The Round House / Louise Erdrich / 321 p.

The thing that I valued most about this book is the insights into Native American culture and, incredibly, how they have continued to be devalued by our government. Joe, the 13 year-old boy telling the story, is a good choice as a narrator. While it is his mother who experience the horror of a near murderous attack, the affect on this boy is profound and life-changing. My biggest complaint with this novel is the lack of dialogue punctuation. I know that author's have their own reasoning behind th...moreIn 1988 a Native American woman is attacked on her reservation in North Dakota. The story is told in retrospect by her son, Joe, who is a 13 year-old boy. While it is his mother who experience the horror of the near murderous attack, the affect on this boy is profound and life-changing. And Joe is a good choice as the narrator as he struggles to figure out how to help his parents. The thing that I valued most about this book is the insights into Native American culture and, incredibly, how they have continued to be devalued by our government. This is made clear by the fact that justice may very well not be served--by law--because the suspected attacker is white. Joe is a good choice as the narrator as he struggles to figure out how to help his parents. My biggest complaint with this novel is the lack of dialogue punctuation. I know that author's have their own reasoning behind the omission, but I find it distracting when I have to figure out who is speaking or if they are even speaking out loud. But that's me.