The Light in the Forest

I just read this with my children. My opinion of this book is positive in that it didn't have a predictable ending and the author didn't present a one sided conversation. It is a well rounded book with points of view from indian to settlers. About midway it did start to sound a bit like it might be going the way of propaganda but straighten up immediately. I recommend for all readers. There is some graphic details about killings so parents would need to monitor for age appropriation.

An easy, enjoyable read. While a relatively short book, it leaves you with things to think about, particularly the ending. Where does True Son go at the end of the story? If he follows the only choice he seems to have, how will that work for him? Definitely a book worth reading.

The Light in the Forest is about a young and strong-hearted boy, True Son, who will fight for his life as an Indian. He is torn between his love for his Indian family and his blood ties with the white men. When he is forced to live with the white people and leave his beloved Indian family it seems as though his whole world is crashing down around him, while he grasps at the small pieces and tries to hold all that is dear to him together. Living with the white people is like tearing his heart out, and his white family watches as it begins to slow for there is no more joy in the world to keep it beating. As the days pass his small body wilts like a flower in the winter that does not have the sun to keep is petals full of life. He could not bear to live as a captive of his own life, his wild spirit suffocating. This book uses great detail in expressing the character's feeling and I felt as though I were there, feeling True Son's pain, understanding how each breath he took was like sucking poison into his lungs. As I finished the story the ending troubled me at first. Then I read it again and realized it was a fitting ending. I now understand why the author ended the book this way. The author is simply laying down the truth. Conrad Richter didn't write what the reader wanted to hear; he wrote the truth about the course of life no matter how harsh and bitter it sounded. Life does not always end up how you want it to; you have to play the hand you're dealt. I recommend this book because it really gives you a different outlook on life.

This book was one of the best books I read all summer. It had a good plot, interesting characters and realistic history. In this story, a white boy is taken into an Indian family and is raised as an Indian boy. When he is made to live with his real parents, `True Son' wants to keep his Indian habits. Raised as an Indian, True Son has a disdain for all whites; although he seems to take a strange liking to his younger brother. His younger brother seems to like the Indian ways, he wants to learn from his brother. He misses his Indian home and would stop at almost nothing to return back to it.
True Son's cousin Half Arrow is his best friend. Even though Half Arrow is a real Indian, he treats True Son as a real cousin. Half Arrow loves his cousin. He even went into the white territory, where there was a chance that he could be caught and scalped, to free True Son of his white prison.
In True Sons white family everyone treated him fairly well, except for his Uncle. His Uncle was a anti-Indian fanatic. He hated everything that the Indians had taught True Son. True Sons' Uncle told True Son that Indians scalped women and children. True Son did not believe him. After the Indian warriors brought back a child's scalp he finally believed in some thing his uncle had said. Maybe he would have listened to more of what his Uncle said if his Uncle had not killed an Indian brother, and if his uncle had met an unfortunate end at the blade of an axe.
In this time Indians occupied most of the US. The Indians were not happy with the whites, because they were slowly taking more and more land from the Indians. There was a small war between the Indians and the whites, including scalping and many surprise attacks and strange tricks of illusion. In the end True Son is not a real true son to the Indians. By betraying his Indian family he is forced to go on all alone.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I stayed up as late as possible reading this book even over television. I believe people who like absorbing books would really enjoy this book. You really believe that you are living in the era of this book. The book describes the landscape, the living conditions, the clothes so well that you feel that you are there. In this book I believe that through the beginning and middle were very well thought out, but the end seemed less carefully planned. The beginning was very detailed about True Son's life, friends, and family. The detail was excellent. In the end, it seemed more like a `blur' with action and no setting. It went from birds eye view, to a more emotional setting that can occur in any place and in any time period. . If you like serious and interesting books this is a book for you.

The Light in the Forest is an outstanding book. It really gets you interested in it because the author portrays the characters so real that you can't stop reading it. What I liked the most about this book is that is explains peculiar topics with details, and it gives you a good understanding of how the Indians and whites were back then. One of the things I disapproved of was the ending of the book because it left me in deep thought about what would happen next. I also disagreed with the stereotypes and slurs throughout the book concerning Native Americans and whites. Although there were some parts that could have been done better, The Light in the Forest increased my understanding of history. Compared to other books I've read, The Light in the Forest ranks higher. One of the books I would compare it to is Shabanu by Susan Fisher Staples, because it also has a frustrating ending. The Light in the Forest is better because it has more history in it.

I remember being required to read "The Light in the Forest" as a seventh grader and complaining incessantly about how much I hated the book. Looking back, I suppose it was more adolescent laziness and my going through a non-reading "phase" that made me loathe the book. Recently, I reread it - read the whole thing through on a hot Saturday afternoon while I kept my left arm elevated to reduce swelling from a series of hornet stings. It's a lot, lot better than I remembered. Perhaps I was not mature enough at 13 to appreciate the horror of True Son being wrested from the only life and only family he knew and sent to a land of "strangers", some of whom hated (and killed) Native Americans. Too young to appreciate the risks he took in his escape with Broken Arrow. Now I appreciate the book. I also re-appreciated the description of the Ohio/Pennsylvania forests (the one thing I liked about the book as a teen)- that is where I grew up, and now I am far from there. Hearing the old names - Tuscarawas, Muskingum, et al. - comforted me and made me picture the forests I hiked in as a girl.
I know lots of junior high school students are made to read this book. I suspect that few of them will ever think to come back to it at a later date. But I'm finding that rereading stuff I read as a relative "youngster" is making me realize how callow and unfeeling I was then. Novels are much more meaningful to me now.
"The Light in the Forest" is not the *best* book I have ever read, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good book, a solid book. Conrad Richter *does* deserve better than to be groused about by snotty nosed 13 year olds like the one I used to be......

