“The Night Watchman” by Louise Erdrich will be next year’s One Book One Northwestern selection, Northwestern announced Monday.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is about a tribal leader that stands up to Congress in the 1950s while his tribe is at risk of being disbanded and displaced. The character is based on Erdrich’s grandfather, who was the chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa from 1954-58. He, like the titular character, was also a night watchman at a factory.
Erdrich writes in the book’s afterword that the knowledge of termination “has faded, even among American Indian people,” which motivated her to write “The Night Watchman.”
The last time Indigenous people were centered in the OBON selection was in 2015.
Center for Native American and Indigenous Research Director and SESP Prof. Megan Bang and SESP Dean Bryan Brayboy are this year’s OBON co-chairs.
“Louise Erdrich is not only an incredible writer, but she is also a remarkable storyteller,” Brayboy said in the announcement. “All her books, and especially ‘The Night Watchman,’ help readers understand the human condition, the suffering and true stories of resistance attached to policies like termination.”
All incoming freshmen and transfer students will receive a physical or electronic copy of “The Night Watchman.” Programming inspired by the novel will take place during the 2024-25 school year.
In the release, Bang said she was thrilled the NU community is engaging with Erdrich’s book next year.
“(‘The Night Watchman’) reflects many important rich dimensions of history, community, family and more broadly human experience on the 100-year anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act,” Bang said.
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