Genre 5: Historic Fiction - The Game of Silence

Posted by Tamra S , Monday, July 19, 2010 9:52 AM

Bibliographic Data

Erdrich, Louise. 2005. The Game of Silence. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Summary and Analysis
It is 1850 on an island in Lake Superior. Omakayas resides with her Ojibwe family in a territory being settled by the chimookomanag, or white people. Omakayas's life is happy, until another native group seeks refuge with Omakayas's people. It is disovered that the Ojibwe are going to be forced to leave their homes and move west. Omakayas struggles to leave behind all that she knows and understand a new way of life. Afraid to go on her own spirit journey and discover what her dreams mean, she finally realizes that her dreams speak to her and reveal events to take place. As her wise grandmother, Nokomis, tells her "You will never control this gift. All you can do is try to understand why it is given to you." In this coming of age historic fiction story, Omakayas learns to accept change and embrace her gift.

Erdrich portrays the daily life of the Ojibwe people as they go through the seasons of the year, as well as seasons of life. The novel, which is relayed in the third person limited of Omakayas, provides readers with a glimpse into the culture and life of this Native American group. The author includes numerous details about the clothing, homes, hunting, and food preparation. The concept of close-knit families and a strong sense of community is evident through the interactions of various characters in the story. Love for family, despite an annoying younger brother and blossoming older sister, is clearly demonstrated by Omakayas. Erdrich also includes Ojibwe language throughout the text, with a glossary at the back of the book to aid in understanding. However, even within the text, there are clues to the word meanings. Erdrich wrote this as a sequel to The Birchbark House. The plot tends to move slowly, so students that enjoy more exciting novels may grow bored with this. Students in grades 5 and up may appreciate this historic novel more fully.

Awards and Reviews
*Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
*Kirkus Editor's Choice
*New York Times Notable
*ALA Booklist Editor's Choice
*School Library Journal: Although the story is set on an island in Lake Superior in 1850, readers will identify with the everyday activties of the Ojibwe, from snowball fights to fishing excursions, providing a parallel to their own lives while encouraging an appreciation for one that is very different. Kimberly Monaghan, © Reed Business Information
*Starred Review in Booklist: . . . this long-awaited sequel is framed by catastrophe, but the core of the story, which is set in 1850, is white settlers' threats to the traditional Ojibwe way of life. . . In this heartrending novel the sense of what was lost is overwhelming. Hazel Rochman, © American Library Association.

Connections
*Research the setting of the story. Discover what other events were occurring at the time the novel takes place.
*Look up resources on the Library of Congress's American Memory Project (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/umhtml/umrelh.html) for information about the Upper Midwest in the timeframe of the novel. Explore the materials and primary sources on the region and its geography and the Native Americans that resided in that region.

References

HarperCollins Publishers. 2010. About the Book: The Game of Silence. Retrieved from http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Game-Silence-Louise-Erdrich/?isbn=9780061187599

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