A Light In The Forest centers around a fifteen-year-old boy named True Son, who lived with the Lenni Lenape for eleven years, ever since the Indians had captured him during an attack on a farm. He was adopted by Cuyloga and Quaquenga, a family of the Lenni Lenape, and became one of them.
One day, his village learns that all white prisoners must be returned to their birth families, and his father takes him to the camp of soldiers that will take True Son to Pennsylvania. True Son's experiences in an English town and his desire to return to his village are the storyline of the book. This book is appropriate for eight graders, though the author, Conrad Richter, portrays some scenes almost too vividly. Children who have been in a divorce situation can relate to True Son and his feelings of abandonment. The book does an excellent job of informing readers of how the English and the Indians viewed each other, and gives the reader the unique viewpoint of True Son. For entertainment, the book falls a little short, occasionally losing your attention by attempting to summarize events without going into any detail. Overall, the book is not a bad read, and would be especially enjoyable if you like historic novels from this period.

This story conveys into the reader a feeling that once you
finished the first chapter you want to know the resolution. From
the beginnig you get hooked on this book as if you were addicted to wanting to continue. John Butler, the main charcter in this book, was adopted and raised from a very short age by an indian tribe. He was raised from childhood to adolescence by this tribe. Prior to this time, he grew up believing he was part of an indian family, but it never came to his mind that his true family were white. The life of John Butler, who was known as True Son by the indian tribe, changed dramatically when he was returned to his true family, the white men. He seemed somewhat rebellious due to the fact that he was taught to be an indian so it was tough for him to actually blend in. To one point he wanted to kill the whites. True Son refused to be what he was meant to be instead of what he was raised to be. This is somewhat ironic, not wanting to be with your true family after living almost the first fifteen years without them. As the story unfolded, the bigger the intensity got. Living the life of something your not is hard. Trying to change the past is even harder. This really is a great story.

`The Light in The Forest' is a book about a young White boy from 18th century America who was born as a "frontier child" but was then stolen by Indians when very young and brought up as an Indian for ten years. His Indian name is True Son, and his white name is John Butler. When he is about 15 years old, he is forced to go back and live with his real White family. He is devastated because he was brought up to hate the Whites, and now he is being forced to live with them and to practice their culture. At first True Son refuses to comply at all with the Whites and tries to escape. After a while, and after spending much time with the Whites though, it seems that True Son is beginning to accept and become used to their culture, and is starting to lose his Indian ways. It looks as if all of the Indian in him has been run over and destroyed, when one night, he finds his old Indian friend / cousin and escapes with him from the Whites to a long journey back home to his old Indian town. It seems now that all the Indian he left behind has been renewed to him and most of what the whites forced into his head is gone when, with little warning, True Son must make a life-altering decision that will decide his fate, and that will decide what culture he is to live with.
I really enjoyed this book; it showed the conflict between whites and Indians in 18th century America very well. It was filled with action and adventure, and although short, it still developed the characters and the plot so that you had a broad understanding of what kind of decisions this young man had to make, how it must have been like being bounced from culture to culture (especially in that day), and how hard things must have been in general. This understanding of the character is what keeps you reading and keeps you itching to find out where fate will put John Butler/ True Son. I would recommend this book because of these reasons, and because of the way the author attacked the overlying conflict between Whites and Indians: he spoke of it from both the White's and the Indian's sides. Because of this the reader can understand the conflict from both sides, and can not easily pick a side to support, which made things interesting. Lastly, in my opinion, this book is quite unpredictable, and you can't tell how it will complete itself until the very end, which made the book more fun to read. If you enjoy history, and adventure you will probably enjoy this book.

I have been reading this book, and I would recommend reading it. This adventure takes place in the 18th Century America. It is the story of a teenager who recently, is brought back to his real parents. This book tells the point of view from two sides. One being the indians, and the other being the white men.

A 15 year old by the name of John Butler, had been taken and raised by the indians. He was taken at the age of four by Cuyloga ,an indian, in replace of his dead son. Being taken under the wing of an indian he had been giving the name True Son. For most of his life he had been told to hate the white men. Now eleven years after becoming adopted, True son has been returned to his birth family. On his adventure he is caught between two worlds of which he has been a part of both. True Son is forced to try and make sense of his being.

I first read this book about five years ago, when I was ten, and last night I found myself flipping through it once again. When I read this book, my great interest in Native Americans was starting to blossom, and this book really taught me a lot. The story was told masterfully, and truthfully too. I was very moved by this book, and now that I would like to become a writer, it has been an inspiration to me as well.
The beginning of the book is slightly confusing, which really makes the reader curious, and hooks you from the first moment. Now that I am learning a native language myself, I see that my introduction to the beautiful Lenni Lenape language was with this book.
If you buy this book, you will never regret it. It is certain to stay one of my favourites (as well as being a good reference for me sometimes), and Conrad Richter is now an inspiration and role model to me of excellent writing. Miigwech, Conrad, for writing this book!

This is a good book. True Son, originally John Butler, faces many difficult challenges as he is forced out of his beloved Native American lifestyle into the strange world of the whites.
The third-person point-of-view is just perfect, and the awesome conclusion is leaves you something important to think about.
Light in the Forest opens up your eyes, and makes you more aware of the ancient struggle back then between the conflicting Indians and settlers.

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The cover isn't all that interesting but the story is. It's about a boy named John Butler. He was adopted by Indians to take the place of their dead son. He was remaned True Son. He grew up with them until he was forced to go back to with his birth parents. He did't want to go back but he had no choice.
He didn't like his parents, especially his Uncle Wilse and his cousin. He had to wear their clothes and speak English. He thought many of the thing his father did weren't manly. He considers writing in a book and sleeping in a bed effeminite. When he goes back to the Indians, he makes a life changing decision. After that choice he's disgraced by the Indians and his father doesn't want him in his house.

