Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamstown and Colonial Maryland-- Signed… (edition 2009)

WATCH BOOK TRAILER (listen to the first part of the book read aloud)

This book is the work of forensic scientists who are excavating grave sites in James Fort in Jamestown, Virginia, to understand who lived in the Chesapeake Bay area in the 1600s and 1700s. It uncovers the lives of a teenage boy, a ship's captain, a colonial officer, an African slave girl, and others. Nearly every page has at least one illustration, a color photo or helpful diagram, a map, or a period document.

In this book the reader follows the work of scientists who dig up and decipher the lives that lived by the bones of previous people that lived in the Colonial America, the lives of one teenage boy, a ship’s captain, an indentured servant, a colonial official and his family, and an African slave girl. I like this book because it makes learning information fun as the reader becomes a sleuth along the side of scientists, its also a glimpse into all the people and work it takes to develop these bodies and the stories they contribute to history and science. Perfect book for children ages 10-13.

Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker (Carolrhoda, 2009) is about what we can learn about a few early American settlers from their bones and burial. It is both a lesson in very early American history as well as a scientific exploration of forensic anthropology. Since I’m studying Jamestown this week with my son and since I’m a big fan of the television show Bones for it’s insight into forensic anthropology, I really enjoyed Written in Bone. Walker approaches her subject with obvious passion, clear language, and well done scientific explanations, all for a young adult audience. She teaches without belittling her audience, a difficult task to do when she’s writing for youth as young as 12 and as old as any adult.

The book is easily accessible, with full color pages providing information for the reader, including black and white historical photos, color photos from the recent archeological digs, charts and diagrams, and maps and illustrations. Her chapters focus on a few different sets of human remains, including a boy from Jamestown, a well-to-do middle-aged man afforded a dramatic burial (including a coffin, which was rare in the starving early years of Jamestown), a teenager’s body found in the basement cellar, a family buried in lead coffins, and a hilltop cemetery. Some of these burials were covered in more chapters than just one, and for many of the people, scientists were able to estimate what the person may have looked like, and we were able to see a visual representation of their faces made from clay by a forensic artist.

To me, the most interesting stories were not those of the rich and well esteemed. Rather, I most enjoyed learning about the unknown poor people, especially those for whom we do not know their names: the indentured servant beaten to death in the cellar, the slaves buried on a hillside, even the boy with rotten teeth who died very soon after arriving in Jamestown. I loved how the scientists were able to determine what chores these people did by looking at their bones, and I especially loved seeing their faces reconstructed by artists.

I have so far loved every thing I’ve read that has been authored by Sally M. Walker, so when I heard of this book about Jamestown colony, I knew it would be just perfect for me right now. I’m so glad I found it. I’d highly recommend it to the student of American history, the student of history in general, and anyone interested in what science can tell us by reading the evidence from the past. Sally Walker once again has brought history and science alive in Written in Bone.

Cross-posted on my blog

Walker digs into the area of the Chesapeake Bay to learn more about the Jamestown fort settlement begun in the early 1600s. Using forensic anthropology, scientists are able to put together clues to get a good idea who certain discovered skeletons belonged to and how they died. Amazingly interesting, this 144 pg. book appeals to middle school students through adults and is kept alive through various color pictures, timelines and descriptions. ( )

Listening to this book was so cool!I've been a fan of fictional forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan since long before the TV show Bones. I like what she's able to do with contemporary bodies, but I'm always interested in the asides about her ventures with older, more historic graves.This book goes into many of the details of this process, using some bodies from colonial Jamestown.The book goes into details of isotopes, of bone measurements, and of soil composition. It then takes this information as well as details as to how the body is positioned, and what is found nearby, and builds a portrait of the life of this individual. An attempt is made to match this portrait to the historical record, trying to identify who has been located.The audience clearly is middle grade, but the information isn't so simplified as to be uninteresting. The age of the intended audience is clear when the narrator gives a brief explanation of negative numbers, but it usually is fairly universal.I came at this book interested in the scientific aspect, but the historical viewpoint also grabbed me. While listening, I kept thinking of the opportunities for a classroom unit featuring a truly integrated curriculum. I'm going to suggest it to the 5th grade teachers at my daughter's school, since they cover Colonial America as well as basic human anatomy that year. ( )