1sweetiegherkin
In November, we'll be reading books by Louise Erdrich. Ms. Erdrich was also one of our authors several years back, but I have to confess I am too lazy right now to search through our archives for a link to that discussion thread.
There is one book by Erdrich on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, which is her first novel Love Medicine. I read that as well as her books The Round House and The Plague of Doves. I liked all three and have several of her other titles on my TBR pile.
What about everyone else? What do you plan on reading in November? If you've read anything else by Erdrich, what was it and how'd you feel about it?
There is one book by Erdrich on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, which is her first novel Love Medicine. I read that as well as her books The Round House and The Plague of Doves. I liked all three and have several of her other titles on my TBR pile.
What about everyone else? What do you plan on reading in November? If you've read anything else by Erdrich, what was it and how'd you feel about it?
2sweetiegherkin
Incidentally, November is also Native American Indian Heritage Month, so it's fitting to be reading Erdrich then. While that's not our main focus here, recommendations of other indigenous author would be welcome so we can all round out our reading.
3EMS_24
It was in January 2015
4sweetiegherkin
>3 EMS_24: Thanks! Gold star for you :)
5BookConcierge
I love Erdrich's writing. But I've never read Love Medicine so maybe I'll get to it in November
6sweetiegherkin
>5 BookConcierge: I enjoyed it enough to want to keep reading more of her books. Hopefully you'll like it too!
7bell7
I hope to read Plague of Doves.
I have read The Round House, which I loved, Shadow Tag which I did not, and The Master Butchers Singing Club which was somewhere in the middle.
I have read The Round House, which I loved, Shadow Tag which I did not, and The Master Butchers Singing Club which was somewhere in the middle.
8sweetiegherkin
>7 bell7: FYI, Erdrich does a lot of loose series. Plague of Doves precedes The Round House and features many of the same characters. I found it a bit haunting to read that one second, knowing what I knew about those characters from The Round House. There is also a third book to that particular loose series -- Future Home of the Living God; I'm not sure if she continued with more after that.
I have a TON of reading catch-up to do this month, so I'm not sure if I will get to any Erdrich unfortunately. I do have a copy of The Porcupine Year, one of her books for young readers, at home so if I have some spare time, I will read that.
I have a TON of reading catch-up to do this month, so I'm not sure if I will get to any Erdrich unfortunately. I do have a copy of The Porcupine Year, one of her books for young readers, at home so if I have some spare time, I will read that.
9BookConcierge
The Game of Silence – Louise Erdrich
Digital audiobook performed by Anna Fields.
4****
Book two in the Birchbark House series which is about an Ojibwa tribe’s life on their island in Lake Superior in the mid-19th century. Omakayas is the young girl who narrates this book, which chronicles a year on the island that is today known as Madeline Island.
I love how Erdrich depicts these people and their way of life. Not everything is pleasant or easy, but there is room for joy and happiness, for children to explore and learn. I loved the various adventures (and misadventures) Omakayas, her younger brother Pinch and cousin Two Strike, a girl who is every bit as strong and fierce as any boy her age, get into. It is two years after book one, and Omakayas is growing up. At age nine she has more responsibility to help with the necessary tasks of tribal living. Her intelligence, courage and spirit are recognized by the elders, and her friendship with a white girl, whom she calls “the Break Apart Girl” because of her tightly corseted waist, will be important to them all as they face the changes to their way of life.
Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, and she spoke to various Ojibwa elders about the significance of Madeline Island. Events depicted are historically accurate. The text version includes Erdrich’s pencil drawing illustrations. I definitely will continue reading this series.
Anna Fields does a marvelous job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and her diction is clear enough that even younger children will not have trouble following the story.
10sweetiegherkin
>9 BookConcierge: I did end up reading The Porcupine Year in November, but haven't reviewed it yet. I did not realize when I picked it up that it is part of the Birchbark House series as well.
11sparemethecensor
I'm starting Shadow Tag today and you are making me want to read The Birchbark House series, too! I didn't realize until I was at the library how vast her bibliography is.
12sweetiegherkin
>11 sparemethecensor: She is so prolific! I didn't realize at first either.
13bell7
>8 sweetiegherkin: I'd forgotten that it was related to The Round House, so thanks for that! It took me 'til December, but I did indeed finish Plague of Doves and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll have to reread The Round House now and read LaRose to round out the related books/characters.
14sparemethecensor
I finished Shadow Tag today. I think my expectations were too high as I liked but didn't love this novel. The characterization felt incomplete given that it's more of a character study of a family than it is a plot driven novel. That said, I really liked Erdrich's writing and I would read more. I'm thinking of Round House next since it seems to be her most famous work and it connects to many of her other books.
Edit to fix touchstone
Edit to fix touchstone
15sweetiegherkin
>14 sparemethecensor: From what I've read of Erdrich's works, she does seem to lean more towards characterization than plot, but some of her books do have more of a storyline than others.
16BookConcierge
The Night Watchman– Louise Erdrich
Audiobook performed by the author
4****
Winner of the Pulitzer prize. Erdrich was inspired by the true story of her grandfather, who successfully fought against a US Senator intent on “eliminating” various Indian tribes.
The setting for the novel is 1953, on the Turtle Mountain reservation in North Dakota. Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing factory, where many of the women of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa are employed. The jewel bearings are used by the Defense Department, and in the manufacture of certain watches. He’s also the tribal elder and very concerned about a proposed bill in Congress to abrogate nation-to-nation treaties, which calls for the termination of five tribes, including his. Thomas is a thinker, deliberate and willing to entertain different ideas, but always following his own conscience. His appearance before Congress was masterful.
His niece, Patrice “Pixie” Paranteau is one of the women working at the plant, earning barely enough to support her, her mother and younger brother. She must deal with a number of family issues as well. Her sister left for Minneapolis some time before and has now disappeared, while their alcoholic father occasionally makes an appearance causing havoc for the family.
Erdrich uses these two parallel and interconnecting story lines to highlight the life, struggles and triumphs of the Native Americans during this era. Many of their problems stemmed for institutional racism: the efforts of the U.S. government to strip the land from the indigenous peoples, to eradicate their culture by forcing children to attend boarding schools where they were forbidden from using their native languages and frequently mistreated, and the government’s continued paternalistic attitudes that viewed the Native Americans as unintelligent savages, not worthy of help or assistance.
I loved these characters, and the many supporting characters in the book. Patrice, in particular, spoke to me. She’s intelligent, straightforward, and principled. She thinks quickly, averting trouble or getting out of sticky situations on her own. She’s cautious about romantic entanglements, as well.
Erdrich weaves in elements of Native mythology and folklore, employing magical realism in some scenes.
The audiobook is read by the author, and I cannot imagine anyone doing a better job. She really brings these characters to life. Brava.