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The fifteen essays gathered in this volume, written by leading scholars of Native American literature, explore Chippewa and German-American Louis Erdrich's fiction from multiple perspectives, offering creative and cultural contexts, thematic considerations and close reading of some of her recent novels. This title was awarded the Adele Mellen Prize for Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship. This work is a collection of critical essays on the fiction and scholarship of one of Native America's most loved and respected writers. Drawing on her Chippewa and German-American heritage, Erdrich has produced a body of work whose pervasive mythical landscape and the cast of interconnected characters has been credited with bringing Native American literature to the literary mainstream and inspiring an entire generation of Native American writing. Her eleven North Dakota novels constitute a web of complex, absorbing narratives documenting familial, political and social histories over a century of tumultuous change. Erdrich's blending of Native oral and western traditions demand multilayered critical approaches.The essays relate to different issues relevant to her fiction, in particular the categorization of her work as Native American, but also questions about genre, gender, structure, narrative voice, authorship, and the ethics and politics of fiction labeled as Native American. Peter G. Beidler's essay, for example, investigates the use of medical terms as source of humor in "Four Souls". Tom Matchie in his essay explores parallels between use of grotesque in Erdrich and Flannery O'Connor. Alan R. Velie examines dialectics of the Indian aesthetics and western literary forms in her fiction. Annette Van Dyke in her study of Agnes-Damien's role in "The Last Report" shows how the reader's perspectives change with a change in Agnes' role. Deborah L. Madsen and Barbara Hiles Mesle explore Erdrich's fiction from the perspective of trauma theory in the Native American context. Harry J. Brown's essay on the function of naming in her fiction, Holly Messitt in his comparative study of early American captivity narratives and Erdrich's fiction, David T. McNab in his study of death and dying in her fiction - all hint at the possibility of scholarship that Erdrich's fiction can spawn. ... Read more

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Louise Erdrich positions herself as a contemporary tribal storyteller with her interlocking tales of her Chippewa people and her German-American ancestors. From the tribe's struggle to survive (Tracks), to the Depression (The Beet Queen), to the mid-twentieth century (Love Medicine), to contemporary times (The Bingo Palace, Tales of Burning Love, and The Antelope Wife), Erdrich sympathetically, compassionately, and realistically renders a portrait of people striving to survive governmental bureaucracy, Catholic Church intrusion, and climatic severity. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The Plague of Doves
I ordered this book because it was our book club selection, but I just couldn't get into it and read only about 50 pages.I just didn't like the characters, but maybe I would have if I pursued.Some of my book club members enjoyed it -- some thought it was 'ok.'The month before we read "The Art of Racing in the Rain," which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.Another recently read favorite of ours was "Sarah's Key."I'm very glad that I bought it used & cheap through Amazon. ... Read more

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In their only fully collaborative literary work, Michael Dorris and Louise Erdrich have written a gripping novel of history, suspense, recovery, and new beginnings. The Crown of Columbus chronicles the adventures of a pair of mismatched lovers--Vivian Twostar, a divorced, pregnant anthropologist, and Roger Williams, a consummate academic, epic poet, and bewildered father of Vivian's baby--on their quest for the truth about Christopher Columbus and themselves. When Vivian uncovers what is presumed to be the most diary of Christopher Columbus, she and Roger are drawn into a journey from icy New Hampshire to the idyllic Caribbean in search of"the greatest treasure of Europe." Lured by the wild promise of redeeming the past, they are plunged into a harrowing race against time and death that threatens--and finally changes--their lives. A rollicking tale of adventure, The Crown of Columbus is also contemporary love story and a tender examination of parenthood and passion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Ugh....tedious
After just finishing Dorris' book Yellow Raft on Blue Water, which was the first of his books I have read, I couldn't wait to get my hands on ANYthing else he had written.Unfortunately, the Crown of Columbus was the only one of his books my library had, so I grabbed it.I have to admit I only got in to it one chapter, but I knew immediately it just wasn't working for me.It didn't grab me like Yellow Raft did right from the very first paragraph!Sorry!I do plan to try his other books though....fingers crossed there will be another gem in them like Yellow Raft - one of the best books I have ever read.

quite an interesting and entertaining story, actually
I remember enjoying this novel quite well, and even mentioning this to Louise Erdrich when she visited on a promotional tour for another book in England, back when it was recent.

I think it is pretty true to life for a novel set around a university, and the images of Columbus remain, giving a very interesting point of view into how he may have actually looked at things. The times and his life were nothing if not complicated.

