How much do you really know about Daniel Boone?

“The Taking of Jemima Boone” by Matthew Pearl
Author Matthew Pearl recently released his first nonfiction book. “The Taking of Jemima Boone” tells true stories from Daniel Boone’s life and the American frontier.
Book cover courtesy of Harper Collins | Author photo courtesy of Shanna Fisher

There’s more to Daniel Boone than the stereotype of an explorer wearing deerskin and a raccoon hat.

On her Friday book show, MPR News host Kerri Miller sorted fact from fiction with the help of Matthew Pearl. “The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap That Shaped America” is Pearl’s latest book and his first nonfiction work. In it, he describes how Boone thought he could live peacefully in Kentucky with the Native Americans whose land he’s stolen — until his daughter, Jemima, was kidnapped by them.

But despite that, Boone’s relationship with the region’s tribes was always as admiring as it was adversarial.

Guest:

Use the audio player above to listen to their conversation.

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