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The Night Watchman

Louise Erdrich

4.44 · Rating details · 25 ratings · 13 reviews

Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.

Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure. ...more

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Hardcover, 464 pages

Expected publication: March 3rd 2020 by Harper

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Nov 11, 2019 Dorie - Cats&Books :) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-netgalley-challenge, all-time-favorite, edelweiss, historical-fiction

It felt so wonderful to be back in the hands of a master storyteller and that is Louise Erdrich. The characters are extremely well developed and I felt as though I knew them all, I didn’t want to leave this story. The setting for a novel about American Indians in the 1950’s is a unique one, often books are about the start of our “elimination” of the Indians.I wanted to know everything about the reservation, the new bill that Congress was going to pass and how these incredible characters with all It felt so wonderful to be back in the hands of a master storyteller and that is Louise Erdrich. The characters are extremely well developed and I felt as though I knew them all, I didn’t want to leave this story. The setting for a novel about American Indians in the 1950’s is a unique one, often books are about the start of our “elimination” of the Indians.I wanted to know everything about the reservation, the new bill that Congress was going to pass and how these incredible characters with all of their beliefs, visions and talents were going to survive if this bill should pass.

One of the main characters, Thomas, who is the night watchman at a jewel bearing factory is based on the author’s grandfather. He is a loving, tireless man who cares deeply about the Chippewa Turtle Mountain people and his own family.

There are several stories going on in this novel but they are all part of the whole. We will watch as Thomas writes hundreds of letters to those in the government who might listen to his plea that the tribe be allowed to keep the little bit of land that they have. This once powerful tribe of hunters and gatherers was forced onto a small plot of land and had to learn how to farm in order to exist. They were given very little help from the government but even this was in danger of being taken away. They must form a committee and address Congress directly.

At the same time we learn about Thomas’s family, he deeply loves his wife Rose who works tirelessly to keep their family together, fed and clothed. His oldest daughter Vera left for the city, and hasn’t been heard from in a while. Patrice, his other daughter works at the jewel bearing plant where Thomas is a watchman. Her job is working on a type of production line, cutting precise holes into small jewel panels.
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When Vera has been missing for a while Patrice saves up her money and goes to the city to find her. What happens to her there is eye opening as well as discouraging. We come back to that story later in the novel.

Thomas’s father, Bibon, lives with them, he is quite old but is filled with wisdom and inner strength. He will help Thomas in his quest to speak in front of Congress on behalf of his tribe.
“Make the Washington D.C.’s understand. We just started getting on our feet. Getting so we have some coins to jingle. Making farms. Becoming famous in school like you. All that will suffer. It will be wiped out.. . ..They sent us their tuberculosis. It is taking us down. We don’t have money to go to their hospitals. It was their promise to exchange these things for our land. “Long as the grass grows and the rivers flow.”

Scattered throughout the book there are references to Indian folklore and some magical passages which are beautiful and thought provoking.

The older generation has struggled with efforts to completely change their way of life. The younger generation still looks up to the elders but also wants what they see on TV and magazines, cute clothes, nice homes, cell phones, and to live in the city. They are often pulled in two different directions.

I don’t want to give away any more of this amazing story. Hopefully I have given you enough enticement to read this book. It is definitely one of my top books this year and is not to be missed. Ms. Erdrich will reward you with a great story, wonderful characters and a history of some of the terrible things that we have done to the American Indians. We virtually broke every treaty that we made with the Indians.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. The book is set to publish on March 3, 2020.
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Aug 28, 2019 Diana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, family, native-americans, survival, western, mother-daughter, sisters, literary-fiction

Most books about native Americans are set either in the “olden days”, before reservations, or in the present day, so I found this book’s 1950s setting really fascinating. The lives of the older people in this book have straddled this huge, astonishing change. What must it have been like to lose what they lost in one lifetime? To go from being hunters and gatherers to being catapulted into the 1950s, with cars and TVs and manufactured everything? The older characters are connected to traditional Most books about native Americans are set either in the “olden days”, before reservations, or in the present day, so I found this book’s 1950s setting really fascinating. The lives of the older people in this book have straddled this huge, astonishing change. What must it have been like to lose what they lost in one lifetime? To go from being hunters and gatherers to being catapulted into the 1950s, with cars and TVs and manufactured everything? The older characters are connected to traditional ways and to their mythology- and while the younger generation is still connected to these, they also want cute clothes, factory-made lipsticks, cars and phones and plumbing and electricity. Not that they have many of these things. The Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe is just barely eking out a living, and now here comes the U.S. government to take away what they do have.