1492 is the same year that Isabella and Ferdinand completed the long Reconquista of Spain in Granada, which is itself quite a tale, clearly full of its own intrigues and the march up to the Alhambra. How she found time to understand, approve, and bankroll Columbus would be very interesting to know.

Anyway, again an entertaining novel of some particular kinds of life, which is after all what novels do.It's not Nanapush and Fleur, but it's not entirely far away in its approach if you think about it.

Please make it stop
Okay so to start off. This book has a really annoying way of tell the story. It starts off with this woman being stuck in a library (which doesn't really add anything to the book)and then delves into the story of this man she used to love and guess what they love each other again (big surprise). Basically the book is really boring for the first 200 pages then it gets marginally better towards the end but ruins the ending because the thing that the characters spend all this time looking for is insignificant and also they throw in this stupid "poem" by one of the characters which is about 20 pages long. You could have just skipped those pages and the story would have been exactly the same. Very disappointed.

Best book I have read in 10 years
I loved the Crown of Columbus.Everything from the richness of the language and characterization to the intricate plot development.A quintessential love story, Vivien Twostar leaps off the pages: one can identify with her struggles - both as an individual and also in a relationship.While the feckless Roger Williams adrift in his sea of academic and masculine arrogance is a wonderful counterfoil. Beautifully written prose has depth yet is concise and conveys rich imagery and conflict.Oh if only all books were this good!

Too slow for an adventure novel
Crown of Columbus had some funny, exciting moments, but not enough of them in this 500 page novel. The main characters are both academicians, so I can allow for some introspective monologues and analyses. But action does speak louder than words - especially in a mystery/adventure novel. The second half of the book picks up the pace and that's where you'll find most of the adventure and humor. The ending is a bit surprising and, for me at least, a bit confusing. ... Read more

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This study brings together analysis of novels by three contemporary North American women from diverse backgrounds in order to make contributions not only to gender studies, but also to narrative theory. Audrey Thomas and Daphne Marlatt are contemporary Anglo-Saxon Canadian writers whose work has been extensively analyzed within the field of feminist literary theory. Louise Erdrich is a best-selling American author of Chippewa and German-American descent. Marlatt's and Thomas's works have never been studied outside a Canadian context, and Erdrich's work has mostly been looked at in the context of ethnic women writers or Native American literature. By analyzing the works of these authors through the lenses of subjectivity, gender studies, and narratology, Caroline Rosenthal brings to light new perspectives on their writings. Although all three authors write metafictions that challenge literary realism and dominant views of gender, the forms of their counter-narratives vary. In her novel Intertidal Life, Thomas traces the disintegration of an identity through narrative devices that unearth ruptures and contradictions in stories of gender. In contrast, Marlatt, in Ana Historic, challenges the regulatory fiction of heterosexuality. She offers her protagonist a way out into a new order that breaks with the law of the father, creating a "monstrous" text that explores the possibilities of a lesbian identity.In her tetralogy of novels made up of Love Medicine, Tracks, The Beet Queen, and The Bingo Palace, Erdrich resists definite readings of femininity altogether. By drawing on trickster narratives, she creates an open system of gendered identities that is dynamic and unfinalizable, positing the most fragmented worldview as the most enduring. By applying gender and narrative theory to nuanced analysis of the texts, Rosenthal's study elucidates the correlation between gender identity formation and narrative. Caroline Rosenthal is assistant professor of American Studies at the University o ... Read more

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This book was a joint effort by a husband and wife who wrote marvelously together but their life as a couple ended in tragedy when Michael killed himself. Louise made original drawings for the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a little gem of a travel memoir
"Route Two" is a slim little volume that is only 34 pages long.It was written by the then husband and wife team of Michael Dorris ("A Yellow Raft in Blue Water") and Louise Erdrich ("Love Medicine")."Route Two" is a travel memoir of their trip west from New Hampshire to Washington along Route Two.The insides of the book covers have a map of the United States with the path of their trip highlighted in yellow.

