A Promising Life: Coming of Age with America: A Novel

Download or read book A Promising Life: Coming of Age with America: A Novel written by Emily Arnold McCully and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2017-07-25 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning author Emily McCully's most adventurous book to date draws a dramatic portrait of life in nineteenth century America. For as long as he can remember, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau has been told that a promising future lies ahead of him. After all, his mother is the great Sacagawea, who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition of discovery. And thanks to his mother, Baptiste's life changes forever when Captain Clark offers him an education in the bustling new city of St. Louis.There, his mother charges him to "learn everything" -- reading, writing, languages, mathematics. His life becomes a whirl of new experiences: lessons, duels, dances, elections. He makes friends and undertakes unexpected journeys to far-off places.But he also witnesses the injustices Clark, as a US agent for Indian Affairs, forces upon the Osage, the Arikara, the Mandan, and so many others. He sees the effect of what some call "progress" on the land and on the people who have lived there for generations. And he must choose what path he will take and what place he will have in a rapidly changing society.