• The Game of Silence

  • By: Louise Erdrich
  • Narrated by: Anna Fields
  • Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (161 ratings)

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The Game of Silence  By  cover art

The Game of Silence

By: Louise Erdrich
Narrated by: Anna Fields
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Publisher's summary

Her name is Omakayas, or Little Frog, because her first step was a hop, and she lives on an island in Lake Superior. It is 1850 and the lives of the Ojibwe have returned to a familiar rhythm: they build their birchbark houses in the summer, go to the ricing camps in the fall to harvest and feast, and move to their cozy cedar log cabins near the town of LaPointe before the first snows.

The satisfying routines of Omakayas's days are interrupted by a surprise visit from a group of desperate and mysterious people. From them, she learns that all their lives may drastically change. The chimookomanag, or white people, want Omakayas and her people to leave their island in Lake Superior and move farther west. Omakayas realizes that something so valuable, so important that she never knew she had it in the first place, is in danger: Her home. Her way of life.

In this captivating sequel to National Book Award nominee The Birchbark House, Louise Erdrich continues the story of Omakayas and her family.

©2005 Louise Erdrich (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Erdrich is a talented storyteller, mixing legend and myth with realistic narrative to create a world in which humans and spirits coexist." (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about The Game of Silence

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heartbreakingly realistic. I love Erdrich!

Where does The Game of Silence rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's near the top!

What other book might you compare The Game of Silence to and why?

Difficult to compare.

Which scene was your favorite?

Surviving the cold snap.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A window into Native American History.

Any additional comments?

These stories need to be told & read.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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❤️

I LOVE IT SO MUCH ITS AWESOME 😎 DESERVES ONE THOUSAND OUT OF ONE HUNDRED 💯 🫶🏼 #cool

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great narrator & second installment in this series

In this second story of Omakayas, the infiltration of white settlers and the forcing West of Indigenous Americans through a child's eyes is particularly heartbreaking. Their family home, their favorite haunts, generations-old family gardens, their seasonal practices... the description of each of these brings you close to these people and their experiences. The looming threat of the colonial government grows with each passing tale until finally, they must leave all they know behind, migrating West into unknown and dangerous territory.

The narrator's voice lends authenticity and emotion to this story that was not as powerful in the first book on Audible. I hope this reader performs book three.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Well researched, well written, well read! This book, and the entire series that follows Omakayas and her family, is delightful to read or listen to. This is the absolute best of Historical Fiction. Couldn't recommend it more highly.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A must read!

We have been loving this series! Highly recommend! The reader on this book was amazing!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Quality

so grateful to this author for writing this great series for children. this reader was so great!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

beautiful story.

a beautiful story that I did not want to end. I loved being a part of this family.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding story

We have loved this series so far and the characters of Omakayas and her family, friends, and relatives.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved this book

I can't wait for the other 2 in this series to come to audible. I'm ojibwe and I love hearing ojibwe stories.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Moving coming of age story

I wanted this story to go on forever. Beautifully written and masterfully read. A real gem for readers of all ages!

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2 people found this helpful