The Light in the Forest

The first time I read this, as a school assignment, more than 50 years ago, I accepted it as little more than a nice story. Yes, this is a work of fiction but the fiction exists only in terms of the specific dates, names and places. Everything, which occurs, in this book, really happened, commonly, in our country’s 17th through 19th century histories. Unfortunately, most of our public grammar schools, even most of our public high schools, still teach history as little more than a series of unrelated, unconnected dates, places and names, to be committed to memory. No connections are made, to the circumstances, causes or conditions, which surrounded the people and places or generated the actions. It’s not until one gets into undergrad school that one has evan a small chance of understanding history, in the related-circumstances or bigger picture senses. This book is an excellent introduction, for youngsters, to understand how and why some things occurred, not just that they happened in an apparent vacuum. While our Native American tribes had absolutely no comprehension of the concepts of DNA, RNA or heredity, they knew, from the first-hand results of their continuous inbreeding, that they needed diversity, from outside their limited circle, to keep their groups functional and competitive, with the other tribes. Theft/adoption, of women of child-bearing ages and children, from other tribes or societal groups, was their way of exercising their sole ability to cope with those diversity needs. This novel explains these things, at a level compatible with tweens and early teens, without making it seem like they’re receiving a history lesson.

great book!

I liked this book because it resists the temptation to Idealize the American Indian. The main character was taken as a youth by indians from his family then forced to return years later. He does not get along well with his real family He does not admire or understand his father who as a pale sickly older man lives his life indoors working as an accountant. He does not like living indoors. The only one he bonds with is his much younger brother. He runs away from home back to his indian family but on a raid with them he is horrified when they kill the children of the settlers they attack. He is left between two worlds unable to adapt to civilized life and unable to live with the murderers he finds himself among.

My son had to read this for 7th grade ELA class so u read it along with him. It was an interesting story about the differences between Indian and American cultures and father/son relationships. It’s extremely descriptive which I don’t care for. I usually skip over those parts. Def a good book for a school read.

It’s about a white child captive who lives with a Native American tribe and is returned to civilization after 11 years. A common happening in colonial America.

An interesting book and well worth the read. Richter does a fabulous job of accurately portraying early life on the American frontier. This book, fiction, is the tale of a young boy, kidnapped and lovingly raised by Indians. and then having to be forcibly returned to his biological parents as a teen ager. It is thought-provoking, somewhat disturbing but a gripping and plausible read.

I really wanted to like this book. I know a film was made of the story in 1958, and the concept is certainly intriguing. A white baby boy, John, is stolen and raised by the Tuscarora Native Americans (Labeled “Indians” in the 1950s). His name is now True Son and he is happy with the Tuscarora. However, he is then released from captivity (forced back) when he is a teenager. Sadly, he does not fit in with the white culture and is miserable. When he escapes and goes back to the Tuscarora, he does not fit in there anymore either. He is a boy between two different cultures. I know this book was published in 1953, but the writing is full of clichés. In my opinion, this is really a book for a middle school audience. Even so, the stereotypes are disturbing. The ending when his father makes him return to the whites is predictable and, frankly, corny.The descriptions of Nature are good, though, so the book does have some worth in that respect.

Beautifully written, A Light In the Forest is the tale of a young boy torn between worlds, fiercely prejudiced against each other. True Son, a fifteen year old white boy was taken in by a Native American tribe when he was only four years old, and sense then his hate for the white people has grown stronger and stronger. But now that he is forced to return to his original family, he learns that his " Delaware " people are just as flawed as any culture or civilization. This book is both a coming of age story as well as a tale that blurs the lines between right and wrong. A surprising page turner, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is about the red Indian, how they lived and what they believed, a children's story with is still a classic on the American School reading list

I read the book and am sharing with others; it is a great story, pertinent to our time.

These fabric hardcover books are beautiful and so well made. The kind of books to cherish and keep in a library. Quality books for quality stories.

This story never loses its appeal for me.