Louise Erdrich. Love Medicine. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1984.
Reason read: Erdrich’s birth month is in June. June is also Family Month, so take your pick.
This is such a powerful book on so many different levels. It is the story of two different Native American families, rich with culture and tradition. Even though June Kashpaw dies within the first chapter, her spirit threads through the entire rest of the story. Just like the history of the land they live on, every subsequent character is complicated and vibrant. This isn’t a plot-driven novel. Instead, the characters with their robust personalities and passionate life experiences make Love Medicine come alive.
Quote worth mentioning, “She always used the royal we, to multiply the censure of what she said by invisible others” (p 7).
Author fact: Erdrich also wrote Beet Queen which is also on my Challenge list. Another piece of trivia – Erdrich was married to Michael Dorris who wrote Yellow Raft in Blue Water one of my all time favorite books.
Book trivia: Love Medicine was a national bestseller.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “American Indian Literature” (p 23) and also in More Book Lust in the chapter called “The Great Plains: the Dakotas” (p 106)
~*LunaSea*~ 