Rez Life

David Treuer's part memoir, part extended essay, part history tells the story of the struggles and rise of modern Indian nations from the vantage point of his Minnesota Ojibwe reservation upbringing. Although the story begins and ends with his grandfather's funeral, it bubbles with tough-guy Indian pride. Treuer has a novelist's eye for telling detail that gives the story flavor. Peter Berkrot's emphatic, knowing tenor matches Treuer's punchy prose perfectly. Berkot's pace is well measured. Although he sometimes seems daunted by phrases in the Ojibwe language, his pronunciation is otherwise clear and accurate. This is a hopeful, informative book about an important and often ignored subject. F.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine