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Parents' Guide to

The Round House

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Complex adult book explores rape survival, reservation life.

Book Louise Erdrich Coming of Age 2012
The Round House Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

teddyd15
teddyd15 Parent of 3 and 11-year-old
July 5, 2021
age 16+

Tough content and concepts by one of our greatest living authors

This is such an important novel! It is told from the point of view of 13 year-old Joe Coutts, and a decent amount of the story is when he is with his three best friends, but it is, overall, a heavy story that is primarily about rape, and the tangled web afterward: rape survival for both the victim and their family; the mistreatment of Native Americans (particularly Native American women). Read "The Round House" could be difficult for anyone connected to such violent crimes.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Louise Erdrich's National Book Award-winning novel THE ROUND HOUSE is narrated by Joe, a 13-year-old Native American boy who lives on a reservation in North Dakota during the 1980s. At the beginning of the novel, Joe's mom is briefly missing, and it's discovered that she has been sexually assaulted. Joe begins the summer before high school in a kind of limbo as his family tries to survive what has happened, feeling they can't move forward until they find and punish the attacker. As he navigates the treacherous road to recovery, Joe's surrounded by close family and the friends/partners in crime who always have his back.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

It’s a complex, rewarding book that's part coming-of-age novel and part mystery, wherein every event is affected by the cultural and legal divide between the reservation and the white world outside. Joe's pain and inner struggle are portrayed with sensitivity and realism and with the critical distance that comes with time, as we know he has reached adulthood before telling the story. His mother's attack is agonizing but increasingly meaningful to "observe" as all the plot points and issues unfold.

Erdrich's award-winning novel is a breathtaking page-turner, deeply layered with emotion and real-life legal and cultural divisions affecting Native Americans.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the treatment of Native Americans in The Round House. How would this story be different if the rape victim had been white?

  • What message does this book send about justice? What would you have done in Joe's place?

  • If you liked The Round House, check out Louise Erdrich's series of young adult novels, beginning with The Birchbark House.

Book Details

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