I liked this book, except for it's ragged pages, but it was well written. I'm not one much for stories about 13 year old boys but this character sounded older, more like 15. I learned much of Ojibwe tribal culture, rituals, loyal relationships, all set up in a good 'who done it'- I liked that I got a sense of cause and effect. I wonder if he would've become an alcoholic? It could've had a better ending, but it was ok I guess as they drove into the sunset.

Among the very best books I've ever read; I laughed and I cried!
I look forward to a conversation with others who read this heartfelt thought-provoking story of Indigenous sovereignty, coming-of-age, family & community, strong Native American women coping after sexual violence, the murdered and the missing women.

A thought-provoking story about a Native American community. There is still some humor as the young boys/men are so connected to Star Trek-TNG.

Reader did wonderful job with the many characters ranging in age, education, and attitude, most with North Dakota accents. Marvelous story that takes you to the last sentence. Great insight to reservation life and the legal restraints of tribes to prosecute outsiders when they commit crimes on reservation lands. This story combines so many things: coming of age; Native American culture and story telling; crime; mystery; every day life on the reservation; teenage angst, love and friendship. Excellent novel -- suggest listening to it rather than reading since the narrator does such a phenomenal job with characters body of book.

I was not disappointed in the ending of this fine book--instead, the last pages swiftly knit the strands and themes together tightly.

Very intense story, with raw emotions and delicate topics. Was disappointed with the ending though.

Another incredibly powerful novel by Louise Erdrich. I thought I knew where the story was going but I was pleasantly surprised by the time I finished. Erdrich crafts immensely difficult subject matter into a story which I was compelled to read - I believe this is because of her gift in story-telling. She weaves characters together, whether it is trauma or ordinary coming-of-age situations, with such skill that the reader welcomes each one with open arms and hearts. I absolutely loved this book!

Great writer. Consistently an author I like to read.

There was a point in this book when I finished a page and felt like my eyes had been opened. I think my awakening coincided with an expansion of Joe's (main character) awareness of his circumstanses and the history of his people. Previous to this point Erdich describes life on the reservation, a place of limited opportunities compared to the outside world, which is exposed through the media of television and movies. After the point where I awoke the author began speaking in a more poetic manner, connecting age old stories with the current conditions and Joe's understanding of the world. I felt disappointed at the end, not with any fault of the author, but with the reality of the life that Joe was walking into.

While I feel like this covered a very delicate topic and included a lot of relevant information I found this read to be a bit slow. It took me a while to get through this book unfortunately and I didn't find it as riveting as I had hoped. Overall I applaud the author for the topic of choice but feel the story could have been told better.