The Night Watchman: Book Summary & Analysis

On August 1, 1953, the United States Congress announced House Concurrent Resolution 108, a bill to abrogate nation-to-nation treaties, which had been made with American Indian Nations for “as long as the grass grows and the rivers flow.” The announcement called for the eventual termination of five......more

Congratulations to Louise Erdrich, 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner! **************************************** I loved everything about this book - the writing, the characters, the story, the importance of it and that Louise Erdrich pays a wonderful tribute to her grandfather who inspired this story. It’s......more

"But every so often the government remembered about Indians. And when they did, they always tried to solve Indians." The Night Watchman is a novel about a senator who tried to “emancipate” Native American tribes in the 1950s and one of the men who led the fight against this so-called emancipatio......more

3 ½ stars re-read: I decided to return to this post my new appreciation for Erdrich's work. I first read The Night Watchman back in 2020 and since then I've read several other novels by Erdrich, my favorite so far being LaRose. Anyway, The Night Watchman has many elements typical of Erdrich's work:......more

Based on the life of her grandfather, The Night Watchman tells the story of Thomas Wazhashk who was not only a Night Watchman but a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the new "emancipation" bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. The bill threatens the rights of......more