Route Two runs along the northern border of the United States near Canada.Erdrich and Dorris describe the road as being fairly desolate, but with a definite beauty.It is open country with the road passing through towns and regions that most people will never see.Erdrich and Dorris describe little bits of their trip (you measure time by how many different license plates you see, by how many news broadcasts are on the radio) in both the driving and in the locations that they stopped.Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris succeed in making what is in all likelihood a very lonely stretch of highway across the country in to being a road that has a history and a personality that is inviting.This may be a slim volume, but I found it to be a very interesting one.The hardcover edition of "Route Two" is rather rare, however, with only 275 numbered and autographed editions available (as well as 26 lettered editions). ... Read more

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Native American students entering college often experience a dramatic confrontation of cultures. As one of the writers in this remarkable collective memoir remarks, "When I was a child, I was taught certain things: don't stand up to your elders; don't question authority; life is precious; the earth is precious; take it slowly; enjoy it. And then you go to college and you learn all these other things that never fit." Making things fit, finding that elusive balance between tribal values and the demands of campus life is a recurring theme in this landmark collection of personal essays. Navajo or Choctaw, Tlingit or Sioux, each of the essayists (all graduates of Dartmouth College) gives a heartfelt account of struggle and adjustment. The result is a compelling portrait of the anguish Native American students feel justifying the existence of their own cultures not only to other students but also throughout the predominantly white institutions they have joined. Among the contributors are a tribal court judge and a professional baseball player, the first Navajo woman surgeon, and the former executive director of a Native American preparatory school. Their memories and insights are unparalleled. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

a great view
There is not much literature that exists about Native American students in Higher Education. I have used this book in three of my Master's projects. This book has ignited my passion to serve this identity. While this is only a few voices it helps us get a view into their college experiences.

A great snapshot of a unique Native American experience
Garrod & Larimore's First Person, First Peoples is a fine collection of personal accounts of leaving home.The stories are at once unique and universal.They are expressive of an experience to which Native Americanscan truly relate, and yet, set on the campus of one of America's mostselective colleges, the stories are from a elite few who may be speaking ofan experience that is virtually impossible to share.This is valuable asan oral history, and perhaps more importantly, as a voice of the NativeAmerican which remains too infrequently captured.Still, we must findthose voices which are seldom heard, rather than continuing the habit ofletting the elite culture speak for us all.

Stellar, a first class work on Native education
This was a truly wonderful and accessible book about Native American educational achievment. The story of Dartmouth College and its relationship to Native American education is captivating. The honesty of the students isat time heartbreaking and yet is continually inspiring. ... Read more

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273 pages. Trade paperback. ... Read more

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Chapters: James Thurber, Dorothy Parker, Garrison Keillor, Louise Erdrich, Jonathan Franzen, Pauline Kael, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Henry Louis Gates, John Hersey, John Brooks, Tina Brown, Lewis Mumford, List of the New Yorker Contributors, Jane Kramer, Edmund Wilson, Jules Feiffer, A. J. Liebling, Bill Mckibben, Berton Roueché, Hendrik Hertzberg, Frances Gray Patton, Richard Armour, Rea Irvin, Janet Flanner, Peter Schjeldahl, Rita Dove, David Owen, Edwidge Danticat, Yves Bonnefoy, B. H. Fairchild, Alan Moorehead, Charles Simic, Peter Hessler, Katha Pollitt, André Aciman, Henry Fairlie, Franklin Pierce Adams, David Remnick, Ian Frazier, Jean Valentine, Sasha Frere-Jones, Lynda Hull, Adam Gopnik, Anthony Lane, James Surowiecki, Corey Ford, T.r. Hummer, Steve Coll, Steve Pyke, Calvin Trillin, Sydney Lea, John Lahr, William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., Jonathan Galassi, Liza Donnelly, Joseph Moncure March, Sherod Santos, Wolcott Gibbs, Ralph Barton, Lawrence Weschler, Katharine Sergeant Angell White, Deborah Eisenberg, Ariel Levy, Nathaniel Benchley, Jeffrey Harrison, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Jon Lee Anderson, Terrance Hayes, Jon Swan, Major Jackson, Ellen Doré Watson, Arthur Guiterman, April Bernard, Jeffrey Toobin, Chase Twichell, Michael Specter, Joseph Wechsberg, Peter de Vries, Veronica Geng, Joseph Mitchell, Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., Jane Grant, Tom Bissell, Cleopatra Mathis, Alex Ross, Susan Orlean, Bruce Mccall, Jason Shinder, Adam Kirsch, Leslie Ullman, Dan Chiasson, Elizabeth Kolbert, Phyllis Mcginley, Christian Wiman, Tom Reiss, Irwin Edman, Herbert Warren Wind, Jonathan Leaf, Brendan Gill, Joan Silber, Laura Furman, Lillian Ross, Robert Coates, Paul Goldberger, Richard Halworth Rovere, Alexander Stille, Sylvia Nasar, Joan Acocella, Alec Wilkinson, Geoffrey T. Hellman, Whitney Balliett, Arlene Croce, H. F. Ellis, Margaret Talbot, Hilton Als, Marquis James, St. Clair Mckelway, Dennis Nurkse, Lois Long, Tina Rosenberg, Jill Lepore, J...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=313107 ... Read more

