Social Studies
History
Tony SilvaSalem Ridge Press
SalemRidgePress.com
If I told you I was a Civil War buff, you'd probably be surprised to discover I couldn't name more than two or three important commanders in the war and I am only familiar with the Battle of Gettysburg. OK, so it's not that bad. But I have to admit I enjoy reading about history more than I enjoy studying it. That's probably true of a lot of people. Yet there is a growing demand for historical fiction dating back to Alex Haley's "Roots" series and the popular historical fiction that followed covering the Revolutionary War, World War II and a host of other historical events and characters. I recently finished David McCullough's "John Adams", a book that could be considered documentary history. McCullough's work was so detailed and expressive, coming from source documents, diaries and letters of the period, that it lent itself to being produced as a seven part series on HBO.
Historical fiction differs from documentary history in many ways, but one thing they have in common is a careful presentation of the context in which their characters live out their lives. Most historical fiction portrays real historical figures and events alongside the fictional ones. By drawing you into the story of the characters, both real and imagined, the writer helps bring the culture and lifestyles of the period to life. In so doing, they help bring clarity to our understanding of that historical context. Some of the best historical fiction was written long before the era of "political correctness" took hold and watered down or totally recast history to minimalize Western Civilization or the traditional values that once defined this country. Salem Ridge Press has republished many such great books. We'll look at three of them to give you an idea of just how diverse historical fiction can be.
Glaucia the Greek Slave
by Emma Leslie $14.95
One of several books by Emma Leslie Salem Ridge has republished, Glaucia the Greek Slave is an excellent choice for young readers just starting out in the historical fiction genre. The story is set in ancient Greece and Rome where young Glaucia and her brother Laon are about to be sold into slavery to repay their father's debts. Laon escapes, but his sister is sold to the daughter of a Roman philosopher. The rest of the story chronicles Laon's quest to be reunited with his sister and to buy her freedom.
There is excitement, fear, hope and redemption in this wonderful story as the historical context is the persecution of Christians. The impact of Christianity's spread on the characters is made all the more real by the real historical characters who enter their lives. The reader comes away with a greater understanding of the period and an even greater appreciation for the sacrifices of believers in the early Church.
Quibbles & Bits
In their effort to be faithful to the original text, the publisher did not make any changes other than to remove text that may not be age appropriate. As a result, a quaint language of "thees and thous" appears in the dialogue but not in the narrative. Once you get used to this, it actually flows well, but it is unnerving for the first few chapters. Another minor concern is the way words are defined the first time they're used in the text. In some cases, they are italicized in the text and then defined at the bottom of the page. Others, there are no definitions and still others, there are definitions without the italicized word in the text. This is a great feature, and it should be reviewed in future editions of the book to make sure it is consistent. This is a great feature for historical fiction -- especially republished 19th century books.
The White Seneca
by William W. Canfield $14.95
As the drumbeats of the Revolutionary War begin to sound, an Iroquois raiding party capture fifteen-year-old Henry Cochrane and take him to Seneca Castle where he learns the Native-American way. Henry is adopted by Hiokoto, a member of the tribe. As he learns the traditions and clture of the Seneca, Henry must confront the problem of loyalty on several fronts. Loyalty to his adopted "brother", loyalty to a young settler he rescues and of course to his own people. This first person narrative flows through exciting twists and turns of plot like a wilderness journey. In the end, it leaves you begging for a sequel -- and maybe even a movie version.
The White Seneca is a perfect adventure read for boys 12 and older. Like most historical fiction written at the turn of the last century, the language is much richer and sometimes disturbingly free of idiom. Canfield doesn't wallow in political correctness, but he does present the early relationship between Indians and settlers in an accurate political light. As the British recruit the Iroquois Nation to fight on the side of the Great Chief over the waters, many of their battle tactics exploit the cultural differences between the "savages" and the white men.
Unlike modern day portrayals of Native-American lore, Indians are not pictured as "noble savages". Instead, they are a people who have their own unique culture, traditions and religion. Canfield puts human expression and experience on a people who are often reduced in literature to a caricature or stereotype. Canfield's characters do not live out a plot that casts blame on one side or the other for the history that would follow this period. Instead, he shows us a context in which history made itself on the forge of human frailty.
True confession time... There were actually parts of the narrative that can make a grown man's eyes well up. Of course, I won't tell you who the grown man was.
Mary Jane -- Her Book
by Clara Ingram Judson $12.95
Technically, this is not a historical novel. In fact it's not even historical fiction in the way the books above are. I put Mary Jane -- Her Book in this review because it was originally published at the turn of the 20th Century. Period literature of this type can help you understand a place and time in history from the author's point of view. Mary Jane books were a series of books popular at the time in which the main character, Mary Jane's adventures are chronicled. A loveable five year-old, Mary Jane learns about life in everyday experiences from a simpler time, and yet they are not much different from those glimpses of life one would see through the eyes of a five year-old today. Where there is a difference, it is in the respect children in the stories have for adults and the compassion adults have for children. I don't like to use the term, "gentle" to refer to things, but that is an apt description for how Mary Jane -- Her Book takes a reader through the struggles of life as a five year-old.
Mary Jane suffers through the loss of her doll -- run over by a car. A loving father helps her learn from the mistake that caused the untimely "death" -- and reveals to his daughter that the doll had a "twin". There are moments of discovery, of helping her parents, of meeting new friends, shopping, birthday parties and travel. Each story is just right for a betime read aloud. Both our eight year-old and our ten year-old enjoyed the chapters I read to them even though they are boys. This is decidedly a book meant for little girls, but it is still fun for all. Tip: If you've finished your phonics program, this is also a good choice for a first "real book" reader. It is targeted to children between the ages of six and ten.
