Incredible tale with wonderful prose (Rating 4 of 5)
» Scott Walker
This is a story that is unusual but not unique. Many children have been taken by Indians however Zesch concentrates on nine, one an uncle. He begins this incredible tale with German immigrants in Texas who have taken the risk to settle down in Comanche territory, followed by the unforeseen kidnapping of their children. We follow these children as they try to survive with their captors all the way through to their eventual deaths. In no way does the author romanticize, but he does fill the holes with wonderful prose. The details are taken from the abductees, Indians, military, traders, and families. There are end notes and a sizeable bibliography.
When introduced as a child assimilation takes a remarkably short time. This appalling disregard for human life (people treated as if they were cattle) by the Comanche and other tribes was an accepted part of their society. Although many captives were treated miserably some were treated very affectionately. One exemplary attribute of the Indian family was more parental devotion and instruction......Of course they had more time for this. For the captured boys the only career choice was warrior which included going out on raids and practicing what was earlier done to themselves. Years later after their recovery and return to their white families readjustment was a slow progression. There was a struggle whether it would be better for them to be back with their adoptive parents even though it would mean a return to their criminal ways. Ironically as they grew in age after reintroduction into Texas they felt more imprisoned there than when they were truly captive. They would later be exploited in film, magazines, newspapers, fairs and more.
Wish you well
Scott
Wonderful book (Rating 5 of 5)
» Dennis Mccown
Hey! I've got an autographed copy of this book. I drove a hundred miles because I had heard the author would be there--and I'll tell you the truth, I've never done that before! (And he was a nice guy, too.)
Very good read. Very sympathetic to the children who were captured. I'm proud to have it on my shelf
White Indians (Rating 5 of 5)
» L. Mclott
Wow , this author did a lot of research for this book . He started out researching info on his own family member (adolph Korn) and found lots of other info on the children that was captured by the indians and raised with the tribes (White Indians) , The children were captured in indian raids and some were taken as they were out working in the fields , taken at a very young age they learned easily the lives of the salvages . Eventually all the children would be returned to their "paleface families" but then they never fit in and some even choose to go back to the commanches and live with them . These white indians never had a good life and were misserable even after their return to family . Adolph Korn disliked the white mans ways so much that he choose to go live in the diamond caves in TX , most of these white indians never had material possessions even in adult life . During the raids by the indians people were killed and some scalped , and they even took the white male indians on raids with them where they would still horses , cattle and even kill people .
This is really a great read if you are into genealogy and have found some indian hertiage in your family line or if you just want to know more about the various Indian tribes and their way of life .
These kids were captured very harshly and went for days sometimes without food or water until they reached the indian camps , but once there they seem to be treated Ok other than the males going on the warrior raids . They also learned how to live off the land by killing buffalo & etc with a bow and arrow that they learned to make from dogwood trees . After the capture some indians raised these white indians like their own children
The Captured: by Scott Zesch (Rating 5 of 5)
» Kevin C.
Very well put together book of white captives abducted by the Indians.
Scott Zesch did a great job at researching information to put to this book together.
This book tells the life of the captured and also helps the reader to understand how the captives became Inianized with in a short time frame.
The transformation of being taken from the captives white family to become Indians, then being recovered back to their birth parents gives the reader a better understanding of what they had to go threw.
Thank you Scott Zesch.
This is a must have book
A thought-provoking page-turner (Rating 5 of 5)
» Elizabeth Clare
A few years back, Scott Zesch was doing family history when he ran across a grave of a long-lost ancestor named Adolf Korn. Scott eventually learned that Adolf had been a captive of the Comanche Indians for several years as a boy. After being "rescued," he was always strange, and ended up living his life as a hermit in a cave.
Zesch expanded his research, and the result was "The Captured," a fascinating book about children captured by the Comanches, their experiences, and what became of them in later years. Zesch discovered that children younger than puberty tended to assimilate almost immediately; they forgot their native language (English or German) and even lost their attachment to their mothers. Zesch examines this heartbreaking psychology through his research into the lives of the individuals, which he relates in vivid detail.
"The Captured" is a thoughtful book that both sweeps you up in human drama and leaves you with a lot of things to think about.
Reviewer: Elizabeth Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"
(Rating 4 of 5)
(Rating 5 of 5)
