The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse: A Novel

As a priest nears the end of his life, he is asked to prove or disprove the sainthood of a woman he knows well and struggles to guard his own secret identity in the process. From The Bestselling Author Of Tracks Comes A Dramatic Sequel--a Story Of Suspect Miracles, Tests Of Faith, And The Corrosive And Redemptive Power Of Secrecy. Over The Years, Father Damian Has Seen The Reservation Through Its Most Severe Crises, Yet He Is More Than A Heroic Priest. He Has Lived With And Served The Ojibwa People As A Man Of The Cloth, And Also As A Woman. However, Where Does Fact End And Reality Begin? Npr Sponsorships. Deals With Miracles, Crises Of Faith, Struggles With Good & Evil, Temptation, & The Corrosive & Redemptive Power Of Secrecy. For More Than A Half Century, Father Damien Modeste Has Served His Beloved People, The Ojibwa, On The Remote Reservation Of Little No Horse. Compelled To His Task By A Direct Mystical Experience, Father Damien Has Made Enormous Sacrifices, And Experienced The Joys Of Commitment As Well As Deep Suffering.^ Now, Nearing The End Of His Life, Father Damien Dreads The Discovery Of His Physical Identity, For He Is A Woman Who Has Lived As A Man. He Imagines The Undoing Of All That He Has Accomplished --^ Sees Unions Unsundered, Baptisms Nullified, Those Who Confessed To Him Once Again Unforgiven. To Complicate His Fears, His Quiet Life Changes When A Troubled Colleague Comes To The Reservation To Investigate The Life Of The Perplexing, Difficult, Possibly False Saint Sister Leopolda. Father Damien Alone Knows The Strange Truth Of Sister Leopolda's Piety, But These Facts Are Bound Up In His Own Secret. In Relating His History And That Of Leopolda, Whose Wonder Working Is Documented But Inspired, He Believes, By A Capacity For Evil Rather Than The Love Of Good, Father Damien Is Forced To Choose: Should He Reveal All He Knows And Risk Everything? Or Should He Manufacture A Protective History? In Spinning Out The Tale Of His Life, Father Damien In Fact Does Both. His Story Encompasses His Life As A Young Woman, Her Passions, And The Pestilence, Tribal Hatreds, And Sorrows Passed From Generation To Generation Of Ojibwa.^ From The Fantastic Truth Of Father Damien's Origin As A Woman To The Hilarious Account Of The Absurd Demise Of Nanapush, His Best Friend On The Reservation, His Story Ranges Over The Span Of The Century. In A Masterwork That Both Deepens And Enlarges The World Of Her Previous Novels Set On The Same Reservation, Louise Erdrich Captures The Essence Of A Time And The Spirit Of A Woman Who Felt Compelled By Her Beliefs To Serve Her People As A Priest. The Last Report On The Miracles At Little No Horse Is A Work Of An Avid Heart, A Writer's Writer, And A Storytelling Genius. Louise Erdrich. "For more than a half century, Father Damien Modeste has served his beloved people, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse. Compelled to his task by a direct mystical experience, Father Damien has made enormous sacrifices, and experienced the joys of commitment as well as deep suffering. Now, nearing the end of his life, Father Damien dreads the discovery of his physical identity, for he is a woman who has lived as a man. He imagines the undoing of all that he has accomplished - sees unions unsundered, baptisms nullified, those who confessed to him once again unforgiven. To complicate his fear, his quiet life changes when a troubled colleague comes to the reservation to investigate the life of the perplexing, difficult, possibly false saint Sister Leopolda.". "Father Damien alone knows the strange truth of Sister Leopolda's piety, but these facts are bound up in his own secret. In relating his history and that of Leopolda, whose wonder working is documented but inspired, he believes, by a capacity for evil rather than the love of good, Father Damien is forced to choose. Should he reveal all he knows and risk everything? Or should he manufacture a protective history? In spinning out the tale of his life, Father Damien in fact does both. His story encompasses his life as a young woman, her passions, and the pestilence, tribal hatreds, and sorrows passed from generation to generation of Ojibwe. From the fantastic truth of Father Damien's origin as a woman to the hilarious account of the absurd demise of Nanapush, his best friend on the reservation, his story ranges over the span of the century.". "In a masterwork that both deepens and enlarges the world of her previous novels set on the same reservation, Louise Erdrich captures the essence of a time and the spirit of a woman who felt compelled by her beliefs to serve her people as a priest. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse is a work of an avid heart, a writer's writer, and a storytelling genius."--BOOK JACKET. As priest Father Damien Modeste nears the end of his life and his work with the Ojibwe on a remote reservation, he is asked to help prove or disprove the sainthood of a woman he knows well and struggles to guard his own secret identity--a woman who has lived as a man--in the process. For more than a half century, Father Damien Modeste has served his beloved people, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse. Now, nearing the end of his life, Father Damien dreads the discovery of his physical identity, for he is a woman who has lived as a man. To complicate his fears, his quiet life changes when a troubled colleague comes to the reservation to investigate the life of the perplexing, difficult, possibly false saint Sister Leopolda. Father Damien alone knows the strange truth of Sister Leopolda's piety and is faced with the most difficult decision of his life: Should he reveal all he knows and risk everything? Or should he manufacture a protective history though he believes Leopolda's wonder-working is motivated by evil? For over half a century, Father Damien Modeste has lived a secret life as a woman, while serving his beloved people, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse. Now nearing the end of his life, Father Damien dreads the discovery of his physical identity. To complicate his fears, his quiet life changes when a troubled colleague comes to the reservation to investigate the life of the perplexing, difficult, possibly false saint, Sister Leopolda

Special feature: This PerfectBound e-book contains a reading group guide to The Last Report on The Miracles at Little No Horse and our exclusive interview with Louise Erdrich.

St. Paul Star-Tribune

A magnificent storyteller ... delivering musical prose charged by powerful metaphors.

The grass was white with frost on the shadowed sides of the reservation hills and ditches, but the morning air was almost warm, sweetened by a southern wind.