My 10 year old son is really into Texas history, the Alamo, and the native tribes that shaped this state, especially the Comanches. Last fall, we visited the Alamo, and more recently, we found arrowheads on our place in the Hill Country, so his curiosity is running full tilt.

The other day, he pulled Empire of the Summer Moon off my bookshelf and asked if he could read it. I told him it's one of my favorite books, and now he's eager to dive in. He's a sharp kid and can handle a lot, but I also know this book doesn't pull punches.

So, for those of you who've read it, do you think it's too much for a 10 year old? If so, what age do you think is more appropriate? I don't want to squash his enthusiasm, but I also don't want to throw him into something he isn't ready for.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks

I'm about 2/3 through it myself right now. Only you know for sure, but I'd advise to prepare in advance how to talk with him about the sexual violence described in the book. There's a lot of rape and mutilation talk.

I think 10 is probably just a tad young. The descriptions of the sexual predations and mutilations would be my concern.

That was my biggest concern as well.

I was thinking 12 might be a better age for this type of book, but even then, some of those rape scenes are rough for a kid regardless of age.

Username check out

Great book, but I would recommend waiting until 13 or 14. I could not comprehend rape or sexual violence at that age.

Kudos to the kid for being interested!

There are other books that may be a little more appropriate for that age. Maybe something that is historical fiction?

I loved a book called Comanche Dawn by Mike Blakely. I do not recall if it had any rape/sexual content, but I know it wasn't to the level of Empire of the Summer Moon. Fantastic book, though.

Elmer Kelton has quite a few good novels that are definitely more appropriate as well. I know they aren't accurate to the level that Empire of the Summer Moon is, but they are great reads and provide a little base level knowledge and some perspective.

Agree with above. One of my fav books and I have boys 14, 13 and 9. I'd wait until about 13.

Has anyone recently read "Nine Years Among the Indians" by Lehman? It's been long enough for me that I can't recall details

The author was held at about the same age your son is now, so it might resonate

I have that book as well. It has a few rough parts, but nothing like Empire of the Summer Moon. Great suggestion, I think we'll go that route for now. Thanks!

Agree with the other posters and to wait.

I'm about 50% through it and there have been several heavy parts to it. A fascinating read though.

He might enjoy my old thread about Adobe Walls.

https://texags.com/forums/39/topics/3290730

" Life Among the Apaches " by John C Cremony is a wonderful read also

Cynthia Ann Parker was abducted at 8 years old and witness to much mutilation and rape by the time she was 10. It's time we stop babying our children. I say let him read!

Agree.

CanyonAg77 said:

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He might enjoy my old thread about Adobe Walls.

https://texags.com/forums/39/topics/3290730

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One of my favorite threads! Post this anytime you can Canyon!

Keep him innocent as long as you can because once it's gone it's gone for good.

I get you're joking, but that thought actually crossed my mind for a moment … When I told him I felt the book was too violent for his age, he asked, "Like what?"

So, I shared the story from Empire of the Summer Moon about a little girl who was kidnapped and had her nose cut off by her captors. His eyes lit up, and that's when I realized, we should probably just stick to the Hatchet series by Gary Paulsen.

I really appreciate this … it's a good reminder. Once they cross a certain threshold, there's no going back to the innocence they had before. Wish I'd thought about that before telling him the story about the little girl getting her nose cut off LOL.

From one dad to another, thank you

I'll check it out. Thanks!

Maybe only let him read select chapters or passages you feel good about?

How old should he be to read Indian Depredations In Texas?

https://g.co/kgs/R33sn1V

I'd see if he can handle Blood Meridian first.

Too young

Some Texas history based books I enjoyed at his age:

Johnny Texas
Johnny Texas on the San Antonio Road
( Both are available from the Texas State Capitol and Bullock History Museum Gift Shops)

Old Yeller
Savage Sam- Sequel to Old Yeller based on Herman Lehmann's story.

I'm currently 3/4 through the book now. I would not let my 10 year old read it. Too young. I vote for having him wait until 14-15.

The Captured by Scott Zesch is referenced in EOTSM and is a collaboration of stories about children being abducted in and around Mason County. Includes Lehman, Cynthia Ann Parker, and several other famous child captives that had books written about them. Still has some sensitive material some of which is identical to EOTSM as they used the same references and some are verbatim using Scott's book but it's not as graphic as EOTSM.

Hwy30East said:

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I'm currently 3/4 through the book now. I would not let my 10 year old read it. Too young. I vote for having him wait until 14-15.

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Exactly what I did when my kids asked about it.

Empire Of the Summer Moon is a great book about Comanches but also one of the most recent, it is only about 15 years old.

There are lots of other books out there on the subject that aren't as graphic.

One has already been referenced in Nine Years Among the Indians

Another great book for a boy your sons age that has a heavy dose of Comanche subject matter is Goodbye to a River by John Graves.

Have him check out this link that maps out Indian conflicts. You can toggle it to a modern map and see what has happened in the areas you know which makes it exciting for kids.

https://library.uta.edu/borderland/home

To answer you question first: I believe that is too young as others have stated.

