The significance of place and indigenous knowledge in Louise Erdrich's Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country (2003)

Place and the stories that come from them are an integral and inseparable part of nature. Nature is landscape and mindscape conjoined and this idea is well illustrated in the autobiographical writings of Louise Erdrich. Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country is an autobiographical work by Erdrich, which was published by the National Geographical Society in 2003. In it, Erdrich explores the relationship between Books and Islands, which she argues function in disparate, but similar, cross-cultural ways. Most of the book takes place in Canada in the summer of 2002. Along with her The Blue Jay's Dance and Route 2 (co-authored with Michael Dorris) Books and Islands, although neglected, is a significant one in terms of our understanding of Erdrich and her writings. Autobiographical works by Aboriginal people are always of importance in increasing our understanding of their lives since they are both spiritual and confessional in nature and illustrate the character of dreams and stories. They also illustrate the significance of Indigenous knowledge and places for Aboriginal people.