This book was featured on many lists of outstanding books to be published this fall. On July 14, 1776, Jemima Boone (1762-1834) the daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Bryan Boone, along with two of her girlfriends, Elizabeth and Frances Callaway, were captured at the Kentucky River near their home at Fort Boonesboro by two Cherokees and three Shawnees. Three days later they were rescued from a campsite near the Ohio River by a party led by Daniel Boone that included Jemima’s future husband, Flanders Callaway, the cousin of her companions. Two captors later died of injuries sustained in the rescue. This incident presents the opening salvo in a series of conflicts between the white settlers and the Shawnees and the Cherokees that this book follows, including a 1775 peace treaty and the unsuccessful siege of Boonesboro in 1778. “A deliciously intricate and utterly absorbing retelling of the Daniel Boone family saga–—and particularly the complex roles played by the Cherokee and Shawnee across Boone's southern Appalachian stamping grounds. The Taking of Jemima Boone adds an intriguing dimension to an issue of keen importance to modern society.” – Simon Winchester. “Not only did Matthew Pearl’s clear and vivid writing immediately sweep me up in a father’s fear, it pulled me into a larger and even more profound story, one that would change the course of three nations—one young, two ancient, all fighting for survival.” – Candice Millard. This book is the first foray into non-fiction by author Matthew Pearl. His previous works of fiction have been translated into more than 30 languages.
New York: Harper, 2021. 272 pages with an Index and Notes. Hardback in dust jacket.