preserve their land. True Son struggles to reconcile his Lenne Lenape upbringing with his white heritage. It is not easy to return to what is now a foreign culture and True Son struggles with the expectations of his white family. As time passes he must ask himself if there is a way to return to the life of John Butler or should he try to escape and return to his Lenne Lenape tribe?
VERDICT is that this is an average book that fell a little flat for me as a reader. I would recommend reading for middle school readers interested in captivity stories or learning more about Native American culture. It is nice to have a male narrator and Ritcher does a good job of exploring the Lenne Lenape culture and contrasting it with white culture, showcasing the good and bad in both. For alternate (or additional) reads I have listed other books that fall with this genre below.
John Cameron Butler was captured on the Pennsylvania frontier when he was only four years old and taken to live with the Lenne Lenape tribe. But that is not where this story begins. Instead, Ritcher brings readers in the story eleven years later when at the age of fifteen John, now known as Lenni Quis or "True Son" is being returned to his white family. During his captivity, John was adopted by the warrior Cuyloga and his family. The Lenne Lenape customs became his customs and Cuyloga, Cuyloga's squaw, and two daughters came to be his only family. Secure within the tribe, it comes as a great shock to True Son when the Native American tribes in Pennsylvania agree to send all of their white captives to the colonial army in-order to preserve their land. True Son struggles to reconcile his Lenne Lenape upbringing with his white heritage. It is not easy to return to what is now a foreign culture and True Son struggles with the expectations of his white family. As time passes he must ask himself if there is a way to return to the life of John Butler or should he try to escape and return to his Lenne Lenape tribe?
VERDICT is that this is an average book that fell a little flat for me as a reader. I would recommend reading for middle school readers interested in captivity stories or learning more about Native American culture. It is nice to have a male narrator and Ritcher does a good job of exploring the Lenne Lenape culture and contrasting it with white culture, showcasing the good and bad in both. For alternate (or additional) reads I have listed other books that fall with this genre below.
Citation:
Richter, Conrad. (1953). The light in the forest. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. Reprint, 2004.
Annotation:
John Cameron Butler has grown up among the Lenne Lenape tribe. Kidnapped at four years old, he is returned to his white family at the age of fifteen and faces potentially insurmountable obstacles during his re-acclimation to white society.
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Other Recommended Reads:
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