Excerpt of The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich
(Page 3 of 4)
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One day, as Omakayas was watching Mama and Bizheens, she felt
her Deydey watching her. He sat down next to her. Omakayas's Deydey was a
prickly man—scratchy and remote sometimes, lost in his thoughts, or even cold as
his name Mikwam, Ice. But he was also warmhearted and kind underneath. Often he
seemed not to notice his surroundings at all as he worked on one of his many
projects—nets, snowshoes, baskets, bows and arrows, traps . . . Deydey could
make anything. Suddenly, he would lift his head from whatever he was doing and
Omakayas would realize he had been closely observing the entire family all
along. Now was one of those times.
"N'dawnis," he said, his hand warm on her hair, "don't be sad.
Soon enough that little baby will be too much for your mama! She'll beg you to
help her take care of him! And in the meantime," he went on, excitement in his
voice, "I have made something for you."
Deydey put a small bundle into Omakayas's arms, folded her arms
around the bundle, and hurried away. Giving gifts, the things he made, always
embarrassed him. Omakayas recognized the scrap of hide, now cleaned and
softened, that had first held Bizheens. Slowly, she pushed the edges away from a
face that made her gasp. She saw beautiful hair, black bead eyes, and a tiny
mouth reddened with vermilion. It was a wonderfully made doll with a dress of
velvet sewed by Deydey and beaded by Omakayas's sister. Seeing Omakayas's
longing, Deydey and Angeline had made her something to hold.
From The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich. Copyright © 2005 by Louise Erdrich. All
Rights Reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Harper Collins
NOTES
Hi Davina,
Sorry that this
is reaching you so late, I hope it is still of some use. I have attached the
first chapter (approx. 2000 words) for you. Let me know if you need any thing
else.
Best,
Alex
Alex Garber
Online Marketing
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10022-5299
Tel. 212.207.7632
REVIEWS - CAREFUL: SOME REVIEWS FOR WRONG BOOKK
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8 -Omakayas's tale, begun in
The Birchbark House (Hyperion,
1999), continues in this book. Older and more insightful, Omakayas begins to
understand the elements of life more fully as she accepts her gift of telling
dreams. Changes are coming to the Ojibwa people and she struggles to deal with
all that she is experiencing and her dreams foretell. Her sister falls in love
with a warrior, strange and lost members of her tribe come to rely on her, and
her people are threatened with certain eviction from their homes and food
supply. But traditions are strong, and after Omakayas is sent off into nature to
face the spirits and her dreams, she learns to accept the fate of her people and
comes to see it as an adventure, "the next life they would live together on this
earth." Although the story is set on an island in Lake Superior in 1850, readers
will identify with the everyday activities of the Ojibwa, from snowball fights
to fishing excursions, providing a parallel to their own lives while encouraging
an appreciation for one that is very different. The action is somewhat slow, but
Erdrich's captivating tale of four seasons portrays a deep appreciation of our
environment, our history, and our Native American sisters and brothers.
-Kimberly
Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL
From The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich. Copyright © 2005 by Louise Erdrich. All
Rights Reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Harper Collins.
