The Game of Silence

Review of The Game of Silence

A book written by Louise Edrich

A. Book Information

Erdrich, Louise. 2005. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-029789-1.

B. Plot Summary

Rumor has it that the chimookoman are coming to claim the land that Omakayas’ family has lived on for so long. The people of the tribe have all gathered for a council on what to do. The children settle into The Game of Silence. There are handsome prizes for winning the game, but the children can tell by the faces of the elders that there is much more at stake than arrows or ribbons. It is decided that men will be sent to the four directions to find out what the tribe has done to make the white men angry. While they are away, the young girl and main character, Omakayas begins having prophetic dreams and sees that her people will have to leave their beloved land.

C. Critical Analysis

Louise Erdrich has expertly crafted this novel, having done a great deal of research, which was inspired by her own family history. The sights, sounds, and day-to-day life of the traditional, historical Ojibwe are brought to life in this novel.

There are many cultural markers in this book including food, language, clothing, family and tradition. Erdrich has woven the language of the Ojibwe into every page, using the phonetic spellings of words. She has included a helpful glossary of terms at the end of the story, which is some six pages long. In the story the Ojibwe’s humbleness and respect for the land is related, “Omakayas leaned into her grandmother’s arms and for a long time the two sat in the garden, on the sun-warmed earth, listening to the birds call and talk to one another unseen in the dense green of the woods. If they ever had to leave, Omakayas felt, her heart might fall right out of her body to lie forever on the ground it loved.” (p. 30)

The craft of the people is shown time and time again as they create everything they need from the Earth’s materials and by hand. For example, “Mama and Nokimis were weaving reed pukwe mats outside in the shade of a maple tree. They used long flat matting needles that Dedey fashioned of bone.” (p31)

This book allows the reader to catch a rare glimpse of what it might have been like to live an industrious life with the Ojibwe people. It brings sensitivity and awareness to a people who were unjustly thrown off the land that they cared so deeply for.

D. Review Excerpts

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8 -Omakayas's tale, begun in The Birchbark House (Hyperion, 1999), continues in this book. Older and more insightful, Omakayas begins to understand the elements of life more fully as she accepts her gift of telling dreams. Changes are coming to the Ojibwa people and she struggles to deal with all that she is experiencing and her dreams foretell. Her sister falls in love with a warrior, strange and lost members of her tribe come to rely on her, and her people are threatened with certain eviction from their homes and food supply. But traditions are strong, and after Omakayas is sent off into nature to face the spirits and her dreams, she learns to accept the fate of her people and comes to see it as an adventure, "the next life they would live together on this earth." Although the story is set on an island in Lake Superior in 1850, readers will identify with the everyday activities of the Ojibwa, from snowball fights to fishing excursions, providing a parallel to their own lives while encouraging an appreciation for one that is very different. The action is somewhat slow, but Erdrich's captivating tale of four seasons portrays a deep appreciation of our environment, our history, and our Native American sisters and brothers.-Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL

Reviews accessed at:

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Silence-Louise-Erdrich/dp/0064410293/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6525658-6305719?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183610174&sr=1-1

E. Connections

Other books for young people by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

· The Birchbark House. ISBN 0786814543

· Grandmother's Pigeon. ISBN 0786812044

· The Range Eternal. ISBN 0786802200