While The People of the Book is a big story in that it tells the tale of various characters over four hundred years, Caleb's Crossing in the small piece that focuses solely on the family of a young woman named Bethia Mayfield who is based on Bethia Mayhew one of the founding families of Martha's Vineyard. From childhood to adulthood we follow Bethia as she struggles with her role in the Puritanical world of 1660's Massachusetts both on and off the island. Along with Bethia's development, we also see the progression of Caleb, the first Wampanoag to graduate from Harvard in 1664. By the end of the novel, I was deeply connected to the characters and relished Brooks' majestic description of the island I have loved all my life.
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