Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation

I cannot applaud this book enough. As a military man and historian, I admire John Smith and the story of Jamestown. As a historian of Native Americans, I hold endearing fascination for the real Pochahontas, the first Christian convert of English America. But what is most important, this book is properly balanced and accurate. The sins and graces of the Indians and the English are here and a respect for both are duly given. There is no hint of Marxist revisionism/critical race theory in this book like that terrible version of Jamestown by Kelly's Marooned (4/10 avoid at all costs!).The Powhatan Empire is given in great detail, if somewhat horrific. The Indians were flea infested, impoverished, fought each other, and the somewhat 30 tribes of Chief Powhatan's confederacy (Wahunsenacawh), were conquered or enslaved by him (or even annihilated). Their theology is given in detail and so are the ritualistic human sacrifices. They were capable of the greatest graces and the worse of barbarity, but so were the English, who landed right in the middle of it all! I dare not give more detail as the narrative is one of the most engrossing historical narratives written. After reading this book, I immediately decided to visit the Jamestown museum with my family and loved it.Speaking of the museum of Jamestown, if it as an institution were to choose one book that closely matched their overall narrative, it would be this book! 10/10.

Love this book. Author creates a beautiful vision of the 1600’s. John Smith created this country by demonstrating to others the value of hard work.

[...]Last year I went on a family vacation to Virginia. We stayed in an antebellum home overlooking the James River. As part of our trip, we visited the historical site of Jamestown, which was truly a pleasure since I have such an interest in America history. I wandered around the gift shop of the Jamestown museum and one book in particular--Love & Hate in Jamestown--caught my eye. Recognizing my own ignorance of much of the details of the Jamestown saga I decided to read what David A. Price had to say about a pivotal moment in our nation's history before it was our nation.Love & Hate in Jamestown is a great book. Its brevity is certainly a strength for many readers who aren't willing to dedicate weeks and weeks, hours and hours reading about one particular topic. At the same time, the book doesn't feel as if it's being unfair to the personalities and events it discusses. I would have liked some additional details at various points in the book and was disappointed when the author moved in another direction so quickly, but the complaint is minor seeing as how there is a multitude of books on the same topic which could enrich my knowledge even more of this important time.David A. Price does a wonderful job, in my opinion, of being fair while dealing with some very harsh realities between the colonists of Jamestown and the 'savages' in their midst. It reminded me so much of reading Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower as he described the pilgrim's interactions with the natives in Massachusetts. There were faults, misunderstandings, civility, incivility, kindness, and brutality from both sides. The treatment of the Native Americans during the colonization era can be politically charged, but Love & James in Jamestown leaves most of the politics behind and allows the reader to merely observe.Love & Hate in Jamestown is very much worth reading, and I would recommend it without hesitation. It's not burdensome to read, and it reveals a fascinating part of America's past before it was America. Love & Hate in Jamestown is a fine choice for any Thousander's list.[...]

I love history and this book covers some of our country’s earliest.

David A. Price writes a singularly outstanding account of the Jamestown Colony. Jamestown is the first permanent English settlement in the New World.Jamestown is a business venture-a get rich quick scheme that turns out to be a multi-year disaster that includes a long "Starving Time" winter.Price writes very frankly about the situation. The first wave of colonists are mostly gentlemen class Englishmen who don't know how to work and instead scheme and plot and fall into bickering. They are rescued by the Captain John Smith, who figures out how to deal with the Indians, and organize the place. Eventually, the colony becomes the seed stock of a new nation.All of this-from the first arrival of the English to the colony's eventual incorporation into a Crown Colony following two bloody Indian Wars involved a great may details. There are triumphs, disasters, intrigues and financial matters including stocks and lotteries. This is carefully explained by the author.Additionally, the author has an extra section where he examines the interpretations of John Smith and Pocahontas. The two, he argues were not lovers as she was too young for that sort of thing. Also, Price dismisses the thoughts that Smith was spared execution as the whole thing was a staged event as part of an "adoption ceremony." He also discusses the anti-Smith/Pocahontas literature that emerged in the North at the time of the Civil War and afterwards. Much of that turns out to be anti-South propaganda in the Orwellian "He who controls the present, controls the past" sense.Price goes on to describe John Smith's later work, as an author of plans to settle the North-a place Smith named New England. Smith is never hired on as a colonial advisor again but his writings are not ignored-an exiled group of English religious dissidents carry out his plan.In sum, this book is a highly entertaining, well written account of Jamestown.

After reading three books covering the story of the first settlement at Jamestown, I bought this book because I was hoping it would focus on the relationship between Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. I was intrigued to know if there was any truth to the popular myth that the two had feelings for each other. And in  Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America  it is briefly implied that many of the colonists thought so and that perhaps Pocahontas herself had a girlhood crush. Unfortunately, "Love and Hate in Jamestown" does not bring down any new information about this or really any aspect of the Jamestown saga. It is just another retelling of the events. However, David Price is a good writer and the book tells the story well, although "Savage Kingdom" is more detailed. (For a more detailed look at the episode of the Sea Venture read  The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America ) I give it five stars because, had it been the first or even second book I'd read, I would have found it a wonderful retelling of an important event in American history. It's a great place to start for an introduction to the period. So if this is your first book on the subject, it is a real treat.The marginalia at the back of the book is a real gem because you get a peek into the controversies and methodological issues surrounding the study of Jamestown, specifically whether Pocahontas really did save John Smith's life and whether there was a particular dry spell in Virginia during the Jamestown (and Roanoke) years to have contributed significantly to the near failure (and actual failure for Roanoke) of the Jamestown colony. It is just unfortunate that this aspect of the book wasn't expanded on; it covers just under ten pages. However, it's well worth further study if you have a particular interest in this topic and want to delve in more deeply than just an overview.All in all, a five-star reveiw for beginners (who this book is really aimed at) and four stars if you are looking for something more focused. Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of AmericaThe Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America

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