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Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke
Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke | Andrew Lawler
20 posts | 11 read | 58 to read
A sweeping account of America's oldest unsolved mystery, the people racing to unearth its answer, and the sobering truths--about race, gender, and immigration--exposed by the Lost Colony of Roanoke In 1587, 115 men, women, and children arrived at Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina. Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I, their colony was to establish England's first foothold in the New World. But when the colony's leader, John White, returned to Roanoke from a resupply mission, his settlers were nowhere to be found. They left behind only a single clue--a "secret token" carved into a tree. Neither White nor any other European laid eyes on the colonists again. What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? For four hundred years, that question has consumed historians and amateur sleuths, leading only to dead ends and hoaxes. But after a chance encounter with a British archaeologist, journalist Andrew Lawler discovered that solid answers to the mystery were within reach. He set out to unravel the enigma of the lost settlers, accompanying competing researchers, each hoping to be the first to solve its riddle. In the course of his journey, Lawler encounters a host of characters obsessed with the colonists and their fate, and he determines why the Lost Colony continues to haunt our national consciousness. Thrilling and absorbing, The Secret Token offers a new understanding not just of the first English settlement in the New World but of how its disappearance continues to define--and divide--America.
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bookandbedandtea
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Pickpick

This appears to be a comprehensive look at what might have happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The author gives the known history & a great deal of background on the Elizabethan "characters"(both Old World and New) then goes on to examine many possible fates for these settlers. This is a mystery that will never be solved- although I think one theory makes more sense than any other- but this book presents the known facts in an interesting way.

KimM I need to get back to reading this one. Its very well-researched. 5y
bookandbedandtea @KimM This topic has always fascinated me and I think he does a good job with it. 5y
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bookandbedandtea
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I don't get to do it very often but I love starting my day with some reading in bed.

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readtheworld
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Pickpick

First audiobook of 2020 finished! This history of the lost Roanoke Colony also explores the modern-day obsession with discovering its fate. The first half was a bit slow at points, but I enjoyed it overall.

#audiobook #nonfiction #roanoke #history

Reviewsbylola I just had to return this to the library unread. Maybe someday! Roanoke fascinates me. 5y
readtheworld @Reviewsbylola It was really good on audio — I think in print I might have gotten bogged down in the recap of the colony‘s history. 5y
45 likes2 comments
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KimM
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Just finished this piece while reading this book. The book is immensely well researched. Check it out if you are interested in the early colonization of the US.

Lcsmcat I loved this book! And going to his talk/signing before I read it meant I heard it in his voice as I read. 6y
KimM I hate I missed his local appearance @Lcsmcat 6y
25 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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SharonGoforth
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Pickpick

This book is equal parts history, mystery, and adventure! It was both educational and entertaining. Highly recommend!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Reviewsbylola This has always been a fascinating subject to me. Stacking! 6y
SharonGoforth @Reviewsbylola Hope you enjoy it! 6y
57 likes8 stack adds2 comments
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SharonGoforth
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4 hours completed, and I have less than 50 pages to go in the tagged book. Need to take a break now and do a few things, then it will be back to reading this afternoon! #24in48 #readathon #breaktime

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SharonGoforth
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Reading The Secret Token on my lunch hour while following along with Google Maps. Fascinating book!!! #lunchtimereading #nonfiction #americanhistory

BarbaraTheBibliophage I love to look up the locations in books I‘m reading!! 🌏 6y
SharonGoforth @BarbaraTheBibliophage Yes! This book has maps that were drawn at the time, and I was comparing (or at least trying to) them with present day 🤓. 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Sounds interesting! 6y
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SharonGoforth
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My current reads! Enjoying both books 📚 #currentlyreading #ilovebigbooks

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Librarybelle
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Freshly processed at the library...I‘m fascinated by anything related to the Roanoke Colony, who disappeared in the late 1500s with hardly a trace.

