The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich Book Summary
WINNER OF THE 2021 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WASHINGTON POST, NPR, CBS SUNDAY MORNING, KIRKUS, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.
Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” 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; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?
Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.
Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.
In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.
The Night Watchman Book Details
| Book Name | The Night Watchman |
| Genre | Literary Fiction |
| Author | Louise Erdrich |
| Published | 03 March 2020, Tuesday |
| Price | $12.99 |
| E-Book Size | 4.66 MB |
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich Book Reviews
Enjoy high maximum transfers into more than 120 currencies while saving up to 90% over local banks! The cheap, fast way to send money abroad. Free transfer up to 500 USD!
Amazing. Such a beautiful tribute to the author’s family.
Characters that Stay with You for Life. What a beautiful book. As with all of Erdrich’s books, filled with characters that stay with you long after memories of people you’ve known have faded. Stories that honor the complexity of humans making their way through life. Mysticism,not about things that are unreal, but about very real things normally just outside our reach. I didn’t want the book to end.
A gem of history and storytelling. Richly and beautifully written, this story of the Chippewa nation’s effort to survive the taking of their land by the federal government in the 1950’s is essential reading for all patriots. The novel, the story, is so lovely, a full sense of the American Indian, the Native American spirit. Loved the story.
Elegant soulful writing — and a page turner!. What an engaging story! This is story telling at its finest. The story pulls you in. The writing delights. The humor of native people comes rolling out. The tragedy, the sadness, the violence to human spirit … break your heart. The human spirit comes through with hope and purpose. Read this book. What a writer!
A beautiful journey. Rich in imagery, emotion and beauty. I loved escaping into the world of this story. I might just start over again now.
The People. An amazing collection of characters and their idiosyncrasies all woven together with detail and heart.
The Night Watchman. What I liked most about this story was gaining a glimpse into the Native American psyche. I especially enjoyed learning that they see humor in almost everything, but their expression in Chippewa doesn’t always translate well into English. I found this story very compelling as the author creates a marked level of angst when members of the tribe go to Washington D. C. to face lawmakers, who were seeking to destroy them. Their many struggles and hardships to survive on the reservation is a good reminder of what our government has done to Native Americans as a whole. Other stories within the book also show despicable levels of exploitation. Yet, despite all of the many horrors some of their members faced, the tribe goes on loving and supporting each other and finding joy, gratitude, and respect for nature. The characters experiencing these things did not indulge in self-pity or bitterness. It is a lesson for us all.
The Night Watchman. I found this story enlightening and informative. I probably haven’t read any stories about the American Indians since HS. I was an elementary kid when the event in the book took place and only recently a friend mentioned to me about the elimination of tribes and the poverty problems. I just happened to be browsing from a publishing website and The Night Watchman appeared as a result of my search for something new and different. The author does a great job describing living conditions, education limitations and shortage of jobs. Despite all of the obstacles this small village faced it’s people came together to present to Congress a plan to keep their heritage and continue to build a future. If you like American history I’m sure you will enjoy this view into the lives and some of the challenges of the American Indians.
Stunning. Heartbreaking, illuminating and beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down.
Mind Lab Pro boosts work performance and productivity with nootropics for focus, multitasking under stress, creative problem-solving and more. Buy Now!
Discover how specific cryptocurrencies work — and get a bit of each crypto to try out for yourself. Coinbase is the easiest place to buy and sell cryptocurrency. Sign up and get started today.
5 Books like The Night Watchman (Louise Erdrich)
Karen Louise Erdrich ( ER-drik; born June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized tribe of Ojibwe people.Erdrich is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant writers of the second wave of the Native American Renaissance. She has written 28 books in all, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children's books. In 2009, her novel The Plague of Doves was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and received an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. In November 2012, she received the National Book Award for Fiction for her novel The Round House. She is a 2013 recipient of the Alex Awards. She was awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction at the National Book Festival in September 2015. In 2021, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Night Watchman.She was married t....
Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms, with over one million active online stores. While Shopify’s focus is primarily on making it easy for businesses to set up an online store and sell products, it’s also important to c...
Is GA4 compatible with Shopify?Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a next-generation analytics solution introduced by Google in October 2020. It offers enhanced features, such as a more powerful data model and built-in machine learning capabilities, compared to its predecessor, Universal ...
How can you prepare for the release of GA4The release of GA4, or Google Analytics 4, represents a major step forward for web analytics and businesses. With its advanced measurement capabilities, user-friendly interface, and improved privacy features, GA4 has the potential to revolutionize th...
10 Proven Strategies to Increase Website Traffic and Boost Your Online PresenceHey there! Are you tired of staring at your website analytics and wishing those numbers would magically increase? Well, you’re in luck! In this article, we’re going to share with you 10 proven strategies to skyrocket your website traffic ...
When will shopify support ga4?Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform that allows businesses of all sizes to create and manage an online store with ease. It provides a comprehensive range of features and functionalities to help businesses sell their products and services to a gl...
Louise Erdrich - The Night Watchman Comments
Do you like Louise Erdrich - The Night Watchman book? Please share your comments about the book with our readers.