Customer Reviews

The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon Among the Lenapes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

By labeling this book as merely juvenile fiction, you have committed an error. Yes, this book could be enjoyed by a fifth grader, but its enormous wealth of details, its presentation of sophisticated concepts, and its intricate descriptions of such events as religious ceremonies, put this book within the adult reading level. There are even Lenape words sprinkled throughout the book and a tiny Lenape/English phrase dictionary at the back of the book. This novel is a fictional account of an English boy's rescue from drowning by a Lenape family. It details his life and the lives of those around him as he learns about and adapts to the ways of the Lenape people. He is eventually adopted into the family of his best friend. Along the way the reader is guided into every facet of Lenape life, down to the tiniest detail as to how leather was tanned and crops were grown, to the grandest concepts involving myth, legend, and the Sacred. This is not only a story about the Lenape people in particular, it is an excellent source of information for anyone wishing to know how the human race flourished before the advance of technology. Note: This review is based on the 1966 copyright version of the book by M.R. Harrington with an introduction by Mary V. Gaver.

If I were to have just one book about the Lenape People, I would choose this one! It is told in great story format and gives you an inside view of early Lenape Culture. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. This book is just as interesting to adults as it is for the younger generation.

Wonderful book. I read it over forty years ago and never forgot it! Just ordered a copy so I can reread it.

I agree with the other reviews of this book. Don't neglect the continuing episode,"The Iroquois Trail" by the same author. Not only is the book a wealth of information regarding culture but also teaches a healthy dose of Lenape language. I highly recommend this book, definitely not a children's only book!

The author creates a fictional story of a boy who lives among the Native Americans in the 1700's after a shipwreck. However, many of the foods, clothing, tools, language and customs are described with historical accuracy. This is a good book for kids or adults who enjoy children's literature. Might be good summer reading for students in grades 4-7.

Wow. I began reading this book again as an adult after receiving it for a birthday present-- I was delighted because I hadn't seen "Dickon Among the Lenapes" since my 4th grade teacher (may she rest in peace) read from it to our class each day. As we followed the tale of shipwrecked Dickon, I can recall his story stirring my imagination and inciting my interest in the Lenape Indians as a child. Now as an adult, I've actually been able to study the illustrations and read the entire book for myself (I'm pretty sure Mrs. O'Brian left out quite a few parts).

In short... I just couldn't put it down! NOT only does the novel give a detailed description of how a beautiful people, most of which have long disappeared from their original land, once lived, but you wouldn't know you were learning vast amounts of data (which you are)... It reads like Treasure Island or Swiss Family Robinson. Why hasn't this book been recognized?? With a story that is at once beautiful, intelligent, and engaging, and content which is historically vital to the remembrance of New Jersey's true founding fathers, Dickon Among the Lenapes is a hidden gem that I'd recommend audiences, old and young, to get their hands on.

Excellent book, drawings, dictionary. Reading level 3rd to 5th grade. (Not preschool - 1st)!

There are more intelligent reads out there for sure. Reading this Westerner's appropriation fantasy on the Lenape people saddens me. There is more written offering secondary and even primary source material. The Delaware Indians is one of them.