Book Review 15

Bibliography

Erdrich, Louise. 2005. The Game of Silence. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060297891.

Plot Summary

Omakayas is a Native American girl in the Ojibwe tribe who learns that white settlers plan to move her and her family from their land in the Northeast to an unknown new home. Though the book takes place while Omakayas and her tribe wait to hear if the whites truly want to move them from their home, Omakayas story is told day by day as she lives her normal life within the tribe. Her dreams have the ability to predict the future, and she is growing up learning to come to terms with this gift that sometimes proves to feel more like curse than a blessing. With both humor and sadness, Erdrich tales the story of a young girl growing up and the challenges she must face on her path to adulthood.

Critical Analysis

Erdrich does a wonderful job of creating realistic characters, and the interactions between them are real and unforced. From the defiant and sometimes cocky Two Strike, to the annoying yet vulnerable little brother Pinch, Erdrich’s writing encompasses the complicated give and take of childhood relationships. Omakaya’s relationship with the Break Apart Girl and Deydey’s friendship with Father Baraga show Erdrich avoiding the stereotype that all whites are bad and none interested in befriending the Native Americans. Erdrich treats each character as an individual and presents them that way.

Her style is not forced, and the book reads easily transporting the audience into Omakayas’ world and allowing them to experience her fears and journeys. Readers truly understand and feel the emotions as the game of silence stops being a game and becomes a means of survival at the end of the story.

Most of the book focuses on Omakayas maturing and learning to navigate her relationships with others and accept her gift of being able to dream the future. The book is packed with adventure amid important lessons about what it means to grow up and face the life that is before you. Though Omakayas is facing extraordinary circumstances in the 1850s, the way Erdrich writes and the maturity Omakayas attains throughout the story are relatable to any child. The book could be made for an audience of any century.

There is a glossary and pronunciation guide to help readers understand Ojibwe terms, but there is no bibliography. The author’s note only acknowledges places the reader may go to learn more about the Ojibwe language. The lack of a bibliography or sources is disappointing since the presence of one would add authenticity and confirm accuracy of the historical elements in the story. Erdrich does provide maps on the front and back pages, as well as drawings throughout that show characters and the different places characters went on their journeys. The black and white drawings are a nice addition and offer a picture book quality to this easy to read novel.

Review Excerpts

“This meticulously researched novel offers an even balance of joyful and sorrowful moments while conveying a perspective of America's past that is rarely found in history books." Publishers Weekly

“Edrich's graceful, vivid language engages the reader with her interesting characters” …”Riverbank Review

Connections

*Have students read The Birchbark House before reading The Game of Silence to better understand Omakayas and her family. Have students keep a maturity map for one character from both books to track their progress as they read both novels.
*Have students read Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter to examine the different views Erdrich and Richter present of the whites and Native Americans. Have students discuss and compare the books in class.