Book Review -- The Game of Silence (Module 5)

1. Bibliography

Erdrich, Louise. THE GAME OF SILENCE. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0060297905.

2. Plot Summary

The Ojibwe Indians of the Northwestern United States and Canada are the subjects of this story. The story commences on The Island of the Yellow-Breasted Woodpecker (“Moningwanaykanig” in Ojibwe) in the year 1849. Ojibwe coming from further east arrive on this island by canoe, clearly having suffered greatly and having weathered something horrible. They are “a bony, hungry anxious group” with tattered clothing, or as with the little children, no clothing at all. These people have been driven out of their land by the U.S. government in efforts to claim possession of it, and in the process they have been pushed into territory claimed by the neighboring tribe of Bwaanag Indians. At one time these tribes coexisted and traded with each other, but this was based on clearly defined territories. As the Ojibwe encroach upon the Bwaanag lands, the Bwaanags grow to resent their presence, and respond by warfare. Collectively the survivors and the tribe endure another harsh year, and each season’s challenges are described in the chapters that follow. Eventually, the inhabitants must decide whether to move on and find a way to live elsewhere, or stay and risk losing their land to the U.S. government by force.

3. Critical Analysis

The narrative style of this novel is very factual. It is told in third person, as if we are observing the happenings rather than being inside the head of the characters. The author, Erdrich, made the effort to include Ojibwe dialect(s) in the story, and includes a glossary of Ojibwe words in the back of the novel. In the author’s note in the back of the book in regard to this complicated language, Erdrich explains that this language developed as a spoken language, and describes her attempts to phonetically spell out the words for this book as “idiosyncratic”. She further explains that there are many dialects of this language. She gave her best efforts, based upon these complexities of language, to make the text authentic. Many processes of Ojibwe life were delved into, such as the process of harvesting rice, or killing a moose for use as food and for its hide, cleaning a fresh catch of fish, constructing a canoe, and the like, in great detail.

4. Review(s) and Awards

Booklist starred review:

“Like its predecessor The Birchbark House (1999), 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. Omakayas is now nine and living at her beautiful island home in Lake Superior. But whites want Ojibwe off the island: Where will they go? In addition to an abundance of details about life through the seasons, Erdrich deals with the wider meaning of family and Omakayas' coming-of-age on a vision quest…In this heartrending novel the sense of what was lost is overwhelming.”

School Library Journal review:

“…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.”

Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Horn Book Fanfare
ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice
ALA Notable Children’s Book
Kirkus Editor’s Choice
New York Times Notable

5. Connections

This book could be used in a Social Studies unit, particularly about Native Americans. It could be used in a study of Indian reservations. It could be used to discuss diversity, and adversity from a particular cultural perspective.