Blevins brings to light the somewhat obscure life of Sacajawea's son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, and weaves it into an enjoyable and meaningful novel. Charbonneau was half Indian and half white, which explains his dilemma of being torn between two worlds. Taken into custody by William Clark, Charbonneau begins his early education in both Protestant and Catholic schools in St. Louis, goes to Europe with Prince Paul of Wurttemberg for six years to continue his education and culture, comes back to St. Louis and then enters the fur trade. As the years go by, we see how he attempts to balance himself between the Indian and white man's world. Blevins' writing is very descriptive in detail, particulars and trivia of the present moment. It is as though he himself was there and lived it. I do not normally read fiction based on fact, but this is an exception to the rule.

This book is a fictional biography of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau. Very little is known of Jean Baptiste but Blevins imaginatively builds his novel around the small historical record. His characterization is plausible and enjoyable to read. It contains many vignettes that relate to events in the Fur Trade Era so interest is maintained. It is remarkable that Blevins was able to capture many insights into what it is like to be a half-breed. My Mother was Pawnee and my Dad was of Scottish extraction. I can vouch for some of the more contemplative passages in the novel that express Jean Baptiste's feelings regarding his special social status. For buckskinners, this is an important piece of literature that helps to fully express the society of the fur trade. For everyone else, it is just a good read.

This is a seemingly well-researched biography of one member of the famous expedition who didn't have any stories of his own to tell about it, since he was only 18 months old when his parents parted from Lewis and Clark. Certainly many have asked, "Whatever happened to "Pomp"? He seems to have been a loner; his parents allowed Captain Clark to become his mentor in St. Louis, where he was educated with other half-Indian boys. During his entire life he saw little of Sacagawea (who died when he was 8) or Toussaint Charbonneau, his father, who was a guide and trapper. In his travels, Jean Baptiste crossed paths with many of the famous explorers and shapers of the American West. I'm no longer a "young adult," but found the book very interesting.

A wonderful history lesson for young adults. This factual chronicle of the life of Sacajawea's son, Charbonneau, will dispel the myth that Clark (of Lewis & Clark) made good on his promise to his Indian guide, Sacajawea. He did provide an education and board and room, but little else. In spite of the prejudice this boy faced, he was able to succeed in life. The book is well-written, factual, and written without predjudice. I would recommend this for required reading in junior high school.

Though not necessarily an "easy read," I found this novel rich and rewarding, contrary to the experience of some reviewers here. Author Hall imaginatively recasts the amazing, nation-building "expedition of exploration" of Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. In an adventurous literary conceit, he weaves four voices through the narrative: co-captains Lewis and Clark, native American Sacagawea, and French Trader, Toussaint Charbonneau, finding a unique voice, eyes, and ears, for each guide along our journey. The least compelling, in my opinion, is Charbonneau; perhaps the most is Sacagawea, who probably deserved her own novel. Her passages are sometimes difficult to get through, with their lack of "Western" grammar, capitalized proper nouns, and strange punctuation, but they effectively give voice to the voiceless-despite Sacagawea's profile on the new, gold, one-dollar U.S. coin, little is truly known about her nor many other native Americans who figure in our history.
Lewis' and Clark's narrative voices are more straightforward, though no less compelling. Lewis is a tragic figure, who eventually commits suicide. Hall implies, though does not directly state, a latent homosexuality in Lewis, an unrequited love toward Clark that seems to go beyond the "brotherly" love of soldiers in arms. Clark is more confident and assured and seems to bind the voyage together. As I read the novel, I found myself on the voyage, alongside Hall's quartet, imagined much more effectively than any nonfiction account. It helps to be familiar with the story, as many of the voyage's details are left out or implied.
At the beginning of the bicentennial of this phenomenal voyage, "I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company" makes a great bookmark with Stephen Ambrose's classic nonfiction account, "Undaunted Courage."

I loved this book!
It tells the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark from the perspectives of the participants, particularly Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea. Their voices form competing versions of the expedition; together they weave a narrative like glimpses of a river seen through branches. I was left with the sense that I had explored much more than just the blank space of the unknown on the map.

The mysteries in the hearts and minds of the characters unfolded inside of me. By the end of the book they had filled in a map of memories and desires that kept speaking to me long after I had closed the book.

This is a lyrical and rewarding book that will change the way you view the opening of the west and the history of America in general, along with what it means to explore the unknown, both up a river and through someone's heart.

I loved this book!
It tells the famous expedition of Lewis and Clark from the perspectives of the participants, particularly Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea. Their voices form competing versions of the expedition; together they weave a narrative like glimpses of a river seen through branches. I was left with the sense that I had explored much more than just the blank space of the unknown on the map.
The mysteries in the hearts and minds of the characters unfolded inside of me. By the end of the book they had filled in a map of memories and desires that kept speaking to me long after I had closed the book.
This is a lyrical and rewarding book that will change the way you view the opening of the west and the history of America in general, along with what it means to explore the unknown, both up a river and through someone's heart.