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Summary: A surprising choice for Middle School students!
Review: This short novel begins with a 1764 setting in the forests of central Ohio (near present-day Coshocton, Ohio) at the junction of the Muskingum, the Tuscarawas, and the Waldhoning Rivers. The book presents a somewhat romanticized picture of the American Indian at that time. The central character is John Cameron Butler, known as True Son in the Delaware tribe with which he has lived since he was four years old. He is now fifteen and his life is being uprooted once again. The Indians have signed a treaty in which they have to return all white captives to their original families, even those who don't wish to go. All John knows is his life as an Indian and now he has to return to the family (in Paxton, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River) he hasn't seen for eleven years. But, he doesn't fit in there and he finds himself caught between two cultures. Although very well written, it appears that Richter is suggesting that Indian/colonists interactions were doomed from the very beginning. One culture had to win and one had to lose. He presents the case where neither culture appeared willing to tolerate nor to understand the other. And, in more general terms, in my opinion Richter seems to hint that all such cultural conflicts are fated to fail. This is a rather sad commentary on man. I certainly hope it is not true and that there are good chances for Serb/Albanian, Irish/English, Indian/Pakistani, etc., interactions. This book is often used in reading assignments for students ranging from ages eleven through fourteen. I find it also a depressing thought that such a dark vision of man's capacity for tolerance and understanding is being presented to young, impressionable minds. I would have hoped that teachers in the 1990s would have found literary sources with a less negative outlook. It would appear that some of the negative reviews provided by earlier, and much younger, readers have some validity.
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Summary: A Great Read for a History Buff
Review: 'The Light in The Forest' is a book about a young White boy from 18th century America who was born as a "frontier child" but was then stolen by Indians when very young and brought up as an Indian for ten years. His Indian name is True Son, and his white name is John Butler. When he is about 15 years old, he is forced to go back and live with his real White family. He is devastated because he was brought up to hate the Whites, and now he is being forced to live with them and to practice their culture. At first True Son refuses to comply at all with the Whites and tries to escape. After a while, and after spending much time with the Whites though, it seems that True Son is beginning to accept and become used to their culture, and is starting to lose his Indian ways. It looks as if all of the Indian in him has been run over and destroyed, when one night, he finds his old Indian friend / cousin and escapes with him from the Whites to a long journey back home to his old Indian town. It seems now that all the Indian he left behind has been renewed to him and most of what the whites forced into his head is gone when, with little warning, True Son must make a life-altering decision that will decide his fate, and that will decide what culture he is to live with. I really enjoyed this book; it showed the conflict between whites and Indians in 18th century America very well. It was filled with action and adventure, and although short, it still developed the characters and the plot so that you had a broad understanding of what kind of decisions this young man had to make, how it must have been like being bounced from culture to culture (especially in that day), and how hard things must have been in general. This understanding of the character is what keeps you reading and keeps you itching to find out where fate will put John Butler/ True Son. I would recommend this book because of these reasons, and because of the way the author attacked the overlying conflict between Whites and Indians: he spoke of it from both the White's and the Indian's sides. Because of this the reader can understand the conflict from both sides, and can not easily pick a side to support, which made things interesting. Lastly, in my opinion, this book is quite unpredictable, and you can't tell how it will complete itself until the very end, which made the book more fun to read. If you enjoy history, and adventure you will probably enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE
Review: i'm a middle school student, and as a part of the cirriculm we were to read The Light in the Forest. me, along with all of my classmates agreed that it was honestly a waste of time. we all were bored to death, and considering its a book from the 50's, it really shouldn't be in a cirriculum of 2004 or any year as a matter of fact. as john said, if this book were alive, i'd kill it. no offence to mr. richter, but we all hated it.
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Summary: Book Review of A Light in the Forest for Social Studies
Review: A Light In The Forest centers around a fifteen-year-old boy named True Son, who lived with the Lenni Lenape for eleven years, ever since the Indians had captured him during an attack on a farm. He was adopted by Cuyloga and Quaquenga, a family of the Lenni Lenape, and became one of them.
