Nancy J. Peterson

The topics of the individual essays vary, but read together, they offer valuable insights into why Morrison has become a much celebrated, widely taught author."—from the Introduction

Critical and Theoretical Approaches

Toni Morrison

Connie A. Jacobs

Louise Erdrich is one of the most important, prolific, and widely read contemporary Indigenous writers. Here leading scholars analyze the three critically acclaimed recent novels—The Plague of Doves (2008), The Round House (2012), and LaRose (2016)—that make up what has become known as Erdrich’s “justice trilogy.” Set in small towns and reservations of northern North Dakota, these three interwoven works bring together a vibrant cast of characters whose lives are shaped by history, identity, and community. Individually and collectively, the essays herein illuminate Erdrich’s storytelling abilities; the complex relations among crime, punishment, and forgiveness that characterize her work; and the Anishinaabe contexts that underlie her presentation of character, conflict, and community. The volume also includes a reader’s guide to each novel, a glossary, and an interview with Erdrich that will aid in readers’ navigation of the justice novels. These timely, original, and compelling readings make a valuable contribution to Erdrich scholarship and, subsequently, to the study of Native literature and women’s authorship as a whole.

Cultural and Critical Contexts

Louise Erdrich's Justice Trilogy

Professor Nancy J Peterson

"An important study in American literature."--Novel

Contemporary Women Writers and the Crises of Historical Memory

Against Amnesia

A collection of interviews ranging from1993 to 2007 feature the author speaking about the themes and ideas behind his novels, screenplays, and poetry collections.

Conversations with Sherman Alexie

Drawing on a diverse range of approaches and theories -- from W. E. B. DuBois to deconstruction and postmodernism, from black feminist criticism to reader response -- Peterson calls attention to the cultural and political dimensions of Toni Morrison's work.

Nancy J. Peterson

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