Museum of Human Beings: A Novel - Tapa dura

"Sargent's debut novel is a stylish look at the fate of Sacagawea's baby son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau . . . Increasingly haunted by his mother, Baptiste revisits her in memories and visions that lend themselves nicely to Sargent's lyrical prose . . . an impressively rounded portrait of Baptiste, this novel will satisfy fans of American history." "--Publishers Weekly"

"Sargent's debut novel is a stylish look at the fate of Sacagawea's baby son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau . . . Increasingly haunted by his mother, Baptiste revisits her in memories and visions that lend themselves nicely to Sargent's lyrical prose . . . an impressively rounded portrait of Baptiste, this novel will satisfy fans of American history." "Publishers Weekly""

"Sargent's debut novel is a stylish look at the fate of Sacagawea's baby son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau . . . Increasingly haunted by his mother, Baptiste revisits her in memories and visions that lend themselves nicely to Sargent's lyrical prose . . . an impressively rounded portrait of Baptiste, this novel will satisfy fans of American history." --Publishers Weekly

"From the beginning to the novel's spellbinding conclusion, playwright and poet Sargent allows us an intimate glimpse into what could have been the heart of Jean-Baptiste. This memorable novel will captivate all who read it. Highly recommended." --Library Journal

"A grand and interesting romp through history, an intriguing, masterfully written novel." --Michael C. White, author, Soul Catcher

"Magic. There is real heart . . . real depth and humanity . . . full of polish and authority . . . I stand to applaud [Sargent's] talent. He's the real thing." --Jack Driscoll, author, How Like an Angel

"One of the most satisfying works of fiction that I have read in years. . . . Sargent sends the youthful Baptiste on a multi-leveled grand tour of discovery that never lets up or disappoints." --Maine Sunday Telegram

"The book is beautifully written, and has a good sense of time and place." -- Historical Novels Review

"Strongly reflecting the author's ability as a playwright and poet, [this book] is rich with unusual historical detail. . . . It is a fascinating and ultimately tragic tale of a usually forgotten player in this country's story." --Denver Post

"It's spooky like Hawthorne, with a Toni Morrison-like sense of place. It's a huge and important project." --Joan Connor, author, History Lessons

A Shoshone woman, Sacagawea, leads Lewis and Clark to the Pacific at the turn of the nineteenth century. On her back is a tiny infant. He is her son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, the youngest member of the Expedition?a child caught between two worlds who is later raised by Clark as his foster son. When the teenage Baptiste attracts the notice of the visiting Duke Paul, Prince of Württemberg, Clark approves of the duke’s ?experiment” to educate the boy at court. A gleeful Duke Paul has Baptiste trained as a concert pianist and exhibits him throughout Europe as a ?half gentleman?half animal.”

Eventually Baptiste turns his back on the Old World and returns to the New, determined to find his true place there. He travels into the heart of the American wilderness, and into the depths of his mother’s soul, on an epic quest for identity that brings sacrifice, loss, and the distant promise of redemption.