Passage to Natchez

Summary

For Americans in the early nineteenth century, the uncharted western frontier signified both great opportunity and grave danger. Bold pioneers left the civilized Eastern Seaboard in droves, seeking riches and reinvention. Trekking across the continent’s vast plains and rivers, they faced the threat of disease, wild animals, and violence from Native Americans who resented this invasion into their land. In this stunningly dynamic novel, author Cameron Judd portrays one such perilous journey down the Ohio River through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Celinda Ames. This enthralling narrative leads up to the earthquake of 1811 that jolted the Midwest, upended the region’s budding civilizations, and changed the course of migration to the West. With an unflinching eye, Judd evokes the dangers of the frontier with vivid clarity.