Joe's mother is raped at the beginning of the story, so I am giving nothing away by telling you this. This story tells of how Joe and his parents deal with the rape and the aftermath.
Joe especially is upset by the rape and is intent on finding the person who did this to his mother. His mother has stated that the rape took place near the Round House (a religious building) on the reservation. Joe and his best friend Cappy spend a lot of time in the area around the Round House trying to find clues of the deed.
Cappy is an especial comfort to Joe in the trying times after the rape as his mother won't get out of bed for weeks on end. Cappy and Joe spend all of their time together trying to figure out who committed the rape, as well as just being near each other for comfort.
Joe has a wonderful extended family on the reservation that cares for him and feeds him and his friends whenever they show up to their houses. This is part of the reason this story is so good - the family all take such interest in this boy and help him to feel like he is a part of the community. It gives him a strong background and the patience to deal with his mother and the fact that she won't get out of bed.
This book talks a lot about Indian laws and US laws and how they interact with each other when a crime is committed. I found this book to be interesting because of these facts that were woven into the story line. That wasn't the only interesting part though - the story line and the characters were believable and well thought out.
Rating: 8 / 10
ISBN: 9780062065247
Publisher: Harper Collins
Edition: 1st Edition / 11th printing
************ Announcment ****************
*** Winner of the Subscriber Contest ***
The winner of the subscriber contest I held is Joi Hess! Welcome Joi to my book review blog! I'll send the book in the mail in the next couple of weeks.