At first glance, it would seem that this is a book wholly sympathetic to the American Indian, and I use that term because that is how it is used in this book. Through the eyes of True Son Whites are perceived as narrow-minded, land-stealing bigots who haven't got a clue as to how to treat the earth, treat each other or even how to live their lives. As the story unfolds, it doesn't particularly show the Indians in too good a light either however. While the author does not describe the actual scalping of a child, the aftermath of the act is enough to give the reader the shivers. I don't want to spoil the ending by revealing it here for anyone who has not read the book, but suffice it to say that it sucked. I think both the whites and the Indians could have done with some basic human kindness, never mind how to treat a confused adolescent boy. True Son, or John Butler as he was christened, is a victim here and while the story is a good read, it's not among my favorites. In fact, it raises my blood pressure.

Great story! This story is about an American Boy named John (TRUE SON) who was raised by Indians. He was kidnapped by them at the age of 4, and now, 10 yrs later, the whites are making him return to his real parents. It took him a while to adopt to his real enviroment. He thought his Dad was a "wuzz" and he hated his clothes, specially knowing there were his cousins. After that, his indian customs and knowledge he had gained by his indian father (Cuyloga) were long gone..... until, one night, he escaped with his cousin... to a long journey back home.
This story is good, specially for young adult such as myself because it reflects the hard decitions a kid that age had to do. Regardles of his age, (15), True son was very wise.

For once, a school related book that did not bore me out of my misery.

I thought it was interesting. Not fast-paced or action-packed, but it moved well enough to keep the pages turning, even if the book topic isn't particularly my thing.

I liked how it brought up the cultural issues between the Native Americans and the "White" Americans in the older days, and showing the cruelties of both sides, as well as some of the good points.

However, I disliked most of the characters in the book. It was hard to feel for any of them, and we were with most of the characters so little that it wasn't possible to get attached to them over time. Also, the main character, True Son, wasn't likeable with his sour attitude the whole time.

The ending, in my opinion, was also rather abrupt. You don't really get to find out what happens - just the destruction of a certain future he could have taken.

All in all, an okay book. Good for a one time read, but I wouldn't say I'd like to read it again.

A Light in the Forest is a beautifully written story about a white boy (True Son) who was raised by Indians since the age of 4, but has to go back to his white parents when he is 15. True Son has learned to hate the whites so he is very pained to go live with his white family. The author, Conrad Richter, does a great job of showing both sides of the White/Indian conflict. You want to be on True Son's side and root for the Indians, but then something happens to the whites that makes you want to root for them. The book teaches you how much hatred went on between these two different groups of people who never understood each others' ways. You might like this book if you can handle some disturbing and gory details such as scalping. Also, you might like this book if you enjoy descriptive writing.

Wow, what a great book. I really don't know what everybody else is talking about, but I thought that this book was great. So great, that in fact, I am now reading it for the 3rd time. I read it once for pleasure, and once in school. I really like history, and maybe that is why I like it so much. I feel that it definetly transports me back to that time, and that region. I live in Philly, and the book takes place not all that far from there. I think that it would be fun to be able to be somebody like True Son. While slightly depressing at times, like when you realize that this was something that ACTUALLY happened to real people, and the tragedy of it all. That somebody has a family that they don't even care about, and that they never really knew them, and their family loves for them. Well, I won't tell you the ending, but it is pretty tragic. All in all, a great book, one of my all time favorites! Well, I am going to go read it now.

This book was boring and confusing and dragged on. In the begginning you don't have clue one what is going on because it flips points of view between True Son and a soldier. When he is at his families home, the book just drags on. The ending was so predictible too. So I really don't reccommend this title.

A book full of deep emotional journeys and social introspections, The Light in the Forest is a coming of age story that also possesses the complications inherent in cross-culural contact. It serves both the functions of providing children with great literature and providing children with strong emotional and social lessons so that they can more fully understand the world in which they live. Children find it hard to resist given its sense of mystery, adventure, and unpredictabilty. It gives a human shape to a time which fostered many of the early issues that would eventually become important to an infant country trying to find its way through the wilderness.

This book tells alot about how it could of been back in the old days. It Started with an indian boy and an indian father who taught him how to be an indian man. This boy was raised to be a warrior and the boy has to go back to his original father and mother. This book tells how the boy ran and ran trying to get back to his indian father. The father doesn't want anything to do with him because it was a law.I thought it was a very very good book. This book kept me interested and that's hard to do. So read this book. It a good one.

In The Light in the Forest, True Son was abducted and raised by the Lenni Lenape Indians. When he was fifteen years old, the news came that they had to release all of the white prisoners they had, and return them to their former homes. He had taught to think like an Indian, and now, he was being forced to go to his enemies to live. It was about being capable of comprehending and empathizing with people of various civilizations. This book is moving and inspirational.

This is a very believable description of the culture clash between Native Americans and their conquerors. It takes you into the story and presents you with the question of "what would you do." The answer is difficult and really makes you consider your ethics.

"The Light In The Forest" is a wonderful story about a white kid who was living with a tribe of Indians. He had to go back and live with the white people which he had always learned were mean. With the help of his cousin, he escapes the white people. He goes back to his tribe, but they are disgusted with him and won't take him back. I think this was a great book and I would recomend it to anyone that likes a good story with a lot of adventure.

The Light in the Forest is very sad. It's sad because it tells the story of the uncompromising conflict of ideologies between the English settlers and their Native American contemporaries. I watched the Disney movie first, which, though a bit cheesy, is lovable in its own way. The book was completely different. No happy ending, no romance, no love. Especially the chapter where True Son meets his relatives just seethes with hatred. I felt like Richter had tried to portray a fair picture of the wrong on both sides--although history may be forever ambiguous on that point--, but as such, the book makes for some pretty depressing material. The one redeeming factor, however, is its incredible portrayal of the Ohio wilderness. Richter's love for and appreciation of his homeland shine forth in lyrical truth that is not quickly forgotten. The book ends rather abruptly; reading its companion volume, A Country of Strangers, helps tie up the loose ends.

I had to read this book my Freshman year for English I Honors, and i honestly thought it was a waste of time. I had to force myself to stay awake and read the pages we were assigned to read each day. A majority of my class had to do the same. This book is so full of boring facts, and not much of a story line. There wasn't really a climax in the book either. Usually i don't want to put a book down, and stay up till 1 or 2 in the morning reading, but on this book, i never wanted to pick it up, and had to stay up till 1 or 2 reading it, because it took forever to read cuz it was so boring! Unless you want to waste your time, i would suggest not reading this book.

