Love Medicine, set on and around a North Dakota reservation in the years 1934-1984, tells the story of the intertwined fates of two families. Black humor mingles with magic, injustice bleeds into betrayal, and through it all, bonds of love and family marry the elements together into a tightly woven whole that pulses with the drama of life.

As they read the novel-told in the voices of Chippewa men and women-students will think about the love-hate relationships that often occur between family members, the nature of families, the impact of the non-Indian world (for instance, Catholicism, alcohol, intermarriages, Capitalism, the legal system, and the Vietnam War) on the Chippewa, and the difficulties and consequences of dealing with a mixed world.

"A masterpiece, written with spellbinding authenticity."-Philip Roth

Freshman Common Book: Carleton College