A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson AuthorMary Rowlandson CountryUnited States LanguageEnglish GenreCaptivity narrative Publication date 1682 Mary (White) Rowlandson was a colonial American woman who was captured during an attack by Native Americans during King Philip's War and held ransom for 11 weeks and 5 days. After being released, she wrote A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, also known as The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. It is a work in the literary genre of captivity narratives. It is considered to be one of America's first bestsellers, four editions appearing in 1682 when it was first published.