With its echoes of myths about unwanted babies left to die in the wild, her life-story is at the heart of a novel which looks very hard at the relationship between Native and non- native Americans at all who oppress and destroy those who are different. In one of the most moving tales, Linda Wishkob, the deformed twin whose white mother wanted her killed at birth, is saved and adopted by a Chippewa family. The writing can be lyrical, especially when she describes the spirits who warn and guide Joe. She is a gifted storyteller who brings all these characters and tales together with sureness and grace. From Harper Books: In this award-winning sequel to Chickadee, acclaimed author Louise Erdrich continues her celebrated Birchbark House series with the story. Yet she never lets us entirely forget the exploitation and poverty of a community that lost so much so long ago – the hunting grounds, the buffalo, the complete sovereignty over nature. Erdrich writes with affection and humour about their vibrant community with its summer pow-wow and wonderful characters – the grandfather who narrates tribal myths in his sleep, the raunchy grandmother who can't stop insulting him. The Round House is strongest on the world of 13-year-old Joe and his teenage friends – their glorious freedom to roam the woods, to experiment with drink, fantasise about girls, and yet still be comfortable dropping into their extended families for meals of hamburger soup and frybread, and spicy gossip.
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