Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

The author does a masterful job of making a technical and possibly ghoulish kind of archaeology accessible to lay and young readers. Though many adults are used to this kind of forensic detective work from TV crime scenes and Patricia Cornwell's heroine, it might not appear so benign to some. I suggest that anyone who is put off by the idea of digging up old skeletons of people buried (some reverently)300 years ago should read the last few pages of the book where these archaeologists reveal a sensitivity to these individuals who lived so long ago. I am blown away by how much can be learned about the lives of our earliest settlers from this kind of forensic examination of their bones. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is going ot visit either Jamestown, VA. or St. Mary's City in MD.

As an armchair archaeologist, homeschooling mom, and former librarian, this book pushes absolutely all my buttons! The marriage of fantastic photos and diagrams with engaging, intelligent, and accessible text pulls readers into the science of forensic anthropology effortlessly. One of the things I appreciated most is Walker's expert ability to unfold the story of each set of remains and the detective work involved in studying them so that the reader experiences each discovery and step along with the researchers. She also offers clear explanations of each forensic technique used and its applications. It is obvious that she has a passion for her subject and a deep respect for those people whose stories are all but lost to time. By the end of the book, the reader learns a surprising number of forensic techniques, both technological and intellectual. Other books may offer this same information, but few will involve the reader so personally in the subject matter. I only hope I can make it to the Smithsonian to view the exhibit upon which this book is based!

Have you ever watched an archaeology dig on the Discovery Channel and thought that it would be something you just might be interested in as a career? If so, you will be fascinated by this book. When we think of archaeology, we mostly tend to think of places like Egypt, but the archaeological digs in this book were conducted right here in the United States. The author, Sally Walker, was fortunate enough to be able to gaze down into the graves of Colonial Americans as they were unearthed. She was standing by the side of Dr. Douglas Owsley, who could often determine the cause of death just by taking a close look at the bones! Many times when going into the past "archaeologists try to fill in the gaps in the historical record." Owsley, a "leading forensic anthropologist," was an essential member of the Jamestown Rediscovery and other similar projects. In this marvelous book we follow him in his quest to discover our American heritage through bones. He would examine the skeletons "in situ" (in place) before removing them from their graves. In this book we rediscover important men and women like Sir Lionel Copley, the "first royal governor of Maryland," and his wife Anne who were buried in extremely rare lead coffins. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we find a young teen who was buried in a trash pit underneath William Neale's house. Now his bones told the tale of a life of hard labor and from the look of things he may have been murdered. Hmmmm, where's Owsley? I was utterly entranced by this book. There are numerous "unsolved" mysteries in this book, until Douglas Owsley takes a look that is. The writing is excellent. The book is peppered with photographs, sidebars and diagrams that grace almost every page. In the back there is a timeline, a bibliography and additional recommended books and websites. In one of these graves even the archaeologists were shocked to see who was in there. As they say, "expect the unexpected," but I would say you can expect to love this book!

Sally Walker brings science to life on the page in every book she's ever written - and this latest one is not only an incredible achievement in terms of her writing prowess, it is also beautifully illustrated. Walker's meticulous research and her amazing ability to explain (in this case the complexities of the science of forensic archeology) are virtually unparalleled.

Although I haven't seen this particular book yet, her first was amazing. I've seen her at the Iowa Reading Conference several times and book talks don't get any better. I believe her research in the past has been done on location and she'd even worked with the Smithsonian. I'm way pumped to get this book for our library at school. The kids will love it.