Following the format of the series, a survey was conducted of teachers who use Native American poet and novelist Erdrich in a variety of classrooms asking what works they most regularly teach, what background references they recommend, and what materials they use most in teaching her. The results, along with essays, provide teachers a reference on materials, approaches, Erdrich's fictional world, pedagogical strategies, and critical and theoretical perspectives. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Greg Sarris is author of an award-winning collection of short stories, Grand Avenue (1994), which he adapted and acted as co-executive producer with Robert Redford for the HBO miniseries of the same name. He currently is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Writing and Literature at Loyola Marymont University and is serving his sixth elected term as chairman of his tribe, the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria Connie A. Jacobs teaches composition, American and southwest literature, and cultural studies at San Juan College, where she is associate professor. Her publications include articles on Louise Erdrich and Esther Belin and a book, The Novels of Louise Erdrich: Stories of Her People (2001). She is currently working on a collaborative project that examines images of Native Americans in children's literature. James R. Giles is professor of English at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. He is the author Violence in the Contemporary American Novel: An End of Innocence (2000); The Naturalistic Inner-City Novel in American: Encounters with the Fat Man (1995); Understanding Hubert Selby, Jr. (1998); Confronting the Horror: The Novels of Nelson Algren (1989); and Irwin Shaw: A Study of the Short Fiction (1983). He is also the author of the Twayne Authors series volumes on Claude McKay, James Jones, and Irwin Shaw.