Don't Miss

• Indiespensable™#16:
  Shadow Tag
• Paperback Favorites
  for Book Groups

More at Powell's

• Featured Signed Editions
• Rare and Collectible Books
• eBooks | Audio | DVDs | Blu-ray

---

Original Essays | December 12, 2009

The Courage of Others

0 comments By Alexander McCall Smith

I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War... Continue »

---

1. 
   $16.76 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

   La's Orchestra Saves the World

   Alexander McCall Smith

Report Comment

---

You are reporting a comment on the following title:

---

You are reporting the following comment:

baltimoron, February 1, 2008

The subtitle of this book is perhaps more accurate than the title, which should be something like "Walter Ralegh, America's First Governor", or such. The events of the book span the reigns of three English monarchs, from Henry VIII to James I, but Ralegh's constant devotion to his colonization project amidst all the distractions of English and world history is the main focus. The casualty of those distractions is the Roanoke colony, the so-called "Lost Colony", founded in 1585.

One surprising aspect of this book's discussion, other than the theory it espouses about the fate of the Lost Colonists, is Ralegh's opinion and directives about how colonists should deal with the native inhabitants. Having studied the Spanish approach to dealing with the Indians, Ralegh made it a crime punishable by death to harm Indians. Obviously, this policy was difficult to keep, and Milton is quite clear about how many chiefs dealt with outsiders. But, this policy led to several public relations campaigns featuring tours of England by willing and unwilling Indians to London. The most notable, of course, was the marriage and visit to London of Pocahontas and her husband, John Rolfe. Within this civilizing project, whereby Indians were converted to Christianity and lived as English, lies one strand of the future problems plaguing American-Native American relations to this day.

This book is loaded with a wealth of colorful details about all participants in the colonization project. For instance, Englishmen walked the entire coast of America well before Jamestown and Plymouth were founded. The author tries to address alternate theories of what happened to the Lost Colony, but not thoroughly. His retelling of this narrative includes the Pocahontas legends, the story of Jamestown, the competition between England and Spain, Elizabeth's and James' court politics, and some Native American politics. It works best as an introduction to all.

---

Your email address:

---

Reason for report:

---

Are you a robot? We didn't think so. But just to be sure, please type what you see in the following image into the box below.

---

Confirmation:

Are you certain you wish to report this comment?

---

Terms and Conditions

We welcome your comments and ideas, but we ask that you refrain from:

• Obscenity
• Spam
• Illegal content
• Copyrighted material
• Commercial solicitations

By posting your comments you are granting the good people of Powells.com the right (but not the obligation) to make your comments available to others over the Internet, and to copy and distribute your comments via other media, in each case on a royalty free basis. These terms govern the rights and obligations of the person posting comments and Powells.com; there are no intended third party beneficiaries of these terms.

Posted comments are subject to monitoring, editing, and removal at any time. Please see our Terms of Use for our complete terms and conditions.

---

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

In accordance with The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, you must be at least 13 to submit comments on Powells.com.