Dirty Copper

by Jim Northrup

Dirty Copper , the prequel to Walking the Rez Road , tells the story of Luke Warmwater, an Anishinaabe soldier, as he returns to the Reservation after serving in Vietnam. Once again, Luke is torn between duty and morality as he becomes a deputy sheriff on the Rez and sees firsthand the war raging below the appearance of peace.

Genres: Fiction, Native American

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Jim Northrup was a Native American columnist, author, poet, and playwright.

Reviews

[Nancy Steinle gummel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty Copper by Jim Northrup is a first read win and om given my honest opinion. Luke Warmwater is a Native American who happens to be a Vietnam Marine Veteran. He return to the reservation from a construction job in Ohio. His parents live in Sawyer on the res. He's offered a job as deputy for Carlton County which he accepts. He's the first native American and there is much prejudice. He starts as jailer which books the prisoners, checks on them and mans the radio. He's sent to school in Duluth with three other recruits. He finished first in his class. Then he moves to a city in Waukeken where he meets a fellow Marine Vietnam Veteran. They are paired together for the graveyard shift. They are offered bribes and watch their fellow cops thievery and get disgusted with policeworks. Northrup tells a unique story. This should be enjoyed by many.

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Northrup's an Anishinaabe Vietnam veteran, best known for his newspaper column and short stories about life on and around the reservation. He gave an absolutely spell-binding keynote at LZ Lambeau, the welcome home event for Vietnam vets sponsored seven or eight years ago by the Green Bay Packers, the Wisconsin native nations, and Wisconsin Public TV/radio. This novel incorporates aspects of Anishinaabe life, vet experience of flashbacks and bad dreams, and slice-of-life style sections on the protagonist's life in law enforcement in Minnesota and Illinois. It's told in a relaxed, story-teller's style. When Northrup turns it into more of a conventional novel, it feels a bit strained, but it's a good read from a writer who's more than paid his dues.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

anishnaabe vietnam vet returns to usa and his reservation and becomes a cop, then gets job with county mounties, then city cops. this story deftly points out the black hearth of dirty cops and their (typical?) repugnance for anything approaching fairness, justice, or service, using this as a workable allegory to usa euro trash in general and the history of north america and indians since 1492. author northrup uses humor and tradition to poke the beast and inform readers.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intelligent and thoughtful look into the life of a Native American Vietnam Veteran who can never leave the war behind as he struggles to make his way in a very bigoted world as a county sheriff and then small city cop. Vignettes of life and the people he works alongside of, learning that the only people who truly have his back in police work are fellow Marine veterans. Engaging and thoughtful.

[Amy Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read something by Jim Northrup because he's considered an insightful writer of Ojibwe life. I guess I'm going to have to read another one, maybe I'll like it better. This book was just flat: the characters, the plot, the tempo.

[Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was pretty simplistic and the characters were not well formed. But the Feel of the times and the struggle of vets as well as Native Americans came through loud and clear.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Luke Warmwater, an Anishinaabe and former marine, Vietnam Nam vet. Or is this Jim Northrup's Vietnam Nam story implanted into character Luke Warmwater? In either case, we follow Luke from his return to the Rez in his role as Deputy in Carleton County near Duluth to becoming a police officer in a very corrupt force in Waukegan Illinois to an interesting role as investigator in the Waukegan Public Defender's Office. On the Rez, the white people hated him because he was Native American and the Native Americans hated him because he was a cop, a dirty copper they said. 'Nam hallucinations (dreams) still haunt him as he tries to carry on and live a normal life. Luke eventually learns he was meant to serve the Rez and returns to help his community. Written totally devoid of emotion and complication. Matter-of-fact at every turn in the life and death of those around him. Very thoughtfully but simplistically written