The Double Life of Pocahontas, written by Jean Fritz, is a historical account of the life of the daughter of a Powhatan chief. For background information, Jean Fritz uses written accounts from John Smith and other inhabitants of the Jamestown colony in order to impart accuracy to her work.
The book describes the intricacies of Pocahontas’s life between her Native American culture and her husband's English culture. As the daughter of the chief, she has access to both her native culture and that of the English settlement at Jamestown. She is enamored with John Smith, who arrives to save the settlement from its disastrous start. The book describes how she is taken hostage by the English, who changed her identity and way of life. She marries John Rolfe and spends time in England, where she is forced to leave her native ways behind. This is an uncomfortable time for her.
Jean Fritz has the ability to create empathy in the reader through her window into her character’s life and feelings. Although Pocahontas is a strong female character, she realizes how difficult it is to assimilate the two cultures as the English attempt to nullify the Native American culture.
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