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A Promising Life
A Promising Life: Coming of Age with America: A Novel
A Promising Life
Emily Arnold Mccully
For as long as he can remember, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau has been told that a promising future lies ahead of him. After all, his mother is the great Sacagawea, who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition of discovery. And thanks to his mother, Baptiste's life changes forever when Captain Clark offers him an education in the bustling new city of St. Louis. There, his mother charges him to "learn everything" -- reading, writing, languages, mathematics. His life becomes a whirl of new experiences: lessons, duels, dances, elections. He makes friends and undertakes unexpected journeys to far-off places. But he also witnesses the injustices Clark, as a US agent for Indian Affairs, forces upon the Osage, the Arikara, the Mandan, and so many others. He sees the effect of what some call "progress" on the land and on the people who have lived there for generations. And he must choose what path he will take and what place he will have in a rapidly changing society.
1 Vote

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Adventure
  • Fiction
  • Historical Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
A Promising Life review by ongsai
ongsai

The story of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, son of Sacagewea, is almost non-existent. Until now. In Ms. McCully's reproduction of his story, she gives him the ambition of a scholar, the confusion of a child, and a crockpot of questions. With Native American blood that runs in his veins, Baptiste must find his way through a childhood in St. Louis and an adolescence in Germany. Throughout his life he tries to figure out why the world must be so focused on divisions when they are trying to promote progression and democracy.

Rating:
4
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
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