{Summer Reads}...The Round House

I just finished reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich this morning; I've been going through it in stages for an online book discussion for by campus job training, but I had to read ahead late into last night. I even woke up early to finish the last couple pages that became a haze in my heavy-lidded late night read.

I first encountered Louise Erdrich in my American Indian literature class at the university, and was stunned by her beautiful story weaving in Tracks. (This is also an incredible book that I advise you to seek out.) Erdrich is a Minnesota native, and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, part of Anishinaabe. She owns an independent book store, Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, which I'm dying to visit, and has an incredible written legacy. She has written over twelve novels, several books of poetry, and children's literature.

The Round House is a heart-breaking, thrilling, and delicate story of Joe, a young boy living on a reservation in North Dakota. The novel begins with a shattering family tragedy, shrouded in mystery; the search for truth and justice carry the rest of the novel, as readers see true family, real emotion, and the rapid maturation of a young boy burdened by sorrow and frustration.

Seriously, this is a must read! It's haunting, nail-bitting, and humorous.

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