A detailed fictionalization of the story of Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first Native American to graduate from Harvard as told through the eyes of his (fictional) neighbor and friend Bethia. Bethia and Caleb become friends on the island of Martha's Vineyard and through various contrivances of plot, she shadows him through his career in Cambridge. At the same time Brooks provides a lot of interesting historical background on 17th century New England. Brooks clearly did her research to write this book, and it's an interesting if not entirely page-turning narrative. I thought Caleb's character was not well-defined beyond his being sort of blandly wise and good; Bethia was an interesting person but she also seemed to be a little by-the-numbers. I'm sure the book will be very popular among Brooks' fans but I think her brand of light-ish historical fiction is probably just not for me this time. See my full review here: http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2011/05/review-calebs-crossing-by-geraldine.html
