Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

In 1665, a young man from Martha’s Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Drawing inspiration from that remarkable piece of history, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks imagines the world surrounding Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk and the unlikely friendship that helps bring his story to life.
 
The novel is told through Bethia Mayfield, the intelligent and independent-minded daughter of a Puritan minister. Growing up on Martha’s Vineyard, Bethia secretly befriends Caleb, a young member of the Wampanoag community. As their lives become intertwined, both face the expectations of their families, cultures, and faiths while pursuing knowledge in a rapidly changing colonial world.
 
Richly researched and vividly imagined, Caleb’s Crossing blends historical fact with fiction to explore education, cultural conflict, faith, friendship, and the complicated encounters between Native peoples and English settlers in seventeenth-century New England.
 
❤️ Why You’ll Love It
Historical fiction inspired by the life of a real person
Immersive portrayal of seventeenth-century New England
Explores the intersection of Native and colonial cultures
Strong themes of friendship, education, faith, and identity
Thoughtful, character-driven storytelling from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author
🎯 Perfect For
Readers of literary historical fiction
Fans of Geraldine Brooks and People of the Book
Readers interested in early American and colonial history
Book clubs looking for substantial discussion topics
Fans of historical novels inspired by real people and events