A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero
by Gina Capaldi
Carolrhoda Books
2008
pp. 32
Library Bound
ISBN 0822576449
$16.95
Synopsis
This story reveals the remarkable life of a Native American boy named Wassaja, or "Beckoning," who was kidnapped from his Yavapai tribe and sold as a slave. Adopted by an Italian photographer in 1871 and renamed Carlos Montezuma, the young boy traveled throughout the Old West, bearing witness to the prejudice against and poor treatment of Native Americans. Carlos eventually became a doctor and leader for his people, calling out for their rights. Gina Capaldi's exquisite paintings bring to life excerpts from Dr. Carlos Montezuma's own letters describing his childhood experiences. The culminating portrait provides an inventive look back into history through the eyes of a Native American hero.
Read an excerpt
This cover image and excerpt from A Boy Named Beckoning: The True
Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero appear with the permission
of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Minneapolis,
MN. Illustration and text copyright © 2008 by Gina Capaldi. For
more information, please visit www.lernerbooks.com.
Read reviews
"Capaldi uses Montezuma's own words to tell this gripping story of a Yavapai boy who was captured by the Pima in 1871 and grew up to become a prominent doctor and Native American spokesperson. Solidly researched, the well-written text follows Wassaja (later renamed Carlos Montezuma) as he was sold into slavery and purchased by a kind Italian photographer. He demonstrated such a gift for learning that he graduated from the University of Illinois at 17. After becoming a doctor, Montezuma searched for his parents and siblings and learned the sad truth about their lives and deaths. A full-page author's note addresses 'Dr. Montezuma—The Activist,' including his 'Let My People Go' speech to the U.S. Senate in 1916. The illustrations are stunning, with multiple perspectives and rich gold and brown tones. Superimposed over basket imagery, side panels feature photographs and supplemental information. The detailed bibliography lists books, Web sites, letters, and speeches. This title should be promoted for Native American, multicultural, and biography units." --School Library Journal
"In her author’s note, Capaldi calls the story of Carlos Montezuma, “a testament to the character, heart, and human spirit.” And so it is. As a child in 1866, Carlos (then called Wassaja), a Yavapai Indian living in the Arizona territory, was kidnapped by an enemy tribe. Luckily he was purchased by Italian photographer Carlo Gentile, who renamed him and raised him as his son. Together, they traveled the West taking pictures. After settling down in Chicago, Carlos proved himself so bright that he went to college at the age of 14, then attended medical school, eventually returning to Arizona to help his people and find his family. Drawing on a letter to the Smithsonian Institution and incorporating information from interviews, articles, and speeches, Capaldi uses Carlos' own words, throughout, to draws the reader close. Attractive watercolor paintings in desert colors are the backdrop for the text, but the design cleverly uses photographs placed in the margins, which make a strong visual counterpoint to the art. An extensive afterword, a source note, and a bibliography add much for researchers. Fresh and fascinating." --Booklist
About the author
Gina Capaldi studied fine arts and illustration at Pepperdine University, Pitzer College, and the Art Center College of Design and has written or illustrated nearly thirty children’s books. She lives with her family--and their menagerie of animals-- in the foothills of the San Gabrielino mountains in San Dimas, California.
To learn more about the author, visit her website at www.ginacapaldi.com.Visit your local library to borrow a copy of A Boy Named Beckoning.
Or purchase it from Carolrhoda Books.