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Chapters: Louise Erdrich, Sondre Norheim, Roger Maris, Ed Schultz, Maxwell Anderson, Charles F. Wald, Marcus Borg, Gordon Kahl, Clayton Waagner, Marquis de Mores, Phillip O. Foss, Klaudt Indian Family, Chief Gall, William Owens, Dave Johnson, Reese Andy, Anthony W. England, Monique Lamoureux, Jocelyne Lamoureux, Randy Kelly, Jon Wefald, Mark Pfeifle, List of People From North Dakota, Bob Wiese, Matthew Ward, Ethel Catherwood, Toya, Morley Nelson, Gotfred Jensen, Willis H. Downs, John E. Grotberg, Alf Clausen, Floyd Roberts, Otto Boehler, John Travers Wood, Richard Harrison Smith, Peter Brandvold, Thomas Goltz, Charles P. Davis, Leslie Stefanson, Erik Ramstad, Aagot Raaen, Keri Hehn, Lois P. Hudson, Ed Bok Lee, Thomas Sletteland, Frank F. Ross, William Harjo Lonefight, John Rooney, Wohlk Brothers, Harley Venton, Barbara Mcclintock, Diane Tebelius, Frank Troeh, M. Elizabeth Magill, Medora Vallambrosa, Marquise de Mores, Robert Bundtzen, Sophia Eberlein, Chuck Suchy, Fred M. Maclean, Verne J. Mccaul, Mrs. Andrew Whitehead, Francis D. Lyon, Richard L. Cox, James H. Symington, Dora Colvin, Harold Schafer, Marilyn Mitzel, Ivan Dmitri, Edward Lone Fight, Peter Heier, Andrew Freeman, George H. Dickey. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 239. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 December 14, 1985) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who is primarily remembered for hitting 61 home runs for the New York Yankees during the 1961 season. This broke Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs (set in 1927) and set a record that would stand for 37 years. Maris played with four teams during a 12-year Major League career, appearing in seven World Series and winning three World Championships. The son of Croatian immigrants, he was born Roger Eug...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=303711 ... Read more

