Thirteen-year-old Joe lives happily on a reservation in North Dakota with his tribal judge father, his mother, and their close-knit community. A single act of violence cleaves his family, leaving his mother an isolated rape victim, his father preoccupied with an unattainable justice, and Joe, reeling in the aftermath, left to draw his own conclusions about what must be done. This
New York Times best seller is undoubtedly well written, with carefully crafted, believable characters who evolve throughout the story. Gary Farmer provides solid narration, with the exception of a few irksome mispronunciations of local place names.
VERDICT The book is highly recommended for all collections. Read-a-likes include previous works by the author, some of which share characters with this work, or those by David Treuer, who also writes on Native American themes. ["Erdrich skillfully makes Joe's coming-of-age both universal and specific," read the review of the New York Times best-selling Harper hc, LJ 8/12.—Ed.]
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