Written in Bone - Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland
by Sally M. Walker, 2006 Sibert Informational Book Award winner
Non-Fiction
pp. 144
Carolrhoda Books 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8225-7135-3
Part history, part forensic mystery, and part archeology this eye-catching book takes the reader on a journey they will not soon forget. Sally M. Walker, winner of the Sibert Informational Book award in 2006, details the work of forensic anthropologists with detailed maps, diagrams, text, yet most appealingly through the use of big, bright, and fascinating photographs.
This book is a great pull for young adult readers that are not pulled in by fiction - the detailed pictures, diagrams, and explanations may help many young adults that you do not have to be reading a novel to be a "reader". I tend to use this book as an example to my middle schoolers of great nonfiction choices available to them. I also would highly recommend this book to your history buff adult friends - it provides a wonderful eye into the local history of Maryland and the surrounding areas. Feel free to stop by my house to get a first hand look at this great book - it is on my coffee table right now, being enjoyed by a wide variety of ages!
This large format book uses American history of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland to give a detailed account of how forensic anthropologists do their work. It starts with introducing a Sally M. Walker herself as an anthropologist by study and how thrilled she was to be asked by Dr. Owsley of the Smithsonian to write a book about the Colonial settlers of the Chesapeake areas of Virginia and Maryland. She describes Dr. Owsley and his fellow forensic anthropologists as translators of our history through the use of discovered skeletons. The mysteries of how one died, how one lived, who one was, and where one came from can often be solved by studying the dead and their remains. But as Ms. Walker points out - this is a tricky business and these scientists that are experts in many detailed works must also be very meticulous in the handling of human remains..."in all cases, human remains must be handled in a manner that respects the dead and well as the customs of the living."
Walker uses beautiful pictures to pull the reader in and detailed, yet succienct written descriptions to tell the story of how these anthropologists use burial sites in Jamestown and Colonial Maryland to discover the deceased's age, sex, birthplace, station in society, and even their length of time in the colonies. Readers can easily become engrossed by the colorful pictures and Walker's captions provide a lot of information, but it is equally fascinating and recommended to take the time to read the painstaking journey that each of these scientists go to individually and in teams to truly discover the lives of their subject matter.
Loving the intrigue of nonfiction? Need more eye-popping pictures to pull in young adult readers and adults alike? Although their are many books out there that fit into this category, Sally M. Walker's works seem to be in a class all by themselves.
Other books by Sally M. Walker:
Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley, 2006 winner of the Silbert award for best Informational book.
" Walker succinctly and clearly explains complicated scientific processes involved in the excavation, conservation, and preservation of the Civil War submarine, the H.L. Hunley, and its contents. The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine to sink a ship in wartime, yet the submarine and its crew were never found following the successful attack. And that wasn’t the first time the submarine had sunk, killing all its crew." For more on this book visit the Good Reads website here.
Fossil Fish Found Alive
"The story of the coelacanth is a riveting “fish story” that includes puzzles, adventure, discovery, and a daring hijacking. Something about this strange, odd-looking fish “hooks” people. Perhaps we are awed that they survived the mass extinctions that killed the dinosaurs and many other creatures. Maybe it’s their unique and baffling internal organs. Or it might be mystery that surrounds baby coelacanths—no one has ever caught one and no one knows where they live. So many coelacanth puzzles are waiting to be solved. I hope some of today’s young readers will find the answers." - Sally M. Walker
Visit her official website here for more details surrounding her intriguing books including her latest on Antarctica. http://www.sallymwalker.com/
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