Commonwealth Books of Virginia to Publish 'Pocahontas and Sacagawea: Interwoven Legacies In American History'
By: Christina Mancuso Aug. 21, 2014
Commonwealth Books of Virginia will publish Cyndi Spindell Berck's historical narrative "Pocahontas and Sacagawea: Interwoven Legacies In American History". As a small press, the organization aims to create three dimensional histories. Mrs. Berck's forthcoming book is a fine example of Commonwealth's motto- "Where History, Philosophy, and Art Meet".
So many myths surround Pocahontas and Sacagawea that the fascinating true stories are often obscured. Mysteries about their lives remain even today. For instance, did Pocahontas really save John Smith's life? Did Sacagawea die young or live a long life? Pocahontas and Sacagawea brings the legacies of these famous women and their peoples up to the present. This rigorously researched work of nonfiction focuses on the personalities and adventures of the American west.
"This book offers an original perspective on two of the best-known, least-understood women in American history," said Landon Y. Jones, author of William Clark and the Shaping of the American West, in an advance review.
Mrs. Berck weaves the stories of these two Native American heroines with those of their friends, kin, and contemporaries, tracing a slice of American migration from the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, across the Appalachian Mountains, through the land of the Cherokees, to St. Louis, up the Missouri River, and finally to the Pacific. We meet John Smith, Daniel Boone, and William Clark on this journey. We also meet famous mountain man James Beckwourth, who was a friend of Sacagawea's son, and a Northern Paiute woman named Sarah Winnemucca, whose family gave its name to a town in Nevada.
Mrs. Berck's book adds an important new dimension to the story of western migration and the European settlement of America. "This lively and informative study looks at key moments in American history from a very fresh angle," commented Joyce Appleby, Professor Emerita of History, University of California, Los Angeles.
"The nation-building set in motion in Jamestown, and accelerated by Lewis and Clark, led to terrible consequences for American Indians," Mrs. Berck observed in a recent interview. "Yet, not all of the interactions between whites and Indians were brutal. There appeared to be genuine friendships between Pocahontas and John Smith, and between Sacagawea and William Clark. These cross-cultural relationships are important to understand," the author said in closing. "I see them as hopeful alternatives to the territorial and cultural conflicts so common in our world today."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cyndi Spindell Berck received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles and Master of Public Policy and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the founder of International Academic Editorial Services of Berkeley California. "I enjoy my editorial work," said Mrs. Berck, "but history is my intellectual true love." While researching her forthcoming book, Pocahontas and Sacagawea: Interwoven Legacies in American History, she canoed up the Missouri, walked along the silent ruts of the Oregon Trail, gazed over the Cumberland Gap, and visited the Jamestown settlement. She found inspiration in the hope that she could support those struggling for coexistence today by remembering the remarkable accomplishments of these extraordinary women. Mrs. Berck was born in New York, grew up in Los Angeles, and now lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Peter, and their younger son, Joe.
ABOUT COMMONWEALTH BOOKS OF VIRGINIA:
Commonwealth Books of Virginia's motto, "Where History, Philosophy, and Art Meet", underscores the three-dimensional characteristics of the histories it publishes. It uses state-of-the-art technology to transform print histories into families of products, and advertises its authors and products in a marketing program that coordinates traditional public relations with social media outreach. Its print and e-book editions are distributed by Small Press United of Chicago and its online affiliates. Its audio, audio-video, and video products are available through Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, and their global partners.
POCAHONTAS AND SACAGAWEA: Interwoven Legacies in American History
By Cyndi Spindell Berck
American History/Biography
Library of Congress control number: 2014948527
ISBN (Cloth): 978-0-9904018-5-8
ISBN (Paperback): 978-0-9904018-6-5
ISBN (Ebook - Kindle): 978-0-9904018-7-2
ISBN (Ebook - EPUB): 978-0-9904018-8-9
ISBN (Ebook - PDF): 978-0-9904018-9-6
Book: 280 pages - Cloth: $24.95 / Paperback: $18.95 / Electronic: $8.95
Release date: to be announced
View book details online at: http://www.commonwealthbooks.org
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