Pay no attention to the literary critics and go read Louise Erdich!!
I did a lot with her stuff in Grad School, and I concur with the critics on a lot of levels about her, but the important thing is she tells a DAMN good story....and following the characters through the books and through time is fantastic. There are sympathetic characters, and there are ones who are outright despicable...and she writes in a way that you understand them even if you don't like them.
My MiL taught at a pre-school in Winnapeg that had a lot of Native American kids (Native Canadian?), and my FiL was in charge of the Anglican Church Outreach Program for Manitoba, and flew into a lot of the reservations to conduct services. According to them, there is a LOT of truth in these books--including how the church oft times destroyed the native culture.
Erdich.
I did a lot with her stuff in Grad School, and I concur with the critics on a lot of levels about her, but the important thing is she tells a DAMN good story....and following the characters through the books and through time is fantastic. There are sympathetic characters, and there are ones who are outright despicable...and she writes in a way that you understand them even if you don't like them.
My MiL taught at a pre-school in Winnapeg that had a lot of Native American kids (Native Canadian?), and my FiL was in charge of the Anglican Church Outreach Program for Manitoba, and flew into a lot of the reservations to conduct services. According to them, there is a LOT of truth in these books--including how the church oft times destroyed the native culture.
I love Erdich!