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Louise Erdrich develops characters with complex identities in The Master Butchers Singing Club.These characters can be analyzed in terms of the impact family has on their development as individuals, as well as through the lens of parts of the psychoanalytic theories of Carl Jung.The character Fidelis is discussed in terms of the way family has influenced him, as well as the way in which he deals with the opposing forces that make up his personality.The character Delphine is better understood through Jung?s theory of the persona, which provides a lens through which much of Delphine?s character can be understood, particularly Delphine?s tough exterior as a mask for her inner vulnerability. This book seeks to prove that Erdrich is presenting a complex picture of identity that can be viewed as a microcosm for the oppositions and complexities that exist for humanity in a larger sense and will benefit literary scholars in the field of American Literature. ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Pauline Johnson, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Winnemucca, James Welch, Louise Erdrich, David Treuer, Michael Dorris, Mary Crow Dog, Alexander Posey, Ofelia Zepeda, Rex Lee Jim. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : A fir tree rocking its lullaby,Swings, swings,Its emerald wings,Swelling the song that my paddle sings.- Pauline Johnson, The Song my Paddle Sings Emily Pauline Johnson, plus connue sous le nom de Pauline Johnson ou E. Pauline Johnson ou encore sous le nom indien de Tekahionwake (réserve indienne des Six-Nations (Haut-Canada, aujourd'hui en Ontario), 10 mars 1861 - Vancouver en Colombie-Britannique (Canada), 7 mars 1913) était une écrivain et artiste canadienne, d'origine mohawk par son père et anglaise par sa mère, qui est surtout connue pour ses poésies célébrant la culture des Amérindiens du Canada. Un de ses poèmes les plus populaires, The Song my Paddle Sings (« La chanson que chante ma pagaie »), est appris par tous les écoliers au Canada. pauline Johnson dans son costume traditionnel indienPauline Johnson était la fille du chef indien mohawk George Henry Johnson (1816 - 1884) et de sa femme anglaise Emily Susanna Howells (1824-1898). Elle est élevée par ses parents dans le respect à la fois de la culture européenne et de la culture amérindienne. La famille Johnson vit une existence bourgeoise dans leur demeure, Chiefswood, où ils reçoivent des personnalités comme l'inventeur Alexander Graham Bell, le peintre Homer Watson ou encore Lord Dufferin, le gouverneur général du Canada. Le grand-père paternel de Pauline, John Smoke Johnson, joue un rôle important dans son intérêt pour la culture amérindienne. À l'âge adulte elle décidera d'adopter le nom indien « Tekahionwake » qui était originell...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Chapters: Algonquin People, Odawa People, Ojibwa People, Potawatomi People, Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, Louise Erdrich, Gavin Macleod, Winona Laduke, Leonard Peltier, Peter Jones, Kechewaishke, Nahnebahwequa, Gerald Vizenor, Madame Montour, Indian Removals in Indiana, Ted Nolan, Norval Morrisseau, Chris Simon, Edmonia Lewis, Carl Beam, Jeff Weise, Gino Odjick, James Bartleman, Jerry Fontaine, Chief Pontiac, Jim Northrup, Charlie Leduff, Shabbona, Basil H. Johnston, George Morrison, Winamac, Michael Forest, Black Partridge, Crystal Shawanda, Reggie Leach, Main Poc, David B. Williams, Wayne Keon, Petosegay, Chief Gomo, Shick Shack, Jack Fiddler, Chief Bender, Andrew Blackbird, Brandon Nolan, Barry Tabobondung, Five Medals, Senachwine, Lee Francis, Daphne Odjig, Yellow Head, Timothy Archambault, Simon Pokagon, Francis Pegahmagabow, Patrick Brazeau, Walter Bresette, Woody Crumbo, Mildred Noble, Kineubenae, Vernon Bellecourt, Biauswah, Egushawa, Leopold Pokagon, Dudley George, John Okemos, Michel Cadotte, Rob Capriccioso, Chief Comas, Thomas Little Shell, Johnson W. Greybuffalo, Meommuse, Bernard Walter Brisbois, Laura Spurr, William Whipple Warren, Benjamin Petit, Chief Menominee, Kelly Church, Ozhaguscodaywayquay, Senachewine, Antoine Carre, Lawrence Plamondon, Keewassee, Sauganash, Patrick Desjarlait, Tuhbenahneequay, Tessouat, Waubojeeg, Beautifying Bird, Wabanquot, Chief Shakopee, Peter Edmund Jones, Alfred Michael "Chief" Venne, Kevin R. Shores, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, John Jones, Thomas Edwards-Seymour, Shingabawossin, Eddy Cobiness, Drew Hayden Taylor, Maude Kegg, David W. Anderson, David Treuer, Albert Lee Ferris, Zheewegonab, John Cameron, George Copway, Robert Lilligren, William Commanda, Chief Wabaunsee, Enmegahbowh, Chief Chouneau, Shavehead, Hanging Cloud, E. Donald Two-Rivers, John Chabot, List of Algonquin Chiefs, Benjamin Chee Chee, Sam George, Al Hackner, Carole Lafavor, Rod Michano, Kimberly M. Blaeser, Waaw...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=5365289 ... Read more

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Chapters: Louise Erdrich, Al Doty, Duane Bobick, Joe Brinkman, Fred Zollner, Jim Langer, Rodney Bobick. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 37. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Karen Louise Erdrich, known as Louise Erdrich, (born June 7, 1954) is an author of novels, poetry, and children's books with some Native American ancestry. She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance. In April 2009, her novel The Plague of Doves was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. She is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The eldest of seven children, Erdrich was born to Ralph and Rita Erdrich in Little Falls, Minnesota. Her father was German-American while her mother was French and Anishinaabe (Ojibwa). Her grandfather Patrick Gourneau served as a tribal chairman for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Erdrich grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota where her parents taught at the Bureau of Indian Affairs school. She attended Dartmouth College in 1972-1976, earning an AB degree and meeting her future husband, the Modoc anthropologist and writer Michael Dorris. He was then director of the colleges Native American Studies program. Subsequently, Erdrich worked in a wide variety of jobs, including as a lifeguard, waitress, poetry teacher at prisons, and construction flag signaler. She also became an editor for The Circle, a newspaper produced by and for the urban Native population in Boston. Erdrich graduated with a Master of Arts degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University in 1979. In the period 1978-1982, Erdrich published many poems and short stories. It was also during this period that she began collaborating with...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=18057 ... Read more