This Month's Selection: Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Afternoon Readers Book Club

 

Wed., June 16, 1:00 p.m.

 

Caleb's Crossing

 

by Geraldine Brooks

Bethia Mayfield is a restless and curious young woman growing up in Martha's Vineyard in the 1660s amid a small band of pioneering English Puritans. At age twelve, she meets Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a secret bond that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's father is a Calvinist minister who seeks to convert the native Wampanoag, and Caleb becomes a prize in the contest between old ways and new, eventually becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard College.

Inspired by a true story and narrated by the irresistible Bethia, Caleb’s Crossing brilliantly captures the triumphs and turmoil of two brave, openhearted spirits who risk everything in a search for knowledge at a time of superstition and ignorance.

We welcome comments about the monthly selection either here or on our discussion post after our face-to-face meeting! Feel free to jump in any time, whether you're a regular member of the group or not!