Lissa00 I just read this, it is really good! 6y
Emilymdxn I misread this as ‘the secret Tolkien‘ and got really confused about how he was involved in Roanoke... 6y
rubyslippersreads This sounds great. 6y
See All 14 Comments
Librarybelle Wonderful to hear, @Lissa00 ! 6y
Librarybelle @Emilymdxn Who knows...maybe he had his own Roanoke theory... 6y
Librarybelle @rubyslippersreads I thought it sounded really good! 6y
Clare-Dragonfly Ooh, this sounds interesting! I‘ve been intrigued by the Roanoke colony disappearance for years as well. 6y
Librarybelle @Clare-Dragonfly 👍❤️ 6y
Lcsmcat This doesn‘t disappoint! I heard him speak about it last month. He‘s not only intelligent, he‘s entertaining. 6y
Julies_Bookshelf_Adventures That sounds so cool! I love learning about strange events in history! 6y
Librarybelle @Lcsmcat So good to hear! 6y
ferskner Another thing we share... Are you into the Titanic, too?? 6y
Librarybelle @ferskner I have read and watched a lot about the Titanic! I think anything odd or cataclysmic in history has me very interested. Yay to more things in common! ❤️ 6y
79 likes10 stack adds14 comments
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Lcsmcat
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My #Junewrapup includes four audiobooks, four paper books, and five ebooks. My favorite was The Secret Token. Even if you‘ve never heard of the List Colony, you would enjoy this book. #readingresolutions @Jess7

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Lissa00
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It is BRUTALLY hot today but I am trying to get in some morning outside reading with this gem. I grew up vacationing each summer in the Outer Banks so I am very interested in these discoveries.

KimM I'm reading this now too. Pretty interesting so far. Especially if you've spent a good deal of time at the #OBX 6y
BarbaraJean This sounds super interesting—but I misread the title and spent the longest time trying to figure out what Tolkien might have to do with the lost colony of Roanoke. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 6y
Lissa00 @KimM My family used to go to the Lost Colony play every year like the author and my opinion of it changed through the years just like his 😄 6y
Lissa00 @BarbaraJean Well there are crazy theories about vampires and the undead so you never know 😂 6y
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Lcsmcat
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Pickpick

Enjoyable, readable, and reliable. Lawler does a review of the facts that anyone who has read about the Lost Colony knows, but then he goes on to examine them in terms of politics and global trade, greed and self-interest of the parties, and other human factors. He examines the research, including debunked myths and legends and the reasons they arose in the first place. Finally, he applies Occam‘s razor and through it, propounds his theory. 🌟

Crazeedi This looks good , adding! 6y
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Lcsmcat
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“Between the time of White‘s departure and the second wave of the English is an unbridgeable gap that even the most upgraded version of Ancestry.com cannot span.” 😂

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Lcsmcat
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“I had covered lots of archaeology digs throughout my journalistic career, including in the fractious Middle East, but had never encountered such hostility and suspicion among people essentially seeking the same thing.”

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GerardtheBookworm
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Pickpick

Don't expect Lady Gaga to go all Scathach and get all Born This Way with Virginia Dare. This is the real Roanoke with all the rich history of the missing colonial settlers and all the plausible theories of what happened to these people. Informative and interesting if you're a history buff who enjoys a little myth and folklore.

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Lcsmcat
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“For nearly a year, the English mistakenly thought the Indians called their land Wingandacoia; it turned out this was a polite phrase meaning ‘you wear great clothes‘” 😂 Yes, it‘s as good as his talk was!

TiredLibrarian This one sounds really interesting. 6y
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Lcsmcat
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Lawler‘s presentation was entertaining and informative. If his book is as good as his talk, I‘m in for a treat! (Photo from Google - I got his autograph but not his picture.) #authorevent #lostcolony #roanoke

MallenNC I'm interested in this book! 6y
DreesReads I found the book fascinating, and quite different from other Roanoke books I have read—it goes right up to the present! Probably because he is an archaeologist more than a historian! 6y
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Lcsmcat
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1. Blue, all shades;
2. nothing recently;
3. The Satanic Verses;
4. Ketchup and mayonnaise;
5. Taking my mother to an author event for the tagged book!
#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

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DreesReads
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Pickpick

This #narrativehistory from #netgalley is the best #nonfiction book I have read this year! Lawler explores the lead-up to the Roanoke colony, the establishment of it, the searching for it by Gov. White and others—right up to 21st century research and ideas. An excellent read, very well-written and covers research that most Roanoke colony books don‘t touch on. #netgalleyTBRattack #americanhistory

RaimeyGallant Interesting! 7y
tracyrowanreads That sounds interesting. 7y
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DreesReads
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