One day, his village learns that all white prisoners must be returned to their birth families, and his father takes him to the camp of soldiers that will take True Son to Pennsylvania. True Son's experiences in an English town and his desire to return to his village are the storyline of the book. This book is appropriate for eight graders, though the author, Conrad Richter, portrays some scenes almost too vividly. Children who have been in a divorce situation can relate to True Son and his feelings of abandonment. The book does an excellent job of informing readers of how the English and the Indians viewed each other, and gives the reader the unique viewpoint of True Son. For entertainment, the book falls a little short, occasionally losing your attention by attempting to summarize events without going into any detail. Overall, the book is not a bad read, and would be especially enjoyable if you like historic novels from this period.
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Summary: The Light In The Forest
Review: The Light In the Forest is a story writen by the author Conrad Richter. "The Light In The Forest" represents a white boy living amongst the forest with the Indians. His white name is John Butler, but his Indian name is True son. He was left in the forest by accident by his real father and was adopted by the Indians, and he learned how to libe by their ways. That the white men were the enemy's. As he got older around the age of 15, he returned to the white people. This story is about him having to deal with returning to the white people, and how he react to it and in the end, and where he goes.
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Summary: light in the forest
Review: this book waz a great interesting boook to read for people of all age, its a book that i enjoyed read in class and i know if you read this book you going to like it .The light in the forest is intresting story about a boy that lost his indian and his has to go live with his real father and he don't like it there and the end of the this book is going to suprise you .
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Summary: The Light In The Forest
Review: Another chapter for the Indian adventure genre....That's what I thought when I was assigned to read and analyze this book. But to my astonishment, as I dove deeper into the unfolding plot, I discovered that this book differed from what I had first predicted. Conrad Richter not only gives insight into the views of the white settlers, as is most commonly found, but he gives and expounds on powerful views and points of the natives....who only wish to keep their land and have been forced to attempt to protect it by violent means from the never-ending oncoming of the white man. The native Indian is commonly portrayed as a savage....with no moral values....as a blood-thirsty murderer who cares not for the ideals of the of the modern world. This perception is corrected by Conrad Richter. They are morally superior to the whites and are only misunderstood. The story begins as True Son, a white child captured long ago but now accepted as a Lenni Lenape, is told that an agreement had been reached by the warring natives and the white army. One condition of the treaty was that all captured settlers are to be returned to army. True Son, although white, has been raised to live like an Indian, to look like an Indian, so naturally, he feels Indian: he is Indian. The thought of leaving his home is unbearable to him and so the first of many conflicts is introduced. We follow on as True Son stays with his maternal family and as he escapes and returns back home. Back to the vast forests, to the wilderness, to the Lenni Lenape. In the end, True Son is expelled by his Indian father for feeling compassion for the whites and is left alone. He has no one. In the end, I enjoyed this book because of its simple form yet powerful impact through the views and ideals given by Richter.
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Summary: My Opinions Of The Story
Review: The book "The Light In The Forest" was an interesting story about a young white boy who was adopted by native indians.I thought that the book was similar to everyday life.Except at the end of the story the young child is turned away from his own step father.The white parents of the child return for him and fight for the right of being his parents again.But it is too late for the child "John" has already grew acustom to the indians way of life and living ways.This book did have some action events in it which took place in the forest.There for my opinion on this book gets three stars.Honestly I wouldnt mind reading it again.
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Summary: Short But Sweet
Review: The Light in the Forest is a Short, but descriptive book about John Butler's life as a white boy raised an Indian. John butler aka True Son struggles to live like the white man after he is told he must be returned to his real parents. The ending of The light in the Forest is quite a shock when True Son and his Indian Father Cuyloga split ways and True Son is never to return.
Although short this book was very enjoyable and I recommend it for any one that wants a good book.
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Summary: The Light in the Forest
Review: The Light in the forest is an interesting story.It was about a boy named John Butler who was adopted by Indians at a very young age. His Indian name was tru son. He lived with the Indians for many years, but at the age of fifteen he had to go back to his real family. After being with his real family, he decided to go back with the indians. He almost got killed and was betrayed by his both families.
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