The Falcon: A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures of John Tanner (Nature Library, Penguin) [Paperback]

John Tanner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994 | Series: Nature Library, Penguin

John Tanner's fascinating autobiography tells the story of a man torn between white society and the Native Americans with whom he identified.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Tanner was born on the Kentucky River around 1780. He spent most of his life with the Ojibwa tribe, and disappeared in 1846.

Bestselling author Louise Erdrich grew up in North Dakota and is of German and Turtle Mountain Chippewa descent. Her novels include Love Medicine and The Beet Queen.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140170227
• ISBN-13: 978-0140170221
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,278,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best and Most Complete Indian Captivity Narrative, April 15, 2003

By 

Matthew S. Schweitzer "zohoe" (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Falcon (Classic, Nature, Penguin) (Paperback)

"The Falcon" is the autobiography of Shaw-Shaw-Wa Be-Na-Se or John Tanner, a White Indian captured by the Shawnee along the Ohio River in 1789 and later sold to an Ojibwa family in northern Michigan. He went on to live a long and fascinating life among the Indians of the Old Northwest working as a trapper for the Hudson Bay Company and serving as the interpreter at the trading post at Sault St. Marie. He spent some time searching out his white family in Kentucky before returning to Michigan to be with his Indian children, forever spurning the white way of life. He went on to write this narrative in 1830 shortly before becoming a murder suspect and disappearing into the north woods forever.

Tanner's narrative is truly amazing for it's matter-of-fact style and the wealth of information it contains on every facet of Indian life in the late 18th and early 19th century including hunting, family life, Indian-white relations, foodways, views on war and murder, even attitudes toward sexual orientation. Tanner tells a story from the point of view of a man who has lived a hard life but is determined to live it as well as he is able. He makes no romantic notions about the Indians nor does he have sentimental longings for his white family. Unlike other famous captivity narratives like those of Mary Rowlandson, James Smith, or Oliver Spencer, this story is of the unredeemed captive who willingly chooses to embrace the neo-lithic lifestyle and the hardships that such a life entails, but makes no regrets of his life choices.

The historical and ethnographical information contained here alone makes it worthwhile reading, but the pure human content the author puts into this work makes it truly great.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Falcon, by John Tanner, June 20, 2002

By 

P.Juneau "P. Juneau" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falcon (Classic, Nature, Penguin) (Paperback)

The Falcon, by John Tanner, is simply one of the most incredible
books I have ever read, and must be considered a classic.
It was utterly enthralling. I found myself wondering how he
ever wrote the book, since it is very well written, but he had
little knowledge of English until later life. Found out on the
web that back in Sault Ste Marie, he narrated his life to a doctor, who wrote it all down, and later published it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Freud and Rousseau should have read this book, May 31, 2001

By 

G. B. Talovich (Wulai, Taiwan, ROC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Falcon (Classic, Nature, Penguin) (Paperback)

This is an unsentimental account of a hunting-gathering life. Even with guns and metal knives, the Falcon faced starvation so frequently that it seemed practically routine. One of the saddest sentences is a simple, somewhat relieved declarative about a fever sweeping the area: "Only one of my children died."

The writing is intense, and builds slowly. Tanner is anything but dramatic, but the events of his life command respect. This is a book that no author could have created artficially: its power is natural.

Nonetheless, I would have liked to learn something about where, when, and by whom the book was written. I suspect my Penguin paperback may be missing something. Page 228 refers me to a note at the end of the volume, but it is not there.

Generally, I do not care for Introductions. However, the Introduction by Louise Erdrich is worth reading carefully, before and after reading the narrative.