Mayflower (A story about courage, community, and war)

Author: (American) Philbrick, Peter, translated by Li Yuyao, Hu Yaqian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: One of The New York Times' Top Ten Books of 2006, authentically recreating the origins of American history. "What we like is sanitized, theme-park-style, smug history, free of bloodshed, anger, and unpleasantness. But if Philbrick's Mayflower has rightly won over a broad readership, perhaps some Americans, moved by it, will reconsider everything." — Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
The success of Philbrick's Mayflower lies in his sympathetic and insightful challenge to two myths of America's founding. The original Puritans were neither religious patriots nor bloodthirsty conquerors; the Native Americans who befriended them and later betrayed them were more worldly and less peaceful than commonly believed. — Jim Ross, The Los Angeles Times
Authenticity — The book portrays the brave Puritans with profound religious convictions, praises the grace and generosity of the Native Americans, and vividly depicts the brutal wars and survival wisdom of both sides. The details are vivid and realistic, immersing readers in the historical reality.
Objectivity — The book neither presents this history as the "glorious story" of European immigrants nor as the "blood and tears" story of Native Americans. It maintains an objective stance, revealing the survival wisdom and the arduous efforts of coexistence through the various crises, wars, and responses of both sides. This holds profound relevance for today's increasingly complex and crisis-ridden world. The book has been highly praised by many domestic historians and writers, with Mr. Liu Suli contributing a preface.
The Mayflower carried a group of European immigrants to the New World. After more than a century of exploration and war, it ultimately gave rise to a nation and a country. However, the 150 years between the first Thanksgiving and the Revolutionary War were not only unfamiliar to Chinese readers but also a "collectively forgotten history" and a "skipped-over history" in the United States. Mayflower vividly recreates this voyage, uncovering the real history behind the Plymouth Colony and a series of American legends.
The book attempts to reveal that the birth of the United States and the formation of its spirit were the result of "a series of events," involving both inevitability and chance, and can be considered a grand epic that blends microcosm with macrocosm.
Where does the origin of the United States lie? The voyage of the Mayflower and the story of the first European immigrants arriving on the American continent is a grand epic spanning fifty-five years, long buried by history. Renowned author Philbrick vividly recreates this voyage, uncovering the real history behind Plymouth Colony and a series of American legends.
The joy of the first Thanksgiving was just the beginning for the new immigrants. From 1620 to 1676, it was the various crises and wars that shaped the blueprint of today's America. The book pays tribute to the courage of the Puritans who would stop at nothing for their faith, praises the grace and generosity of the Native Americans, and depicts the wisdom and brutal battles of both sides.
The descendants of the warring parties only realized years later how terrifying the consequences would be if the two nations had abandoned their arduous efforts at coexistence. Today, three hundred and eighty years later, in a world that is increasingly complex and rife with crises, the story of the Mayflower holds even greater significance.