Louise Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for this book. In my opinion, very well-deserved. It is based on her grandfather's fight against Native dispossession that he took from North Dakota to Washington D.C. in the early 1950s.
Thomas Wazhashk (based on Erdrich's grandfather) is the night watchman at a plant located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota where jewels are used to make drill bits and watch movements. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new âemancipationâ bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn't about freedom--it is a âterminationâ that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity.
The book is also about life on the reservation including joy and struggles to survive the poverty there. Several stories are included. A main character is Pixie Paranteau who insists on being called Patrice. She also works at the jewel-bearing plant along with some other Native women who are hired for their good eyesight and dexterity in setting the jewels. The pay is very minimal but she is able to support her mother and brother. Her sister, Vera, has gone to the "Cities" (Minneapolis) and disappeared. Pixie decides to try and find her which leads to a very harsh world of violence and exploitation. She does locate Vera's baby but Vera's fate is in doubt.
The novel paints a vivid picture of life on the reservation with some very interesting characters. Pixie may be looking for love but she is not sure when or if she will find it. The story of Thomas and his fight in Washington is based on fact and leaves a bad taste regarding the politicians who want to exploit the Indians and take what little land they have. This is especially true regarding Senator Arthur V. Watkins from Utah who sponsored the termination bill and was a racist who followed the teachings of the Mormon church and felt that whites were entitled to seize the land of Native Americans and that Indians should be assimilated into white society. Overall, I would highly recommend this and I will be reading more of Erdrich.
Thomas Wazhashk (based on Erdrich's grandfather) is the night watchman at a plant located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota where jewels are used to make drill bits and watch movements. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new âemancipationâ bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn't about freedom--it is a âterminationâ that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity.
The book is also about life on the reservation including joy and struggles to survive the poverty there. Several stories are included. A main character is Pixie Paranteau who insists on being called Patrice. She also works at the jewel-bearing plant along with some other Native women who are hired for their good eyesight and dexterity in setting the jewels. The pay is very minimal but she is able to support her mother and brother. Her sister, Vera, has gone to the "Cities" (Minneapolis) and disappeared. Pixie decides to try and find her which leads to a very harsh world of violence and exploitation. She does locate Vera's baby but Vera's fate is in doubt.
The novel paints a vivid picture of life on the reservation with some very interesting characters. Pixie may be looking for love but she is not sure when or if she will find it. The story of Thomas and his fight in Washington is based on fact and leaves a bad taste regarding the politicians who want to exploit the Indians and take what little land they have. This is especially true regarding Senator Arthur V. Watkins from Utah who sponsored the termination bill and was a racist who followed the teachings of the Mormon church and felt that whites were entitled to seize the land of Native Americans and that Indians should be assimilated into white society. Overall, I would highly recommend this and I will be reading more of Erdrich.
