Louise Erdrich is one of the most important contemporary Native American writers. She writes poetry and some of the most sophisticated fiction and nonfiction being produced in the United States; her novels, particularly, deserve to be read, discussed, and appreciated. She shows every promise of rising to star status not merely among Native American writers but among contemporary writers in general. Although most of her characters and themes grow out of her background as a Native American woman who grew up off the reservation, her writing is accessible to any reader willing to put forth a bit of effort. Like life itself, her writing sometimes appears disjointed, but she raises virtually all of the issues important to an understanding of the human condition: accidents of birth and parentage, falling in love, generosity, greed, psychological damage, joy, alienation, vulnerability, differentness, parenting, aging, and dying.

Karen Louise Erdrich was born...