Love Medicine: Newly Revised Edition (P.S.)

I loved this book, which was assigned to me in a Native American literature course focusing on oral tradition. The book, itself, is a series of separate, yet intimately intertwined first-person narratives that combine to tell a story of life--family life, reservation life, and the struggles those engender for the people of the Chippewa tribe. One doesn't have to be of Native American descent, however, to connect with the book and its characters.

While the order in which the narratives are told is key to the story as literature, one could read them in any order and still recognize the story that's being told. Again--this mimics life. We each have shared experiences (with family members, friends, co-workers, etc.) and we can pick our shared experiences/stories up at any point and understand where we are in the narrative. Life is linear only in the sense of time -- memories and experiences are non-linear, especially those that really shape us. They happened at one point but they pop up in many aspects of our lives forever.

To me, "Love Medicine" is, at its core, a wonderful telling of life -- like life. It is simultaneously sad, inspiring, thought-provoking and hard to get through, but--also like life--worth every single moment.

The dilemma of the colonized in search for an identity which is neither static and backward-facing, nor imposed by the worldview of the colonizer is the subject of Erdrich's Love Medicine. Her winding, free-flowing storyline mirrors her endorsement of the fluidity of family connections, one of the most significant difference between Euro-American and Ojibwa cultures. Defying the strictures of the novel, the anthology, or any other established writing style, Erdrich refuses to abide by the rules of Western traditions of fiction. A slap in the face to any notions of the superiority of such traditions, Erdrich's tales demand attention by being undeniably honest, and evoking empathy for even those characters who represent everything which is in opposition to Western culture, and zeroing in on the painful truths of America's imperialist history without subjecting the reader to a history lesson. One of the most important books on the Native American experience I've ever encountered.

I don't normally read books like this, I'm more of a fantasy fan (Eddings, Jordan, LeGuin...and yes Tolkien!). However, I ended up reading several chapters from this book in a literature class I was taking in school. I was intrigued by it because it initially reminded me of Red Grass River, by James Carlos Blake and I thoroughly enjoyed that book. I liked it so much that I bought a copy.

I was going to write a review pointing out the fact that Louise Erdrich is a Native American woman, and how valuable she is to our culture. But then I thought that would be silly considering how talented she is as an author. After I read a few chapters of this book in class I liked it so much that I would have read the whole thing regardless of who wrote it! Although her gender and cultural background provide the necessary insight into her characters that makes this story so genuine.

Love Medicine's bland, non-hollywood world is full of rich descriptions and realistic characters. The story is brought to life by Erdrich's talent for painting vivid emotional landscapes through character interactions and by delving into their thoughts and feelings. She does this extremely well. This story is a unique experience for the average American like myself and I highly recommend reading it!

I would not have bought this for myself, but did for the "Big Read" program. It is wonderfully written, from what I am sure are truly factual accounts of modern American Indian life, ever since the reservations and rancherias were put in place decades ago. For myself, it's just another journey back in time, revisiting all the small idiosyncracies and graphic realities my friends lived, when I was a young child. This book will give the "non-experienced" a first hand glimpse into the daily life, struggles and successes of the extended Indian family. I find way too much truth in this book and remember not so fondly some things that my friends had to deal with growing up. I still cherish those old childhood friendships, but will not pick this book up again as it brings back too much emotion from that period in my life.