{"id":179,"date":"2017-08-11T11:37:11","date_gmt":"2017-08-11T15:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=179"},"modified":"2021-03-25T09:40:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T13:40:42","slug":"friday-reads-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Reads #4: Indian Captive"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Welcome back to another installment of my Friday Reads series, setting you up for a great weekend of reading. If you haven\u2019t already, take a look at last week\u2019s installment on <\/span>The Creation of Anne Boleyn<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a child, my mom preferred to buy me award winning books. I suppose it was so she could be certain I was reading decent, and appropriate, material. Newbery Honor book, <\/span>Indian Captive,<\/span><\/i> by Lois Lenski<\/span><\/a> was one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Paperback<\/p>\n

If I had to guess, I\u2019d say I read it somewhere around 15-20 times. Surprisingly, the simple paperback survived all those reads and was still in fairly decent shape when it got left behind upon my move to Virginia. I wish I\u2019d brought it with me, as it got lost when my parents moved to a new house.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a while after that, I contemplated buying a new physical version (and I still might if I can find a one of the earlier hardback editions), but I never got around to it. Luckily, to my everlasting joy, it was released as an ebook.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"eBook<\/p>\n

I quite happily purchased it from <\/span>Barnes and Noble<\/span><\/a> and have read it another 4 or 5 times since. So what keeps drawing me to a children\u2019s book?<\/span><\/p>\n

First and foremost, it is, quite simply, a fabulously written story. Molly is a very strong female character, but with a vulnerability that makes her believable and relatable. She has moments of intense strength, and moments where she breaks down almost completely. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a child with major health issues, my life often followed that pattern. I\u2019d be great one day, then back in the hospital for who knows how long the next. But if Molly, who was suffering so much greater things than I was, could keep going, then so could I. She survived, and thrived, and I would too. <\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s silly that I found such inspiration in a story so completely different than my own, but I didn\u2019t really think of that. I focused on the fact that <\/span>Indian Captive<\/span><\/i> was based on a true story. Someone had really gone through what I was reading, and had come out a stronger person because of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to the fabulous writing, the illustrations are just beautiful. There is a softness to the style that I loved then, and still love now. I still take the time to look at each image as I come to it. I just wish the pictures were bigger in ebooks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/a><\/p>\n

One thing that I\u2019ve come to appreciate as an adult is that Lois Lenski made the Seneca characters likable and relatable as well. It would have been so easy for her to portray them all as monsters, but Molly\u2019s friends and adoptive family were kind, understanding, and complex. You can\u2019t help but like Little Turtle\/Turkey Feather, Grandfather Shagbark, Shining Star, Earth Woman, Beaver Girl, and Molly\/Corn Tassel\u2019s other friends. There are, of course, less likeable characters, but, that\u2019s true of life in general.<\/span><\/p>\n

The way Lois Lenski wrote made me want to learn new languages, experience other cultures, and make new friends. I understood that it was horrible <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> Molly ended up as Corn Tassel, but once she was adopted into her Seneca family, her experiences, her life lessons, were beautiful. She learned so much, she understood that the average Seneca person was not very different from the average white settler, and that was a very important lesson that has stuck with me over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you ever read <\/span>Indian Captive<\/span><\/i> or a book like it? Is there a book that taught you a lesson that has stuck with you through the years? Do you still read children\u2019s books? Leave a comment and let me know. Come back for next week\u2019s installment of Friday Reads for another book that has had a strong impact on me.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another installment of my Friday Reads series, setting you up for a great weekend of reading. If you haven\u2019t already, take a…<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingFriday Reads #4: Indian Captive<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[39,184,96],"class_list":["post-179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-books","tag-friday-reads","tag-young-adult","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-2T","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":208,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-5\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":0},"title":"Friday Reads #5: Pride and Prejudice","author":"Rachel","date":"August 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome back to another installment of my Friday Reads series, setting you up for a great weekend of reading. If you haven\u2019t already, take a look at last week\u2019s installment on Indian Captive. Janeites are nothing new. Worldwide, there are innumerable fans of Jane Austen and her works. I wouldn\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pride and Prejudice","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/pridePrejudice2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":137,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":1},"title":"Friday Reads #3: The Creation of Anne Boleyn","author":"Rachel","date":"August 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s Friday, which means it\u2019s time for another installment of my Friday Reads series; setting you up for a great weekend of reading. This week\u2019s book is The Creation of Anne Boleyn by Susan Bordo. I\u2019ve been interested in Tudor England since I discovered The Royal Diaries series as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of The Creation of Anne Boleyn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/15814396._UY475_SS475_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":264,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":2},"title":"Friday Reads #6: Harry Potter","author":"Rachel","date":"September 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome back to another installment of my Friday Reads series, setting you up for a great weekend of reading. If you haven\u2019t already, take a look at last week\u2019s installment on Pride and Prejudice. It only seems right to discuss what Harry Potter means to me on September 1, 19\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Goblet of Fire","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/9780439139595_p3_v3_s550x406-231x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":687,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":3},"title":"Friday Reads: Memnoch the Devil","author":"Rachel","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here we are, at the end of the year. Happy December, everyone! It's the first Friday of the month, and that means Friday Reads! In case you missed it, you can take a look at last month's Friday Reads on The Other Boleyn Girl. Unlike most of my other Friday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":590,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":4},"title":"Friday Reads: The Other Boleyn Girl","author":"Rachel","date":"November 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Wow, it\u2019s November already! Where has the year gone? You know what the first Friday of the month means: Friday Reads! If you missed it, take a look at last month's Friday Reads on Crossroads in the Dark III: Monsters Under Your Bed. I\u2019m going back to Tudor England this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of The Other Boleyn Girl","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/other_boleyn_girl.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":100,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":5},"title":"Friday Reads #2: Love You Forever","author":"Rachel","date":"July 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It's Friday again! Time for Friday Reads. Love you Forever by Robert Munsch is one of the first books I remember my mom reading to me as a child. She read it to me so many times, that at one point I had it memorized and would repeat it with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of Love You Forever by Robert Munsch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/LYF-Cover-295x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3223,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions\/3223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}