I use this novel in my 9th grade classes. I team teach with the history teachers. It does have its moments when it is super boring-BUT it makes my students think about history and see that everything is not how is seems. Most of my students enjoy the book.

The Light in The Forset is an interesting book about a white boy who is captured at a young age by the Lenni Lenape Indians. Cuyloga,True Son's adoptive father,teaches him everything he needs to know. After many years with the indians,the whitepeople demand all white captives back. True Son goes back to his real family.He doesn't like it with his real family, so he escapes when they tell him that TRue Son's uncle has killed a indian. At the end TRue Son is betrayed and almost killed.

The Light in the Forest is a Short, but descriptive book about John Butler's life as a white boy raised an Indian. John butler aka True Son struggles to live like the white man after he is told he must be returned to his real parents. The ending of The light in the Forest is quite a shock when True Son and his Indian Father Cuyloga split ways and True Son is never to return.
Although short this book was very enjoyable and I recommend it for any one that wants a good book.

The Light In the Forest is a story writen by the author Conrad Richter. "The Light In The Forest" represents a white boy living amongst the forest with the Indians. His white name is John Butler, but his Indian name is True son. He was left in the forest by accident by his real father and was adopted by the Indians, and he learned how to libe by their ways. That the white men were the enemy's. As he got older around the age of 15, he returned to the white people. This story is about him having to deal with returning to the white people, and how he react to it and in the end, and where he goes.

The reason I gave this book 5 stars is because I took the book emotionally which is what I think makes a good book a good book.Honestly, before I hated this book and thought that I would never get done with it even though it was only 117 pages long. It must of been more toward the middle that the reader caught my eye{got me into it.}I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good reading challenge.

The Light in the Forest is a very good yarn about a boy's conflict with his heritage. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, (...) and elaborate more on the action of the story. The emotion of the book flowed very well, and the characters were believeable. The setting, however, seemed distant and unimportant.
I normally read science fiction, but this book is a nice break from that fantasy world. All in all, a good book.

This is a great book. My English teacher read it to my class and I loved it. Many people will say that it was very boring and poor written. They are very poor readers and don't understand the symbolism in this book. Thank you for reading.

This book is a prime example of how horribly written, deeply unpleasant books gain standing as children's lit-er-ah-toor simply because the are Very Serious and Deal With Issues. Some people feel constrained to make themselves like this book simply because of the subject matter, as a number of the reviews have taken great pains to point out, but I find it hard to believe that anyone thinks this book is actually good.

I do not require that the characters be likeable for me to think a book is worthwhile, but if they are not, they should at least be interesting. Yet every character in this book is thoroughly unpleasant and dull, both, with not a single characteristic to catch one's sympathy or even attention.

The plot drags on interminably, there is a great deal of bigotry on all sides, and there is quite a lot of violence without the least bit of interesting action. The writing is, at best, insipid and, at worst, laughable. This book tries very, very hard to be important, to carry a Message, to be morally complex. Instead, it is a suffocating mess of a story, full of pretention and as dry as a mummy's whisper.

I think that it was a pretty interesting book. The way that TRUE SON was adopted by some white people and he was like the total opposite of them. He is an Indian who originally lived with his Indian family. It was cool they way he thought that his white dad was like a female. His Indian father was sort of a hero to TRUE SON and to see his new father stay at home and do women work, such as writing.

In this story there was an indian boy by the name of trueson 'who was really white'. At the age of 4 he was adopted by a indian tribe which he grew to really love. The tribe at one point was forced to release all the whites they had. since Trueson was one of them he had to be set free. he had to start all over with a family he didn't know. He ends up with no family because they abanded him

This story "The Light In The Forest" is an interesting story about true heritage.This story is about a young boy named "True Son" who was adopted by indians as a young child and has been raised and trained the indian way. Then one day he is taken by the "White People" back to his birth parents. He neglects them and keeps insisting on going back into nature where he belongs.

THE BOOK WAS AN OVERALL GOOD BOOK AND AS I READ IT I DIDNT WANT TO PUT IT DOWN IT KEPT CATCHING MY ATTENTION WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT OCCURED IN THE STORY. I RATED THE BOOK 4 STARS BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT SOURCE OF READING MATERIALS. IN CONCLUSION I LIKED AND ENJOYED READING THE BOOK AND I PREFERE EVERYONE WHO HASN'T READ IT TO GET A COPY BECAUSE THE BOOK IS GREAT.

this is truely a very, very sad book, but after all, i loved it so much that i cried at the end. the way Mr. Richter wrote this will make you feel as if this all happens to be real. even though i hated it when we started to read it, becuase we had to read this for our English class, starting chapter three i totally fell in love with it... i sugest that most people will like this book.i'm looking forward to read the seaqual, beacuse there is one

Good Lord! This incredibly horrendous book could possibly win the Darwin Award for Literature. I was forced to read this horrible book in my eighth grade advanced english class and fell asleep several times trying to get to the end. I spent the entire book waiting for something happend, and then finally when i reached the end, none of the problems that had been created throughout the book were solved. I truely pity you if you are foced to read this book, but if you WANT to read it you must be out of your mind!

This book was a good book, but it got very boring at parts. It was very dull and it jumped around. Some parts did get exciting, but not to good. I would recomend this book if you like reading about Indian stories. It is about a naturally white boy who got taken in by an Indian family. After about 10 years he had to go back to his real parents. The book was Ok, but i found it rather boring

The Light in the forest is an interesting story.It was about a boy named John Butler., but then he was adopted by an Indian warrior which was his father and, became Tru Son. He was raised him to live like an Indian. At fifteen he had to move back with his biological father John Butler and his new family . He did not like them . They wanted him to act and dress like them ,But all he could think about was his love for his real family the Indians.

