The Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt: Captive of Maquinna [Hardcover]

John Rodgers Jewitt (Author), Hilary Stewart (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr; First Canadian edition (September 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295965479
• ISBN-13: 978-0295965475
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,467,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique. Captivating. Profoundly moving., January 19, 1999

By 

Niles Pierce([e-mail]) (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt: Captive of Maquinna (Paperback)

This is a remarkable work by a young man who was held captive for several years by a tribe of Native Americans on the coast of Vancouver Island during a time when European vessels visited these shores only once every few years. As a result, the account provides a unique insight into the lifestyle of these people prior to European intervention.

I read the work while visiting the area and found it irresistable. The natives have many surprising habits, including a preference for rotting rather than fresh whale blubber (this creates many difficulties for our protagonist) and a penchant for midnight raids on slumbering neighbors. Jewitt is a good writer and his dated prose has a tendancy to amuse the reader. He does a good job both of mentioning the details of every day existence and of capturing the emotional bonds he develops with other members of the tribe. The end of Jewitt's adventure leaves the reader deeply saddened, sharing the conflicting emotions that he himself was torn by.

As it is no longer out of print, I intend to give copies to a variety of friends with interests in anthropology, Native Americans, and adventure in general.