A Book Talk by Andrew Lipman ’01 in Conversation with James H. Merrell, Professor Emeritus of History

Prize-winning historian Andrew Lipman explores the mysteries that still surround Squanto, best known as a liaison between Native Americans and the Mayflower Pilgrims, using newly uncovered resources: How did he escape bondage and return home? Why did he help the English after an Englishman enslaved him? Why did he threaten Plymouth’s fragile peace with its neighbors? Was it true that he converted to Christianity on his deathbed? Lipman will discuss Squanto’s upbringing, his transatlantic odyssey, his career as an interpreter, his surprising downfall, and his enigmatic death.

Join us for a conversation on Lipman’s new book, Squanto: A Native Odyssey, with James H. Merrell where they will discuss the figure of Squanto, “a few matters of form and style” in historical writing, and the importance of mentorship.

Andrew Lipman graduated from Vassar College in 2001 with a degree in history. He is now Associate Professor of History at Barnard College, where he teaches a range of classes on Early America. His first book, The Saltwater Frontier, was awarded several honors, including the 2016 Bancroft Prize in American History.

Jim Merrell is Lucy Maynard Salmon Professor of History Emeritus. He taught Early American and Native History at Vassar from 1984 to 2023. He has received several awards for Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier (1999; the Bancroft Prize; Pulitzer Prize Finalist).

Co-sponsored by: American Studies Program, History Department, and the Dean of Faculty Office.

This event is open to the public.