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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Governor Bradford himself mentions wild turkeys.........., August 20, 2007
This review is from: A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving (Hardcover)
I beg to differ with the author's assertion that there were no turkeys in early Plymouth. Governor William Bradford himself wrote in his history of the colony (Of Plimoth Plantation): "They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl THERE WAS A GREAT STORE OF WILD TURKEYS [my emphasis], of which they took many, besides venison, etc. " There are, in fact, many misconceptions about the "first Thanksgiving" but to say that there were no turkeys in early New England is simply not true. What better source than one who was present at the time?
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe?, January 9, 2007
This review is from: A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving (Hardcover)
I found the book to be uneven..sometimes intriguing and other times extraordinarily dull. Having said that, I believe the topic to be important especially to educators, who invariably focus on the romantic rather that the authentic and who perpetuate this national myth. There are now several excellent children's books and even shorter and more readable articles in such reputable magazines as the Smithsonian that provide much the same information. I suspect that those who could truly use the information provided in this book will seek it elsewhere.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A first feast without turkeys, cranberries, or pecans? Racoon stew instead?, June 27, 2007
This review is from: A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving (Hardcover)
Godfrey Hodgson has written a compelling version of America's national origins which challenges many of our treasured elementary school teachings (and, for that matter, our national art). Many of the myths of the first Thanksgiving were invented by early pioneers as mid-1600's marketing literature, to convince others to join them in the hard New England environment and sustain the settlements. Early Pilgrims didn't want to start a new country in America, they wanted to remain English. They settled at Plymouth, but they didn't land at the famous Plymouth rock. To give thanks, their tradition was to fast, not feast.
Hodgson's book tells the tale of the first feast (at which there were no turkeys, cranberries, or pies), the tough first years in the settlement, the complex relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans, and, finally, the evolution of the Thanksgiving holiday over the centuries. The text is at times gripping and at other times plodding. Hodgson certainly has solid research and factual background, but not all chapters will pull the reader in.
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