The Light in the Forest was about a white boy who was adopted and raised by Indians. His indian name is True Son. He meets his real father after years and doesn't belive that it's his dad. Once he is with his white family he plans an escape to go back to his Indian family. When True Son gets back with them, he makes the Indians betray him and they disown him forever. I think it was a good book.

i really like this book. i think it was a good book. this boy was adopted by indians but his actual parents were white. he didn't believe his father when he said that it was him because of his father being white. i really haven't understoood why they adopted him but now i understand it more. i think it is one of the best books i have read. this is my review on the light in the forest.

this book waz a great interesting boook to read for people of all age, its a book that i enjoyed read in class and i know if you read this book you going to like it .The light in the forest is intresting story about a boy that lost his indian and his has to go live with his real father and he don't like it there and the end of the this book is going to suprise you .

I found an interesting essay about this book and bought it. After I finished this book, I realized this would be perfect for teachers who are teaching the 7-8th grade standards and also to the readers who enjoy a sense of adventure.

[...]

I've read this book several times since I was in grade school (over 30 years ago) and I find it an inspiring and moving book each time I read it. This book also introduced me to many other of Conrad Richter's fine short novels.

The Light in the Forest is an interesting book. It was suspenseful and detailed although it could have been a better ending. The 120 page-book was an interesting and important novel to learn because of it's definition of the early American Salad Bowl, formerly Melting Pot. I gave it 4 stars because it's ending could have been better.

You have to read this book, ok it may be boring just a little bit but I really enjoyed it. I always love reading novels like these. This book inparticular inspired me to start writing novels about America and how it was in the past. Well good luck, you will like the book at the end trust me.

The Light in the forest is an interesting story.It was about a boy named John Butler., but then he was adopted by an Indian warrior which was his father and, became Tru Son. He was raised him to live like an Indian. At fifteen he had to move back with his biological father John Butler and his new family . He did not like them . They wanted him to act and dress like them ,But all he could think about was his love for his real family the Indians.

The Light In The Forest is a goood book that really deserves a good 4 stars because of the suffering that True Son went through in the story.when True Son was taken by the indian called Cuyloga little did the kid know was that later he would be confuse which kind did he belong to the white or the indians.This bookreally got to me because this kind of things happen to kids and adults in every day life.

Was this book based on a true story? It was very realistic. The way he was raised by Indians and grew up to hate his on race was really weird. I dont think he really got to liking himself for that. At the end he was disowned by both, the Indiands and his own family, for being more than he is(Indian and White).

Probably one the most boring and meaningless stories I have ever read. It's just a childish fight between Indians and White Men that in the end proves nothing. If you wanna hear about Indians scalping white men and white men hunting down and shooting Indians, then for sure, read this book. Its about a white boy who was kidnapped by Indians when he was a baby and then raised by those Indians. Then he is forced to return to live with his white family and hates them, thus resulting in scalping, hate, depression. Those are usually things that make a book good, but in this case, they tear it down and kill it.

This was a great book. At first you may not find it interesting, but it's worth finishing. The book is full of adventure, and it's sort of a lesson to appreciate family. The ending is twisted and definately not expected, and really good! This book is well worth reading.

I give the book 2 stars for being well written, but that's it. If you want to read something that encourages the sterotype that all white people are awful and the worst of the lot are white Christians than this is your book.

I remember being required to read "The Light in the Forest" as a seventh grader and complaining incessantly about how much I hated the book. Looking back, I suppose it was more adolescent laziness and my going through a non-reading "phase" that made me loathe the book. Recently, I reread it - read the whole thing through on a hot Saturday afternoon while I kept my left arm elevated to reduce swelling from a series of hornet stings. It's a lot, lot better than I remembered. Perhaps I was not mature enough at 13 to appreciate the horror of True Son being wrested from the only life and only family he knew and sent to a land of "strangers", some of whom hated (and killed) Native Americans. Too young to appreciate the risks he took in his escape with Broken Arrow. Now I appreciate the book. I also re-appreciated the description of the Ohio/Pennsylvania forests (the one thing I liked about the book as a teen)- that is where I grew up, and now I am far from there. Hearing the old names - Tuscarawas, Muskingum, et al. - comforted me and made me picture the forests I hiked in as a girl.
I know lots of junior high school students are made to read this book. I suspect that few of them will ever think to come back to it at a later date. But I'm finding that rereading stuff I read as a relative "youngster" is making me realize how callow and unfeeling I was then. Novels are much more meaningful to me now.
"The Light in the Forest" is not the *best* book I have ever read, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good book, a solid book. Conrad Richter *does* deserve better than to be groused about by snotty nosed 13 year olds like the one I used to be......

This story is about a boy who lives with his Indian father and has to go back to his white father at the age of 15. The difference between his Indian father and his white father is that his Indian father lives out in the wilderness and hunts for his food, and his white father lives in a house with beds and rooms and buys his food at the store. True Son (or Johnny, as his white family calls him) doesn't really want to go to his white father because he's used to sleeping outside on the hard ground and hunting. Because of all this, I really felt sorry for him because of all the changes that came into his life as a kid. I really thought this was a good story and it would be good for you, too.

This book was my homework assignment. I personally I hated it for all of the Indian words. Otherwise the book was pretty good. It was about a white boy who was taken by Indians and raised as their own. One day many years down the line, the boy's white parents find him and take him back to white civilization but the boy was with his Indian parents so long that he dosen't wan't to go with them. So one day he tries to escape from them. He meets one of his Indian friends. He tells him his other friend had been scalped. When he finds out who it was--maybe you should find out your self.

This was a really good book. The story is about a boy who is about fifteen years old. His name is John Camreon Butler. He lived with Indians. When he did his name was True Son. He grew up to act like an Indian. But now he has to go back to live like a white man. He did not like living like a white man so he worked his way through the forest to go back to his Indian tribe. If you want to know how it ends read the book.

The book was a pretty easy book to read except for the indian names which are hard to pronounce. I did not like all the description of the land. I just wanted to see what was goin to happen. Read it to find out for yourself.