One of the main characters of this book, who is based on Erdrich’s grandfather, works as a night watchman at a jewel bearing plant, and early in this book, he discovers that a senator in Washington has a new bill that wants to terminate Native American tribes’ rights, which will impoverish them, take their land, and send them to the cities. This bill succeeded in harming many tribes, but Thomas is determined to fight.

I loved this book. I loved this detailed world, this community, these characters. I love Patrice, her stubbornness, keeping her family alive with her hard work, out splitting wood, not willing to hitch her wagon to a man, but excited about her stylish new coat. I loved Binoon, Thomas’s very old father, sleeping, making his oatmeal, not bored or lonely because he has so much to think about and remember. I loved the little bits of magical realism, and I loved the funny conversations people have with each other. I loved Thomas, his deep romantic love for his wife Rose, and the way they care for each other, and the way he cares for his community, as well. I loved how this book shows that resistance is a lot of work. The last couple of years, I’ve been engaged in a small way with trying to influence legislators, which is what Thomas is trying to do. He pulls people in, makes a coalition, writes a gazillion letters, pays attention to a lot of details. Heroism isn’t necessarily giving the perfect speech. It isn’t necessarily splashy. It can be dogged. You just keep working, chipping away at it.

Right before reading this, I read a book that was obsessed with Charles Dickens. This left me more able to recognize that Erdrich’s multitude of rich and often very funny characters AND her interest in social injustice are very Dickensian. And god, she can write. I don’t know how she gets this detailed, full world into one ordinary-sized novel.

My thanks to the publisher, who gave me access to a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Oct 01, 2019 Morgan Bradham marked it as to-read

Shelves: american-literature, first-nations, fiction-all, historical-fiction, 2020-1

Ahhh!!! This comes out the day after my birthday! ((internal screaming)) I've never read any Native American historical fiction set in the 1950s. I've never found any. (Can anyone recommend one to me)? Anyway, I'M SO PUMPED. Louise Erdrich is freaking amazing, to boot. Absolutely cannot wait!

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Dec 09, 2019 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, native-american

Received an ARC copy in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is probably the best novel I've read by Erdrich. Her writing, as ever, is gorgeous and subtle and has a way of sneaking up on you. Like most of her stories, this is historical, set in the 1950s, during the age of termination. The main two characters are a tribal chairman, who is fighting termination and who is also the night watchman of a factory on the reservation; and his niece, who works at the same factory, who is taking care of her family ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

No one writes better of the American Indian experience in the past century than Louise Erdrich. Because this novel is part biographical, it carries the weight of truth of the US government's ongoing efforts to terminate tribes and their rights under legally signed and recognized treaties. That includes a recent effort by our current president and the Interior Department to terminate yet another tribe. Yet, the spirit of the story is of a close-knit people who survive, laugh, and love. This novel ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Gary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Louise Erdrich explores life on the reservation with her usual eye for character and the telling detail. In this case, the reservation was Chippewa and the time was the 1950s. The tribe is threatened with extinction by its most formidable enemy -- the US Congress. The tribal elder (the night watchman of the title) puts together evidence and a delegation to try to convince Washington that it is wrong. As it happens, this was a factual episode out of the author's family past. It is a heartening ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 Sarah-Hope rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweissplus, 2019

Louise Erdrich's The Night Watchman in the best book I've read in years. Over the days that I've read it, it has stayed with me, almost like being in its own right, drawing my attention, suggesting a different perspective, leading me to smile at the wonders this world holds. This may sound like hyperbole, but it is not. Last night, I work up at 3a.m., wide awake and ready to dive back into The Night Watchman. I didn't want to wait until morning, until I'd had "enough" rest to return to it.

