Title: Jonathan Dickinson

Author: James D. Snyder

Genre: Non-Fiction History

 

Jonathan Dickinson introduces readers to the sea voyage and shipwreck that made Jonathan Dickinson a historic figure. Pulling directly from his preserved journals, we read Dickinson’s first-hand accounts during an unpredictable, tumultuous period in history. In Jonathan Dickinson, adventure and discovery go hand-in-hand as we learn about life in the early days of America through Dickinson’s eyes.

In this non-fiction work, we follow Dickinson’s travels through the Caribbean and Spanish Florida. Readers will be transported back in time with vivid, concrete descriptions of the sea and landscape. Perfect for “the historically curious lay person,” Jonathan Dickinson is written in a voice that is friendly, casual, and approachable. With an entertaining and engaging format, and an entertaining narrator, a wide range of readers can digest Dickinson’s stories.

Despite its historical subject, this book does not read at all like an academic textbook. Though it is a research-based text, the book uses Dickinson as a “main character” to create a natural narrative that shares his experiences in a way that will make readers feel intimately connected to this real-life story. One of the many ways this is done successfully is the incorporation of various mediums in the book. Journal entries, maps, drawings, and photos paint a picture of the settings and surroundings that Dickinson encountered. With this combination of mediums, readers are given many ways to understand the historical context of the book’s topic while also keeping the reading experience interactive and engaging. The maps are especially fascinating because they illustrate where the original settlements and shores were located.

Occasionally, we hear about Dickinson’s wife and young child, who were also travelling and shipwrecked with him. It would’ve been fascinating to dive deeper into their stories, specifically Dickinson’s wife and her experiences with the challenging, and at times life-threatening, conditions during and after the shipwreck. One of the most fascinating entries is when Dickinson describes an interaction between his wife and child and a Native American mother and her child. Depictions like these are invaluable because they add dimension and depth to these historical figures and clarify the cultural nuances of the time.

The book includes long excerpts from Dickinson’s journal entries, allowing the readers to get acquainted with Dickinson’s voice, personality, and views. The entries are detailed and specific, and Dickinson is a great storyteller, so they never fail to entertain. However, the book jumps between focusing on Dickinson’s journey and focusing on related historical events, which disrupts the flow of all the information we’re reading. Organizing the book so that all the different mediums, people, and locations are well-established and balanced could have helped maintain the pace throughout the book.

With enchanting imagery and a perilous journey, Jonathan Dickinson dives into the rich history of Spanish Florida, Native Americans, and Dickinson himself. History buffs of all kinds will indulge in this thorough, well-researched work. Chock-full of visuals and compelling tales, Jonathan Dickinson takes readers on a riveting adventure through history.

 

 

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