Second: My interest in Texas History really took off when I started reading some of the J Frank Dobie books my step dad had. Most focus on a single subject or part of the history and some just use a shotgun approach about many different things.His writing is easy to follow and usually very entertaining.He tells many stories about things that make us Texans proud to be from Texas.I don't remember anything in any of his books that I would consider inappropriate for a 10 year old.

His List of works

• Weather Wisdom of the Texas-Mexican Border. 1923 Ebook
• A Vaquero of the Brush Country. Dallas: by John Young and J. Frank Dobie, The Southwest Press. 1929.
• Coronado's Children. Dallas: The Southwest Press. 1930.
• On the Open Range. Dallas: The Southwest Press. 1931.
• Tongues of the Monte. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. 1935.
• The Flavor of Texas. Dallas: Dealey and Lowe. 1936.
• Tales of the Mustang. Dallas: Rein Co. for The Book Club of Texas. 1936.
• Apache Gold & Yaqui Silver. Boston: Little, Brown. 1939.
• John C. Duval. First Texas Man of Letters. Dallas: Southwest Review. 1939.
• The Roadrunner in Fact and Folk-lore. 1939
• The Longhorns. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. 1941.
• Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest. Austin: U.T. Press. 1943.
• A Texan in England. Boston: Little, Brown. 1945.
• The Seven Mustangs. Address delivered at the unveiling of the monument, May 31, 1948, University of Texas, Austin. The Adams Publications, Austin, Texas,1948.
• The Voice of the Coyote. Boston: Little, Brown. 1949. Paperback edition, University of Nebraska Press, 1961.
• The Ben Lilly Legend. Boston: Little, Brown. 1950.
• The Mustangs. Boston: Little, Brown. 1952.
• Tales of Old Time Texas. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1955.
• Up the Trail From Texas. N.Y.: Random House. 1955.
• I'll Tell You a Tale. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1960.
• Cow People. Boston: Little, Brown. 1964.
• Some Part of Myself. Boston: Little, Brown. 1967.
• Rattlesnakes. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1965.
• Out of the Old Rock. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1972.
• Prefaces. Boston: Little, Brown. 1975.
• Wild and Wily Range Animals. Flagstaff: Northland Press. 1980.

This is not a comprehensive list as he was president of the Texas Folklore Society which published items quarterly. Many of those have the best information and stories you can find anywhere.

I believe Elmer Kelton was mentioned above. He has a few good books, but his are more fiction based than Dobie's. Good reading but not always factual. Exception would be "The Time It Never Rained". I have given this book to several old-timers who lived through the drought of the 1950s. They said that it described what it was like better than they could tell the story.

If his fascination is mostly about the Indians, WW Newcombe Jr wrote a very comprehensive book about all of the Indians in Texas. It might be a little above his reading level, but not much. You should read it before him but I don't remember anything inappropriate for his age.

I usually peruse the Texana section at Half Price books when I get to one. There's usually something there I haven't read that piques my interest and is usually just a few bucks.

I will check my library when I get home in a couple of weeks to see if there's something I forgot.

These are the times to develop things that will become lifelong values for your son. I think it's great he wants to learn about other(older) cultures. There are many lessons there to be learned.

In youth we learn, in age we understand.
Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916)
Writer


Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."


Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

dcbowers said:

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How old should he be to read Indian Depredations In Texas?

https://g.co/kgs/R33sn1V

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i think that book is probably written a little above what a 10 year old would understand. Also, that last half of the book seems to address the depredation with just a quick listing of the facts - when & where it happened, how many were killed/hurt and what damage was done. In the last part of the book, the details are left out. May times these are what makes a story better. It seems to take the humanity of what happened and turns it into a story that reads "and there was another Indian raid in the ____ area ...".

Just my take. I thought the first half of the book did a great job at describing exactly how/what happened. I guess there's just so many ways you can describe the same thing before it becomes ritualistic.

No input on the book but you ought to take him to one of the upcoming indian artifact shows. These guys have some amazing collections and it is a neat way to kill a Saturday. There are quite a few coming up in the next couple weeks.

Fredericksburg - 3/22
Hutto/Taylor - 3/29
Groesbeck - 4/5
Temple - 6/7-6/8 (biggest show in the state, people come from all over the US)

Watchful Ag said:

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I get you're joking, but that thought actually crossed my mind for a moment … When I told him I felt the book was too violent for his age, he asked, "Like what?"

So, I shared the story from Empire of the Summer Moon about a little girl who was kidnapped and had her nose cut off by her captors. His eyes lit up, and that's when I realized, we should probably just stick to the Hatchet series by Gary Paulsen.

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If he's reading Gary Paulsen, have him read the Francis Tucket series. It's Paulsen's series about a boy that get's separated from his wagon train and abducted by indians. He's rescued by a one-armed fur trader who teaches him how to survive in the wilderness among the indians while heading west in search of his family.

I read these when I was 12 and really enjoyed them. It should satiate your boy while you figure out what's next.

The savagery of the Comanches is what defined them as a tribe and shouldn't be softened or overlooked. He needs to read about and understand it all including the gruesome details to really understand. Because of that, I think that 10 is simply too young. Maybe start with a book about the Caddo.

Ol Jock 99 said:

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I'd see if he can handle Blood Meridian first.

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I'm 33 and there's parts of that book that make me go wide eyed and feel uneasy.