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Dec 12, 2019 Barbara rated it it was amazing

Wow, this book is amazing. Set in the 1950's the novel tells of the US government's efforts to terminate the rights of Native American tribes and their rights to land. The main character, Thomas, is based on Louise Erdrich's father who did fight termination. The characters are wonderfully developed, the story fascinating, and the writing extraordinary. It's tells a part of US history not taught in schools. It's very relevant to what is happening in the US today. This is a book you won't be able ...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Barbara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Nov 22, 2019 Cathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads

The Night Watchman is a wonderfully written novel about some members of a native american tribe living in North Dakota in the early 1950's. The book is beautifully written and I found it educational. There is not much written about the plight of the native american in more modern times. It is a disgrace that the government is still stealing land and making the lives of the people who are the original inhabitants of this nation so miserable. Ms. Erdrich is a great story teller and I believe ...more

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Nov 20, 2019 Emily Onufer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I received an ARC of this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program. Louise Erdrich once again interweaves fascinating characters with complex histories together to illustrate how termination and U.S. government actions impacted individual lives. Her writing allows the reader to both connect with a diverse cast of characters and get a glimpse of reservation life at a fraught time in the nation's history. The Night Watchman is a snapshot into a dark chapter in U.S. law and politics, and is an ...more

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Oct 12, 2019 Karlan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult

The story is inspired by the author's grandfather's life. There are many wonderful characters such as Pixie, a pretty and intelligent 18 year old, her perceptive mother, her lost older sister and the men who court them. Thomas, the watchman, must travel to Washington to argue for the tribal land which is threatened by people who do not understand the way of life which would be lost.

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Oct 05, 2019 Kristen Stewart rated it really liked it

A fantastical and beautiful work that I've been thinking about long after I finished reading.

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About Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich

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Karen Louise Erdrich is a American author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her father is German American and mother is half Ojibwe and half French American. She is an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe nation (also known as Chippewa). She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Native writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Karen Louise Erdrich is a American author of novels, poetry, and children's books. Her father is German American and mother is half Ojibwe and half French American. She is an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe nation (also known as Chippewa). She is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant Native writers of the second wave of what critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/louise-e...

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Author Biography:

Louise Erdrich is one of the most gifted, prolific, and challenging of contemporary Native American novelists. Born in 1954 in Little Falls, Minnesota, she grew up mostly in Wahpeton, North Dakota, where her parents taught at Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. Her fiction reflects aspects of her mixed heritage: German through her father, and French and Ojibwa through her mother. She worked at various jobs, such as hoeing sugar beets, farm work, waitressing, short order cooking, lifeguarding, and construction work, before becoming a writer. She attended the Johns Hopkins creative writing program and received fellowships at the McDowell Colony and the Yaddo Colony. After she was named writer-in-residence at Dartmouth, she married professor Michael Dorris and raised several children, some of them adopted. She and Michael became a picture-book husband-and-wife writing team, though they wrote only one truly collaborative novel, The Crown of Columbus (1991).

The Antelope Wife was published in 1998, not long after her separation from Michael and his subsequent suicide. Some reviewers believed they saw in The Antelope Wife the anguish Erdrich must have felt as her marriage crumbled, but she has stated that she is unconscious of having mirrored any real-life events.

She is the author of four previous bestselling andaward-winning novels, including Love Medicine; The Beet Queen; Tracks; and The Bingo Palace. She also has written two collections of poetry, Jacklight, and Baptism of Desire. Her fiction has been honored by the National Book Critics Circle (1984) and The Los Angeles Times (1985), and has been translated into fourteen languages.

Several of her short stories have been selected for O. Henry awards and for inclusion in the annual Best American Short Story anthologies. The Blue Jay's Dance, a memoir of motherhood, was her first nonfiction work, and her children's book, Grandmother's Pigeon, has been published by Hyperion Press. She lives in Minnesota with her children, who help her run a small independent bookstore called The Birchbark.

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