Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner
The Night Watchman
by Louise Erdrich
Summary
Drawing on the life of her own grandfather, Erdrich follows Thomas Wazhashk, a Chippewa night watchman and tribal council member, as he organizes resistance to a 1950s federal bill aimed at terminating Native treaty rights. Around him cluster a wide cast of relatives, workers, and seekers whose lives intersect across the Turtle Mountain Reservation. The novel braids political history with dream, ceremony, and everyday labor.
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Historical Context & Significance
Erdrich finally won after decades of being a finalist; the book is a tribute to the resilience of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.