jjares reviewed Olive Oatman: Explore The Mysterious Story of Captivity and Tragedy from Beginning to End on + 3316 more book reviews
From 1851, Olive Oatman was a captive of Native Americans and in 1856, she was brought back from captivity with a blue Mohave tattoo on her face. This book tries to make a distinction between "the story" and "the facts." The story, as related by the author, was gut-wrenching.
Before this book, I'd never heard of the "Second Great Awakening," which reestablished religion as central to people's lives in the early 1800s. I'm glad the author mentioned this concept because when I googled it, I found out why the Oatman's might be willing to move so far for religious freedom. It was an important movement, especially for certain Protestant faiths.
I appreciated the fact that the author worked hard to unravel the truth from the 'story'. I read a few years ago, a book by a Texas lawyer-turned-author who studied captured whites who were eventually returned to their American families. It is available from Amazon and is called: "The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier" by Scott Zesch. After reading that book, I'm willing to bet that Olive was happy with the Mojave. Zesch's book talks about the wistfulness the returned captives were about their Indian lives, and how hard it was for their families to understand.
Thank you for sharing such an interesting aspect of our historical heritage. I enjoyed reading it and couldn't put it down.
Before this book, I'd never heard of the "Second Great Awakening," which reestablished religion as central to people's lives in the early 1800s. I'm glad the author mentioned this concept because when I googled it, I found out why the Oatman's might be willing to move so far for religious freedom. It was an important movement, especially for certain Protestant faiths.
I appreciated the fact that the author worked hard to unravel the truth from the 'story'. I read a few years ago, a book by a Texas lawyer-turned-author who studied captured whites who were eventually returned to their American families. It is available from Amazon and is called: "The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier" by Scott Zesch. After reading that book, I'm willing to bet that Olive was happy with the Mojave. Zesch's book talks about the wistfulness the returned captives were about their Indian lives, and how hard it was for their families to understand.
Thank you for sharing such an interesting aspect of our historical heritage. I enjoyed reading it and couldn't put it down.