I had to do a book report on this and I found it hard tounderstand. There was not enough action to write about. I reallyreally really hated it. I do not recommend any other 4th graders try to read this awful book.

For once, a school related book that did not bore me out of my misery.

I thought it was interesting. Not fast-paced or action-packed, but it moved well enough to keep the pages turning, even if the book topic isn't particularly my thing.

I liked how it brought up the cultural issues between the Native Americans and the "White" Americans in the older days, and showing the cruelties of both sides, as well as some of the good points.

However, I disliked most of the characters in the book. It was hard to feel for any of them, and we were with most of the characters so little that it wasn't possible to get attached to them over time. Also, the main character, True Son, wasn't likeable with his sour attitude the whole time.

The ending, in my opinion, was also rather abrupt. You don't really get to find out what happens - just the destruction of a certain future he could have taken.

All in all, an okay book. Good for a one time read, but I wouldn't say I'd like to read it again.

I first read this book about five years ago, when I was ten, and last night I found myself flipping through it once again. When I read this book, my great interest in Native Americans was starting to blossom, and this book really taught me a lot. The story was told masterfully, and truthfully too. I was very moved by this book, and now that I would like to become a writer, it has been an inspiration to me as well.
The beginning of the book is slightly confusing, which really makes the reader curious, and hooks you from the first moment. Now that I am learning a native language myself, I see that my introduction to the beautiful Lenni Lenape language was with this book.
If you buy this book, you will never regret it. It is certain to stay one of my favourites (as well as being a good reference for me sometimes), and Conrad Richter is now an inspiration and role model to me of excellent writing. Miigwech, Conrad, for writing this book!

Light in the Forest in an accurate depiction of life in thecolonies prior to the Revolutionary War. So few books have beenwritten about the relationship of Native Americans and Europeans who took their land. This book humanizes Indians.
I find a great gap in American literature concerning American Indians. James Fenimore Cooper writes about the same era as Conrad Richter, but where was the American Indian between l765 and l900? He was being murdered. We don't want to recognize that in our history books or our literature. Not until Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge published in the l930's, did we discover another view of Native Americnas.
Conrad Richtner is a brilliant storyteller whose foreshadowing technique is perfect.

The book The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter should be read by middle schoolers because it is a sad but compelling book which was a coming of age story. Although the ending was emotional and disapointing,it had a meaningful point. The novel had two perspectives.You could see the Indian's as well as the white people's point of view of eachother. True son, the main character, was raised by Indians when he was a child, but was taken back by the white men and couldn't believe that he had white blood. The lesson incorporated in The Light in the Forest was True Son had to sacrafice his life with the Indians,yet while doing so he saved a lot of people from being massacered.

The Light in the Forest was the worst book I have ever read. The book is boring and wordy and the lack of action is unacceptable. I had to read this book for class and I barely had the patience to get past the first page, let alone the entire book. I would reccomend this book only to Seven Years War afficienados with nothing better to do!

When I had to read this book for English, it looked incredibly boring and pointless. But when I read it I was instantly hooked. The characters were all very interesting, and you could have a clear picture of every chapter in your mind. At first I didn't like True Son, but as the book went on I started to respect what he was feeling and the ways of the Native Americans really stuck in. It gave me a whole different view on how we live today. As another reader said, a dictionary is helpful, but if you understand this book then it is a worthwhile read. I've always loved historical fiction, so that added to my liking of it. I would definitely recommend this book!!

This story is about a boy who at a young age goes from the whites to a new culture: Lenni Lenape Indians. He learns their customs until his white father comes to get him and take him where he belongs. He does not want to go but he travels his hard and long journey to his new father's house, (or should I say his old father's?) He does not like this new place because the people are mean, even his family. I liked this book but there was one thing that troubled me. I thought this book needed some more excitement to push it through some of the slower parts and help it flow.

I realy like this book. The description of traditions and feelings of the Indians is great. I learned a lot about life and about the Deleware Indians from this book. I am a member of The order of the arrow which is a secret group of scouts based souly on the traditions and ceremonys of the Deleware indians. This book lead to a lot of new information that I did not yet know and I was glad to learn more. This is a must read for all readers!

The Light in the Forest was a very intersting book. Once i saw the cover, i knew it was *easy-reading*. I believe that Conrad Richter could have written this book better, although I did like the characters including, True Son, Half Arrow, Culoga, and the rest of the Lenne Lenape Tribe. The situation in this novel had a very heavy tone, although i felt it was written very lightly. If you like books about Native Americans then this book would be alright w/ you

This book was so sad! So many sad things were happening and you would think that in the end everything would even out but nooooooo. They just ended the book with the saddest ending that I have ever seen! My heart is still crying right now! This book was sad!

I was supposed to read this book and write an alternate ending for school! It's one of the worst stories ever!I hated the figurative language! ( Like the wind is my brother-in-law) It was boring and weird. But, at the end it did make me cry because I felt bad for John/ True Son. Don't read this book unless you like wasting time!

This book is a story of a young boy who is kidnaped by Delaware Indians. After eleven years of living with them he had to return to his white family. He didn't like anyone out of his real family exept his brother Gordie. Then he ran away back to his indian family and they told him he had to return to his white family.

I was required to read this book in my 8th grade Reading class and I have loved it ever since. I have always loved reading about Native Americans and their tribes and this book was written very well. Some say it is confusing but it never was for me. I loved it and if you arre thinking about buying or reading it, do it!!

This book is basically about a young
white boy who grows up in an Indian tribe.
When the boy is about 13 or so the Indian tribe
was told to let all the white captives go,and
the boy was one of those captives.Even though the boy does not want to go back he is forced too.

After reading this book with my seventh grade class, I must say it is a well written book which expresses its historical theme with great success. Although the story line and historical references are excellant, I feel the ending is quite disapointing.

The light in the forest was a very interesting book. I liked it beause it kept me on the edge of my feet. Throughout the whole book I had to keep guessing what might happen next.If I had to read this book again I would quite possibly do it by choice.

