Books: Bloodlines Tracks

by Louise Erdrich Henry Holt; 226 pages; $18.95

Love Medicine (1984) and The Beet Queen (1986) introduced Louise Erdrich as a writer with a bold talent and exotic demographics. Both novels drew deeply from her background in North Dakota, where her German-born father and Chippewa mother worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Erdrich's use of history, legend and experience was sophisticated. She is a 1976 graduate of Dartmouth, where her husband Michael Dorris, who is part Modoc, is a professor in the college's department of Native American studies. She has a master's degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins, a pocketful of literary awards and fellowships, and a...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!