The Night Watchman

Set in 1953 on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota, The Night Watchman is inspired by the life of Louise Erdrich's grandfather, who worked as a night watchman and fought against Native American termination. Thomas Wazhashk works the night shift at a jewel bearing plant while leading his tribe's resistance to a congressional bill that would emancipate the Turtle Mountain Band—government language that actually means termination of their treaty rights, their land, and their identity as a people. Meanwhile, his niece Patrice works at the same plant while searching for her sister Vera, who has disappeared in Minneapolis. The novel weaves together their stories with those of other community members, creating a rich portrait of a community fighting to survive against governmental erasure. Erdrich brings her signature blend of the magical and mundane to this urgent historical moment.

Louise Erdrich is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and one of the most celebrated Native American authors. She has written numerous novels including Love Medicine and The Round House. The Night Watchman won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. She owns Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore in Minneapolis.