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Summary
Summary
The first Thanksgiving wasn't celebrated with turkey (there weren't any in Massachusetts) and didn't take place in 1621. Indeed the settlers, who probably didn't think of themselves as Pilgrims and were most certainly not revolutionaries against their king, were lucky not to be wiped out during their first winter. They probably would have been had the local Indian population not been affected even worse by disease and starvation.
In this fascinating history of America's favorite creation myth, peppered with delightful and unexpected insights, Godfrey Hodgson throws new light on the radicalism of the so-called Pilgrims, the financing of their trip, the state of the Indian tribes that they encountered when they landed and the reasons why Plymouth probably didn't have a rock.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
After reading this book, readers may finally fully understand the meaning of Thanksgiving as the Pilgrims first intended. Beginning with the religious movements in 17th century Europe, Hodgson gives a fastidiously researched description of the path that leads the Pilgrims to the new world to preach their godly message. Contrary to 19th century prints, Hodgson describes the Pilgrims at their first landing, not "with fife and drum, watched by cowering Indians, but staggering ashore, exhausted, drenched, and chilled to the bone." Establishing the colony was a brutal exercise. The Pilgrims endured "the starving time," and had to secretly bury bodies "so the Indians should not suspect how much the settlement was weakened." Hodgson follows the evolution of Thanksgiving into contemporary times, chronicling the rise of football as a Thanksgiving tradition, "almost as sacred as turkey and cranberry sauce, or pumpkin pie." At times Hodgson's attention to detail slows down the narrative, but balances it out with the tale on the high seas and the patriotism of the colonists. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Guardian Review
In 2005, 300,000lb of turkey was sent to US troops in Iraq for Thanksgiving. As Hodgson observes, this rather misses the point of the holiday, which is all about family coming home, rather than turkeys being sent abroad. Turkey, it turns out, was not on the menu at the first Thanksgiving in autumn 1621, when the Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians. Nor was cranberry sauce. Or pumpkin pie. They probably ate venison sobaheg (the Wampanoag word for "stew"), although the Pilgrims didn't approve of giving thanks to God with feasts - they preferred fasting. In this enjoyable book Hodgson shows how Thanksgiving has evolved from a noisy public festival into a more private, domestic affair. Today it is a family day as much as a celebration of American life, and thanks to the influence of the corporate media it's more about food and football than faith. It is also a clever way to assimilate immigrants to America, but before Labour and the Tories jump on the idea they should bear in mind that Thanksgiving "was embraced by immigrants with love, not foisted on them by manipulative masters". Caption: article-great.1 In 2005, 300,000lb of turkey was sent to US troops in Iraq for Thanksgiving. As Hodgson observes, this rather misses the point of the holiday, which is all about family coming home, rather than turkeys being sent abroad. Turkey, it turns out, was not on the menu at the first Thanksgiving in autumn 1621, when the Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians. Nor was cranberry sauce. - Ian Pindar.
Choice Review
British journalist Hodgson has written a short, engaging history of the US Thanksgiving holiday, debunking myths and misconceptions while providing historical context and narrative. Beginning with the menu (no turkey), Hodgson challenges some of the religious and political motives usually ascribed to the Pilgrims or the material artifacts of the first settlement (no Plymouth Rock) and the Native Americans (no wampum beads). He explores such ironies as the fact that most days of Thanksgiving for the early Pilgrims were marked by fasting rather than feasting, and that government decrees mandated thanks for military victories over, rather than feasts with, Indians. Hodgson offers readable, valuable reviews of topics such as the theological and political context of the Reformation in Europe and England, navigational technology, pre-Columbian Native Americans, and the political history of the national holiday since the Revolution. His critical yet sympathetic perspective on this "invented tradition" lauds its values of gratitude, humility, and inclusiveness. Endnotes reveal careful reading of the relevant primary sources, though references to secondary sources are skimpy. Too few of the graphic images referred to in the text are included. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. K. Gedge West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Library Journal Review
In his latest masterpiece, Hodgson (visiting journalism professor, City Univ., London; More Equal Than Others: America from Nixon to the New Century) explains in vivid and fascinating detail who the 17th-century Puritans were (they referred to themselves as "the godly"), why they fled England (and later Holland) to emigrate to uncharted America, and how they struggled to establish a religious refuge amid internal and external opposition. Additionally, he offers a provocative discussion of the evolution of the Thanksgiving holiday, debunking the myths about its origin and showing how it was later exploited for religious, political, and commercial purposes. Hodgson's meticulous research provides compelling new insights into the Pilgrims' daily lives and their hostile and eventually violent interactions with the Wampanoags and other Native Americans. Both similar in scope and style to Nathaniel Philbrick's equally masterly The Mayflower, Hodgson's work is much more concise but only slightly less informative and comprehensive. A tremendous boon to American historical scholarship, this book will be enjoyed by scholars and lay readers alike. Recommended for all libraries, though small libraries could get by with Philbrick's title. Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.