The Falcon

This is the fascinating autobiography of John Tanner (the Falcon), who is captured by the Shawnee tribe in 1789 at the age of nine, then sold to an Ojibwa family, with whom he spends the first half of his adult life. His effort to return to white society is unsuccessful, and he decides his home is with the Ojibwa. But that changes when he is accused of murder and forced to flee. Louise Erdrich writes in her Introduction, "Tanner's narrative is an intensely personal and emotional tale, and probably one of the very few in the captivity genre that appeals strongly to Native Americans. His existence was a contradiction, his story enigmatic. In the end he simply vanished, presumably to the north woods, and the manner and date of his death remain a mystery... His life was a paradigmatic quest to belong, a restless search for peace and place." Book jacket.

John Tanner (1780-unknown) was captured by the Shawnee when he was nine years old and lived his life among the Ojibwa.

Bestselling author Louise Erdrich grew up in North Dakota and is of German and Turtle Mountain Chippewa descent. Her novels include Love Medicine and The Beet Queen.