The Game of Silence

Bibliography:
Erdrich, Louise and Anna Fields, reader. The Game of Silence. Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., 2005. ISBN 0060758392

Plot Summary:
The Game of Silence continues the story of Omakayas and her Ojibwa family. It covers the daily lives of the Ojibwa, the growth of Omakayas as a person, the loss of loved ones, and the fear of leaving one’s home.

Critical Analysis:
Told from the perspective of a girl approximately 9-10 years old, The Game of Silence puts as much emphasis on a great snowball fight or the story of a little person as it does the arrival of starving refugees. This only helps to make Omakayas a real person to the reader (or listener in my case). It goes from serious topics to what adults may call unimportant matters from one page to the next, but each event is important in its own right. Omakayas’ childlike questioning brings up some wonderful questions that children reading The Game of Silence will probably want answered as well, the most potent of which would be, “Why are they making us leave?” Through the eyes of a child, the inhumane treatment of the Native Americans during the settlement of the United States can be clearly seen.
The game of silence also acts as a wonderful documentary of how life was like for the Ojibwa during the mid 19th century. Descriptions of the bead work, leather making, fishing and rice gathering, and the importance of abiding by your word all showed through in the daily interactions of the story.

Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal – “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.”
Booklist – “In addition to an abundance of details about life through the seasons, Erdrich deals with the wider meaning of family and Omakayas' coming-of-age on a vision quest…Readers familiar with the first book will welcome the return of several richly drawn nonreverential characters, including Omakayas' pesky brother, her irritable mom, and her bold, tough mentor, Old Tallow. As Erdrich said in the Booklist Story Behind the Story, "Little House on the Lake" [BKL Ap 1 99], about The Birchbark House, her research into her ancestors revealed the horrifying history and also a culture rich, funny, and warm. In this heartrending novel the sense of what was lost is overwhelming.”

Connections:
Other books dealing with Native Americans include:
Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House. ISBN 9780786814541
Erdrich, Louise. The Porcupine Year. ISBN 9780060297879
Bruchac, Joseph. The Journey of Jesse Smoke: A Cherokee Boy, Trail of Tears, 1838 (My Name is America). ISBN 9780439121972
Shaw, Janet Beeler, Bill Farnsworth, ill. and Susan McAliley, ill. Meet Kaya: An American Girl (American Girls Collection). ISBN 9781584854234