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The Captured

A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier

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About this listen

On New Year's Day in 1870, 10-year-old Adolph Korn was kidnapped by an Apache raiding party. Traded to Comanches, he thrived in the rough nomadic existence, quickly becoming one of the tribe's fiercest warriors. Forcibly returned to his parents after three years, Korn never adjusted to life in white society. He spent his last years living in a cave, all but forgotten by his family.

That is, until Scott Zesch stumbled upon his great-great-great-uncle's grave. Determined to understand how such a "good boy" could have become Indianized so completely, Zesch traveled across the West, digging through archives, speaking with Comanche elders, and tracking eight other child captives from the region with hauntingly similar experiences. With a historian's rigor and a novelist's eye, Zesch paints a vivid portrait of life on the Texas frontier in The Captured and offers one of the few nonfiction accounts of captivity.

©2004 Scott Zesch (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks Americas Indigenous Peoples State & Local United States Disappearance Native American American Indian

Critic reviews

"A fascinating, meticulously documented chronicle of the often-painful confrontations between whites and Indians during the final years of Indian Territory." ( Booklist)
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I came across this book by accident and am very glad I did so. The way the author put together the strange stories of the german/american child captives makes you want to keep listening until you find out the end game. It is a real 'page turner'.
I was unaware of the fate of Adolph,Rudolph, Dot and the rest of the captives until I read this. Scott Zesch tells of their capture, release and subsequent struggle to come to terms with life back with their families. It tells the history of the plains indians in Texas over a 20 year period using these captives as a means to tell the story.
I was so enthralled that I listened to the whole thing in less that 2 days. It is all the more interesting because it is not just a story, it is about real people who survived well into the 20th century.

fascinating read

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Fascinating facts about captured white children in the latter half of the 19th century, and especially the author’s ancestor. Since I am on a Paulette Jiles binge, my curiousity to learn more about these children was quenched here. Sensitively written, powerfully and candidly read, this is an excellent all round listen.

Such a satisfying read

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Such a well researched and beautifully written account. Non fiction that felt like fiction due to the wildness of what was going on in that time. I loved the easy going narration too, nice to listen to. I felt sad when the book was over- I’ve been listening to it like an addict but also, it’s all over for those incredible native people and their vulnerable white Indians. This wasn’t biased and wasn’t romanticised- it was balanced and informative.

I couldn’t stop listening

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I listened to this in one go. It was very entertaining and also informative re. early Pioneer life and that if the Native American customs etc. Well worth the listen.

Great real life captive story.

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It is a shame that that the original people of America never stood a chance to live their lives in the way that they had always lived, and were butchered by interlopers, who were just interested in depriving the indians of life itself.
It is still the same today as it was back then, (you have it and I want it!
Very interesting, if you are interested in the in Native American, not the people who say that they are American.

Native American Indian History.

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