#DOL17 - 22/31 - Not Political, Well, Maybe!

 

SOLC #22/31 - 

      I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community for Day Twenty-Two of Thirty-One of the Slice of Life Challenge in March.  Thank you, Stacey, Beth, Deb, Betsy, Lanny, Kathleen, Lisa, and Melanie.  

                                          Nine Days To Go!

              And, Thanks to Alyson Beecher's Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge at Kidlit Frenzy.  

     I have a second post today about a new middle-grade book, and it's a giveaway, too. Go here to read all about it!  Comment by Sunday!

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       As you see above I said this is not a political post, but in considering non-fiction texts, and the political events in our most recent history, I guess it really is political. After reading this book, I know that Martin W. Sandler, with so many other historical non-fiction authors, has written TRUTH, with sources, footnotes of explanation and extraordinary care to point out stereotypes that are not true.

        For example, the notion that pirates buried their treaure and created maps to remember where was created by Robert Louis Stevenson in his book Treasure Island, and has been kept alive in other books through the years as well as in movies. It is a myth that has never been proved.

         Another myth also shown to be incorrect is the way pirates spoke. The book states; "It's simply not true. . .one man can be credited for having created the fictitious pirate speak--the British actor Robert Newton. In 1950, he played Long John Silver in the movie version of Long John Silver and went on to play him in a television series in which he popularized the accent and many of the sayings that are commonly associated with pirates today." No more "ahoy, matey" or "Arrrrr". 

        Not only is this a wonderful look at pirates of long ago, how they became pirates and how they really lived, but it traces the history of the pirate who acquired the biggest fortune

ever with his fleet of ships, and it carries the history forward with the exciting find of this large ship, the Whydah which sank in the treacherous waters of Cape Cod. This was a ship with a treasure so large it is hard to believe the tales. Archaeologists use the artifacts to show the lives of pirates on board and to see the goods stolen. They were not only gold, but goods  transported to the new world that were needed, like fabric, tea, spices and wine.

        Sandler begins with a description of this famous ship that started its career as a slave ship and then tells the tale of its final owner, Black Sam Bellamy. Some of his actions earned

him the name Robin Hood of the Seas, but he was not only that. He began with a love of the sea and joined the British Navy, but soon became a bigger adventurer because his higher goal in life was to become rich. With some compatriots, he went off to find the treasures from ships. 

        Within various chapters lie “extra” pieces that add to the pirates’ tales and later to modern day treasure hunters. One of these extra parts explains the “Articles of Agreement” 

that all pirates signed in order to be on a ship’s crew.  If you agreed, you were “on the 

account” and expected to follow all the rules. If not, you could lose your life or be put ashore 

on a deserted island. 

          Another part explained what historians believe is the origin of the “Jolly Roger” that pirate’s flag we all know.  Toward the end of the book, we are moved to modern times and 

talk of the artifacts and how they are preserved, what they tell us of the "truth" of pirate life. 

The book is an extraordinary look at this early part of our history in America, the lives of various parts of society, but especially how people lived as pirates and what people thought of them.  Thanks to Candlewick Press for this advanced copy!
        How wonderful it would be to have a student read this book, or to read parts of it with a class and to discuss the research to discover the truth of pirates. And then to extend that to what they hear, what they read and how to find their own truths.

       "Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold. ~ Leo Tolstoy