Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country: Traveling Through the Land of My Ancestors
Part of the National Geographic Directions series, Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country is a short account of Erdrich's trip into the Lake of the Woods area of Ontario, Canada. Erdrich travels by boat with her young daughter to visit the rock paintings on the cliffs and outcrops of the many islands in Ojibwe country. Her writing is both a meditation on family history and a love letter to books as physical and metaphorical objects.
Quote:
"I have to tell myself not to look back as we travel away from the rock. It is as though I've left behind something intangible — not the shirt, the tobacco, or the food. It is as though I've written a poem and burned it."
Author:
Louise Erdrich has written books for children; poetry; non-fiction; and thirteen novels, including The Round House and Shadow Tag. She lives in Minnesota and owns an independent bookstore, Birchbark Books.
Published: 2003
Length: 160 pages
Set in: Ontario, Canada