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BookTalk at BSC discussion features “The Round House”

Published: Jan 25 2018
BookTalk at BSC discussion features “The Round House” - Photo
Readers gather for BookTalk at BSC Sunday, Feb. 4, to discuss “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich.
 
Michael Tomanek, BSC assistant professor of English, will lead the second of three discussions exploring the theme "And Justice for All” at Bismarck State College from 1 to 3 p.m. in the library of Skogen Hall at 1400 Schafer Street.
 
Set in 1988 on the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota, “The Round House” is the 14th novel written by North Dakota author and chronicler of Native American life Louise Erdrich. It was the winner of the National Book Award for Fiction in 2012.
 
After his mother is brutally attacked and refuses to speak about the experience, 13-year-old Joseph must not only cope with her slow physical and mental recovery, but also has to confront his own feelings of anger and helplessness. Doubting that justice will be served, he enlists his friends to help investigate the crime, which brings them to the Round House.
 
Erdrich tells a story ripe with detail about reservation life, and her rich cast of characters provides flavor, humor and depth. She perceptively chronicles the attack’s disastrous effect on the family’s domestic life, their community and Joseph’s own premature introduction to a violent world for which he is ill prepared.
 
BookTalk at BSC series books are available at local libraries and booksellers. Discussions are open to all. For more information, call 224-5450 or visit bsc.libguides.com/booktalk/2018. The 18th annual series is funded by the BSC Library and a grant from the BSC Foundation.
 
BookTalk at BSC will wrap up its 2018 series with “Men We Reaped: a Memoir" by Jesmyn Ward on March 4.