At first glance, it would seem that this is a book wholly sympathetic to the American Indian, and I use that term because that is how it is used in this book. Through the eyes of True Son Whites are perceived as narrow-minded, land-stealing bigots who haven't got a clue as to how to treat the earth, treat each other or even how to live their lives. As the story unfolds, it doesn't particularly show the Indians in too good a light either however. While the author does not describe the actual scalping of a child, the aftermath of the act is enough to give the reader the shivers. I don't want to spoil the ending by revealing it here for anyone who has not read the book, but suffice it to say that it sucked. I think both the whites and the Indians could have done with some basic human kindness, never mind how to treat a confused adolescent boy. True Son, or John Butler as he was christened, is a victim here and while the story is a good read, it's not among my favorites. In fact, it raises my blood pressure.

A boy is taken from his family when he is young and is treated like an indian.He then learns he has to go back to the white people who he hates.He runs away back to the indian people and they tell him that he must go back

I think this would be a good book for eighth graders and up.
There were a lot of hard indian words, that made it confusing.
My favorite part was when the book ended because it was sad and moving.

The book was about True Son getting kiddnapped at the age of 4 by the Indians. The Indians raise True Son as their own blood.Then all of a sudden Del Hardy came to get True Son to take him back to whites. He was 15 years old and he didn't want to go back with the whites. His name for the whites was Johnny Butler. When he got back to the whites he tried to run away from them. Then one day his cousins from the Indians came to get him. Their names where Little Crane & Half Arrow. Little Crane got killed. So Half Arrow & True Son got away fron the whites to go back to the Indians. But Trueson couldn't come back to the Indians because he betrayed them. I think the book was good. By Jo'Leshia

The Light in the Forest had a good plot, but lacked the action that would have made it a great book. The book wasn't terrible, but not something a young reader would expect. This book was about a boy adopted by indians at the age of four. He took to the ways of the indians, and was considered one by the other members of the tribe. At age fourteen, the boy was forced to return to his true family on the American frontier. We liked the story, but thought it moved slowly. The ending was not something we expected, and was disappointing. We rated this book two stars because it was an okay book, but never caught our attention.

Conrad Richter's book, The Light in the Forest was a really bad book. It was boring and lacked excitement and a good plot. The main thing that bothered me was that you couldn't read almost every other word! No one in seventh grade, or any other for that matter, should read this book.
The Light in the Forest, by Conrad Richter, was a fairly good book. Although our interest waned a few times, the characters were interesting to stay with the book. Although drawn out at times, it had a rewarding and unpredictable ending. It had an endearing protagonist and we liked it and give The light in the Forest 4 stars!

I kind of liked it but I've heard of better book. This book is about a white boy got adopted to any indian family.So the boy had to learn how to speak Indian. He also had to learn how to hunt buffalo and how to survive in cold days. The setting is in a forest and with Indians. There is a indain who's name was True Son and the white boy and him didn't get along very well in the begnning and the story. But as the story went on the two boys where getting along. In fact True Son was the white boy's brother. So of course they had to get along. Also True Son's dad is the cheif. That is my review.

I had to read The Light in the Forest for a 7th Grade language arts assignment. Some (not all) of the other kids in the class thought it was a, boring book, but I enjoyed it. It has an interesting plotline, even though a dictionary can be helpful! I liked reading about True Son's struggle to return to his adopted native parents, and his feelings about the white man. The Light in the Forest is a wonderful and well written book, and I thouroughly enjoyed it.---Written by a 7th Grader

I thought that this was a pretty good book I had to read it for school in 7th grade. The people who wrote the other reviews helped me out with my homework. I thought the way the story ended was bad but oh well who cares.

Lauren

Austin, Texas

The Light in the Forest should not be recommended to middle schoolers because the author hangs on to each subject too much. For example, when True Son and his dad were down at the river, the author focused too much on their conversation. He should have consentrated more on the feelings True Son was experiencing. Another example is when True Son's father was bringing him back to his biological parents. The book had a entire chapter describing the journey to the camp. Focusing more on being at the camp would have been more interesting. As one can see, focusing too much on the small details makes it difficult for middle schoolers to follow.

The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter was not a fullfilling book because there was no closure to the book. For example, True Son was coming back to his biological family then the book ended, and it left the reader hanging. I wondered what was going to happen to True Son. Would his family reject him? Would they take him back and forgive him for running away and scalping his uncle? How would True Son's Indian family react to the situation? In conclusion, this book lacked a good closure.

I think that the book was a good book (exept for the scalping). It was very interesting. It had lots of Information about how the indians lived and what they had to do or be forced to do to please the white people

The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter is not a book teens should read because it lacks excitement. For example, there was never any confict between True Son and his siblings. All his brothers and sisters fight, and including a sibling confrontation would have enhanced the book. In addition, after True Son left his indian home to be with his biological parents, he had many conflicts at his house and nothing was resolved. For example, the reader never discovered weather he gets back to his biological siblings. As you can see the book never had high points. It is not recomended for middle school readers.

I love reading, especially historical fiction, but, I think this book would have been more interesting if it hadn't been first written so long ago. I found a lot of the dialog and wording very hard to understand, and I'm a straight "A" student. Most of the book was very dull and poorly written, but at least a third of it had some interesting "action" or something in it. I had to read this book for school, and it wasn't complete torture, but it was pretty bad. I wouldn't suggest buying this book or reading any other works of Conrad Richter.

The book The Light in the Forest, by Conrad Richter, is not a good book to read becasue it was very predictable. For instance, when true son went back to the village one could already tell that he was going to be sent back to the white people. Also, in the beginning of the book when Half Arrow was marching with True Son, one could that Half Arrow would have to leave after they crossed the river.

