The Round House

The Round House is a 2012 novel by Louise Erdrich that won the National Book Award. The story is set on an Ojibwe reservation and follows an Ojibwe teenager's quest for justice after his mother is raped. The novel addresses contemporary issues and the lasting impact of violence against Indigenous women, coinciding with efforts to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to include greater protections for Native people. Erdrich, who is of Ojibwe and German American heritage, often writes about the experiences of Native communities in the northern Midwest, exploring themes of culture, family, and the effects of outside influences like alcoholism and government policies.12