Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

Bibliographic Info

Title: Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown Colonial Maryland

Author: Sally M. Walker

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 987-0-8225-7135

Plot Summary

This non-fiction book illustrates how much information can be found in the skeletal remains of Jamestown colonists from the early 1600s.  The body of a 16-year-old boy tells a story of ill health, and ultimately of a violent death at the hands of Powhatan Indians.  An arrowhead lodged just a hair’s width from the boy’s femur and a broken collarbone indicated how the boy met his end.

The body of an indentured servant told a different story.  The boy, approximately 14 years old, showed signs of abuse, such as a fractured wrist.  The body was found under the home of a plantation owner, who used the space as a garbage dump.  Since, at the time, a proper burial was mandated of slaves and indentured servants, anthropologists believed that the body was concealed amongst garbage to hide the boy’s poor treatment during life.

Several other lives, such as the remains of a family of Catholics who had likely fled religious persecution in England, were highlighted.

Critical Evaluation

This book is an excellent example of how non-fiction can be made fascinating.  The author introduces what seems like a puzzle and slowly reveals a picture of a human life through the details of scientific discovery.  The excellent photographs add to the experience of unearthing the stories.

Reader’s Annotation

The hardships, lifestyles, and personal details of the residents of the first U.S. colony are unearthed by forensic anthropologists in this non-fiction work.  The book contains photographs of skeletal remains, excavations, tools, and more to document the findings.

Author Info

Sally M. Walker was often in trouble for daydreaming in elementary school.  She would let her mind wander to the book she was reading.  She wrote stories for her parents and gave them as presents.  Walker’s father would tell her and the children from her neighborhood non-fiction stories about colonists and Indians.

When asked what parents can give their budding writer children, Walker recommends a library card.  She also suggests pens and paper.  She describes the most importan gift, though, to be time to wander and dream.

Walker, S. M. (2009). Author Sally M. Walker. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://sallymwalker.com/biography.html

Genre

Non-fiction

Curriculum Ties

U.S. History

Book Talking Ideas

Did you know that a skeleton’s number of teeth or the shape of a thigh bone can tell a forensics specialist how old a person was at the time of their death?

When you imagine what life was like in the colonies, what do you picture?

Reading Level

10-14

Challenge Issues

Photographs of human remains.

Challenge Responses

Active Listening

Refer to library’s collection policy

Provide complaint form

Refer to book reviews

Selection

2010 Finalist for YALSA’s Excellence in Fiction for Young Adults award.