This book, The Light in the Forest, is not a book that you want to continue reading. The way the sentences are constructed, with no thrilling words or exiting topics, does not support your enjoyment of the book. With its many brief paragraphs it is hard to keep your attention on the topics discussed. Chapter by chapter your attention span grows short for the lengthy description that you almost drown in. As the book reaches its last few pages, you realize what a waist of time and effort you have spent on such a poorly written and non-eventful book. As you look back on what you read, you will also find how politically correct and simplistic this book is. The Light in the Forest is not a book I would recommend because of its ridiculously clean plot.

This book was a waste of time. Its plot was not very interesting. It was about a tribe of Indians who are forced to give up their "adopted" white son. The son then goes on to live with his real white family for several months, before escaping and returning to his Indian village and Indian family. At the end the Indians no longer accept him, and neither do the whites. Not very captivating is it? The book would be better if the characters had been more developed. Also, the author should have made the book more exciting and eventful. I'm telling you, if it wasn't assigned I wouldn't have read it. I don't think middle schoolers would like this book any more than I did.

No matter what you think this is not a good book in our opinion. Yea, it may have so well written sentenses. It is mind-numbingly boring and pointless. Well, maybe not pointess but deffinently boring. The reason it is not pointless is because it does have soom what of a plot; which is, a boy who is tangled between two caltures. The worst part of the book to use is that he is shuned out of those two caltures at the end which makes the book disapointing to the reader and the author. The author probely would not care because he is dead. If you like indian storys you might like this, even though it has been done a million times before, if not don't even bother with it.This book is not what you should spend you summer on, but if you have to than make the best of it.

The Light in the Forest is about a white boy in the 1800's who is captured by Native Americans as a small child. The book is all about his return to and escape from his white family. It has a very shallow plot and the author seemed to take a very long time explaining a small action or custom. In the beginning, the chapters jump from the viewpoint of the main character, True Son, to that of a soldier who observes his actions. The changing of viewpoints makes the book very hard to follow. I do not think a teen or pre-teen would enjoy this book, though I would recommend it to a younger and more naive group of children who didn't care much for interesting plots or an exciting writing style.

I had to read this book for a History class. There were far too many Indian words which made boring. I didn't like the ending at all because it just ends and you never know how his life turns out. I would not recommend reading this book.

This book was the worst book i have ever read in my whole entire life!!!!! i cant believe i actually wasted my time!!! i had to read it for school, and i cant believe i even lived through reading it!!! I hated this book ssssoooooo much that i can barely even look at it!! It was sooooooooooo BORING!!! It made no sense!! And what kind of name is TRUE SON!!! This book was like scattered, meaning that it was all mixed up! I still cant believe i even wasted my time reading it!!! i regret it tooooooo toooo toooo much!! And by the way~~ if no stars was a choice, i would without a doubt choose that one!!!!!!!!

Ughhhhhhh!!!!! This book was absolutly horrible and terribly uneventful. It was as sappy story and I cant believe Ms. O'malley made us read it for sixth grade reading. It was too easy. The entire class hated it!

This book was very bad. It started off with a plot that fell apart with the boring yet meaningful(yeah right) Indian culture. True Son definately thought to himself way too much in this book{readers rather read action or dialogue instead of thoughts} and it would have never happened. I think that whoever reads this or is planning on reading it should read it quick to get it over with. Also, don't worry, the test is not hard.

This book was so boring and everybody in my LA class hated it. It was so full of violence and hatred. I really don't want to read about that. True Son acted like a five year old but he was really fifteen. I'd much rather read Harry Potter books.

For summer reading go in to 7th grade i had to read The Light in the Forest. At first i was estatic that it was only 120 pages. Little did i know they would be the longest 120 pages i've ever read. For school we had to answer questions on the first 8 chapters. by the time i was done with two i wanted to burn the book. THIS IS A HORRIBLE BOOK WITH NO POINT TO IT WHATSOEVER!!!!

So if you LIKE being BORED this IS the BOOK 4 YOU!!! take my advice and DON'T read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!anairda

I swear, this is the worst book i have ever been forced to read. THE. WORST. I hated this book because:

1. The main character is a complete idiot.

2. The entire plot makes no sense.

3. It's historical fiction, which is known to be boring.

4. When I was reading it, I read 10 pages into the book and fell asleep.

I mean, why waste your time on writing this?

Okay. A summary:

So there's this guy named True Son, he's white but he lives with Native Americans, he's taken away from them, he runs away, he gets all flaky and stupid, he returns to his white family (so he says) and it sucks. A lot.

Don't waste your money, seriously.

Well, if you love to: torture, murder, stab, punch, shoot, kill, cut, or inflict pain in anyway on yourself, THIS BOOK CAN HELP! if you're like me, you'll put down the stupid book burn it and then scatter the ashes over an indian grave. it because its so bad. the only people who think that this would be a good bok whatsoever would be the stupid english teachers. haven't you noticed how they always say that they love a certain book or genre, and then like EVERYBODY thinks that they're wrong? yea well here's another example. i mean also if you think about it, all of the people in the education industry are racist to themselves because they just LOVE to beat up on your on own culture. especially since they're like "oh yea, the indians are so great and have such peaceful minds" even though they dont even know what a stupid light bulb is. they are so advanced that they're not. woah.

Awful, just awful. Richter has gone to an all time low. Not only did the book fail to excite me just once, but it put me in a bad mood. The book is sad without any joy to balence that. I feel sorry for anyone who has to read this book, but for those of you who who are not required, do not waist your time or money on this piece of garbage.

my name is austin.I live in Texas and my L.A. teacher made us read this boring book. It is probably the most worst book I have ever read.i skipped 5 chapters because of this book's suckiness

DO NOT READ THIS DISCRASE TO ALL BOOKS. U WILL BE WASTING YOUR LIFE. I really came here to find answers about the book because i have not turned it in yet. its due tomorrow.

This is a typical Conrad Richter book, with skillfully-rendered dialects and a plot that rings true, coming from the eastern United States a couple of centuries ago. Without spoiling it, Richter deals with the hardships of repatriated Indian captives. Personally, I liked his "Awakening Land" trilogy more, but this was an authentic read.